A Peek At Our Weekend

         Our weekend was predominantly a grey and soggy one- typical of "Wet" Coast weather- the bonus is that things are warming up considerably- enough so that layers are being shed and adventures are happening outside again! This weekend we chose to explore a piece of Pacific Spirit Park that we had never been to before but had driven by many times and it was so worth the stop! Just past our favourite stomping grounds- Spanish Banks- is a small parking lot at the top of Acacia Beach- the trail runs through the trees beside the water and on to Wreck Beach.

         The trail was quite mucky after a solid week of rain but we were all properly attired for a stroll in the rain forest- after a season of heavy use both the Littles are sporting duct tape on their gum boots but they are still holding up and doing the job- keeping little feet dry for a few more weeks! Very few people were out on this section of the trail- definitely no nude sun bathers at Wreck Beach- just a pair of eagles, a dog walker and us.

   
         The eagles were by far the coolest part of our hike and I am sorry I didn't have my big girl camera with me- we saw a nesting pair- one caught a fish and flew with it right over our heads up into the trees where it sat and feasted. We walked quietly along the trail hoping to not disturb it but when we got under the eagle's chosen roost we were obviously too close for comfort and off it flew to a higher perch. While we are lucky to see eagles on a regular basis I had never seen this before- it was quite the sighting!

        The thing about hiking with the kiddos is as they get older they feel free to express their opinion- so the opinion was expressed yesterday that perhaps not all of us wished to be hiking. After a week spent hopping from friend's house to friend's house I felt it was important to have a little quiet family time with just the four of us- outside- in nature. Trying to find that balance we are striving for in our life- trying to explain that to a six year old is tricky- they have no need of balance in their opinion- why not just stay inside another day and play Legos! Does it need to be said that a fair amount of complaining was issued the entire two hours we were out?

          Being at the edge of the forest and the sea soothes my soul- even if the busy city is not too far away- the beauty of Pacific Spirit Park is that the hustle and bustle seem words away. While I do love a visit to more standard beaches designed for swimming I never find that calming- it is only on deserted stretches of rocky shore that a level of quietude is reached- which until we can get out of town and sit by a camp fire will have to do!