It’s not every day I’m on Vancouver Island so I pay the bucks and join a whale-watching tour along with one other person from the tour group.
The seated zodiac launches before 10am and heads out into calm waters, scouting for cetaceans. We have a good deal of bumping across the waves before a sighting. First we see the spray from a blowhole then the curve of a grey back and small fin, the a fluke rises. It’s a humpback, the first of five we spy, though we see little of their form as they appear to be resting, drifting just below the surface without breaching or taking an interest in us. We do get to smell one’s rancid breath though.
When another, larger boat moves in for a view we head away to a barren rock with a lighthouse and research centre. Here are several harbour seals with pups, one elephant seal by the dock and a large, languid Stellar’s sea lion. The rocks are white with gull dung. Many pigeon guillemots dart just above the water.
Orcas are in the region, aiming to pick off seal pups but we fail to sight them within our allotted three hours. We enjoy a bouncy ride back as the wind picks up. (There is no afternoon trip planned due to rougher weather.) It was a fun trip, saved by humpback spotting.
I rejoin the group for lunch on a nearby spit before we head to the East Sooke Regional Trail. Folks are raising flags by the road ahead of Canada Day tomorrow. The East Sooke Trail is another path just back from the beaches, further east of the Juan da Fuca Trail. Arbutus trees grace the route, their bark peeled away to reveal soft orange wood often graffitied by park visitors. The rugged coastal trail provides regular views of the straits. Horizontal pines grow away from the prevailing wind. Kelp forms a barrier between the pebble beaches and sea.
By the beach one large grey rock bears a petroglyph, a old First Nations etching, possibly of a seal. I stray ahead and after an hour I’m let off the lease to explore the trail further for another half hour while the ‘kids’ rest and drink beer. Beyond the stop the trail gets meatier, with more ups and downs and rocks to scramble over. I even get a sweat on. I’d happily take on this whole 25km trail on a day. Unfortunately, the tour itinerary won’t allow it.
William Potter's Travel Journals 