This morning, I woke up at 6AM, hoping to leave the house by 7AM to catch the 9AM ferry to SaltSpring Island. Salt Spring Island is a 70 square/mile island with a population of about 13,000 people, about a 30 minute ferry ride off the coast of Vancouver Island. The island has become a tourist destination and a quiet place for locals to live. On the island, there is a large community of artists, farmers/breweries/boutique food manufacturing, and restaurateurs.
Upon arriving at Fulford Harbor, there was a bus waiting to transport some of the ferry passengers to Ganges. The last stop of the bus ride was in front of the visitors center in Gagnes. I stopped in the visitor center and inquired for their suggested hikes, scenic areas, and local businesses.
First, I walked a block away to a gallery showcasing art and products created by Saltspring Island artists. There were sculptures, paintings, photographs, lavender-based hygiene products, natural deodorants, etc.
Afterwards, I went on a walk through Gagnes Village and along the waterfront. The downtown was small and consisted mostly of restaurants, art galleries, a supermarket, and a hardware store. I walked thruugh a few art galleries and after about 15 minutes of wandering, I was ready to hitchhike to Mt Erskine. After a few minutes of waiting on Rainbow road, I hitchhiked up to the trailhead with a Montreal-based marine biologist who was visiting his hometown of Saltspring Island for a few weeks.
The hike up to Mt Erksine was about 30-45 minutes each way and there some parts of the trail that were very steep. The view from the top of Mt Erskine was similar to the view from most of the hikes on the Island: water channels weaving through and along and tree-covered islands/coastline.
On the way down from the trailhead, I was picked up by a contractor who was heading down to town. As soon as I arrived in town, I ate a burrito at a food truck named El Loco Taco, which was probably one of the best burritos I’ve had. At this point, I noticed that I had left my red hoodie jacket on a tree branch on the way up the Mt Erskine Trail and had forgotten to retrieve it on the way down. I was on the wall about whether to hitchhike all the way up to the trail (and back) to retrieve the jacket.
At this point, I decided that between retrieving my jacket, visiting St Mary’s Lake, and spending more time in town, I thought it would be more convenient to spend the night at a campground near town. I walked through Mouat Park until arriving at Garden Faire Campground, which is located at the edge of the park. I reserved campsite #4, which includes a large, graded pad overlooking the entire campground.
From there, I walked to Rainbow Road and hitchhiked back up Mt Erskine to try and retrieve my jacket, but unfortunately the jacket wasn’t there anymore. The entire 2 hour detour to retrieve the jacket ended up for no reason. On the way back from Mt Erkshire, I hitchhiked with someone from New Zealand who was living in Vancouver. He owns a second home on Saltspring Island, which he occasionally visits with his wife and 11-year old son.
Once I arrived back in town, I walked what seemed like a couple hours to St Mary’s Lake, the largest lake on Saltspring Island. The lake was ideal for swimming but I wasn’t really up for swimming, so I just spent 15 minutes there and hitchhiked back to town with a father and daughter in a van. The father was born and raised on the island and “never” leaves the island, unless he’s heading to a smaller nearby island for recreation.
Once I arrived back in town, I ordered a delicious meal at a Thai restaurant and ate the meal while sitting on the grass in the waterfront park. The park was filled with quiet a few free-spirited hippies who were laying on the grass, cooking meals on the picnic benches, and one that was just drinking beer. I wonder what leads people to live the free-spirited hippie lifestyle. I should introduce myself to some free-spirited hippies, and pick their brains to understand their views on life and reasons they live the way they do.
After eating dinner, I walked a few steps into an oceanfront neighborhood pub. I ordered a beer, used my computer/WIFI, and listened to the live band for 30-45 minutes. Then, I headed back to Garden Faire campground to spend the night.
