I woke
up at 8:00am – the whole area was covered with fog, and it was
drizzling. My plan was to stay for a day and try to find and photograph
the orcas that, according to various sources, frequently visited the
rubbing beach located in a nearby park at Bere Point. However, I
would have to wait until the fog dissipated, and this might take hours.
After
unsuccessful attempts to light up the fire, I made a breakfast of cereal
and coffee with hot water from the thermos that I filled up at dinner.
The
difficulties with starting my cooking fires were a serious concern that
had to be urgently addressed. One successful approach that
I had used over many years for starting fires was small pieces of
plastic. It they were of the right kind, they could be lighted up
easily and would continue burning for a minute or so, enough time to dry and
light up small splinters from the driftwood readily available on
shore.
Due to the ongoing logging in British Columbia,
its shores are covered with the driftwood, from isolated logs to huge
piles built up over years by violent storms. Besides the driftwood,
there is plenty of other litter washed ashore, including plastics, from
tiny articles to bottles to large pieces. They are everywhere: if you
see a deposit of driftwood, you will find the plastic.
While the fog was still thick, I had decided to spend a
couple of hours collecting the plastics and replenishing my water reserves.
Among the items that I had collected were soft drink bottles, engine oil and
additives containers, and various pieces of plastic. After trying them all I had
found that caps from soft drink bottles made the best fire starters, if split
in halves: they were easy to light up at the sharp edges and would last long
time, burning like a candle. From that moment on, starting the fire was no
longer an issue.
On my way to the fresh water source that I found a day
earlier, I had encountered a family of river otters. They were surprised to see
me, but departed in no hurry, getting to water one by one and then regrouping
behind the surf area.
It
was a midday when I returned to the camp and cooked the lunch. The
fog had been disappearing, but the wind had increased building up
significant surf. I realized that kayaking was out of question, as I
would not be able to launch it through the pounding waves. Instead, I
took my camera and went to explore the shore between my camp and
Bere
Point, and the regional park that was protecting Bere Point.
There were some signs of human presence along the beach, including the shelters.
There was some boating activity, mainly small fishing
boats close by, but also cruise ships navigating through Queen Charlotte
Strait.
Although
I stayed at Bere Point for some time, I saw no orcas. Maybe the surf
was too violent; maybe the killer whales visited the beach
infrequently. I then walked a short trail within the park exploring the
area and learning about local flora and fauna from numerous signs.
Instead of returning to my camp along the beach, I hiked part of the
Bere Point - Malcolm Point trail.
My dinner was the mushrooms that I had collected earlier, accompanied by rice and washed down with tea.
I was disappointed that I saw no orcas – my main reason
for visiting that area -- and had decided to stay for another day. I finished
the day admiring the warm colors of the sunset.
