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Northeast to the Mainland
The British Columbia mainland drifts off into the clouds … It feels like you are miles from anywhere – but you’re not. The wonderfully peaceful Saysutshun is only a short ferry ride from the Vancouver Island city of Nanaimo.
There is something magical about being in a place that is accessible only by boat!
Saysutshun is a small island (3.63 km2, 1.40 sq mi) with a long and colourful history. For thousands of years, it was a seasonal fishing site for the local Coast Salish people. Because they only built temporary housing on the island, early European explorers assumed the island was deserted, and establishing their own herring industry there.
In the 1800s, coal was a necessary fuel for transport: for early steamships and later railroads. High-quality coal was discovered on Saysutshun in 1849, and by the late-nineteenth century, coal mining had become the primary industry around the whole Nanaimo area. The Hudson’s Bay Company named the island ‘Newcastle’ after Newcastle upon Tyne, the hub of coal production in England. While mining for coal, however, it was discovered that the island was also home to sandstone of exceptional quality. After some 20 years of coal production, the island was principally quarried for stone – some of which can still be seen in historic buildings from the period, most notably the old (1874) United States Mint in San Francisco.
The island underwent a number of further transformations – including hosting a shipyard and a leisure retreat – before it was sold back to the City of Nanaimo, and later the BC Provincial Department of Recreation and Conservation. It was established as a Provincial Marine Park in October 17, 1961, and later ceded as Snuneymuxw First Nation Traditional Territory. The island, with its reclaimed name, is still a Provincial Park, but is now jointly managed with the Traditional Owners (see: Tourism Nanaimo)
Today, the park is a wonderful recreational area just a short distance from Nanaimo. On occasion (eg: Newcastle Island), I have accessed it by kayak or by dinghy. On my last stay in Nanaimo I decided not to test my ability to read the tides and currents, and instead, I finally made use of the First Nation-operated ferry service to the island.
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Ferry Captain
Our Transport Canada-licenced ferry operator was a delight to talk to.
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The Old and the New
This is a scene I remember from my previous visits to the park: a Saysutshun totem pole welcomes visitors to this timeless refuge, while the shipping lanes on the Strait of Georgia in the background are always busy.
A BC Ferry off Gabriola Island
Regular ferry services run on and around the larger islands near here.
Garry Oak Leaves
Once upon a time, quercus garryana was a significant part of the extensive hardwood forest across British Columbia, but its range has diminished in the current wet and cool climate, and with the pressure of development. The Coastal Salish peoples managed the forests and used oak wood and nuts.
A Sweep of Beach
The island is criss-crossed by a network of trails; I followed the Shoreline Trail anti-clockwise – and saw very few other people.
Impossible Greens
This is temperate rainforest – and the spring weather has been even rainier than usual; everything is fresh and bright green, including the new shoots on the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii).
Bigleaf Maple – Acer Macrophyllum
Afternoon light works its way through the tall canopy to the maples over my head …
Light Falling on Cedars
… and onto the western red cedar branches (Thuja plicata) in my line of sight.
Kanaka Bay
The woods open out onto the next bay, named for Peter Kakua, the Kanaka (Hawaiian immigrant labourer), who was reputedly buried here after being hung. He confessed to and was convicted of four counts of murder after killing his estranged family in a drunken rage.
Path out of Kanaka Bay
I walk back into the woods …
Salal – Gaultheria Shallon
… where tough, but delicate-looking plants hide in the moist shadows.
Mallard Lake
I don’t want to miss the last afternoon ferry back to Nanaimo, so I cut across the island south of Mallard Lake.
Logs on the Lake
The lake was created when an earthen dam was built at the eastern end of a low valley some time after 1890.
A Natural Hide
Today, the lake is an ideal spot for watching birds, beaver, and muskrat.
Common Pincushion – Dicranoweisia Cirrata
More Bigleaf Maple
Old Quarry Stones
The sandstone quarried here was of superior quality, with a high proportion of quartz. Today, leftover pieces still hold their shape under the advances of moss and undergrowth.
I ♡ a Knotty Tree
Rocks on the Western Shore
This is where we would tie up when we’d dinghy across from the boat moorings in Nanaimo.
American Red Squirrel – Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus
I get excited when I can capture any wildlife, …
Dark-Eyed Junco – Junco Hyemalis
… even when it is just little-brown-birds the size of sparrows.
People on the Ferry Dock
I’ve circumnavigated the island at a fair clip, and make it back to the ferry in time to watch the campers unload for the night.
The Ferry
A larger ferry operates here in periods of high demand; the Stuywut is a sweet little boat that takes only 12 passengers.
Nanaimo from the Ferry
The Beacon, a 26-story condominium complex, stands out on the foreshore as we make the short trip back to the main island.
Harbour Air Incoming
I love watching the seaplanes coming in and out of Newcastle Channel. On the left is Saysutshun Island where I have just been.
Pink Dogwood – Cornus Florida
I have a two kilometre walk back along the Queen Elizabeth II Promenade to my end-point, but the gardens give me something to look at. (iPhone12Pro)
As well as being a base from which the Snuneymuxw people harvested the annual herring run, Saysutshun Island has always been associated with physical and spiritual healing.
I certainly feel better when I have spent time there.
Until next time,
Tread Softly!
Photos: 27May2022
