A Little Diddy Called Stubbs

A few weeks ago I participated in the Tofino Ambassador program through the Rainforest Education Society.  This course is offered free of charged for Tofitians who want to learn more about the local history and is designed to provide "correct" information that those of us in the hospitality industry can pass onto guests.  The instructor briefly touched on Clayoquot or "Stubbs" Island as one of the first trading posts created on the coast.  She also mentioned that this island is open to the public only on May long weekend and suggested that if possible we should all take advantage of the opportunity to visit.  I was immediately intrigued and began enquiring with some of the more settled locals.  Almost everyone I asked admitted that they had heard of it, but had never seen it firsthand; no one seemed very keen to visit.  Well I wasn't about to let this stop me, I was determined to get to the island and see these 200 year old rhododendrons Google had told me so much about.  On Saturday I finished work, grabbed my camera and hauled ass downtown to enquire about the boat transportation only to discover that the boats stopped running in under an hour.  No matter, I thought, I would just make a point of getting there sooner on Sunday.  Sunday afternoon I left work and texted my roommate to see if she was still interested in joining.  She responded to tell me that she and a group of others were on their way and would save me a spot in line.  Perfect!

We climbed onto the little water taxi and jetted across the channel with Captain Steve at the helm; within a few minutes we were disembarking onto Stubbs Island.  Upon ascending the ramp and seeing this natural wonderland, I felt overwhelmed with a sense of peace.  It felt so separate from society despite the fact it was crawling with tourists and that you can see town from shore.  There are boardwalks and paths in every which direction, dotted with little driftwood benches and gazebos.  Every plant and flower have been immaculately cared for and the beaches were absolutely pristine.  All along, huge old growth hemlocks loomed overhead.  I can say with certainty that the 2 hours we spent there was not an adequate amount of time to explore the sprawling 130 acres of the island.  We explored the boardwalks down to the beach and back up to a large open field where an impromptu croquet tournament took place (along with a quick wheelbarrow race.)  All around children ran about and screaming with glee, families enjoyed picnic lunches, couples sprawled across the spongey grass, soaking up the sunshine.  The magic of the island could be felt by everyone.

On our way back to the dock we stopped to thank the two caretakers, (and only residents of the island) Chris Taylor and Sharon Whalen, who sat in front of the Sea Wench Naturals headquarters, sipping wine and asking us how we enjoyed our experience.  While waiting for the boat to return we chatted with one of the temporary caretakers and peppered him with questions about life on the island.  He informed us that their generator runs off solar power and that a sand filtration system provides running water.  He also informed us that the island is owned by Susan Bloom, a resident of Salt Spring Island who had recently donated 70% of the property to the Land Conservancy of BC to prevent any future owners of the island from developing or selling of plots.  The return to reality was bittersweet and the experience made me curious to learn more...

The Island was originally named Stubbs after Captain Napolean Fits Stubbs who travelled around Vancouver Island in 1861 on the ship Templar.  The word Clayoquot comes from clea-o meaning another or different and aht meaning people or village.  In 1860 it was established as a trading post and settlement, the first outside of Fort Victoria.  In the 1890's it was controlled by the Hudson Bay Company.  In 1898 owner Walter Dawley built the first hotel on the coast, when this structure burned to the ground it was replaced by a smaller parlour and beer hall, once again, the first of its kind.  In 1937 the island was purchased by Betty Farmer who, along with her sister Jo Brydges, is credited with creating the incredible gardens found there today.  Between 1940 and 1990 the island had several owners before being purchased by Bloom.

I feel so much gratitude to have experienced this little piece of Tofino history firsthand and am eager to return next year to explore everything else the island has to offer.

Sources:
Gibson, Ken.  "A Brief Story of Clayoquot Preserve on Stubbs Island" About Clayoquot Preserve, Stubbs Island, Tofino BC.  GoTofino.com <http://www.gotofino.com/tofinoarticles/stubbsislandclayoquotislandkengibson.html>

Hawthorn, Tom.  "Stubbs Island: A Return to Paradise"  Tom Hawthorn's Blog.  tomhawthorn.blogspot.com <http://tomhawthorn.blogspot.ca/2011/05/stubbs-island-return-to-paradise.html> May 16, 2013.

Westerly News.  "Clayoquot Island Now Has Land Conservancy Protection,"  Canada.com <http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=e7146c5d-e3da-4ab0-b442-34b058db811b> January 31, 2008.

