Day 19 – Tofino, Vancouver Island

-Anna kayaking on her way out to Meares island, with a bald eagle in the background!

Wow, we spent the whole day in one place. And a great day it was. We started the day off changing campsites to get a cheaper one in the Pacific Rim National Park, as opposed to the posh private one that set us back a good dime last night. After figuring out our housing logistics, we went on a hike at Radar Point – followed a rooty, muddy, bear/cougar track laden path through Pacific Rainforest. Anna nearly peed her pants after seeing so many fresh-looking large animal tracks. But thankfully, Jono clapped his hands and whistled just about the entire trail time to ward them off. Next we went into town and soaked up the feel of a laid back, open-minded surfer community. There was so much we wanted to do here – surfing, kayaking, hot springs – and only so much time, but we ended up paddling our way into a very satisfying experience. We took a guided kayaking trip out to Meares Island, spotting a harbor seal and nearly approaching a bald eagle along the way. The water and land are beautiful out here – the landscape reminds us of both Maine and Alaska in its rocky shorelines, dark deep waters and wooded green land. We walked along a boardwalk on Meares Island, and merely uninhabited island the size of Bermuda whose fate was saved by Canadian environmental activists who protected it from loggers some years back. We crawled into a 2000-year-old red cedar, which, in its natural life, rots from the inside out before it eventually falls and becomes fertilizer for the next generation. Tonight we’re hitting the hay early to head down island in the morning, get some exhaust work done on JJ (our boy), and catch a ferry back to the mainland. We’re missing you all.