Von Donop Inlet, Cortez Island

 

Came around to Von Donop Provincial Marine Park for some hiking - a narrow little cut with a rock to port but plenty of water under the keel. We have found some really nice hiking trails in these BC parks, so we set out today to do 4 miles to a lake for a swim. Anchored the dinghy with a 50 foot line to a tree to account for the tide change of 16 feet. At the trailhead, the sign read:
YOU ARE IN WOLF COUNTRY.
1)Keep your dogs on a leash.
2)Don’t leave trash.
3)Don’t feed any wild animals.
4)Please report any wolf sightings.

We looked at each other and thought…
1)Too bad we don’t have a sacrificial small dog.
2)We carry our trash out, so no problem there.
3)We’d gladly leave our lunch on the trail and run the other way.
4)Are they giving us hope that we might survive and report a wolf sighting?

Soapbox: Strange how we are brainwashed to fear wolves. The reality is the fear is not justified. Wolves were common across all of North America before bounties were put on their heads…not because they attacked humans, but because they did sometimes eat cows, sheep, or someone’s loose dog. We made them enemy #1 and essentially slaughtered them (and coyotes) for no other reason than personal gain. It makes sense that someone would protect their interests. But in hindsight, maybe we could have considered other strategies? “Save the wolves, eat less beef?” That probably would not have worked a couple of hundred years ago.

We weren’t lucky enough to see or hear wolves today, but I hope to have that experience somewhere in wild British Columbia one day. We are glad they still have places to live. Humans think strange things about wilderness and wild animals, yet we go out of way to experience both.

Didn’t get to the lake and got lost, but it was a nice hike.