Colin's brother and his wife came out to Bowen Island to visit us on the weekend-- our first overnight guests! :D Colin's brother helped us set up our "movie room" (which, to be honest, was really just our living room, transformed by installing a big projection screen). We had hoped he might also help us do some yard work, but as it continued to poured rain, so we settled for inside help. ;)
Due to the rain, we also didn't end up going out for a walk as a group. But while Colin and his brother set up the theatre, I took his brother's wife on a quick tour of our property's trails. Then she helped me unpack my clothes closet, bookshelves, and then treated us by making supper. So it was all very productive. It felt good to get the house into "functional" status. ;)
Still, you know I'm not great if I don't get my daily walk, and Colin and I had planned to do a walk the next day, after our relatives left, but it again started to pour. When it finally stopped raining, we headed out.
We picked the Sea Walk Trail (Roger Curtis Walk). I was particularly interested in the "wood footbridge, pinned into the rock face, way above the water," that Bowentrails.ca described. Their very nice and clear map indicated that we could access the trail by parking on Collingwood Lane, Roger Curtis Lane, or Lighthouse Lane.
We chose to park on Collingwood, then walk the shoreline trail to Lighthouse Lane, visit the Lighthouse, and come back via Cape Dr and Whitesails Trail: a 6 km loop. However, as you can see on the map below, it was not to be... We ended up walking about 5 km, on a totally different route. I marked our intended route with dashed lines and the parking lots with red dots.
(click map to enlarge)
We drove across Island, on very winding roads. The parking area at the end of Collingwood Lane was very easy to locate, as was the trailhead, marked with a sign.
We set out on the trail. As we marvelled at the scenery, which was noticeably different in style than on the other side of the island, Colin said, "It's like we're living in Kawaii..." then paused, before continuing, "But this is colder..." ;)
Soon after we passed the stump, I could see the footbridge, up ahead on the side of a huge rock. I got pretty excited. It looked really cool. :D
Unfortunately, upon arrival, we discovered that the footbridge was closed, with no explanation as to why. It appeared as if someone might have pushed the sign aside and gone anyway. Or perhaps the sign had just slipped off the trail, as the soggy ground was affected by the recent rain?
We then wondered whether the bridge was not actually infirm, but rather, perhaps closed due to the recent development: someone enforcing the privacy of their lands? We briefly entertained the idea of proceeding onto the bridge, as we couldn't see any obvious safety issues with it, but we erred on the side of caution (and legality), and didn't go on it. Instead, we retraced our steps, moved the car to Roger Curtis Lane, and parked there.
Again, the parking area and trailhead were very obvious. This trail access even had a porta-potty! How convenient! I didn't use it, but I could only assume it was as clean and well-appointed as all the others I had visited on Bowen Island.
The sign informed us that "a recent engineer's inspection of the bridges at Cape Roger Curtis (Sea Walk Trail) identified minor structural concerns." Well, that made our decision not to go on it seem pretty smart. ;)
We walked along the trail all the way to the bridge, then back to where we had parked at Roger Curtis Lane, and then continued onward. Along the way, we encountered signs with lot numbers on them, letting us know where the new development's various property lines were.
** UPDATE: **
As of May 2017, the boardwalk was restored and open again. It was definitely worth a visit! Several shorter boardwalks linked together to provide quite a lengthy tour with several stunning views.
** END OF UPDATE **
We turned around and headed back towards the trailhead at Roger Curtis Rd.
On our way back, we saw a weird looking boat(?) in the water off shore (peer into the centre of the photo, and you'll see a strange blob). We were trying to figure out what it was... if it was indeed a boat, it appeared like it might be sinking. It was sitting at a very strange angle. Should we do something? Call someone? "Perhaps it's not a boat?" Colin mused. "Maybe it's just something like a part of a wharf, jarred loose by the recent rain storms?" I tried to use the phone's camera to zoom in, but it was not sufficient. I wished I had brought my "real" camera.
From this vantage, we could also see one of the giant docks that had been causing a lot of the controversy in this area. The docks became a particularly contentious issue after the island rejected the developer's first proposal, of a 500-unit residential area (which included, among other things, a much-needed senior's community: as I mentioned previously, the more elderly tended to move off-island). Locals were concerned about a sudden potentially nearly 30% increase in population on the island.
