Whiffen Spit

December 26, 2009
Michael, mom and me went for a hike out along Whiffen Spit – the great protector between the feisty Strait of Juan de Fuca and the inner placid waters of Sooke Harbour. The spit is a narrow, kilometer and half point of land extending into Sooke Inlet on the west side of Vancouver Island. In some places, its very thin and ends at an aid to navigation – its not uncommon to see the swift moving water of the inlet emptying out into the strait. It creates a semi-natural barrier that protects Sooke Harbor. The photo above was taken by a kindred spirit Jodi -- who photographed the coast line from Washington State to Glacier Bay Alaska hanging out of the side of a helicopter in full immersion gear just a few hundred feet of the ground as part of a near shore research project. A lot of her work focused on the recovery of Prince William Sound after the Valdez oil spill.

As we walked we came across a decorated Christmas tree – we stopped to pay homage to this Sooke tradition – that mysteriously manifests itself and fades every year in this location. Technically, spits are created naturally from the ebb of the ocean currents – it appears to be a permanent fixture but like everything is constantly shifting, wearing away and rebuilding.

As we traversed the gravel and grass the wind blew hard out of the north making the bench in the lee, facing the strait, a welcomed resting place. As the sun’s rays warmed our faces we looked out at the entrance and out to near by islands. I thought back to other times paddling by here with friends – with Ingrid, and Jergen along rugged East Sooke Park, Jodi in Sooke Harbour and with Kirsten as we headed back to Victoria in 2001 after paddling around Vancouver Island.

Amongst the gnarled driftwood was sea grass and small shore pines. Michael and mom stopped to look back towards Sooke noticing the the long board walk that I hope will someday stretch all the way down to the Sooke River – what a walk that will be if it ever happens. Looking back out into strait we could see the snow-capped Olympic Mountains to the west and a lone seal swimming amongst the sea birds and bull kelp.