Hornby Island

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Ok, I admit, this is mostly to try out an entry with photos, but I really did go to Hornby Island this weekend! I was there for my friend'd wedding, which was a great little ceremony on the beach, near Helliwell Provincial Park. Although I've spent time in the area over the past 3 summers, I have never managed to make it out to Helliwell. Hard to believe.

The family managed to book accommodation for myself and other "younger" folks at the Hornby Island Dive Lodge. We weren't diving, but it was one of the few remaining accommodations on the island, despite booking several months in advance (welcome to Hornby, where the population increases at least 500% during the summer). The lodge is very comfortable, lots of neat diving-related paraphernalia and humorous fridge postings. The resident cat is also very friendly, for guests who miss their own pets.

The morning of the wedding, I decided to be adventurous, since it was my only full day on the island, but having no other mode of transportation, I was limited to my feet. I walked the coastal trail from Ford's Cove to Shingle Spit (where the ferry terminal is), hoping to run into some friends who are (supposedly) doing field work at Shingle Spit. Sadly, the snail patrol was elsewhere that day, even though I called ahead and told them I would be there :-(

Luckily, the walk along the bottom of the bluffs is quite nice - lots of terrain, well maintained, and great forest scenery, as well as occasional views of the rocky beach below, and Denman Island to the West.

Upon returning to the Dive Lodge, I ran into some old friends and arranged to get picked up at the Co-op, so that I wouldn't be late for the ceremony that afternoon. I then decided to try to walk to the co-op (downtown Hornby Island) for a late lunch. If I was smarter, I would have walked to downtown first, rented a bike, and then I would have had time and speed to tour the island. I probably could have hitchhicked, which really wouldn't have bothered me. Sadly, I'm an idiot, and a bit of a masochist, and managed to give myself blisters jogging in my sandals to get there in 1 hour. Enough time to grab a quick lunch, and start back. Thankfully, my ride showed up earlier than expected, and I got back in plenty of time to get ready for the shuttle bus to the wedding ceremony.

Hornby has tons of neat trails, for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and other modes of transport, some of which share trails, so be sure to check the local maps and guides. The brochure I found at the bike shop has a decent map with instructions, and information about the parks on the island.

One of these days, I'll definitely have to go back, but with a bit more time and possibly a faster vehicle.

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Photos

Lower Bluffs Trail
A cluster of sword ferns growing on the slope above the trail from Ford's Cove to Shingle Spit

Mossy Rocks
Yet another view of some of the scenery along the trail from Ford's Cove to Shingle Spit

Freaky Oyster
This is a small Oyster I found on Shingle Spit. It looks like an overzealous slipper snail.

Seaweed aisle
I don't know whose job it was to arrange all that algae into a makeshift aisle for the wedding ceremony, but the hearts were a nice touch ;-)