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Writer's pictureNatasha Zimmers

Winter Beach Backpacking

I have a deep love of silence and solitude in nature. It makes me feel centered and complete.


With a great weather forecast, it was the perfect time to sneak away for a one night backpacking trip to an old favourite place on the wild beaches of the west coast.


The February sunshine is pretty magical, filtered through spruce and cedar, and with the greens of the ferns, salal, and evergreen huckleberry it feels almost like summer.



I love the moment when you start hearing the waves and smelling the salt air. Out here, there is no human noise, just wind and water, eagles, and an optimistic frog who thinks winter is over for real.


I dropped my pack in the camp, trusting my bear cannister to keep my food safe, and headed off to enjoy the beach.



I always feel so lucky to be able to visit this site. It's a special feeling to see the petroglyphs, one that photos don't fully convey.


I headed back towards camp, thinking about the humpback whale calf that had been washed up here in the summer. There was no sign a whale's body had ever been here.


But then, just as I was leaving that section of beach, my eye caught a treasure in the sand. A whale barnacle!

















It was a pretty special find!


Then back to camp for dinner, sunset, and reading, and homeward bound again in the morning. A glorious trip all around.





See you again soon, most wonderful beach!


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