A slow morning in Ucluelet today, off the dock at 10:30am. Some of us went up into town for coffee, baked goods, walks, runs, tidepools. We had a short jaunt into Barkley sound today, arriving at Cataract Cove early in the afternoon. We rafted up and stern tied, then went off to Lucky Creek in our dinghies. We made it quite far up the creek, running into a beautiful waterfall. John and Quinn swam over and climbed up while we cheered em on. The waterfall was framed with mist loving maidenhair ferns. We all split up afterwards, peeking into nearby nooks and crannies, finding waterfalls, bears, and old cabins. The water was incredibly warm – 69 degrees! Warmest of the trip so far. A few of us hopped in and floated about. A black bear meandered along the intertidal directly behind our raft, and we were lucky to share a spectacular experience. We watched the bear leisurely walk along a log, down to the water, pawing under the surface for mussel covered branches. The bear took the mussels up the log and plopped down to eat.

We enjoyed the idle chit chatting that arises from being tied up together. Some biscuits were passed around, an I.O.U baked potato, drinks, and dinner. A good amount of rain came over night, and some winds in the wee hours. Off to the Deer Group Islands tomorrow!