09/24/2026
• Vancouver Island •
This trip was the first time my son and I gone camping and slept/carried everything in the car. It was so much fun! We road tripped all the way to the island, and spent nine days exploring.
We cooked everything on a Fire Maple single burner cooking element, including grilled cheese sandwiches. TBH though, we lived mostly on dehydrated meals and DIY charcuterie’s of grapes, salami and cheese from the cooler.
Sleeping in the car was great and so convenient, we just had to strap down the cooler in the AM and were back on the road. That being said, after about day 3, the car smelled like seaweed (and still does🫠).
This hike, the Canso Bomber Hike was his choice! It was a hard one for little legs, and incredibly muddy, but definitely worth the trip!
Doing things like this makes me so acutely aware of how incredibly lucky I am to have a beautiful and kind son, who carries with him an immense amount of grace and patience. 🤍
The trail was mostly 2x6 boards over marshes and muddy sections with huge tree roots through the rainforest, with the last bit being a bit of a scramble up to the plane.
This is the radio building, about halfway into the hike. Super creepy, super cool graffiti.
B had his own hiking pack for this, so we carried lunch (and our own candies of choice) and stopped for a little break to eat.
This is Long Beach, right off the Kwisitis Visitor Centre. Super cool place to check out, lots of history and lots of nice views.
Long Beach (Wickaninnish Beach).
Ucluelet Lighthouse — this place has a really great visitor centre too. Maybe we just like visitor centres?
Ucluelet also has a wonderful catch and release aquarium with touch tanks! Super cool and a 10/10 recommendation. Ucluelet Aquarium
I’m happy to report that B loves tide pools just as much as I do, so spending three hours here at Chesterman Beach was the best time.
We spent almost every night on the beach, walking in the water, looking for anemones… I want to say this is also Chesterman Beach.
The hike out to Third Beach is BEAUTIFUL. Honestly, doing whatever the hell you want for nine days by the ocean with your son is beautiful. Another 10/10 wo