Tall Trees & Cold Seas

While we usually look forward to the serenity of Tofino and the West Coast, what we were most excited for this time around was to watch the girls explore and run! They have Vancouver Island in their veins, after all; Cedar Bones and Pacific Blood. The moment they hit the beach it was playtime. Mylah in the water immediately, Hannah excitedly collecting shells. They were in paradise, as they called it.

We walked and played at the beach and in the forest at two speeds for the week - catch up, or wait for them to pick up shells or pop kelp. There was no in-between. We explored tide pools, picked up crabs, got our feet wet and souls full. I have always romanticised this place, hoping that when the girls got old enough they would follow suit. I think they did on this trip.

They were able to explore and immerse themselves into wild places. Spots just off the beaten path and areas that are much, much bigger than their little feet. All the while I found myself spending as much time watching their curious little faces, as I did looking at the open vistas or deep forests.

It’s been a goal of mine recently to show them places that we take for granted. Places that we think will always stay the same. They won’t stay the same, the world changes, nature keeps moving, people tend to ruin really great things. I want them to know the sprawling clean beaches of the West Coast, the rainforests full of trees that are older than our country, fields of ice that tumble from glaciers. While they might not fully appreciate it right now, I hold hope that it will impact them one day. I know my visits to Vancouver Island as a kid have always stuck out to me, and maybe are the reason I’m so drawn to it. We live in an incredible place, we should always remember that.

The West Coast, Tofino in particular, holds a special place in our hearts, I’m happy to say that it holds a part of the girls’ hearts too, as evidenced by them asking if we can go back already.