Atlantic to Pacific Connected : Victoria to Clover Point

Today passed in a blur.  It wouldn't be accurate to say we woke up, but rather that we finally decided it was time to go.  Last night was mostly sleepless, with so many thoughts, memories, and emotions circling around in our minds despite our exhaustion. Seemingly random places, trail side encounters, fleeting moments, struggles, triumphs, and surprises rose to the surface and then faded once again.  We lay in silence as the hours passed, watching the orange glow of the streetlights play across the ceiling as the wind swayed the branches outside our window.

Although we still hope to walk up north to Tuktoyaktuk, NT on the Trans Canada Trail, we have spent so long focused on reaching Victoria, BC that today felt like an ending.  When we return to the trail we will have a different destination, a different set of expectations for what lies ahead, and a whole new set of challenges that we haven't yet encountered or even begun to properly consider.  In so many ways the walk north will be something new.  This part of our journey, which has consumed our every waking moment both on and off the trail for the past five years, is coming to an end.  Today we will have completed our journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, having walked more than 14,000 km across a continent.  In many ways it is just too much to process in this moment.

 

Yesterday it took all our willpower not to simply complete the final 5 km from downtown Victoria to Point Zero at Clover Point.  Everything in us seemed to be screaming to keep going, keep going, you’re almost there.  At the same time, we wanted to make this ending something special, not just the end of day 555 on the trail.  So, a couple days ago we invited members of the Victoria Natural History Society to join us, as well as any others who might be in the area and interested in celebrating with us.  We had received a very enthusiastic response from Diane, who has been following our hike since 2019, when we did a presentation at the Public Library in Whiterock, BC.  This was very exciting!  However, since we provided very little notice, and it was a weekday morning, we had no idea if anyone else would be able to show up.

 

It was an unseasonably warm, gorgeous sunny day as we set out for the Legislative Assembly Buildings in Downtown Victoria, which was the designated meeting point.  When we reached the Centennial Fountain at the base of the huge lawn leading up to the impressive buildings, we were overcome with a sense of unreality.  Several tourists were posing for selfies at the fountain, and a school group on a tour made its way around my dad, Sean, and I on their way to the fountain.  For so many others around us, it was a perfectly ordinary day.

 

 

Time seemed to have ground to a halt, but soon we spotted Diane and struck up an interesting conversation.  Slowly, others began to join our small group.  To our great surprise, a reporter from CTV showed up.  He had lots of interesting questions, and after interviewing us each separately he teased us for giving almost identical answers.  To be honest, I have no idea what I said, or whether it was even comprehensible.  Either way, surprisingly, the reporter asked us to share our route, and proceeded to meet us at various points along the way to get additional footage.

 

And so, just after noon we set off amid a group of highly enthusiastic naturalists and hikers.  We were both reminded of a cool, foggy, morning on the rugged coast of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, when members of Nature Newfoundland set off with us from Cape Spear in 2019.

 

Cape Spear with Nature Newfoundland 2019

First Steps on Trans Canada Trail with NatureNL, 2019

Cape Spear Newfoundland beginning Great Trail, 2019

 

We can still feel their energy, and hear the sounds of their cheers ringing in our ears.  The positive energy and enthusiasm of the group who came to join us today will undoubtedly remain with us as well, helping to bring this journey full circle.  It is also a strong reminder of what made this journey so special for us – all those amazing people we met along the way.

 

 

I usually try to be observant and take in what we see during the day so I can share it in the blog later on.  However, despite the people we were walking with sharing some very interesting information about the neighbourhoods and places we passed along the way, I remember very little about those final few kilometres to Point Zero.

 

 

 

 

The trail took us out of downtown, through a series of treed neighbourhoods, and then right along the coastline of the Salish Sea.  I remember passing Fisherman’s Wharf, with its collection of colourful houseboats and floating cafés.  A helicopter was taking off from the Canadian Coast Guard facility as we sped past the Victoria cruise ship terminal.

 

 

As we came to the edge of Beacon Hill Park the reporter suggested we detour across the road to the famous Mile Zero Monument.   As we stood in front of the wooden sign for a photo it felt surreal.  While our journey began at a Mile Zero marker outside the Railway Museum in St John’s, NL, this Mile 0 was not for us.   

