After a month touring the Island, we took our last ferry ride for awhile
August has been an action-packed month so far – we got my sister married, bid farewell to the Island (for now) and started heading north on BC’s mainland.
San Josef Bay
To finish off our Vancouver Island tour, we spent some time in Port Hardy and travelled to San Josef Bay in Cape Scott Provincial Park. We had originally considered doing a two-night trip with one night as San Josef Bay and then heading out the next day for a 40k round trip hike to the lighthouse on Cape Scott. After some further consideration, we decided to laze around at the beach for a day instead! It was a good decision since the these were two of the only days we didn’t have rain on the north island, so we had a relaxing sunny day exploring the beach and coastline.
In the morning, we rolled out of the tent onto the beach at low tide – the beach had doubled in size from the time we went to bed. We could tour around the islands that were previously surrounded by water and we stumbled upon a trove of sea creatures. Clung to the rocks were the highest number of starfish and seas urchins we have seen so far – of brilliant oranges, purples and greens. Alas, we have yet to see any whales or sea wolves … the latter I am okay with though.
We packed up camp and set off to the parking lot before the tide rolled in. This time we could stick along the beach instead of taking the much harder and slipperier high tide detour. After 24 hours of beach bliss, we started down Hoberg Main towards Port Hardy. We passed Vancouver Island’s most remote pub, which inspired more adventure.
Further down the road, we made the spontaneous decision to turn right towards Raft Cove. After 10k on a logging road, we made it to the parking lot where we met a weary hiker from Saskatchewan. He noted the trails were wet in spots, so we had an idea of what to expect on the 4k round trip.
Side note – earlier in the week, officials closed the famous West Coast Trail. The route had become impassable on the account of rain and mud, and dozens of hikers were evacuated. Not that we were doing anything of that length or intensity, but just to give an idea of just how saturated the ground was in late July on the north island.
We got to Raft Cove at high tide to see some big swells. We also saw a cool confluence of water where Macjack River met the ocean. The fresh water flowing downstream met with the crashing sea water to unite as one! When back to the truck, we started down the main road and made another spontaneous right hand turn onto a longer and new-to-us forest service road to Coal Harbour. With no cell reception and only kilometre markings on these unknown gravel roads, Cody channelled his inner rally car driver in attempt to swerve around man-eating potholes. We assumed we were heading in the right direction but never really knew for certain how much farther we had. Seeing a few vehicles coming towards us gave some indication of civilization ahead! With just enough gas and tire pressure, we eventually made it to Coal Harbour, a small seaside village with some houses and a boat launch. If we’d had more time, we would have liked to check out Winter Harbour, too. We got back to the trailer with damp shoes and happy hearts.
Comox Valley
We managed to pack up before the next band of heavy rain and made the three-hour trip to Courtenay. When we arrived at Puntledge RV and Campground, we were informed that our site was still occupied and the park staff were “dealing with it.” Fortunately, another site was available for the weekend, so we took it instead. The Comox Valley was much warmer and drier than up north, so we took the opportunity to air out everything in the trailer. Later in the afternoon, we met up with friends Kala and Nigel for a 6k jog on the One Spot Trail and then headed to Gladstone Brewing Co. in town for a brew and food. We spent the evening sitting outside in shorts and t-shirts because we could. It had felt like awhile since we had been able to sit outside without getting wet.
With more rain in the forecast, we headed to Cumberland in the morning to go mountain biking. The Great Toad Migration was ongoing, so a few of the climb trails were closed and we had to carefully cross a bridge while on the lookout for baby toads. We climbed to the top and did a couple new trails – Oops my bad and Top of the Pops. These trails were good fun and TOTP was super fast and flowy. This ride was the first instance where I got air intentionally! Who knew riding a downhill bike at a gravity park would have its perks! It was a quiet afternoon with errands and homemade pizza in the evening.
The next adventure was to check out more new trails at the Cumberland trail network. The Epic 979 loop was about the same distance as the day before (23k) but 900m of elevation (about 300m than previous). After navigating through the toad migration alternate routes, we arrived at the bottom of ” Climb and Punishment.” Aptly named, the three-part climb was indeed a punishment. We climbed 400m in 4k on heavy bikes and I was in the red zone for most of the 40-minute ascent.
When we finally made it to the top, we were greeted by a lovely viewpoint that overlooked the mountains we hiked up a few weeks back, along with the Comox Glacier and a few other mountains in that range. Cody felt good, but I had cracked somewhere along the way up and we were only halfway through the ride. The only way down was the 979 trail, rated black for its rock features and steeper sections. Let’s just say, I slowly picked my way down while Cody blasted to the bottom. I was quite relieved to get back to the road and meander down on more familiar trails. By the end of the ride, my quads and upper arms were so dead, I could barely hang onto my bike. We made it back to the truck, had a smoothie boost and then were pretty spent the rest of the afternoon!
On the holiday Monday, we parked the RV at Nigel’s parent’s place while we made a quick trip east.
Ontario
Cody and I took a brief tour intermission to attend my sister’s and brother-in-law’s wedding in Ontario. Despite WestJet’s best efforts to thwart our travel plans for their big day, thankfully, we arrived without issue! After a lovely week celebrating the beautiful couple, we flew back and made our way to the Sunshine Coast.
Sunshine Coast
After a quick walk around Kitty Coleman Provincial Park in Courtenay, we headed to the Little River Ferry Terminal. The 19 Wing Canadian Forces Base Comox crew were doing flight training in the sky above us and glide planes floated along. We waved goodbye to the Island – a “see you later” kind of farewell. We crossed over onto the “mainland” (the Sunshine Coast has Island and remote vibes) and drove up the Sunshine Coast from Powell River to Lund. We arrived at Sunlund RV Park and Cabins and then walked along the water, where we stumbled upon the “town” of Lund. It’s a very cute, quaint and niche place!
