Escape to the Cape

This past week I joined my friends on a four day hike on the Cape Scott trail, the northern most point on Vancouver Island. It is a land filled with magnificent trees, beautiful beaches and absolutely no cell service. It was a week where work and life was left behind, a week spent living in the moment and forgetting the stresses of life. 

We made the 8 hour drive up on Monday and arrived at the parking lot in good time. The trail started off with a bit of a hill and the trail was made up of old wooden logs with packed mud, boardwalk and then just pathway. 

We hiked the 3.5 kms to Eric Lake where we set up camp and spent the night. I was amazed at how large Eric Lake was and the water was very tempting, however the thought of packing wet clothes kept me on the shore.

With a 6am wake up we were packed up and on the trail by 8 am. We had 14 kms to hike to Nels Blight where we would spend the next two nights. The first section of trail was dry packed mud and then loads of boardwalk

Most of it was dry and fairly new but the further we went the older the boardwalk became with lots of holes and rot. 

Still the trail was easy compared to the Juan de Fuca trail I had done three years ago. My pack was a heavy 35 pounds and took some adjusting to but after awhile I could almost pretend it wasn't there. 

There were massive trees along the hike and it was hard not to stop and continually take pictures. My pals back home had lovingly sent me off with a note with a wonderful mantra on it that kept me going. When I felt tired I repeated the words "Peace is every step" from Thich Nhat Hanh. It kept me trucking along being mindful of every moment and allowed me to just be in the moment and take it all the beauty of this amazing island trail. After five hours of hiking we came to the settlement area of the Danes in the early 1900's. 

It was interesting to read about the history of the area and picture them living there so far away from any civilization. There were left over bits from their life there which people had found in the bush and brought out near the trail. 

After crossing this wonderful meadow we entered a dark forest that reminded me of Little Red Ridinghood as not only was there bear scat along the pathway but wolf as well. 

At the six hour mark we came out into the light as we reached our campsite for the night at Nels Bight. It was a beautiful long beach and we quickly set up camp so we could relax and rest our weary bodies!

We sat and watched the sun set for most of the evening. 

Watching as the seagulls took flight as an eagle or people got to near their resting spot. The sun set was amazing and was a beautiful way to end the long day. 

 The next morning, Wednesday we woke a little later and headed out on a day hike to the lighthouse at Cape Scott.

It was wonderful having the lighter pack and I found the 7km's out to the cape was the most beautiful part of the hike. 

There were beautiful beaches, 

forested trails, 

wooded wagon roads from the war time and 

massive, massive trees. Some had been cut down and yet they still greeted us with smiles. 

On arrival at the lighthouse I was amazed to find many buildings and a light "post" and not a true light house but it was still great to be there. 

We climbed up the light tower and were welcomed with wonderful views. We didn't stay long due to a fear of heights and a shaky see through floor. 

The hike back was a little slower as we had filled all of our water containers at the lighthouse tap. The beaches of Guise Bay greeted us once again 

and then the forested trail back across to Nels Bight. Where we enjoyed another sunset. 

In the morning we packed up nice and early and were on the trail by 9 am. It was a very long day hiking back towards Eric Lake where we took a little break to filter some water for the next part of our journey. We hiked 19 kms that day and went down to San Josef Bay. 

The trail past the car park to the bay was flat and graveled making the journey easier on our very tired bodies. 

 There were magnificent trees down there with huge roots and the beach itself of a lovely site. 

The water where the river joined the ocean was crystal clear and a beautiful greenish blue colour. 

The view from our campsite was nature at its finest and it brought the sense of peace. That evening we walked around the bend at low tide and found the sea stacks that people have spoken about. It was fun to check them all out and explore the area.

 It was the perfect way to end a great hike. I was so thankful that we had chose to stay the extra night and enjoy this beach.  

Mary, my hiking partner at the age of 12 was amazing and hiked along with us never complaining about being tired nor about having to wait for us older folks. 

We all need these respite times in our lives. Time to get away from it all and into the forests. For those of us who are always "connected" being away from cell service is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. Instead we can connect with nature. As we hiked (just over 50 kms in the 3.5 days) I found that I didn't think about work, I didn't worry about the future, I just enjoyed the moment. 

Thank you Walker family for inviting me come along on what was a most amazing hike and vacation. There's nothing better in life than exercise, friends, laughter and being outdoors! 

