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Nootka Island - A Walk on the Wild Side
Article and Photos by Markus Kellerhals
"It's just like the West Coast Trail, except you'll hardly see another
soul...". With these words I was lured into a six day trek along the
west coast of Nootka Island.
Nootka Island is situated along the west side of Vancouver Island, due
west of Campbell River. Since the Island is not reachable by road, or even a
regular boat, we began our trip with a float plane ride. From Tofino we
flew to Louie Bay, a sheltered cove at the north end of Nootka Island.
The flight was a quick overview of all the classic West Coast elements -
rain forest, giant clearcuts, whales, and the surf-battered coastline. From
Louie Bay we planned to hike 30 km south to Friendly Cove, following the
Nootka Trail down the island's west coast. We allowed six days for the hike, since
the 30 km are across rugged headlands, tidal shelves and deep river mouths.
Our two float planes flew off in tandem, leaving the seven of us on a
narrow rocky beach. A narrow trail led across a forested neck of
land to a sandy beach on the open coast. At this early stage in the
trip, weighed down by too much food and drink, we were happy to camp
at this first beach, after only a kilometre of walking. That night we
made a concerted (and successful) attack on our food supplies.
Next morning the hike began in earnest. We followed the coast until
a series of headlands forced us to detour into the forest. Each
headland had a rough trail across it, linking successive coves and
beaches. However finding that trail was not always easy. Often a
fishing float, hanging half hidden in a tree, marked the start of a
path. These rough trails led us through thickets of salal so high that
they arched above us to form a green tunnel. Further inland the salal
thickets gave way to old-growth forests of cedar and hemlock.
As 'official photographer' for the trip, I always seemed to lag behind
the group. While I was taking a long exposure of the surf, the others
disappeared into the woods. I crashed after them following a rough
semblance of a trail. When I emerged onto the next beach there was no
sign of the others. Dropping my pack, I ran to the next headland to see
if I could spot them ahead of me. No sign! I scrambled back to the
previous headland. Still no sign! Just as I was starting to get really
concerned I heard a rustling from the thickest patch of salal. Minutes later
the group emerged - well scratched but otherwise unharmed.
After passing the headlands, a stretch of easy beach walking led to
Calvin Falls, one of the highlights of the trip. Here Calvin Creek
plunges six metres into a tidal pool. Camping beside the falls, the
sound of water was everywhere: the crashing of surf modulated by the
steady splashing of the falls. We took turns swimming beneath the
falls, then shivering beside our driftwood campfire.
Past Calvin Falls the route continued along the coastline. The walking
was always varied, a sandy stretch giving way to slippery boulders,
which in turn gave way to extensive shelves of sandstone. The sandstone
shelves were heavily pockmarked with tide-pools large and small, where
all sorts of sea life were on convenient display.
The most difficult walking was on beaches of fine gravel. This 'pea
gravel' gave way beneath our steps and seemed to rob all energy from our strides.
At Bajo Point we stopped to explore an old native village site. Huge
spruce trees reared up from grassy mounds where longhouses once stood.
However, our exploration of this magic spot was cut short when we
spotted a bear sniffing among our packs which we had left lying on the
beach.
Bajo Point is interesting for another reason - this is one area
along the B.C. coast where sea otters have been successfully
re-introduced after being hunted nearly to extinction around the turn of
the century. Several of these terminally cute, furry creatures were bobbing
among the kelp just offshore.
Maquinna Point, named after a great chief of the Nootka people, was the
most rugged section of our trip. A succession of impassable headlands
and sea cliffs compelled us to forsake the pleasures of beach walking
for the rigors of bushwhacking. The trails were particularly overgrown
here. We leaned forward to let the weight of our packs propel us
through the salal. At one point though, we emerged from the bush onto
flowery meadows that sloped steeply down to sea cliffs. We traversed
the meadows very carefully, aware that a single slip could send one of
us skittering over the edge and into the turbulent water 30 metres below
us.
The west side of Nootka Island has remained mostly unlogged, despite
having no formal status as a park or protected area. However "progress"
is reaching even the western shores of Nootka Island - many clearcuts
are planned in the area over the next several years. After rounding
Maquinna Point we looked across Nootka Sound to mountain slopes on
Vancouver Island, where clearcuts and landslides run to the water's
edge. We shuddered to think that the same thing might happen to the
wilderness coastline we had just hiked.
On our final day we reached Friendly Cove at the southernmost extremity
of Nootka Island. Today it is a sleepy community of a few lightkeepers
and a handful of native families. It is difficult to imagine that this
was once a rich village that so impressed Captain Cook when he landed
here; or later, a strategic port where representatives of England and
Spain met to sign a treaty. Nonetheless we were seduced by the quiet
beauty of the place as we wandered through overgrown meadows and toured
the old church.
In retrospect, I am amazed how lucky we were to have the whole
coast virtually to ourselves. In six days we met many more bears than
people. I am sure that solitude will not last on Nootka. As word gets
out, this area will become popular, just as the West Coast Trail did 25
years ago. Though the solitude might be reduced, with care many hikers
will enjoy the Nootka Trail for years to come.
Getting There
The best season for West Coast hiking is from May to October.
The Nootka has grown more popular in recent years, though it is still far from crowded. The increased traffic has resulted in the trail becoming better defined and generally easier to follow.
The Nootka Trail is only 30 km long, but seems much longer because of
numerous detours into coves and over headlands. Plan on taking five or
six days. Nootka Island is a remote wilderness area, so hikers should
plan to be completely self sufficient. If you get into any sort of
trouble on this trip, the nearest help is at Friendly Cove. Tide tables
are mandatory equipment. If you don’t plan your hiking around the tides
you will be committed to lots of bush-whacking or unexpected swimming.
Louie Bay at the north end of the trail, is reached by float plane from
Tofino or Gold River. For reservations or information call Nootka Air (250) 283-2255.
Friendly Cove is accessible by float plane or
with the MV Uchuck III, a passenger boat sailing from Gold River.
For reservations or information call (250) 283-2325.
There are no guidebooks to the trail, but two books: Nootka Sound by
Heather Harbord and Nootka Sound Explored by Laurie Jones, give good
background on the area. For route finding, bring either the
nautical chart (#3662) or the 1:50,000 topo map (92E/10). The Federation of
Mountain Clubs of B.C. has produced a brochure describing the trail and
making the case for the preservation of the area. For a copy of the
brochure call (604) 878-7007.
Strathcona Park Lodge, an outdoor centre on Vancouver Island, guides
trips along the Nootka trail. For information on their trips call (250) 286-3122. |
