I don't know how the Deer Trail got its name because there are no deer on the island. The woman in the information center said there was no wildlife on the island at all. It's strange not to see squirrels everywhere. I know there are rats. Ian had to have them removed from under the house once.
The trail is mossy and undulating. The ground is soft and spongy. Moss and lichen and fungus are everywhere.
Mossy, did I say it was mossy? There a few old growth trees. They never really die, though. They spout new trees from their decaying trunks.
Lots of moss and ferns and the forest was open airy in most places
There was a side trail that led to the beach. You could see Malcolm Island, the biggest island in the area and Port McNeill across the strait.
The Raven Trail was darker and denser with a lot more deciduous trees. It started with steep climb that literally took my breath away.
A wrong turn at a trail junction led us out onto the beach and we had some rough going on the stony beach. It's like walking on a cobble stone road that's been hit by an earthquake. The rocks shift and roll under your feet. Ian very kindly did not take a picture of me wobbling along with a driftwood walking stick I picked up, cursing and groaning under my breath. Still, well worth the struggle. The aches and pains are forgotten after a few ibuprophin and a lie-down!
At the end of the beach near the U'Mista Museum we saw this carving shop with new totem pole well under way.
Lots of moss and ferns and the forest was open airy in most places
There was a side trail that led to the beach. You could see Malcolm Island, the biggest island in the area and Port McNeill across the strait.
The Deer Trail starts across from this cemetery which is Christian but true to the First Nation culture of its inhabitants. The whole place is well-tended and many of the graves are getting new concrete
boundaries. The workers weren't there today but we saw their frames and other materials. The boundaries have the shape of a cross or a heart in the center. People leave flowers and items that their
loved ones like.
The Raven Trail was darker and denser with a lot more deciduous trees. It started with steep climb that literally took my breath away.
There were several sections where the trail turned into dim tunnels of vegetation. The trail wasn't as well maintained as some of the others. We had to splash around several muddy, swampy parts.
A wrong turn at a trail junction led us out onto the beach and we had some rough going on the stony beach. It's like walking on a cobble stone road that's been hit by an earthquake. The rocks shift and roll under your feet. Ian very kindly did not take a picture of me wobbling along with a driftwood walking stick I picked up, cursing and groaning under my breath. Still, well worth the struggle. The aches and pains are forgotten after a few ibuprophin and a lie-down!
At the end of the beach near the U'Mista Museum we saw this carving shop with new totem pole well under way.
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