When does the summer start? For many Families living on Vancouver Island they might say, May long weekend as this is when many make their first camping trip of the year. For my family, Easter weekend holds a tradition in my family, not just a lowly ham and/or turkey but a tradition of camping.
This Easter I picked the Wild Side Trail as the destination for Hemingway’s first backpacking trip. The 11 km of walking combines easy beach walking and a small mount of forest walking, over headlands. It’s satisfactorily long, worth the effort. It features beautiful west coast rainforest and offers opportunities for wild life encounters. Further, the wilderness is old-growth forest; one of the few areas left on the west coast. The route brings hikers past dozens of forest-giants, moss so thick you’ll want to lie down and sleep forever, and at least a few Culturally Modified Trees. Adding tot he fun, I brought the Island Mountain Ramblers with us. In total 15 people hiked and camped, including three children.
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| Flores Island’s Wild Side Trail GPS route |
Total Distance: 34.6 km
Time: about 9 hours of hiking over 3 days