Pruth Bay: Beach Hiking

Tuesday, June 18, 2013TheCambrians

One of the things I appreciate most about Pruth Bay is that there aren’t any bears on the island. Getting Sally to shore along the Central Coast is difficult because most anchorages are steep with very little shoreline for her to explore. We’ve always managed to find places to take her, but often times the “beach” is little more than a pile of rocks that are exposed at lower tides – not ideal when you have an active dog aboard, even one who’s close to her 17th birthday. And when you’re gifted with more than that, bears are a real concern. Pruth Bay is one of the few exceptions. Sally can safely walk along a flat, forested path to a white, sandy beach where she’s free to roam without a leash and just be a dog – a real luxury up here.

Up until today, I only knew about two public trails on the island – one leading from Pruth Bay to West Beach, which is the one Sally and I travel, and the other leading from West Beach to North Beach. I had seen others but assumed, incorrectly, that they were used only by the institute for moving their equipment throughout the island, essentially leading nowhere. While they do use the trails to transport gear, they actually lead to a series of eleven beaches, each one more dramatic than the last, located along the west side of Calvert Island.

Thanks to Marike and Karin from Quoddy’s Run, I quickly learned what I’d been missing out on after tagging along with them on one of the best hikes of my life this afternoon. The system of trails is intricate and it takes some real planning and effort to reach all eleven beaches, so we took a more straight-forward approach that led us to four or five of them – and they were amazing! It turned out to be the perfect day to do it, as well. Unlike yesterday when everything was flat and dull, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, both working together to bring out the brilliance of the sand and sea – images I won’t soon forget!

Hiking isn’t David’s “thing” and I get that, so he stayed on the boat. But I can’t help but feel sorry that he misses out on all an anchorage has to offer . . . especially this one.