I think I feel the same way about hiking that some people
feel about sailing: I love losing
myself on a trail (not literally, of course). I love feeling the wind in my
face. I love climbing hills and trees, pushing myself every step of the way. I
don’t care where I’m going. I don’t care how long it takes. And I don’t care
what’s at the end of the road. I just want to be on the trail. It’s a major
high. A rush. And always, always the
best part of my day.
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| West Beach under blue skies. |
The
hike starts at the largest and most easily accessible of the beaches: West Beach. The trail to West Beach is well-maintained and winds through bushes, ferns, and a forest of Sitka Spruce before opening up to the Pacific Ocean. If you
stop there, you won’t be disappointed. West Beach is beautiful and it’s easy to spend hours walking barefoot in the
sand, combing the beach for any treasures that may have washed ashore. But, for the more adventurous, the trailhead
to one of the best hikes (in my opinion) along the Inside Passage starts is at the southern end. If not the best,
it’s certainly the most unique.
Without
a map, it can be difficult to follow at times, but there’s one on display on
the dock. I was smart enough to take a picture of it before I set off but the
level of detail on the camera screen wasn’t large enough to show some of the smaller
trails and beaches. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.
The
trail from West Beach parallels the shore and, in some spots, offers beautiful views out to
the Pacific and Foggy Cove before splitting – the lookout to the left and 2nd
Beach straight ahead. The lookout, with incredible views out to West Beach and the surrounding islands, is not to be missed, but it can be done either
at the beginning or the end of the hike without backtracking.
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| The view from the lookout is worth the climb! |
From
2nd Beach, there’s a short trail that leads to 3rd Beach.
And while short, the thing to bear in mind is that the trail can be rugged at
times and requires good shoes and some climbing. It can also be wet and muddy. The
Hakai Institute, in partnership with BC Parks, has installed boardwalks over
some of the trail but they pretty much end at 2nd Beach.
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| 2nd Beach. |
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| 3rd Beach. |
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| 4th Beach looking out to 5th beach (I think). |
Another
short trail leads from 3rd Beach to 4th Beach where
there’s a trail that leads to 7th Beach. What happened to 5th
and 6th Beach? Good question. One I wished I’d had the answer for on
Wednesday: Apparently, there’s a short trail at the western edge of 7th
Beach that takes you to 6th and another trail on 6th that
will take you back to 5th. But if you’re really lucky and the tide
is low, you might be able to walk directly around the southern headland on 4th
to 5th. This is where forward
planning is helpful. Had I been able to study the map before I went to shore, I
could have timed my arrival for the bottom of low tide and had access to all of
the beaches. But I wasn’t, so I didn’t. The tide had come in enough that the
trail from 7th Beach was completely closed off so I continued on in
search of the rest.
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| My version of a selfie on 7th beach. |
The
trail inland picks up again at the southern end of 7th Beach and
this is where things get interesting. It takes you up and inland, above the
tree line, to a bog and the trail becomes difficult to find, let alone follow.
I was fortunate enough to find a series of footprints in the mud to track
(along with some wolf prints), but even that wasn’t enough. There are some
markers here and there and I was able to get close to 8th and 9th
Beach, but wasn’t able to find the trail leading down. After several attempts,
I gave up when I kept loosing my way in overgrown bush. It’s a shame, too,
because 8th Beach looks beautifully dramatic.
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| There's 8th beach, but where's the trail? |
So,
if you’re looking for an opportunity to do some interesting beach hiking and
are anchored in Pruth Bay,
give the trails along Calvert Island a try. Whether you take the level path to West Beach, the one to North Beach, or go full-out in search of beaches 9 and 10, you
won’t regret it. In fact, it may end up being a highlight of your cruising
season . . . I know it will be for me.
How about you? Do
you have a favourite hike? We’d love to hear about it below in the comments
section or on our Facebook page.
