On our way from Bamfield to the beach we stopped at the Cathedral Grove Nature Area. This was just a roadside park that boosts having some of the oldest and largest trees in the area. It was a bit like Disneyland with the crowds and trails but the trees were big! We did a couple of quick laps around and then back in the car to finish driving to Juan de Fuca. It was when I started to enter the name into the GPS that I learned it wasn’t Wanda Fuca, which I admit is a silly name for a Marine Park! We drove total about 7 hrs today and we were more than ready to get out of the car. Camping on the beach along the Juan de Fuca trail was the plan, possibly hiking from beach to beach. We decided after talking to some locals to scrap our plan of trekking and instead camp at Sombrio beach for both nights and do day hikes from there. The hike down was short and easy. We had a nice campsite and once again were probably asleep before the sun was fully set. This lack of reliance on artificial light was nice!

The next morning we were up early and hiking north to the couple of suspension bridges the trail is known for. Since the tide was low we hiked the coast as far as we could then cut inland. The tidal pools are amazing, so many pictures of cool sea creatures. The hike back was along the trail and I was extra happy that we were not doing it with heavy packs for long distances. I’m a slow walker at best even when I’m not laden with a pack!

 

 

 

Once we got back to camp I decided to relax and read while Steve and Hillary explored south to the waterfall we had heard about.