A Riverside Walk….
It was a Beautiful Autumn morning on Northern Vancouver Island. A damp freshness floated across the river carrying the scent of Fall. It is harvest time in the Wild Kingdom along coastal British Columbia. Pacific salmon are returning from their ocean cycle, swimming upstream seeking the same gravel spawning beds they were born in… Some swimming hundreds of kilometres. Otters, eagles, wolves, bears, and other meat eaters gathered riverside, waiting patiently for the right water conditions to feast upon the protein rich fish.
The trail was a vibrant tapestry of fallen leaves, ferns, each step releasing an earthy aroma of October’s decomposing fish and foliage. Scavenger birds flitted above the river looking for salmon carcasses, their piercing calls counterpoint to the rhythmic sounds of the flowing waters.
As Rosie, Christine, and I walked a mist casually enveloped us, lending a ghostly appearance to the undergrowth, silhouetting long strands of lichen that hung from evergreen branches above. It was good to be in the forest surrounded by nature’s living naturalness, soul cleansing away the everyday hustle of urban life.
We paused to watch a mature bald eagle, yellow talons tightly wrapped around a small hemlock branch…. his head moving side to side scanning the river below for any sign of fish movement. There was a profound sense of interconnectedness in this wilderness sighting, where every creature plays a vital role in the cycle of life.
Continuing, we came across a Red squirrel in a clearing where sunlight broke through dense foliage, casting a golden glow on the surrounding hemlock, ferns, and salal. It was a moment of serene beauty, the squirrel a reminder to us of nature’s resilience and the enduring charm of the North Island’s wildlife, rainforests, mountains, rivers, and watercourses.
He was busy search for spruce cones, yet took the time to scold Rosie our Australian Shepherd, the squirrel’s tiny feet clinging to the Hemlock evergreen host. The Red Squirrel is an Island native, and now in a fight for survival competing for habitat and food with the introduced Gray Squirrel.
We headed home fully satisfied by our morning adventure. Each breath was filled with the crisp, lichen purified air… the gift of living a rural life. And the morning’s hike a reminder that simple pleasures can be found when one takes the time to explore and appreciate the natural world around them. The beauty of our day was not measured by time, distances, or hiking difficulty. As in life our satisfaction is measured by a collection of magic moments we enjoy along the trail. We are indeed very privileged to live in such natural splendour.
Safe travels
Gord
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