The air was chilly in the morning, but the sky cast a warm glow over the harbour.
I met my neighbour, Caroline, the only other tenter in the entire campground. Coincidentally, she is ALSO road-tripping solo on the West Coast. We had a good breakfast of oatmeal with raisins and almonds by the campfire. Coffee and tea were also shared as we watched seals chill-out on logs.
They would occasionally bark at each other, but seemed either uninterested or too-tired to fight.
Jellyfish and sea gulls were also hanging out around the docks.
I wasn’t quite finished with East Sooke Park, so I invited Caroline for a second-round hike. This time, we entered at Anderson Cove, making a B-line toward Mount Maguire. My navigation skills led us down an unofficial path to nowhere. Good one, Andrew. Not to worry – we soon found our way to the main trail…
and then up to the top.
Conveniently, there was a bench located at the summit, so we took the opportunity to have a picnic consisting of apples, trail mix and yogurt-covered raisins dipped in peanut butter (don’t ask).
On the way down,
we found an oddly-shaped structure, that might have been a sign. Needless to say, I climbed up and stood on it. Why? Because it was there.
At the end of the trail, Caroline and I said our goodbyes and parted ways. She headed toward Goldstream Provincial (nice!) and I drove to the ferry terminal in Schwartz Bay.
I arrived on the mainland (Tsswwassen ferry terminal) at around 9 pm and then made my way into the heart of Vancouver.
The city lights still dazzle me.
My good friend Manraj welcomed me into his apartment in downtown Vancouver. It’s been two solid years since we’ve last seen each other, so a celebratory drink was in order.
It felt melancholy to be leaving the Island as night fell. I had an amazing time on the Island and met some great people – I will most certainly be back.
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