PIW - Botanical Beach Pt.2 - Bear!

The Shorts and Gaiters Inaugural Adventure took place on June 5th and 6th of 2011. Karsten Klawitter and I have been on many wild and wonderous photoadventures and decided to take two days to explore the heck out of several sites around Southern Vancouver Island.

1 Places I've Wandered - Gonzalez Hill Sunrise
2 Places I've Wandered - Not Sooke Potholes
3 In Transit - From Sooke River to Botanical Beach
4 Places I've Wandered - Botanical Beach pt.1
5 Places I've Wandered - Botanical Beach June 2011 Pt.2 - Bear!

Places I've Wandered - Botanical Beach June 2011 Pt.2 - Bear!

Botanical Beach on Vancouver Island is one of my favourite places in the world. And hours of exploration each trip still reveal amazing things! Let's continue our exploration now




Look around and see what you can find.. engage in life and you'll not be disappointed



Then in the distance we saw it...


This is the second time we've discovered a black bear walking along the shoreline at low tide eating sea urchins from their little nooks


In front of the bear's right paw can be seen a purple blob aka sea urchin


Here's a photo of a sea urchin's shell from which the multitude of spikes emanate


The Island Alpinist walked to a higher vantage point and I worked a distant flanking maneuver


The bear was content working its way out to the point


Occasionally we'd get a pause and a look from the bear. But we were still far away and being very non-threatening and it would always just get back to casually eating the sealife.



I dub this to be Bear Rock


It was a great delight to spend quite awhile observing the bear about it's foraging but eventually we had to move on for there was much beach and many more kilometers to cover before we were to fall asleep on the top of Mt.Prevost in Duncan, BC.

So on we go along the beach (I think I have an idea about where that black rock may have come from... )




See you around the next bend!
The Maplemusketeer

Places I've Wandered - Botanical Beach Redux

This trip is an annual expedition that my friend Karsten and I go on. A pilgrimage of sorts to the end of the world. The real west coast. To drive west from Victoria and into the primeval land of giant trees and mossy undergrowth. To go where there is nothing but sea betwixt us and Japan.

Plus we also always try to bring someone who's never been there before!

Welcome to Botanical Beach. A UNESCO protected site.

At the front line of where the island meets the sea you get to discover and climb around on all sorts of geologic evidence of upheaval and history

The forest takes on many faces as well as the trees grow and twist about based upon the influence of location

Tall trees and cliffs stand alongside shelves of stone riddled with tidal pools only accessible during lower tides

The tidal pools teem with all sorts of marine life from grasses and fish to multi-spine covered sea urchins. (The purple spikey things ;) )

Seagulls and sealions seen on the shoreline

and even a black bear decided to amble by and see what was on the menu. Remember the purple spikey sea urchins in the tidal pool?

Well black bears like to eat'em ;)

All in all it was a fantastic and memorable trip to one of my favourite places I've had the delight to get to discover and I'm very much looking forward to what this weekend's adventure on Vancouver Island will reveal!

Till next time,
explore see and share :D
The Maplemusketeer