“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
-John Muir
It has been a few days since my trip to Tofino. I finally finished unpacking and finally had a chance to go through the photos (see below) and videos on my camera. I’ve also had some time to really process the whole experience of this trip which I’ll share with you.
A cliché that I’ve heard from most people who have had the privilege of traveling is you learn and grow more from traveling than from any other traditional form of education. I definitely echo those sentiments even if it’s just me learning mildly interesting but mostly useless information. For instance, I learned that Canadians drink Caesars instead of Bloody Mary’s. The main difference there is they use Clamato where we use a tomato juice which is slightly thicker. Some other Canadian trivia I learned on this trip:
- They have “sweet chili” flavored Hot Cheetos.
- At most places, if you want to use a credit card they hand you the card reader.
- Canadians celebrate Remembrance Day the same time we celebrate Veterans Day.
- Even though marijuana is legal in Canada, it’s very very heavily regulated.
All jokes aside, Tofino is easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. Every step I took, I saw sights that were nothing short of inspirational- islands with nothing but trees on them, wide open empty beaches, forests so thick you can’t see far through them, green, green everywhere. Surfing in a wilder place like this, literally feeling immersed in the environment, was an experience I won’t soon forget.
Speaking of surfing, literally everyone I talked to in Tofino surfs or has surfed, which is freaking awesome. People here at home gave me funny looks when I told them of my plans to surf up there in the cold but everyone in Tofino takes it as no big deal. In fact, something that surprised me is how many female surfers there are there too. Per capita, I’d say there are more female surfers there than down here. Epic.
Everyone I talked to in Tofino was extremely friendly- the old lady on the trail, the surf club owner, the British dude at the brewery, and my new friends from Shelter. I wonder if it has anything to do with how amazing the environment is around there that just makes everyone super friendly but whatever it is, I like it.
There are hundreds of other places I could have gone to on my week off but I am so glad I chose Tofino. To quote John Muir again, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” This was exactly the type of trip I needed- a place that is surrounded mostly by untouched nature. Without a doubt, I want to make it back up there again at some point.
