Tofino in the storm season

In late February our group hosted a conference here in Victoria (for the Pacific Estuarine Research Society, or PERS). It was an incredible meeting, full of interaction, and I enjoyed the time I got to spend with our keynote speaker, Terry Glavin, a Canadian writer and journalist. (Check out his blog!) After the meeting though, I was feeling like I had been rolled through a pasta maker. Nothing better to work out the stress than seeing big, beautiful waves, clouds, trees, and beaches on the west side of lovely Vancouver Island. This adventure was shared with my good friend Eric, who happened to be in Victoria for the conference. The photos of Tofino are entirely to his credit. (Thanks, E!)



Frequent reader(s) of this riveting chronicle may remember my last visit to Tofino, where I surfed at Chesterman beach, a beautiful heart-shaped section of coastline, joined to a small offshore island by a sandy tombolo. This visit I also stayed at Chesterman (only not in a tent in the rain this time!), where the weather and waves were beautiful and diverse. One morning it dumped snow as I stood on the beach at low tide. By afternoon we were hiking coastal trails in the bright sunlight.


This surge channel is south of Tofino in the coastal town of Ucluelet.



I finally got to see the Amphitrite Point lighthouse... perched on the edge of the Pacific and pounded by waves and wind year round.



Exploring the melange of rocks and intertidal creatures on the Pacific Trail in Ucluelet.



The red coralline algae and rocks posed gracefully for Eric.



Returning north to Tofino, we stopped for an afternoon hike up Radar Hill to see this spectacular view of the Catface Range to the northwest of Clayoquot (pronounced "Cla-Kwat") Sound, all a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

A beautiful west coast sunset ended the day in the gorgeous, special place.