Rathtrevor Camping
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Camping On Vancouver Island
Life in Camp
One of my friends believes that camping
should be a human right for kids. We try to go every year
and I appreciate trying new places. This year we were
originally thinking of camping near Merritt on Nicola lake, but
Helen found a bunch of nights at Rathtrevor at the same time so we
decided to change our location. The island location worked
well for us because it dramatically reduced the travel time after
camping to go visit family.
Last year at Shuswap lake, Nara really enjoyed the biking.
Claira tried really hard to be bike ready in time for this years
camping. Their number one fun activity was going for bike
rides. As soon as they were out of the tent in the morning
they were on their bikes. They ended their day on their
bikes.
We were pretty lucky with our neighbors - our last night was
almost spooky because our neighbors were almost clones of us - two
parents, two daughters, roughly the same age. The kids
couldn't help themselves showing off whatever they could.
We arrived the first night a little later than we wanted to - we
missed a ferry by about 10 cars. When we arrived, we had
lots of chores (setup a tent, find the bathrooms) so we didn't
really stop going until the kids were asleep and the sun was
setting. Being on the East coast of the Island, you don't
get the super dramatic sunsets, but the colours are still nice.
Camp Critters
BC Parks is mostly a friendly place for
wildlife. There were rabbits in many of the grassy fields
and you would see a deer at least once a day. I counted at
least 4 different individual deer in a day.
We saw butterflies fly through from time to time and eagles
resting in the trees surveying the shore. On a morning walk,
I heard a bunch of crows making a racket and found them bothering
a great horned owl. I took a few pictures and backed
off. I walked back to the camp site and got the kids.
The owl didn't like the kids - the owl flew when we started
walking up.
Beach Activity
Rathtrevor is best known for it's
beach. The large sandy beach comes out every low tide and
families haul out to play on the sand and swim in the shallow,
warm water. We came prepared for some tidal
exploration.
The kids really enjoyed finding crabs. They learned that
most stones have crabs hiding underneath so the kids rolled over
every rock they could find. The favorite was hermit crabs
because they come with a house and they often try to hide in their
house.
At the very edge of the ocean you could often find sand
dollars. We have found these before at other beaches, but
they were pretty common here.
It's a long walk out to the waters edge. You have to watch
you don't get too much sun.
Day Trip - Englishman River Falls
Our camp site had lots of sky so it got hot
during the day. The beach also doesn't have cover so we
wanted a hike in a forest to keep cool. We decided to go to
Englishman river falls. I've been a few times before.
The forest really was cool and I enjoy a
walk in the trees. The kids really want to walk anywhere but
the trail.
The waterfall at the end was almost
non-existent. I suspect the falls only go over the rock when
the river is really running. Today it was a nice calm pool
that really invited swimmers.
Tags: crab(3), beach(3), deer(2), rock(2), biking(2), camping(2)
People: Claira(6), Nara(6)
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Camping > Rathtrevor Camping
Last Modified Saturday, January 21st, 2023 at 23:59:32 Edit
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