According to the Globe and Mail article, much of the anger specifically over the docks arose because "they were built after the developer had promised to preserve the waterfront. The docks, technically, do not touch the provincially-protected foreshore, but are built over it – which locals saw as a workaround that violated the spirit of keeping the shore public."
Heading south (left) past the trailhead at Roger Curtis Lane was Pebble Beach, a popular public recreation area also known as "Swimming Beach." This late November day was a little too cool for a dip, however. ;)
Past the beach, the trail alternated between lovely little view points and forest trail. In the foreground of the photo below, another dock; in the background, Keats Island and the Pasley Islands group.
Along the way, many little trails led to the water. Some had tiny bridges or wooden staircases. Bowentrails.ca said these little trails were private, so we stayed on the main trail. It made sense to me, since this was the same arrangement as the public right-of-way trail in Cates Hill.
We paused on the trail to watch the waves crashing on the Paisley Islands. The scene reminded us of our trip to the Wikininish Inn in Tofino. The coastline along the trail also reminded us of Moorecroft Park in Nanoose.
As we stood there watching the white foam spray up against the dark shores of the islands, a woman hiker approached us and started chatting. She was a local, and just as happy as us that the rain was holding off. We felt proud to say that we had just become "islanders" ourselves, even if, as she pointed out in stereotypical Bowen Island fashion, we were just "newbies." ;)
As we stood there, the mysterious "boat"(?) we had seen earlier roared into view. We recognized it from the shape and color. We realized it was actually a Jetski!! That was the reason why it looked so strange, bobbing adrift at an angle in the water earlier. It zoomed by several times, as the driver had their fun. They must surely have been wearing a dry-suit to withstand in that frigid water.
We said our farewells to the woman, and she continued onward, towards the lighthouse. We stayed where we were and watched the waves a little more. When we reached the next viewpoint, we saw: another dock.
As we got closer to the dock, I noticed a heron sitting on it (it's the blob about 2/3 of the way down the dock). Again, I cursed that I didn't bring my "real" camera with me today, as my phone camera was just not cutting it for these needed zoom-in shots. We could also see the lighthouse, at the tip of the next little outcropping.
The trail here was flat and even. Not like the trail near Collingwood Lane, which went up and over tree roots and rocky hills.
Nearing the parking lot access at Lighthouse Lane, we passed a group of friendly hikers and said hi. We saw a trail leading down towards the Lighthouse, so we took it. We assumed that this is where the hikers had just come from.
We had miscalculated. We didn't end up where we expected. We ended up on the closer end of a little bay. The lighthouse was actually a little farther than it looked-- it was on the far side of the little bay. From our earlier vantage point, we couldn't tell that there were *two* outcroppings.
The outcrop on this side of the bay was accessible, even at the high tide. Well, maybe I should put "accessible" in quotes. Colin clambered over the rocks and logs to ascend the top of the little mound. I took one look at those half-submerged rocks and slippery logs and said NOPE.
At the top, Colin called "Are you not entertained?!?!" At least, that's what I imagined he said-- I couldn't hear him.
Over to our left, we could see the lighthouse. At low tide, one is supposedly able to walk out to it. I didn't check the Bowen Island tide chart before our hike, and as I just mentioned, we arrived at high tide. I complained about how it was always high tide on my walks, but then realized I always walked around the same time of day: I learned at Fort Casey that tides only shift by about an hour per day.
Even though we were fairly sure we would not be able to access the lighthouse, we decided to walk over to it anyway. We retraced our steps to the main path, and looked for a second path that would take us to the "right" outcropping.
We found the trail, just past the parking lot. We could see the lighthouse dead ahead in front of us.
Arriving at the lighthouse outcropping, we could confirm it was impassable, but we were rewarded with some very nice views. There was even a nice little driftwood bench there to sit on, although it was soaked through on this day.
Off in the distance to our left, was Vancouver Island, but we could barely see anything on the horizon, just some hazy shapes. I wondered whether-- if we had a clear day and binoculars-- we could actually clearly see Nanoose Bay, where Colin's mother lived. The direction seemed correct.
We went back to the main trail. It kept going along the shore, so we did too.
It soon became more narrow, with salal on each side. I noticed how this area had much more salal, and fewer ferns, than the other side of the island.
This part of the trail yielded some truly spectacular coastline.
