Canada Part 1: Campbell River

I recently returned from my honeymoon on Vancouver Island, and of course I brought the ol' camera along on our hikes! We spent most of our time in two locations, Port Renfrew on the southwest side and Campbell River on the east (four nights in each). I'll be blogging in reverse order, focusing in this post on our time in Campbell River, which was our final destination.

Our one hike in the island's mountains was to Lake Helen MacKenzie, in the Forbidden Plateau area of Strathcona Provincial Park. Despite the area's intimidating name, it was some of the easiest mountain hiking I've done. The hike to Helen MacKenzie is mostly on boardwalk or wide trail with very gentle elevation changes - a perfect fit for the hot, sunny weather.

Below, Lake Helen Mackenzie in morning sunshine. My first instinct was to reduce the effect of the polarizing filter a bit, to get a more uniform sky color and preserve more of the reflection on the water's surface. The water was so clear, though, that I decided instead to polarize more so that the rocks under the water are more visible. The sky is more uneven that way - you can see that it's pretty dark at the upper right - but I honestly don't really mind. F/16.

I didn't see a lot of wildflowers blooming, but I did find a few nice patches of what looks like white rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum). The flowers are a bit small in the composition, but I think they'd look better at print size. F/16.

Finally, a pond on the way to Lake Helen Mackenzie. I like the look of the reflection, but am less thrilled with the highlights - they seem a little harsh, even after editing. F/16.

While in Campbell River, we also visited the Chinese Mountains trail on Quadra Island, and hiked to the South Peak. It's a short loop - less than 3 miles in length - but very steep and rough, so it was more taxing than the distance had led us to expect. The panoramic views from the top are worth the exertion, though. F/18.

Thankfully, there were a few nice viewpoints on the way up that gave us an excuse to catch our breath. F/14.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my trip to Vancouver Island, which will include pictures from the fabulous beaches near Port Renfrew!