The morning was sunny, crisp, autumnal.

However, within minutes of hopping into Morgan’s car, we encountered dense morning sea fog hugging the road. As the road curved along the coast, at times we couldn’t see very far ahead of us. We had waterproof hiking boots and matching Mountain Hardware jackets packed (pure coincidence), and were excited to see what existed outside of Victoria this beautiful Saturday.

What was waiting for us was a part of the Juan de Fuca trail along the beach. We stepped out of the car and were immediately met with relentless rain, courtesy of what remained of Hurricane Oho as it hit the island. The parking lot was ful of cars, and various surfers were zipping themselves into dry suits to enjoy the waves the storm would bring.

The darkness that the rainforests here possess is unlike any other sort of darkness I’ve ever encountered. The thick canopies, pure lushness, and the spread of flora everywhere seems relentless, but comfortable. If it weren’t raining I would have curled up on the forest floor and happily napped in the cozy shades of deep red, brown, and green.

We slid across giant driftwood pieces, walked across a suspension bridge, I stepped shin deep in a mud hole, we were soaking wet to the bone, and overall it was such a great way to explore this island I’ve decided to call home.