Tofino is a tiny village on the western shores of Vancouver Island affectionately known as Tough City for its isolation and notoriously inclement weather. It’s also one of the most beautiful places in Canada and is visited by birders, hikers and surfers in large numbers. My nephew moved here last year to work at a local restaurant and we were happy to finally visit him after two years of covid separation.
We met up on his day off and immediately headed for the nearest beach to hike up to one of his favourite lookoff points. We were rewarded with a panoramic view of Cox Bay and an acrobatic airshow by two bald eagles circling around us. The shot below is one my partner took.
After our hike we headed back to the campground for a feast of quesadillas and beer. The meal was excellent even with our primitive kitchen set up.
The next morning we took a water taxi to Meares Island to visit the old growth cedar forest that was the site of intense protests back in the 1980s. At that time, local First Nations and environmentalists fought against a proposal to log most of the island and won. The Big Tree Trail brings you to a number of significant trees believed to be as old as 1300 years. These trees don’t have the height or majesty of the Sequoias or Redwoods but their central role in supporting this rainforest ecosystem, both in life and in death, makes them fascinating and beautiful in their decay.
Later that day we hiked out to the site of a WW2 bomber crash site. The hike was fairly easy and the condition of the 80 year old plane was remarkable.
Our last day in Tofino we took it easy as we were recovering from a late night with my nephew’s friends. We checked out some galleries in town, hiked a couple more short trails and in the evening settled in for some fine dining at my nephew’s restaurant. We returned to our campsite at night in a near monsoon conditions. Fortunately the tent was dry inside and we had a comfortable night. But the drizzle this morning made for a wet pack out of the tent and we are spending the night tonight in a hotel in Squamish giving us a chance to dry our gear.
sedativegunk 