After some work in the morning, we headed to Powell River to wash the truck and take it in for scheduled maintenance. We killed some time in the local Shopper’s Drug Mart and Winners. Cody even got some new sandals and shorts! After the truck was ready, we took the bikes to the Mt Mahoney trail network. It was so hot but very fun. The trails are so smooth and fast, but you can choose more technical options if you’re feeling skilled. Our favourite trails were One Second Per Hour, Spittin’ Chicklets and the bottom section of Civil Disobedience.
The next day we went for a lovely trail run to Hurtado Point and Dinner Rock. It was a trail that even I could run on, which is to say it was smooth and not overly technical. The trail paralleled the shore and offered beautiful views of Savary Island. That evening, I thought I’d booked a sunset kayak tour with Terracentric Coastal Adventures but it turned out that instead, we got to ride around on a zodiac boat to Desolation Sound. The area is famous for its dramatic shorelines, warm waters and quiet coves. Our skipper told us about some of the area’s history and got up close to Indigenous pictographs on the rocks. We saw a ton of seals and eagles and at the end we were lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins. The water was nice and calm, and we got a gorgeous sunset!
That night while we were sleeping, we heard a loud bang and found out in the morning that a large branch came down on our neighbours RV. The end of the branch only lightly brushed our trailer. Thankfully everyone was okay and the only damage was minor scratches. That morning, unrelated to the branch, we packed up and headed to the Saltery Bay terminal. It was quite busy but thankfully we made it onto ferry we had scheduled our day around! We made it to Earls Cove and continued the twisty and turny drive to Gibsons. We arrived at Gibsons Creek RV Park and Campground, had dinner and chilled out after a long travel day! The only nice thing about this campground was that we could ride to the mountain bike trails from our site. It was a busy weekend in Sechelt with The Backwoods Jam happening at Coast Gravity Park. So, most of the camping spots were filled, leaving only the less desired spots for us.
We went for a long ride through the network, including the Sprockids and B&K trails. Sprockids was a bit rough with lots of rocks and roots, but B&K had beautiful dirt and supported trails. We are still adjusting from the temperate island weather to the hotter and drier mainland!
Pemberton Meadows
We left Gibsons and headed to the Langdale terminal, our final ferry ride of the trip. Upon our arrival to Horseshoe Bay, we began the Sea to Sky Highway climb. It was a gorgeous drive, and we passed through Squamish and Whistler towards our home for the week in Pemberton Meadows. One of Cody’s former colleagues owns a farm in the meadows and graciously allowed us to park the trailer in the hayfield down by Ryan River. The glacial river runs down directly from the ice fields in the mountains, which means the water is frigid! But it was nice to have the option to get in and be instantly refreshed. The field was a picturesque spot with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and cattle pastures.
Our neighbour’s dog Shilo, a friendly Black Lab, promptly introduced herself and regularly checked in during our stay.
We rode the Mackenzie trails in Pemberton and were instantly in love. The network had smooth purpose-built climb trails, rocky outcrops, vista views and flowy descents – what more could you need?! We were the only ones dumb enough to ride in the heat of the afternoon, so we had all the trails to ourselves. I unlocked some of fear of black tech on Overnight Sensation and rode many of the steeper sections and rock rolls. I guess when there are no alternatives, you just have to send it!
The next day we rode a few laps of the Alice Lake trails in Squamish, which were tons of fun. I progressed my rock slab skills on Rupert but still had to opt out of some of the spicier ones on Entrails. We then headed over to Diamond Head for a quick lap of Half Nelson with our friend Natalia. It was a short climb up to the top and a flowy and super fun descent – big berms and grippy dirt corners. The perfect way to end the day. After washing off all the grime, we met up with our dear friends for dinner at Locavore Bar and Grill. The restaurant had a big patio and playground, which was perfect for parents and kids. Of course, we had to get dessert at Alice and Brohm. They serve vanilla frozen yogurt mixed with real fruit of your choosing. We drove back on a quiet Sea to Sky that showcased a phenomenal sunset over the mountains.
We had looked into hitting up the Whistler Bike Park, because we’d had so much fun on DH bikes at Mt. Washington, but after some research discovered that a day on those trails would cost us over $600. We pivoted and Cody charted a route through some of the iconic free climb and descent trails on the west side of town. The day began was a 13k long climb straight up to the Tonic Peak area via the Into the Mystic trails. Some pitches exceeded 20 per cent and we were a sweaty mess by the time we broke through the treeline into the alpine. Despite the grind, the trail was very well built and we were rewarded with incredible mountain views. When we crested into the alpine, the terrain transitioned from dirt to rock. While there was a smoky haze in the air, we could still see the ranges around us, along with the wildflowers and lakes at the top. The thing about climbing up 13k, is that you must get down, and so we rode the critically acclaimed Lord of the Squirrels, a challenging but fun black trail. It had everything from alpine chunk to smooth rock slabs and techy roots to fast bermed corners. It was a workout but so much fun. And from there we just kept going downhill. Chipmunks Revenge was next, and despite only being a blue trail, my quads, forearms and fingers were burning trying to hang on. We had a ton of fun though and were happy with our decision to skip the bike park and ride on these amazing trails! We headed back to the meadows and had a good long ice soak in the river.
From here, we head into Central and Northern BC to see what adventures we can find! Let us know what you think of these updates! Want to stay in touch? Sign up for our newsletter!
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I feel like I went on an adventure myself!
The photos are beautiful.
Thanks for the update!
Thank you Barb! Trying to tire out our bikes and shoes out here haha