This time it wasn’t weather but time that was not on our side. Being this far north this time of year means the days are quite short. The sun rises at 8am and sets by 4:30. The sun’s workshift is shorter than most American factory worker’s.
I am a night person. Left to my own devices, I don’t get going until 11am… 10am if it’s a good day. So here I don’t get days off, just hours.
Granted, we don’t need to go far for a little forest. This is our morning walk—the trail at the end of the cul de sac.
I am a night person. Left to my own devices, I don’t get going until 11am… 10am if it’s a good day. So here I don’t get days off, just hours.
Granted, we don’t need to go far for a little forest. This is our morning walk—the trail at the end of the cul de sac.
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Not a bad way to start the morning: in the woods.
But still, I want to see and do more while I’m here, not just walk around my neighborhood.
Having gone south for Stanley Park the weekend prior, I opted to head north toward Horseshoe Bay and Whistler. Those were places I’d heard of, and I suspected the places between here and there might not be as crowded.
Having gone south for Stanley Park the weekend prior, I opted to head north toward Horseshoe Bay and Whistler. Those were places I’d heard of, and I suspected the places between here and there might not be as crowded.
Surprisingly, I was right.
A little trail in the little town of Lion’s Bay between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish provided a lovely forest hike with occasional views of the ocean and not a soul in sight.
A little trail in the little town of Lion’s Bay between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish provided a lovely forest hike with occasional views of the ocean and not a soul in sight.
Perfect.
Except we didn’t get there until 3:00…
Except we didn’t get there until 3:00…
... although beautiful, it was already getting dark.
When Tucker stopped showing up in the pictures I was taking, I felt we should head back.
I had a flashlight and a granola bar. I'm guessing neither would appease a bear should we run into one out after the sun went down.
So… fast forward one week. We get back on the road and head farther away from the United States border.
The drive is gorgeous. If Central Colorado and the Southern Oregon Coast had a baby, it would be the southern coastline of British Columbia. The mountains towered over us to the right, and the ocean and bays with its islands and rock outcroppings saluted us on our left.
So… fast forward one week. We get back on the road and head farther away from the United States border.
The drive is gorgeous. If Central Colorado and the Southern Oregon Coast had a baby, it would be the southern coastline of British Columbia. The mountains towered over us to the right, and the ocean and bays with its islands and rock outcroppings saluted us on our left.
The misty clouds made the view even better. I didn’t want it to be a bright sunny day. This was magical.
We returned to the hard to find trail, and decided on the loop. Only about three miles, but more than we’d done while he had been here.
We returned to the hard to find trail, and decided on the loop. Only about three miles, but more than we’d done while he had been here.
We stopped at picnic tables.
We walked through deep forest.
Then open meadow along the cliff’s edge.
We saw the ocean.
And a waterfall.
We even traipsed up the trail a little too far and ended up on a rural road. We turned around, headed back, found the trail, and continued back through the forest.
This is what I came to Vancouver for. I came for the forests and the water. I came for magic in the woods, and time to contemplate and walk and experience yet another geographical and spiritual aspect of Mother Nature.
It was an easy hike. Easy for both British Columbian and American standards. There were no ropes to climb or pulley systems or suspension bridges to cross. It was just a walk in the woods along the coast.
I don’t hike to challenge myself or even to feel like I’ve accomplished anything. I hike for the experience of the journey itself. I don’t need to push my body to the limits or make things more difficult than necessary. Granted the boy gets pretty down if I turn him around before we reach the end, but for me hiking isn’t about the destination. It’s about the journey. And this is the journey: eyes to the sky, and nose to the wind.
I don’t hike to challenge myself or even to feel like I’ve accomplished anything. I hike for the experience of the journey itself. I don’t need to push my body to the limits or make things more difficult than necessary. Granted the boy gets pretty down if I turn him around before we reach the end, but for me hiking isn’t about the destination. It’s about the journey. And this is the journey: eyes to the sky, and nose to the wind.
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