Texada Island — a delight for masochistic hikers

The wake left in the water by the ferry we were on, and the mountains of the coast in the distance.Our first view of Texada Island, taken from the ferry as we arrived

Texada was our Northern Gulf Island destination last September, a quiet place more sparsely populated than the other islands we’ve visited. The two “towns” don’t have shopping hubs, so it took us two days to find the grocery store! There’s only one paved road, and most trails we hiked were rough and steep. By sparing our car long drives on potholed gravel roads, we likely avoided even rougher and steeper ones.

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Our well-equipped Airbnb (Texada Island Vacation Rental) felt homey and welcoming at the end of each long, often exhausting, day of hiking. Here are some videos and photos of our trip.

Our backyard. Texada may have even more deer than Mayne Island. Look for the second one munching behind that picnic table.

A sign nailed to a tree in a forest that reads Marble Bay Trail and MBT, with a QR code below the wordsA sign nailed to a branch overhead that reads MBT in white hand-drawn elaborate letters

a handwritten sign nailed to a tree that reads Sword Fern Trail with a forest behind itA tangle of tree branches, one of which has two pink ribbons dangling from it

Trail markers, all created/placed by volunteers — some hard to spot.
We spent lots of time just hunting for the elusive pink ribbons.

A rather dry cove with the water level far lower than usual

Drought was apparent everywhere, but the weather was glorious.

view of a cove from a cliff above, with an island visible in the distancea rocky beach at Shelter Point Regional Park, with an island in the distance

Went beachcombing at Shelter Point Regional Park one day to hunt for a suitable piece of driftwood for our balcony at home.
We succeeded … eventually: Mr. Fluffster has high driftwood standards.

A sign nailed to a large tree that reads Mt. Pocahontas Traila rough and rocky trail heading upwards

Mount Pocahontas — the toughest of the five trails we hiked; like North Vancouver’s Grouse Grind but even steeper and rougher;
While hauling my aching, sweaty body up to the peak on hands and knees, I wondered how I’d ever make it back down again.

A stunning view of forest, rocks, water, and mountains, from the top of Mount Pocahontas

But the views from that peak were spectacular.

Breathtaking beauty! Silent because Mr. Fluffster wanted his voice removed.

a messy tangle of branches, rocks, mud, and ferns, with a pink ribbon dangling above it

We clambered slowly across this treacherous section of the Sword Fern Trail.
I slithered over part of it on my butt. That dangling pink ribbon was our only clue we were headed in the right direction.

a large white phlox bloom in front of green leaves and more bloomsa number of white phlox blooms in a hanging basket, with a cafe in the background

Phloxes outside the Mary Mary Café, where we had ice cream sundaes after hiking up Mount Pocahontas,
and dinner on our last evening. The locals we met there — and elsewhere in the island —
were mostly friendly retirees, keen to give directions and recommend local sights.

Our next island hop will be Galiano next May. Texada was lovely, but I want easier hiking. One Pocahontas is enough for me!

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Note: Ms. Fluffster is now on Mastodon.

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Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous28 November 2022 at 23:20

    Win and Mr Fluffster, what a beautiful and peaceful island tour you had!! Enjoyed your blog. Keep doing it. Till your next one, take care and stay well :D

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    Replies
    1. Ms. Fluffster30 November 2022 at 13:01

      Thanks! I’m enjoying the slower pace of churning them out now that I’ve dropped to one a month.

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