 

Trans Canada Trail Mile Zero Newfoundland, 2019

 

Rather, it stood at the intersection of Douglas St and Dallas Rd, marking the ‘start’ of the Trans Canada Highway, which stretches more than 8,000 km across Canada to the Atlantic.  At this point, the more direct route sounded like a shortcut.

 

 

We still had a few steps left to reach Point Zero at Clover Point, and they too passed in a blur.  As we approached the grassy point that stuck out into the water, more and more members of the Victoria Natural History Society were waiting along the trail to cheer us on.  We made our way down a long, off-leash dog park and before we knew it, we were standing at the side of the parking lot, at the water’s edge, the open grassy park known as Clover Point stretching out in front of us.

 

 

We turned down the boat launch to dip our hands in the Pacific Ocean, finally marking the journey as complete.  As luck would have it, when the reporter asked us to dip our hands in again so he could retake the shot, the small waves lapping the shore decided to retreat.

 

 

We followed them down the rocky shore, leaning over and stretching our fingers as far out as we could with our heavy packs on our backs.  Predictably, when the waves surged back in again they covered our shoes in cold, salty, foam and nearly caused me to topple over.

 

 

Finally, we crossed the last few meters to the sign at the western terminus of the Trans Canada Trail, which marked the end of our 14,000 km long westward journey.  My father had made a large banner congratulating us, and some of our fellow hikers gathered around for a photo.  Standing there on the gorgeous sunny November day, surrounded by fellow naturalists, birders, and hikers was a moment to remember.  We had finally arrived!!

 

 

 

 

We did another set of interviews, and chatted with the people who had come to celebrate with us. Even amidst the excitement I couldn’t help being distracted by a small group of Dunlin scuttling about on the rocks along the shoreline.  A Black Turnstone was posing on a log nearby. As if on cue, we spotted a sign indicating we were in the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary.  Really, what better place to finish the east-west portion of our #Hike4Birds than in a bird sanctuary?

 

 

 

We were absolutely delighted when members of the VNHS very kindly and generously took us to lunch at a lovely pub near Beaconhill Park.  It is hard to believe that today we became the first couple to walk and bird over 14,000 km of the Trans Canada Trail between Cape Spear, NL and Victoria, BC together.  We are the first duo to photograph and document the entire length of the east-west portion of the trail, and to blog the journey, taking over 750,000 photos and publishing over 780 blogs en route.  We also became the first people to walk the trail for a cause – to engage youth with nature through birds and Citizen Science, and to promote diversity in the outdoor recreation community.  And what a journey it has been.

 

 

 

Looking around the table and listening to the conversations about hiking, trails, and nature conservation on Vancouver Island, we realize how much we have to be grateful for.  Without the generosity and random acts of kindness from strangers and friends across Canada, we would never have made it this far.  Without the hard work, dedication, and passion of thousands of volunteers, the national trail we’ve been walking wouldn’t exist.  We come away seeing that the best hope for stewardship of our birds, wildlife, and natural areas will come from individuals and communities who value and fight for their local environment. We’d like to say thank you to all those dedicated and passionate people who supported us on our journey, and who are working so hard to protect our natural environment.

 

 

As this day draws to a close, we have few words to express the moment or our feelings, and no way to succinctly summarize even a small part of our journey.  Perhaps it is appropriate to revisit the words of Porter Fox, when he describes his journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific in Northland:

 

“At sunset the sky turned dark blue.  I tried to remember the colour of the stones, the cool air, the auburn sunlight touching my forehead.  I thought about the first day of the trip ... and tried to memorize the dark spires, rounded massifs, and marshmallow flanks of [clouds] ... I thought about all the parts of the northland – oceans, rivers, lakes, plains, cities, reservations, and towns – and how they linked from east to west. It was indeed its own territory: a forgotten belt of wild, old ... [country] ... delineated by iron monuments, rock piles, and clear-cuts…and realized that I could not capture the whole of the nation or their experience.”

 

  

The CTV NEWS article from that day can be read here : 

Ontario couple hikes across Canada in 556 days in hopesof inspiring people to connect with nature

See you on the trail!

Remember to follow our entire adventure here : www.comewalkwithus.online