Victoria - Discovery Island

It actually felt nice getting back to the Northwest from Mexico where it had gotten pretty hot.  It was quite mild and felt refreshing when I landed and stayed that way for the next few days, long enough to lull me into a false sense of security. Then the other shoe dropped, the clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped and it rained.  But that was April and now it's almost June and as I write, the weather has been great for a while.  I've gotten in a couple of kayak trips to Discovery Island, just an hour's paddle from Victoria, and my favourite day paddle.  It's a beautiful little island, part of a cluster of islands just across the channel from Oak Bay.  

Part of it is Provincial Park with camping, another part is First Nations and a small chunk belongs to the Feds and there's a decommissioned lighthouse there.  

 Views around Discovery Island

An interesting feature of the island is that there is a resident wolf.  No one knows exactly how it got there but it's been living there for five or so years now.  The First Nations band that owns part of the island believe that the wolf is the spirit of their chief who died around the time the wolf showed up.  As a result, they have closed off their part of the island and prohibit even landing.  But there are plenty of other places to land on the park side and quite a nice campground.  Wildlife abounds: eagles, otters, sea lions, seals, herons, orcas, dolphins, numerous waterfowl species, and so.  

I once found myself in the middle of a little group of orcas while kayaking out there.  Quite thrilling!!  

Paddling off into the sunset