Vancouver Island

The next leg of our trip required about an hour and a half ferry ride to reach Vancouver Island.  The girls have done ferries in the past, but it is still a fun way to travel.  There were some nice views to take in, but unfortunately we didn’t see any whales.

Of course, with Julia’s injured ankle, our pace on the island was slower and we couldn’t do as many or as long of trails as we originally thought.  However, she is able to manage and we found a good ankle brace that she can use which makes things better (though we had to buy a new pair of shoes to accommodate the brace and swelling).  Her ankle continues to turn black and blue and for the first couple of days we took any opportunities we could to ice and elevate it, even using ice from the ferries vending machine.

One of the first hikes we did was to English River Falls.  We had seen a lot of falls already but this one was unique in that it cascaded into a really deep crack/ravine which was probably only two to three meters wide where the river entered.  It was kind of like watching a river fall into a hole.  It was a short walk to the falls which was good for Julia and the girls and I did the rest of the short loop to the lower falls through the woods while Julia waited at the top.

The next day we drove to the Pacific side of the Island and were able to enjoy a bit of the Wild Pacific Trail, Wickaninnish Beach and a few smaller trails.  The weather was a bit cold and it was hard for Julia to walk in the sand, but we felt like we got small taste of the area.  We also drove to the tip of that part of the Island – the town of Tofino.  Still no whales!

On our last full day on Vancouver Island we visited Cathedral Grove.  Though not as tall as Redwoods, the Douglas Firs and Cedars here are still massive and very old.  It is one of those things that is difficult to capture on camera and the pictures just don’t do justice.

The next day, as we were headed back to the ferry, the girls thought it would be fun to eat Nanaimo bars in Nanaimo! 

Stanley Park

After leaving the Island, we had time to stop at Stanley Park in Vancouver on our way to the airport.  Julia was able to walk more and more each day and we did a fairly good stroll around various parts of the park.

Abbotsford

After a travel day through BC we arrived in Abbotsford to spend a few days with some friends.  We hadn’t seen them since they moved to BC at the beginning of COVID and it was great to reconnect.  They had three days all planned out and we were thrilled to have them guide us around.

Cascade Falls

Our first adventure was to not only see a beautiful waterfall but to hike up and through all the rocks and pools upstream from the falls.  It was such a hot day so it was nice to be able to take a dip whenever you wanted.

The view of the falls from the suspension bridge.

Chilliwack Lake

Day 2 was a bit farther drive but was more of a chill day at a beautiful glacial lake.

A massive Douglas Fir log provided a fun sitting spot to relax on.

And just off shore there was a large school of some sort of lake trout that everyone loved to take a swim to see.

Pitt Lake and Widgeon Falls

Knowing we liked to canoe, our friends rented a canoe and some double kayaks and in addition to the ones they brought, we were all able to paddle up a river and then hike though a beautiful forest to another waterfall. More boulder climbing and pool finding/sitting/lounging!

There were some massive trees on this hike and some even bigger old stumps from the old logging days, many that had new trees growing right out the top.

Oh No!

And then on our way back, as we were carrying the double kayak back down into the water, Julia stepped into a rut on the embankment and rolled her ankle quite badly.  Thankfully we were with a doctor, who was tremendously helpful.

And to top it off, it was Julia’s birthday, so not exactly how we planned it to go.  But, we still got to celebrate a bit at the end of the day, just before our trip to the hospital to check out the BC healthcare system. With the golf ball sized lump and inability to walk, we thought we should make sure it wasn’t broken before leaving the country.  X-rays confirmed that it was not broken, for which we are extremely thankful.