Logging Roads, Sandy Beaches, and Growing Up
(written July 8th)
Relaxing on a beach in Elk Bay area has been quite nice. It’s been rainy and wet the past couple days and our travels have taken us as far as Cape Scott in the northern part of Vancouver Island.
It’s a huge island, slightly bigger than the country of Belgium, and with so many side roads that take you to small communities as well as secret local quarries and other hidden gems, it would take much more time than we have to explore it all.
We have been loosely planning our itinerary, and the decision to go to Cape Scott was on a whim. We were originally going to stay in Port Hardy, but after leaving Telegraph Cove, we thought we might as well go to the furthest point we wanted to go.
(sand dollars on san josef bay)
We heard amazing things about Cape Scott, and San Josef Bay in particular. 80 or so kilometres of logging roads later, we were there. We spent the night on a campground nearby and in the morning, hiked into San Josef Bay.
We managed to get there for low tide so we had lots of room to walk around. The sea stacks on the west side of the beach were stunning and we had a small picnic on the beach.
(sea stacks at san josef bay)
We had originally planned to stay a couple nights in Cape Scott, but decided to keep moving. After the beach, we made our way back to the van and drove on ahead, making a stop in Port McNeill for gas and groceries.
Annika had found Elk Bay on iOverlander, and so we decided to check it out. We turned off, and decided to get some firewood from a cut block about a kilometre onto the logging road. We found these amazing blackberries, some of the best I’ve ever tasted, and after collecting enough wood we were on our way.
15 kilometres later, we made it. The fire was breathtaking and the campsite was perfect. Right beside the beach, quiet (other than the distant chatter of fishermen camping in the site next to us), and with enough tree shelter to keep us from getting soaked in the rain.
(elk bay, vancouver island)
We made burgers for dinner and ended up hanging out with another couple who came to the same campsite. Both were from overseas and were living in their van, and so it was nice to talk about travelling in a vehicle, some of the sights they had seen on the island, among other topics of conversation.
One topic we talked about was about getting older. During that conversation, we were guessing each other’s ages and when I mentioned my age, they were surprised as they thought I was younger. Though I’ve been told that in the past, it seemed to hit me in this conversation a bit differently. When did the transition from “You’re so young to be doing what you’re doing,” to “Wow, I totally would have guessed that you were younger” happen?
It didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or upset at all, it was just a very weird realization. I’m now the guy that looks younger than his age.
(elk bay, vancouver island)
It’s interesting as I don’t feel as much pressure as I did before to have things figured out, as I’ve learned to realize that most people (if not everyone) are just figuring things out as they come. But sometimes I think, “should I be more grown up?”
What does that mean anyways, to be grown up?
I'm not sure, but if grown up means not living in a van and not planning where you’re next meal is going to be or how far you’re going to drive tomorrow, then I don’t want to grow up quite yet.