East Sooke Park

It was time to venture south and check out East Sooke park again. I had done the 10km coastal hike with a group a couple years back but had yet to go down with friends and cache along the many trails. We had planned our route to go first along the coast and nab a few caches and then loop back along the interior trail where there loads of caches to find. I had seen a picture on a hiking site that I really hoped to find while we were out on the trail. It was of a large outcropping of rock with a trail leading out to it. It reminded me so much of Scotland and looked like it would need exploring.  I hoped we could find it. 

It's funny over time how one can forget the ruggedness of a trail. I picked the trails closest to the farm as I remembered how beautiful the scenery was and "flat" the trail had seemed to be. We were having a girls day and the three of us set off with Cabin point as our goal. The trail was relatively flat as we headed out and we stopped fairly often to take in the beautiful views along the way. 

As we headed out to the point we passed this rock with a tree growing out of the top and there was a short trail down to it but I couldn't be bothered to go and explore so just carried on. It wouldn't be til later that night that I would realize that this was the place I had been looking for. The picture I had seen was taken from a different  point and therefore gave a whole different perspective on how large the rock was. Its a lot like life ...it all really just depends on your perspective. 

We managed to nab three of the four caches and knew it was time to get a move on. As the trail progressed we found ourselves doing lots of rock scrambling, a part of the trail I seem to have forgotten. 

We stopped and had lunch with a nice view looking out at the ocean 

and then carried on..

and on....

and on...

Somehow I had forgotten how steep parts of the trail were and how much it went up and back down again. We came to a trail and discussed our options...there was no way we could continue to cache and hike and still make it to Cabin point. We opted to hike and carry on. 

It was great and thankfully we were mostly in the trees as we climbed up and down through the small valleys. 










  














We didn't make it to Cabin point has I had wanted but turned back just before it. Then we cached all the way back to the parking lot arriving in perfect time. It was a great day and I will definitely have it on my list to go back and do a few more trails. It will take at least two more trips to cover all the trails and nab the rest of the caches. Something to really look forward to and hopefully it will happen within the year. East Sooke park is a beautiful beautiful place to hike!
Thanks Joan and Pat for a wonderful day!

Last Hikes in Scotland

I was very lucky to be able to quite a few more hikes before I had to head back to Canada. I had always wanted to hike up Sir Albert's Seat in Edinburgh, mainly because my daughter had hiked up there four years ago and it would be cool to be somewhere I knew she had traveled.

The Pathway up to Sir Albert's Seat

 It is just a short climb to the summit and the weather was not at it's best but we managed to make it up to the summit and get somewhat of a view of the city.

At the Summit

 The most impressive site I felt of the hike were the massive crags. Although we didn't hike up on top of them we did take the trail that was directly below them. The rock formation was just amazing and I could have spent hours just looking at them.

The Crags

 Last time I was here had we had hiked up Mount Schiehallion and I was thrilled to bag a munro so I was determined to get another one this trip. The mountain chosen was Mount Keen. It is a long hike into the mountain through fields filled with lovely sheep and their cute little lambs.

Heading up to Mount Keen

It was wonderful to walk along the trail and come upon this ancient well. There is something to be said for the history of this magical land. 

Queen Anne's Well

We had our first lunch break up above the stream that was running down in between the hills. The summit could be seen in the distance but was a long long ways off. 

Lovely creek running down through the hills

Finally in the distance we could see Mount Keen. It looked so very far away but the pathway wasn't too too steep. For some reasons the Scots have built stairs on many of the hills when you reach the steep part. It must have taken years and I'm not sure I enjoy going up them. 

Mount Keen in the distance

After a few hours of hiking we finally made it to the summit. I had been thinking we would never make it as there was a false summit so I prayed as I peeked over the last bit that this actually was the top and thankfully it was!

At the rocky summit

The views looking back down the trail were just amazing. It didn't matter which direction I looked, there were just more and more hills and valleys. A beautiful peaceful place to be.

The views!

Heading back down it was amazing to see how far we had hiked up. The trail faded out in the distance but it was neat to be able to see where we had been and where we were going. Much different than hiking at home where one was mostly in the trees. 

Heading back down the long trail...

Once down to the flat land we took a break for second lunch and a foot soak. Lovely clear cold water. The sound of the peaceful stream was soothing.

Time for a foot soak
This was one of my favourite hikes for sure. It had a bit of everything, views, history, streams, lambs and was very magical and another munro was in the bag!

Just like the treed land I love back home

One of our last hikes was to the Corrie Fee. Hiking through the trees made me feel at home and there was a lovely stream nearby. Once past the trees we came to the opening of the Corrie Fee. It was quite a way to hike but I really wanted to go up as far as the waterfall. It looked a lot further than it really was though. 