Living the Tuff Life

I've been in Tofino just over a month now and every day I wake up with a smile on my face.  That's not to say there haven't been tough times, especially when I first got here, but generally I'm consumed with happiness and humility.  I still can't believe that everyday I go to work and get to look out at the waves crashing into Cox Bay and when the sun breaks through the clouds and shines onto the shore, the whitewash practically glows.  I get to spend the day talking to people who are relaxed and gracious, people who are genuinely interested in where you came from and how you got to be so lucky to live in such a place.  When I first told people that I was moving to Tofino, many of them expressed envy and sheepishly admitted they always dreamed of doing the same.  Anytime I suggested that they do it, they all gave me paltry excuses, as if living here is a privilege for a chosen few.  A couple days ago my brother said in passing, "I should have just moved here straight out of high school" and I can't help but echo his sentiment; I wish I knew about the Tofino life years ago; I wish I took his advice to come out years ago or listened to my mom when she suggested I spend the summer working at a resort.  I never headed this advice because I didn't want to leave my friends or rather, step out of my comfort zone.  I know now that when you jump head first into the unknown amazing things can happen and I'm not alone in my thinking.  People here live life to the fullest, they don't stress about money or having expensive things, they don't care about climbing the corporate ladder, they travel and see the world but always find themselves back in Tofino, because Tofitians get it, they feel it too...

I love all the colours from the vibrant emerald green foliage, to the brilliant azure sky and the cerulean waves.  I love that I'm surrounded by trees so tall I feel nearly smothered by their grandeur.  I love walking through Vinyl Village and smelling the scent of sun-soaked cedar (admittedly, I also enjoy the tantalizing scents constantly wafting from Tacofino).  There are so many things that I love but there are couple that I don't.  The first being: Shit is expensive!  Food is expensive, liquor is expensive, clothing is expensive.  There's no doubt in my mind that the price is worth paying to live in this incredible place, but it all adds up and I can't imagine trying to get by when fall and winter comes and the tourism industry screeches to a halt.  Apparently many juggle multiple jobs in the slower months in order to get by.
Another thing I don't love: there is no such thing as a good internet connection.  It's hit or miss regardless of where you are or what company you're with.  Downloading is excruciating; streaming is next to impossible and results in bandwidth overages which result in ridiculous bills (guess this is goodbye for now Netflix).  This is, in fact, a blessing in disguise as there is a plethora of amazing outdoor activities that make watching television shows seem downright blasphemous.  That being said on a hungover afternoon during a particularly rainy day I just want to lay in bed and indulge in House of Cards, is that so wrong?  There are ways of combating this issue.  There are many DVDs in constant circulation, there is a movie rental store with a good selection, and if you complain enough, people will usually be kind enough to take your USB and load it up with their own downloaded treasures (whether these exist from a time before life in Tofino or resulted out of extreme patience, I'm still not sure.)

A couple other things I've noticed:

Surf culture  
Sure I expected most people to surf, but I didn't realize that out here it's a lifestyle rather than a hobby.  This became glaringly obvious when I first arrived at a staff accom littered with wetsuits, full of boards, plastered with surf photos and stocked to the brim with surf videos and magazines.  One of the first questions asked out here is, "Do you surf?" answer yes and it propels you into an entire conversation regarding the best spots, surfers, wind conditions, tides, waves, types of boards, brands of wetsuits, etc.  Answer no or not really and the next question is usually "Are you planning to learn?"  When I originally envisioned myself living in Tofino I thought I'd go out surfing on a few occasions throughout the summer and on the day of my first lesson I was nervous and hesitant, but within 5 minutes in the water I was hooked.  I so badly want to learn, because I want to be a part of it, a part of something bigger, it's not something that one can easily explain.

Tofino Time  
People here are laid back.  They stop their cars in the middle of the street to chat with a friend, or stop what they're doing at work to catch up with an old acquaintance.  Therefore running on "Tofino Time" is a real thing.  It's not a matter of inconsideration or rudeness, people just do what feels right at the time.  For example, maybe someone said they would attend your party, but the waves were so good and they were in the midst of such an awesome surf they just couldn't stop.  By the time they finally got out of the water, biked home, and rinsed out their suit they were starving and decided to make some dinner.  Then, their roommate had rented a movie and they sat down and began watching it and just never made it back up again.  Rather than text you the entire explanation, they just won't show.  You shouldn't take it personally, because plans change and people just go with the flow.  Besides, you probably wouldn't have had cell phone service anyway.

image from GoTofino.com