North Island

After some lucky Humpback whale sightings, and wading a salmon stream and counting the spawners in mid Vancouver Island we headed further north on the island highway.

Video from previous salmon stream survey

https://youtu.be/s9J16V2a4rU

Late afternoon was the time to start scouting out overnight camping spots.  I found this one on a logging road just past the community of Woss.  It also was the access road to the Woss fire lookout!  There was a nice wide spot in the road with a good view, so we took advantage.  I crawled up on the roof of the camper and took this photosphere – which provides a 360 view including up and down, and you can zoom in on any part of the photo!

Photosphere

It wasn’t quite flat, but we took care of that problem with a strategic rock placement.

The helicopter was sent up to have a look around.

There was lots of firewood available from the surrounding cutovers, so the first fire of the trip was in order that evening.

A morning hike up to the fire lookout was scrubbed due to thick fog that blanketed the area.

Instead we hit the road further north to Port McNeil, then took another ferry ride across to Malcolm Island, a short distance north.  Fog was still thick and the ferry was moving slowly and constantly sounding it’s horn.  A nice little primitive camp site on the north shore had only one other camper, and there were no fees at this time of year.  A short hiking trail down the shore leads to a beach where Orcas are known to rub themselves on the smooth gravel, but none were seen in my several days there.

A bald eagle ignored me as a hiked the beach beneath him, and there were lots of diving ducks offshore and lots of floating driftwood.  When we arrived, the mist drifting off the bay was so thick that the trees above us were dripping, though it had not rained.

Hiking was possible both on the beach, and on a shoreline trail.

Hailey was impressed with the size of the trees as she contemplated climbing some of them!

The federal election was well underway, but this enthusiastic supporter had posted his sign well down a treed walkway, and hidden by his parked car!  I had to stop on the road to get a glimpse of it!

Some serious artistic talent was on display as we made our way back to catch the ferry.