A West Coast Weekend at Raft Cove

Towing the Kayak to Raft Cove 2.JPG, originally uploaded by wild_nature_addict.

We could not find a place to stay in Tofino, so we decided to head a little farther north on Vancouver Island for the long weekend to go surfing and surf kayaking. Raft Cove Provincial Park is a small but incredibly wild and beautiful beach backed by forests not far from the north end of Vancouver Island. To get there, you have to drive 5 hours from Nanaimo to Port Hardy and then continue for 2 hours along logging roads. The route is signed. From the parking lot, you hike for 45 minutes along a muddy trail and over and under large trees that have fallen across the path. If you bring a surf kayak, we recommend the towing method. After a second trip to retrieve the surf kayaks in the rain, we set up camp beside the river mouth, ate dinner and climbed into bed. For the next couple of days, we were blessed by sun and relaxed on the beach beside the fire, had stimulating conversations, ate good food and played random silly games. The weekend brought a small but consistent set of waves and we enjoyed a few sessions on the beach break right in front of the river mouth. A sea otter could be seen smashing shells on its chest just a few hundred metres away just off of the rocky point. For more photos of this weekend check out Raft Cove Photos.

Fairy Meadows Ski Trip

Stopping to discuss the lines.JPG, originally uploaded by wild_nature_addict.

Spent spring break 2007 skiing in the Northern Selkirk Mountains at a place called Fairy Meadows. Socked in conditions for most of the week meant that we spent alot of our time close to the cabin skiing the trees and pillows of powder. However, we did manage to push out a little further on a few of the days to get up higher into the mountains. During our 8 days, we had over 2 metres of fresh powder which meant that breaking trail was a chore. It also meant that you felt like a hero all week long… To check out more pictures of the trip: Fairy Meadows – North Selkirk Mountains.

Another blog entry by Nathan Bennett of Wild Nature Education and Adventures.

Nature’s Small Wonders

Natural world collage 2.jpg, originally uploaded by wild_nature_addict.

Nature has an amazing way of coughing up all sorts of little things that are incredibly beautiful and fascinating. Around every corner you run into something else that makes you questions your place in the order of things. Photos can allow you to see these beautiful things in different ways. To see more photos like these: Nature’s Small Wonders.

Another blog entry by Nathan Bennett of Wild Nature Education and Adventures.

Sea Kayaking around Stanley Park

Sea kayaking around Stanley Park 3.JPG, originally uploaded by wild_nature_addict.

After all the incredible west coast storms that I slept right through, everyone was mourning the damage to Stanley Park. We decided to paddle around the outside of Stanley Park to check out the damage. From the water, other than a few trees that had toppled over the sea wall, very little of the damage was visible. But the evening light was beautiful. More pics: Kayaking around Stanley Park.

Another blog entry by Nathan Bennett of Wild Nature Education and Adventures.

Costa Rica – Youth Challenge International

Covered in red volcanic mud from trailbuilding.jpg, originally uploaded by wild_nature_addict.

In 2005, I spent the summer working in northern Costa Rica as a Group Leader for Youth Challenge International. Along with a group of 10 from Canada and my tico co-leader, Amed, I headed up to Juanilama de Pocosol. We spent the summer doing local capacity building for rural eco-tourism in the community. Our jobs included, trail building, teaching in the local school, organizing a conference and workshops on eco-tourism and helping prepare the land for the school. Our group was incredibly productive and we made a great connection with the local community during our short stay. For more pictures: Costa Rica with YCI.