Port Renfrew and Botanical Beach
Have you ever heard about Port Renfrew? I mean other than on this blog. I certainly hadn’t before I headed over to Canada this summer on what was supposed to be a 3-week vacation which then turned into a stay of just over two months. During this time I was lucky enough to be offered a role as an interpreter and assistant guide on a tour through Western Canada. To avoid astronomical Vancouver accommodation cost in summer and to see more of the tranquil haven of Vancouver Island while waiting for the tour to commence, I managed to secure a place as a helper for the Soule Creek Lodge in Port Renfrew, where I worked a few hours each day for free accommodation and food. If you’re keen to know how I found and arranged this opportunity, read this post.
Port Renfrew is a little town with a population of around 200 people, located in two hours driving distance west of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia on Vancouver Island. It’s the home of the Pacheedaht First Nation, meaning “People of the Sea Foam”. The local campsite, which is situated just outside of the village on a long stretch of fine, sandy beach, is also named after these indigenous people.
The First Nation origin is apparent in a lot of places in Port Renfrew, from the dining room at Soule Creek Lodge to the local pub, which features a totem pole right next to the inviting terrace. I’m in town on a warm summer day to spend my free afternoon exploring after a few hours at the beach. I walk from the beach across the bridge back to the village and past the marina, which features a food truck with great seafood, chips and beer.
Heading up to the main road, my walk then takes me to the pub – the beer at the marina tasted so good that it got me craving for more. Right next to the pub are a number of cute little souvenir shops which I’m checking out. In one of them, I really like a little wooden sign carrying the inspiring message “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” I’m tempted to buy it but decide not to because my backpack is already almost too heavy for me, and I still have a few weeks of travelling ahead of me with this beast. I will later find out that it’s a quote from a book published in 1940 by an American author and political activist, Helen Adams Keller, who was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree! Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, enabled Helen, who was isolated due to a near complete lack of language, to communicate and consequently, to study. The film and play “The Miracle Worker” tells this dramatic story and is now on my must-watch list.
After all this window shopping, I decide it’s time to enjoy the view from the pub’s terrace to the sea with a nice brew. The Renfrew Pub has a rather decent selection of local beers and I’m trying at first a tasty local lager, followed by an equally flavoursome Saltspring Island Heather Ale while the Beatles are playing and the sun is shining before I tipsily make my way back to the lodge.
Botanical Beach, Botany Bay and a walk in the dusk
Two hiking trails are located closely to Port Renfrew, namely, the Juan de Fuca trail, of which Port Renfrew is the main terminus and the famous West Coast trail, built in 1907 along the west coast of Vancouver Island to rescue shipwrecked sailors. Due to the high number of major shipping tragedies occurring along the Juan de Fuca Strait from 1830 to 1925 – 137 in total – this stretch of water was nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Pacific”.
The trailhead of the Juan de Fuca trail is at Botanical Beach, and this is where I’m heading on a nice, late summer day after the breakfast service and housekeeping duties are done for the day. The Soule Creek Lodge’s driveway is a gravel road of about 2 km through the forest. I’ve only just set off to walk down with my bear spray in the bag when two guests who are staying at the lodge offer to give me a lift down to the village. I happily agree, and after only a short drive I’m walking down the short path towards Botanical Beach to see the tidal pools, which is what this beach is renowned for.
Tidal pools are rocky pools on the seashore that fill up with seawater during high tide and are visible at low tide. Marine life remains in these tidal pools which makes them perfect for spotting e.g. sea anemones, crabs, snails or the odd star fish. I have made sure that I will be at the beach at relatively low tide and I’m lucky to be able to see some pretty perfect tidal pools. In one of them, a bunch of crabs seem to be fighting over dinner, whereas in another, I spot a beautiful sea anemone. Because those pools aren’t very deep, it’s a bit like snorkelling without being in the water. I walk from pool to pool, hoping to see a star fish, and amazed by the natural spectacular that is unfolding in the pools beneath me. After a much longer time than anticipated, I decide it’s time to move on to Botany Bay, just a little walk away from Botanical Beach.
When I get there, I’m surprised to see an even more spectacular display of natural beauty with more tidal pools. The waves of the rough Pacific Ocean are crushing against the tree-laden shore and the fading daylight gives the scenery a warm glow. It’s so beautiful down here that I almost have tears of gratefulness in my eyes for having somehow, unexpectedly, landed in this fascinating location this summer.
It’s getting windier and cooler with the day fading but I’m finding it hard to leave Botany Bay. When I finally do, it’s already much later than I originally planned, and I certainly hope that I will get another lift up the drive way. Dusk is not a great time for hiking through a remote Canadian forest as wildlife such as bears and cougars are most active during this time. It turns out that in addition to being late, I have completely underestimated the time it takes to hike back from Botanical Beach to the lodge. Tim, one of the owners of the lodge has told me about a short cut through the forest but I’m too scared of getting lost to attempt it. By the time I have made it to the driveway via the main road, the sun is dangerously low in the sky and I am in no mood to hike through the forest in the darkness. I have already hiked as fast as I possibly could but bear fear turns out to be a great motivator. Completely out of breath but still clapping and singing everything from the Scorpions to the Phantom of the Opera to scare away any wildlife in an at least 2 km radius, I’m hiking for what seems like a little eternity until, just in time for the sun set and dinner, I’m back at the lodge at last with my bear spray still untouched.