Tiny icy green mosses caught my eye. They looked like a miniature forest, tucked into the lush carpet beside the trail.
The trail exited onto a big flat rocky lookout area. Colin pointed out a heron sitting at the tip of the outcrop to our left (if you look carefully, it's the blob on the rock at the centre of the photo. lol). The heron battled the waves a bit, then retreated to the shore-side of the outcrop. As we stood there, a seal popped his head up, looked around, then dove beneath the waves.
After that lookout spot, the trail went back into the forest, then out again, to reveal another shoreline view even more spectacular than the last. I could understand why the waterfront lots here sold for $8 million+ apiece!
As the trail turned into the forest, I noticed a flash of white in the rocks. Quartz veins! I didn't realize Bowen had such huge beautiful quartz veins. I was reminded of Quartz Hunting near Pointe Castilly, in Brittany.
The trail here was steeper and rocky.
We soon encountered the same woman as before, heading back in the opposite direction. "Did you see the heron?" She asked. We nodded yes.
Minutes later, we took in our last viewpoint. It was gorgeous. Colin stood out near the surf, watching the Nanaimo ferry (far left of second photo below).
We then argued over the correct path to take. It turned out that they both went to the same place. ;) Here is Colin meeting up with me.
After that, we thought the trail went up to the hill above, but when we got closer, we decided it must be the wrong way. It was more of a landslide than a trail. We backtracked and found a grassy trail that led up to the hilltop.
The trail appeared to end at a clearing made for one of the new lots. There was no house on it, although it seemed that someone had gotten a jump on the furnishings. ;)
Perhaps someone had been using this area as a campsite. There were remnants of campfires, perfectly positioned to take in the ocean views. Perhaps it was the new owners themselves. There are several properties on the island that are merely RVs parked on a lovely lot. Often, this is temporary, as a new house is built. Sometimes it's a result of really wanting the property, with limited funds.
In contrast, the property next door was complete with many sets of fancy stairs, a gazebo nestled in the rocks, and a residence that looked like the US Presidential White House.
As we turned to head out on the road, it started to pour. We pulled out our umbrellas. Just then, I rolled my ankle and fell over onto the ground. I cried out in pain. Colin scooped me up onto my feet in one smooth motion, but then I waived him off, intent on doing some energy work to stop the trauma from imprinting. I had done this successfully before, but this time I had hurt myself fairly badly. I decided to walk it off. Colin promised to make me a hot cocoa when we got home, to encourage me.
The gravel road led out to Lighthouse Lane, which was a paved one-lane road. We turned right onto it, and could see the intersection with Cape Drive, not far ahead. We had planned to take Cape Dr to the Whitesails trail and return to Collingwood Lane that way, but between the rain (which was getting heavier and heavier) and my twisted ankle, we decided to just head straight back to the truck.
We took a left on Cape Dr, and crossed a little bridge. It was a little nerve-wracking to walk on the two-land road, because visibility wasn't great. Fortunately, there was not a lot of traffic.
At Collingwood Lane, we turned left again, and were relieved to be back on a quiet one-lane road. it was funny, because driving on this narrow lane had been nerve-wracking on the way in, beacuse there would be no-where to pass, if a vehicle had approached in the other direction, but now, it gave us relief to walk on it.
By the time I got back to the truck, my ankle felt better.
We piled into the truck and Colin drove us out... then in a circle. In our relief to be out of the rain, it took us a while to realize that he had missed the route out, and that Cape Dr was really just a big circle. I pulled out my phone, and guided him to Whitesails Dr, but not before doing one complete loop of Cape Dr. XD
We passed the group of hikers we had seen near the parking lot on Lighthouse Lane. They were still walking up the road in the rain. We would have offered them a ride, but the truck onlyhad two seats.
When we got home, I checked my ankle, which looked splotchy, but fairly ok, and I noticed that I had developed quite a bruise from where I had slipped while bushwacking my way out of the end of the Valhalla trail the day before.
While I felt simultaneously relieved and sorry for myself, Colin made me my promised delicious beverage, and I warmed up on the couch with a hot cocoa and my sweetie bear. ;) It's often the little things that make everything ok again. :)
Thanks for the information! I am looking to travel to Cape Town. A friend asked me if is cape town safe for tourists. I initially was unsure, but after doing research I found out that it is and I can't wait to come to Cape Town!
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