Vargas Island - May 2009
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#1 - At the dock in Tofino on Saturday
This is the record of the hiking and camping trip that some friends and I did to Vargas Island on the Victoria Day long weekend. Vargas Island is off the coast of Tofino which, in turn, is on the west coast of Vancouver Island. We left home on Saturday morning, May 16th, 2009, and returned on Monday night, May 18th, 2009.
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#13 - Preparing to hike across Vargas Island
Sarah, Sue, Lynne, Michael, Ian
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#14 - Yippee! We have arrived at Ahous Bay
Ahous Bay was our destination on the west side of Vargas Island. This was where we camped.
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#26 - Food hung beyond reach of wild animals
Although I was away on a solitary walk at the time, members of our party saw a wolf walking past the edge of our campsite. There also are known to be cougars and perhaps bears on Vargas Island. It definitely is responsible to store food out of the reach of animals so that they don't become habituated to human beings.
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#27 - Our tents on the beach
The solitude we experienced on Vargas Island was magnificent. Other than the couple who arrived at our campsite just as we were leaving to return home, we saw no one but the members of our own travel party the entire long weekend. Those of us who were more extroverted stuck together, and those of us who were more introverted had vast spaces in which to go on solitary walks.
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#28 - Setting out for hike Sunday morning
Peter and Michael are carrying a piece of driftwood that they salvaged from the beach. The plan is to use it as a raft to cross a lagoon further up the coast.
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#29 - Logs swept up onto rocks
There is lots of evidence of strong winter storms on the open, west-facng coastline.
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#36 - Clouds lift late Sunday afternoon
Although it was overcast during most of our stay on Vargas Island, we were fortunate that rain was confined to short overnight showers. The weather was dry when we were up and about. That made hiking more pleasant and camping easier.
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#37 Late sunday afternoon at Ahous Bay
The outcrop of land in the middle background is Blunden Island. Beyond that is Japan.
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#39 - Sarah next to improvised sauna enclosure
Sarah, Michael and Sue built this "sauna room" from sand, driftwood planks, a couple of tarpaulins, a few plastic bags, and a foam camping mattress.
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#44 - Hot rocks being delivered to sauna enclosure
Sarah holds door open while Sue and Ian carry hot rocks to sauna enclosure. Peter and Lynne watch.
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#45 - Ian, Sue, Peter and Michael
Ian and Sue ready to carry the driftwood plank onto which Peter and Michael are loading hot rocks. Postscript. People have asked me if anyone used the sauna. Yes, Lynne, Sue, Sarah and Michael used it.
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#49 - Yellow flowers
If you know the name of this flower, I would love to hear from you. Postscript. Charles has told me that the yellow flower is Potentilla villosa, also known as Villous cinquefoil.
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#50 - Paint Brush
Paint Brush is the common name for Castilleja sp.
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#51 - Incongruous frame
We were puzzled by this large frame strung up to a tree in the middle of nowhere, so to speak. We wondered if it had floated up onto the beach from a shipwreck and if a passing hiker had thought it would make a fun statement.
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#54 - Last photo before striking camp
For me this visit to Vargas Island was nothing short of magical. This is a perfect place to go walkabout, as Australians say.