Elk Falls Provincial Park

(2 hours) Today we travelled to Elk Falls, an area of ancient, old-growth rainforest, where the trees are more than 300 years old. It was a warm day, so a relief to walk in the cool, damp, green shade of the Douglas Firs and Western hemlock, though we kept a nervous eye on the shadows, in case a cougar was lurking. The path leads to a beautiful waterfall (viewed from a slightly scary suspension bridge!) Work is going on in the park to restore the gravel riverbeds which are an important spawning area for the steelhead trout, ocean-going fish similar to rainbow trout which can reach 55lb. Damming for hydro power upstream means the gravel beds have been washed away, so remedial work is now taking place. Back in Comox (the First Nations 'land of plenty' - Ko'moks - see here for more: https://komoks.ca/), we went out after dinner to watch the sun set from the waterfront at Goose Spit. There were seals swimming around in the glassy water, and the glacier was wreathed in clouds - a very calming experience, with nothing but occasional seabird calls to disturb the silence.