To the Back of Beyond

Last Saturday Tim and I drove north to Campbell River, hoisted our backpacks (and carried a couple of extra bags), and jumped on this water taxi to Owen Bay on Sonora Island, one of the Discovery Group of Islands.

We passed through Seymour Narrows, site of the infamous Ripple Rock planned explosion of 1958 to make navigation safer. The link takes you to a video of the actual explosion which took the tops off of two underwater mountains in the center of the passage. This explosion still stands as the largest non-nuclear explosion in the world.

And it rained. And rained. But even in the rain this is beautiful country. The mist hangs on the mountains, cloaking trees in ethereal white and blurring lines between ocean, land, and sky. 

After an hour on the water taxi we arrived at Owen Bay where Julia, Tim's nephew's wife met us with a bicycle cart. We followed her up the muddy road to their home.

When Julia and Casey first arrived here about a year ago, forest surrounded their tiny home. Since then they have cut down trees (which become wood to heat their home) and planted an amazing garden among the mossy logs and tree stumps. 

We pitched our yellow tent next to a gigantic stump. The screen tent on the other side held some of our extra gear and serves as an outdoor cooking/eating area, which we didn't use. 

Here's another photo of the garden. It's been cool and rainy all spring and summer, so the plants are not quite as far along as normal. 

In the evening, the rain stopped and we walked out to view Hole in the Wall, another one of BC's narrow water passages. Tidal currents are tremendously strong here and navigating the passages is a tricky business for sailboats.

But oh, the beauty and peace of this place. I'll share more tomorrow.