After the creation of gohiking, I began to get requests for a variety of outdoor adventures. Most requests were still for photography trips, but others wanted to see waterfalls or hike a mountain trail. Still, others wanted to experience hidden caves or visit various communities on the island, historical places like Winter Harbour, Zeballos or Bamfield. We bought a 7-seat van, and with my wife entertaining them, we would take up to 5 people and go on all kinds of adventures. Our tour company was popular. The tourists loved it, and I got to see places I had not been to yet, so fun was had by all. We began to guide people from all over the world.
One time, a family of six, who hailed from France, hired me to show them the North Island. The dad had a limited ability to communicate in broken English, and mom and the kids could speak no English. It is amazing how you can learn other ways to communicate. The kids used smiles and sound effects other than language to speak with me. Mom simply used smiles. We spent the whole day together and covered a lot of miles. At the end of the day, I got big hugs from all of them. Maybe they couldn’t say thank you in words, but the hugs told me how much fun they had. It makes a guide feel good.
My favourite guiding jobs are those that involve hiking in the high country. I love to hike. We are so lucky to live in an area where hiking trails cross the island, there are easy to extreme trails, so you can have your pick. I have spent my life not just hiking the trails, but have also played an active role in trail building. I was part of quite a few trail creations and loved every minute of it.
One year during my time with the Forest Service, I was asked to be part of a crew of 10 guys. Our mission was to construct the trails between the lakes that were going to be part of the Sayward Forest Canoe Route. This was an epic endeavour. We worked out of canoes. We started on one end of the proposed route and would canoe to the end of a lake, then we would follow a suggested route that was laid out with ribbons and put in a trail wide enough to move a canoe along. With 10 guys building the trail, we would move along pretty fast. With that said, it took us 3 months to complete the trails as we had multiple bridges that had to be put in, rest areas and easy launch areas at each portage.
Other trails on the island have always drawn me in to see the country. Some are just awesome and easy, trails like the one between Botany Bay and Botanical Beach. This is an incredible walk through a forest of windswept and twisted trees. It’s a beautiful place, a place of wonder. For 7 years, researchers and students journeyed here to study at the seaside Marine Station. To get here, they would travel from Victoria to Port Renfrew by steamer, then traverse some very steep, muddy, and narrow trails to the station. There was talk about building a better road to the bay, but it never got built. This all but sealed the fate of the station; it was closed in 1907.
When you are hiking in the area, if you look closely, you can still see remnants of the buildings sticking out of the West Coast rainforest. There is a lot of history here, but you need to look closely, as the West Coast rainforest is claiming the land back once more. The area became a provincial park in 1989.
The beaches at both Botany Bay and Botanical Beach are full of a wide variety of sea life. Both plant and animal life are in abundance, and each has adapted to contend with the variable conditions found here.
Black bears and cougars can also be present at any time. Black bears can become used to feeding on garbage, so to avoid teaching bears about trash, please pack out what you pack in. Cougars normally avoid people and are rarely seen, but please leave pets at home if possible and watch over young children.
British Columbia’s toughest and most beautiful trail is the West Coast Trail, situated in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on the west coast of the island. Considered by some to be the toughest trail in North America, the trail traverses 75 km of wind-worn and storm-tossed coastal shoreline. You will see giant cedars, huge hemlock and unending spruce forests, cliffs, beaches, sandstone ledges, and suspension bridges spanning rivers and streams. This is Vancouver Island wilderness, wild and wet even in the summer. Hikers who attempt this trail must be fit and well-equipped for the backcountry.
Then there is the 47 km Juan de Fuca Marine Trail in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park boasts scenery similar to the West Coast Trail, but with vehicle-accessible points at several spots along the trail, making it a favourite for beginners and day hikers. The trail begins at China Beach and ends at Botanical Beach. It’s a pretty awesome hike. China Beach is a very beautiful beach, a great place to go for a weekend walk. China Beach also has a great campground that is located in the west coast rainforests that grow so lush on our coast. The trail down to the beach is quite pleasant with some incredible views, not too difficult to walk, and the beach at the end is awe-inspiring, to say the least. There are 78 drive-in campsites available at this campground.
Some facilities are wheelchair accessible; pit toilets and water taps are located throughout the campground. China Beach itself is a great place to picnic and beachcomb. Remember that black bears and cougars may be present. It would be a good idea to leave pets at home and keep your children in your sight. Lately, we have seen some wolves showing up along the trails of the West Coast, more north of here. You should keep pets on a leash at all times. Take a wander to the western end of the beach during the wet season, and you will see a waterfall that will take your breath away. You can walk along the shore to the second beach, or if you are camping, you can reach it by taking a wonderful trail through the forest to reach it. The waterfall is pretty awesome during the wet season.
In the spring and fall, you might get to see a grey whale as they migrate along the coast. So keep your eyes open and your camera ready. The best times to see whales are in March and April, as they migrate past the island on their way north to the feeding grounds.
There are many other mountain trails on the coast, and some very historical trails like the Woss Grease Trail. The First Peoples used this trail to take grease for trade to the west coast areas. This trail runs from Woss to Tahsis, and it is hundreds of years old, if not older. You can also hike many trails in Strathcona Park. So put on your boots, grab your pack and camera and head out into the backcountry to see what the coast has to offer. Another trail that has just been completed is the Vancouver Island Trail, which runs from Victoria to the top of the island.