Three years ago, my family and I moved from our home, nestled in what was like a beautiful nature reserve on Salt Spring Island, to Vancouver Island — a 20-minute ferry ride away across the Sansum Narrows — with its dramatic, ocean-carved coastlines and ancient rainforests. We landed happily in the quaint seaside town of Ladysmith, which is well known for its terraced landscapes and steep hillsides that drop directly into the sheltered waters of Ladysmith Harbour.
Our new home on “the plateau” is atop the town and beside one of the entrances to the Holland Creek Trail, with its scenic 4–6 km loop through a lush, forested ravine. It is a haven for photographers like me who love to photograph wildlife in their natural habitat. The trail also connects to Heart Lake Trail, which reaches a much higher elevation and offers stunning panoramic views! So we now have a wilderness setting right outside our door, and we are ensconced by the mountainous, forested terrain of the Vancouver Island Ranges.
Whenever I head out for a walk around our neighbourhood, I marvel at the incredible natural scenes and phenomena I witness. And on one December morning, just across the street from my house, I stood mesmerized by the mist rising through the trees in the steep hills far off in the distance where the ravens soar. I was glad I had my telephoto lens to capture this dramatic forest scene, with the raindrops glistening on the dark green needles of the conifers under the shifting light.
