Staff and volunteers at the office keep asking me “will the trail season ever end this year?” to which I answer “not as long as this weather holds!” Clayoquot trail maintenance can be a mighty damp affair in October. Last year we found this out the hard way with our wet fall expeditions into the Bulson River Valley, site of a proposed private power project. This year however, we mounted two “dry-weather” October trips to Meares Island, just a short speedboat ride from Tofino, to work on the Lone Cone Mountain and the Big Tree Trails.

Eight hearty souls boated over to Meares Island to begin trail-work October 9 and were greeted with a weekend of tasty salal berries, sunny skies, calm seas and crisp nights by the campfire. Our goal was to finish up the Lone Cone Mountain trail and to work with a group of Tla-o-qui-aht Nation youth on the Big Tree Trail, home to some of the biggest temperate rainforest trees in the world.  I am happy to report that we met both our goals, although the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation requested that the final few blueberry and salal bushes crowding the Lone Cone trail be left for a special celebratory gathering of First Nation youth trail-workers who will finish off the trailwork and officially open the trail. 

Check out some of the great images, sketches, and writings posted on the Clayoqout Sound Campaign page of our website from the 10-plus Wilderness Committee expeditions to Tla-o-qui-aht Territory in 2009. We are happy to have accomplished so much on the many great trails that Clayoquot Sound, a UN World Heritage Site, boasts.

We made many new friends, and rekindled friendships of old. Special thanks to the 54 volunteers who trekked to Clayoquot from all corners of the globe to work on joint Wilderness Committee / Tla-o-qui-aht Nation projects. And who knows, if the weather holds we may just organize a final final trail trip for 2009 – join our E-LERT to keep posted on upcoming weekend outings, rallies and other events or email stephanie@wildernesscommittee.org