Along the wild West Coast of Vancouver Island, lie the surf-beaten white-sand beaches of Pacific Rim National Park, and the renowned surf beaches of Tofino. Just north lies Clayoquot Sound, one of Canada's most spectacular fjords. A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, tendrils of salt water wind inland from a maze of offshore reefs and forest-covered islands to create protected inlets embraced by ancient conifers. The largest of these islands, Flores, is home to wolves and bears, and some of North America's finest coastal temperate rainforest. Flores Island protects three pristine watersheds that flow into the rich waters of the Pacific.

Steeped in aboriginal history, Clayoquot Sound has been home to the Nuu-chah-nulth people for thousands of years. Flores is home to the Ahousat First Nation. Our route is along the traditional Ahousat walking trail, reclaimed and maintained by the Ahousat. We camp on white sand beaches, with the sound of the surf as a lullaby, at the edge of a forest saved by the heroic efforts of an international conservation campaign. Our schedule allows plenty of time for beachcombing on endless sand beaches and sculpted points of land left by ancient lava flows, exploring the lush rain forest, with its huge cedars, climbing to the top of Mt. Flores, or swimming in the bracing Pacific surf.