Meeting the Forests of Tofino

A short visit to Vancouver and a couple nights spent with dear friends in Horseshoe Bay was our entrance point to Tofino. The warm welcome of friends and family had set the vibe for the crossing of the Georgia Straight from Horseshoe Bay to Nanimo.

Horseshoe Bay in the evening / photo by Walt Pascoe

Tofino came as a complete surprise to me. I had heard people rant and rave about this place many times before and
I now know why. Tofino steals your heart slowly and quietly.

ferry crossing to Nanimo from Horseshoe Bay

First of all, there are the forests. Big, old growth forests that embrace you with their green and melt away all your tensions. Things you thought were urgent and important cease to even exist in these giant cathedrals of green love.

A note on the local bakery bulletin board in Tofino

We hiked many trails while we were there and always there was this deep almost rhythmic silence surrounding us in these ancient forests. The lush green ferns were ginormous and there were twisted and gnarled roots growing in amongst everything. A tangle of growth and life pulsing all around us. It felt so energetic and alive in these forests and we felt so ridiculously insignificant in the life span of these trees.

 And then there were the ravens. They were constantly present in the woods and on the beaches. They are a distinct part of this landscape and their calls and cries are so varied and omnipresent that they began to feel like an important aspect of this place.