The waterfall in the distance...our goal

I was content to stop here but I am glad that we carried on and hiked right up to where the waterfall came down through the rocks. 

Almost there

I hiked down so that I could put my hands in the cool waters and just sat there silently soaking up the peacefulness of the place and the day. 

Cool fresh water pooling on it's way down

I headed down ahead of the others, just wanting to enjoy the quiet and soak up all the joy of the day. I knew it was my last big hike and wanted to make the most of it. 

Heading back down...can you find D & J

Arriving at the car park felt really good...it was a fun hike....not near as strenuous as hiking a munro. It had been a good day and a great holiday. There is just so much to see and do when one explores other countries that it is impossible to do it all. 

Back at the car park and time to say good bye to the hills of Scotland

There was so many more adventures that I totally enjoyed but it would take too long to share them all. Besides I am back home and have my own hills and mountains to explore. Life is too short to stay indoors! Life and nature awaits.

Big Bang takes Penny Kayaking

My most favourite show on television is The Big Bang Theory, a comedy about four young men working at a University. They are all very wise scientists who love Super heroes and are Star Trek fans and I love them all. There are also two young women biologists that they befriend plus Penny, the high school drop out, who aspires to be an actress. Last year my friend who kayaks and blogs posted a picture of himself with his partner and four friends all taking a lunch break on a beach. They were dressed in matching mango dry suits and I couldn't help but laugh as they so reminded me of the guys from Big Bang when they dressed up in their Star Trek costumes. These too, were all very wise men and so I nicknamed them the Big Bang Guys. 

Yesterday my friends, Duncan and Joan, arranged with their friend, Ian to take me on an amazing kayak trip on the Moray Firth of the North Sea. Ian had planned the adventure and supplied me with kayak and kit so that I could take part. Although I look nothing like Penny, as I suited up in a mango jacket I felt that the "Big Bang Guys" were taking Penny kayaking. I am a novice kayaker and was feeling a little apprehensive about paddling with such wise skilled paddlers.



We headed out from Sandend Beach and the water was calm and a beautiful clear blue colour. We followed the coastline and went behind huge rocks through narrow channels. 


Above on the rocks were many types of birds nesting on the cliffs. It was truly amazing to be so close to them. The air was filled with their sounds and smells. Ian pointed out the many types of gulls, cormorants and kittiwakes. 

We continued on exploring the cliffs n caves that we came upon. As we paddled under the ruins of the Findlater Castle we approached a beautiful sand beach which would be our lunch spot.  

Ian explained how we needed to watch the waves and come in after two large waves had passed as they were followed by seven small waves. He went in first and did a wonderful smooth landing. I followed and was doing great but I'm not a strong paddler so the first big wave came up behind me and thankfully I managed to ride through it but as I neared the beach the second wave caught me sideways and I found myself hanging out of the kayak sideways with one side of me under six inches of water. It was a great sideways skid onto the beach and I laughed thinking how it was a great "Penny" landing. 
Here I had been concerned that I might embarrass my friend around his kayaking buddy and now I could relax because it was done. Ah it was something to laugh about and learn from. We had a great lunch and then headed back out. Amazingly it was much easier to get out with the help of the two guys than it was to come in to shore.



We carried on and cross the bay at Cullen beach and paddled over to Bow Fiddle Rock. 

Safely on the other side of the waves

It as a long ways to paddle and I was unable to keep up to the guys but thankfully Joan paddled along side me enjoying the beautiful views together as we moved along. The Bowfiddle is just so amazing.

Bow Fiddle Rock
From the front you can't see how amazing it is but from the backside it turns into this beautiful rock formation that looks like a fiddle. Paddling under it was such a gift and something that many people don't get to experience. I will be forever grateful! We then paddled over to another cave which will someday turn into an arch as the "window" is already forming.

I loved looking up at the stone ceiling and down through the green water. I could have stayed in there forever just floating on the clear water however we still had to paddle across Cullen Bay to the beach where we had left a car. Thankfully we were landing at the marina where the beach was protected from waves and I was able to land a little more gracefully this time!



It was an amazing day and something I will always cherish. Thank you Ian for organizing such a wonderful day and thank you Duncan and Joan for not only the kayak outing but an amazing holiday!
Photos from Duncan at http://oceanpax.blogspot.ca/ 
(I was very thankful I hadn't taken my phone with me to take pictures)