As a newcomer into Canada, there was much to explore. I arrived in Nanaimo at the end of July 1999, and people told me that this was the best time to see Canada.
After fighting jetlag, I was looking for excitement. Next in line was a tough terrain hike on the most northern part of Vancouver Island, Cape Scott.

The expedition consisted of Lori, Torin, Mike, and myself. We headed out at the break of dawn on the 7th of August. After 8 hours of driving, we reached the end of the road and from here on we had to walk the remaining 56 km to the first base camp.

As we are walking along the rugged trail I can't help noticing the amazing scenery that surrounds me: the deep forest and all of the small creeks. It is so cool that it is hard to imagine anything like it. Even though park rangers try to keep the trail clear--like putting up rails and boardwalks-- it is still a challenging hike, walking over logs, through mud, and over large dikes and slippery rocks.

After about 3 hours we reach the start of the attractions: the remainder of the Danish settlement around the 1900's. Beds, tractor wheels and old fences are all that is left. It is amazing that these people tried to live here. They had a school, a church and farms. According to the memory stones and information posted along the trail, the Canadian government promised to build a railroad to their settlement. As years passed so did the Canadian government's promise. The railroad never came. The hard climate lead to the resettlement of the Danish people to more arable land. Since there were many Scandinavian people, mainly Finnish, living around the Port McNeil area, the Danish went there, as well as to the mainland.

Continuing our journey we walk through an intense part of the trail--lots of bushes and steep parts. Now I know why people told me to prepare for the unexpected. Since there is no running water, we have to use water from creeks and by using special filters we are able to clean all of our water. This is a must out here, since there is a great risk of getting "beaver fever", which is a nasty disease. In order for us to make the whole 6 hour hike as safe as possible, each person must drink at least 3-4 liters of water or more during the day.

After 6 hours of walking, we finally reach our destination, the beach. It was such a wonderful sight: this long, almost endless beach of white sand. After walking through dikes, bush, mud and over rocks, it feels so good to be walking on this nice sandy beach. The amusing thing is that the beach seems to appear out of nowhere. First we are walking through the forest and before I even see it coming--is the beach!

Now we have to figure out where to set up a base camp. It is important to have a good, solid, and well protected camp site, since it must protect us from the ocean, the wind, and from rain. Torin, who has done this hike a few times before, knows exactly where to go; he is just hoping that it isn't occupied. As we approch the camp site, we see no smoke from it and so is available for us to use.

Setting up the camp is relatively easy. We have to improve the wind shelter and fix the fireplace to make it more efficient and safe. We also have to build some benches to sit on. When this is done, we set our tents up. What we have to make sure of is that the tents aren't too close to the fireplace; a spark from the fire could easily burn down a tent.

Next in line is to secure our food supply from bears and other wildlife. This is done by putting all of our food in one backpack and raising it up in a tree. Although we know we can't protect all of our food from mice and other small animals, the danger lies in possibility of a bear being attracted by the food and attacking our campsite. We put the food high up in a tree about 50 meters from our camp just to be safe, and I'm sure glad that we do because we encouter a few bears on the beach while collecting firewood.

The next day we had planned to reach the most northern point of Vancouver Island. I put on my boots, which aren't dry yet, and I can feel my feet's resistance to the boots. But after a few minutes of walking, my feet and I are as happy as ever.
The break of dawn presents an unbelievable view of the beach, the ocean, and the rugged terrain of the dark forest. As I am leading the way through a path that I have to make, I sure wish I had a chain saw or a big knife, but that would surely spoil the meaning of this trip. If I, as a guest in this god inspired landscape would cut it down, that wouldn't be too nice.
I quickly dismiss that thought and I actually quite enjoy crawling through the bush just as I had done so many times during my days in the military. The only difference is that I don't have any guns or someone yelling at me what to do.

The End of the Road

After 4 days of camping out in the bush, it feels pretty good to leave. Eating noodles, power bars and water is not very tasty after a while. The hike back is actually a lot easier than hiking in. No more of that extra food weight to carry, it feels good on my back and legs with 10 pounds gone. The hike out towards the parking lot goes quickly; we make no sightseeing stops, and only stop for water and redistribution of weight for the backpacks.

After 4 1/2 hours I finally see my car and it feels really good , because I have a new pair of socks and sandals to put on. Oh boy, do my feet ever like that!

The adventure isn't over yet, however; all of a sudden, I hear an explosion from the back of my car, and detect a strong smell. I look back and see that Mike is covered in a sticky paste. He yells, as he tries to wipe it off--"pepper spray! " "Damn pepper spray!" I start laughing and turn around to get some water for him. Mike went on, ...."Well, at least now I know how it works!" We start laughing as he tries to rinse it off. It's sure a smelly trip back to Nanaimo.

I recommend this trip to anyone. It was amazing! The scenery struck me the most--it is truly magnificient! It also helps that you have good friends with you on a trip like this; I didn't know these people very well, but after this trip, I became good friends with them.
Later when I was reviewing the trip, I had a feeling that my stay in Canada would be fun and a great experience, and it still is.
Now the saying "Beautiful British Columbia" has a new meaning for me.

© Christoffer Bjorklund 2001