Gary's and Toni's Excellent Island Adventures

Surf’s Up!

Well actually, too far up – about eight metres or twenty-five feet! (Apparently, waves have been known to reach twice that height in the region, but this was plenty impressive for us.) No Christmas-present-surf-lessons for our kids home from university. Even the pros were nowhere to be seen on the beaches. But fierce winds and huge waves make for awesome stormwatching, a relatively recent pastime for tourists in Ucluelet, and one we recommend highly.

To reach Ucluelet from Nanaimo, you drive straight west across the mountainous spine of Vancouver Island. Of course, when driving through mountains, nothing’s straight, but it is spectacular – one of Canada’s top scenic drives! After about two hours of breathtaking vistas, you reach a T-intersection. To your left , or south, is a peninsula with the village of Ucluelet at its tip. To your right, or north, is a peninsula with the village of Tofino at its tip. Both villages feature rocky, wind-and-wave-swept western shores, colourful harbours with fleets of fishing and eco-tourism vessels, and eastern sheltered waterfronts rich in flora and fauna. Between Tofino and Ucluelet, mostly hidden from the unassuming, straight, flat road that links them, stretches the Long Beach section of the Pacific Rim National Park, a preternaturally peaceful world of spotless, sandy beaches and lush, rainforest hiking trails.

We have visited the Extreme West Coast of the Island many times since moving to Nanaimo, and we love just about everything about it. (What’s not to love – there’s hiking, biking, beach combing, surfing, whale watching, kayaking, storm-watching, yummy restaurants, sumptuous spas, luxurious beach cabins, rustic bed-and-breakfasts . . . ) This Adventure focuses on just three of the highlights of our Pacific Rim Christmas.

Schooner Beach Trail

This was my first time to do the Schooner Beach Trail, although the guys had done it several times before. Previously, my joints had not been up to the three hundred-ish steps that wander up, down and around the lush rainforest trail before it empties out onto Schooner Cove at the northern end of Long Beach. I am proud to say I did the trail and all its steps with gusto (and head to toe rain gear) and loved it. The forest was hushed, with only the distant and incongruous sound of surf pounding on the beach. It wasn’t even raining there, although there were some pretty significant plops of water dripping from the trees that made pulling down one’s hood a risky venture in itself. We caught a glimpse of  what we think was probably cougar butt crossing the trail in front of us. (Cougars generally stay away from people, so we weren’t worried, just excited. As a friend of ours remarked to us while we were living in Ontario, “You go for a walk in the woods in Ontario, it’s a nice walk in the woods. Go for a walk in the woods in BC, and you’re part of the food chain!”) We emerged from the tranquility of the rainforest trail into the Long Beach cacophony of howling winds, drenching horizontal rain and crashing waves. Temperatures were so mild and the rain so fine, that it was like an invigorating microdermabrasion treatment – for free.

Wild Pacific Trail

A completely different trail is the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet. We usually hike the three-kilometre section at the south end of the peninsula. This trail is up high on a rocky point, and wanders in and out of the woods, with stunning views of waves breaking on the rocks below, the Broken Group of Islands to the south in Barkley Sound, and the famous lighthouse on Amphitrite Point. This trail is supposed to be a good viewing spot when thousands of gray whales migrate through the region in March. We’re hoping to check that out this year.

Matterson House

When we weren’t hiking this trip, seems like we were eating, and two of our best meals were consumed at the Matterson House in Ucluelet. The Matterson House serves West Coast fresh-from-the-garden/ocean cuisine (no deep-frying thank you!) in a family cottage ambience with a dash of history thrown in (the house has been there since before roads actually crossed the Island). Their breakfasts are to die for, served up on pretty glass plates only slightly smaller than a cafeteria tray. (I’m sure this is exactly what the Canada’s Food Guide dieticians have in mind for breakfast portions when hiking on the West Coast!)

This trip we stayed at Tauca Lea Resort & Spa, perched on a tiny island (attached by a causeway) between the boat basin and the Inlet with suites that overlook one or the other. We have stayed at Jason Priestley and Family’s Terrace Beach Resort as well. Both resorts offer “rustic/luxurious” suites in fabulous natural settings. Check out their websites if you’re thinking of heading that way, or just daydreaming about visiting.

This concludes our Ucluelet Adventure. We’re registered for Latin Fever dance lessons through the City of Nanaimo’s Parks and Rec Department starting soon, so our next Adventure could be a Kinesthetic Misadventure of Gigantic Proportions. We’ll keep you posted!

Gary and Toni