Wilderness Stories
Into The Valley of Trees
Story and photos © Elise Mallory
My trip to the Carmanah Valley began as a weekend adventure to view some of the tallest Stika Spruce trees in the world but ended up being a journey into some of the thickest, richest rainforest that I have ever had the chance to explore. Though the desire to view the massive trees of the valley is what originally draws people...Story
Quito: Gate way to Galapagos
Story & photos © Raghbir Jin Part 5: The Incan Empire
Quito is a city of many titles. The Ecuadorian metropolis is the highest legal capital in the world at 2,800 metres above sea level. Its historic centre is the largest in Latin America and holds the titles of best-preserved and least-altered. It was the first city to be included in the UNESCO world heritage list. But Quito's record of importance started long before these modern times... Story
The Lagoons of Bahia de Navidad
Story & photos ©Al Maclachlan
On one fine January day I took the local bus to Villa Obregon, got off at Calle Esmeralda, and explored the lagoon that lies between there and Barra de Navivad. It is a very large area full of wildlife, including white herons, iguanas, and crocodiles. It is legally only accessible on the perimeter which means walking along Calle Primavera, and/or Vicente Guerrero on the far south side of town, and then along the beach. Or, you can access it from the main roads outside of the villages. Story...
The Incan Empire, part six
Story & photos © Raghbir Jin
The Incan empire was more a quilt than a blanket; a mass of regional cultures and backgrounds bound together with the stitches of the Quechua language. The result is a collective web of territories on the western edge of South America where each area has grown and developed with its own style and story, influenced by its own pre-Incan history before being united by the Incas... Story
Beyond The Surf
Story & photos © Elise Mallory
Tofino feels like it is on the edge of the world. Like if you drive through the quaint, enclosed town and just keep going you will eventually tip off the end of the map into oblivion. Once you drive through the pass just beyond Port Alberni and begin snaking along the coastline, going through what we call the ‘angry 30s’ feeling like you cannot possibly get further along the rugged west coast by car, you come to Tofino... Full Story
The Ghosts of Vancouver Island: Cougars
Story & photos © Elise Mallory
This is the first thing that people usually tell me every single time I tell this story. “A cougar could be stalking you as you hike in the bush and you will never even know!” - another very popular statement that seems to attach itself to tales of cougar encounters (or lack thereof). Everyone I talk to has never actually come across one while camping or hiking, but everyone knows the eerie feeling of wondering if something is watching you in the dense environment of BC’s wilderness... Story
Costalegre Adventures
Story & photos © Al Maclachlan
There's a small tour operation called Ray y Eva Tours that I walked by one day while walking the beach in Melaque. They were doing a trip to Tenacatita the next day and I decided to join them. The Costalegre is rugged country, much like coastal British Columbia, with winding roads up and over jungle covered mountains and hills. Story...
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