About Clayoquot Sound
Map of Clayoquot Sound Clayoquot Sound is one of five sounds on Vancouver Island’s west coast. The sound is comprised of three primary islands— Meares Island, Vargas Island and Flores Island. Tofino at the south end of the sound is the main town in the area. The population of Tofino is 1,170 (1996 Census), although this has probably grown in recent years and certainly grows in the summer. The rest of the sound is scantily populated, primarily with Native Reserves. Tofino is the only town on Vancouver Island’s west coast that is accessible by paved road (Tofino is the western terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway). The sound is an interesting combination of exposed surf-swept beaches and quiet fiord-like inlets.

History
The name Clayoquot based on the native words Cla-o which means “another” or “different” and aht which means “people” or “place”. The sound was originally named Wickaninnish Sound (see ‘Native Population’ below) by Captain Charles Barkley in 1787, but was renamed Clayoquot by Captain Richards who surveyed the waters in 1861. Captain Barkley's name is associated with both Barkley Sound to the south and our golden retriever Barkley. Another famous trader/ explorer to visit this area was Captain Robert Gray. Gray and his ship the Columbia (the namesake for the Columbia River) spent the winter of 1791 in Clayoquot Sound. Gray stayed in a small cove on Meares Island that is now called AdventureCove after the schooner he built there. He also constructed a fort (Fort Defiance) to protect his crew from native attacks. While we were not able to visit Adventure Cove, apparently you can still see remains of Fort Defiance, which is a National Historic Site.

Native Population
There are several native bands in the sound. The Ahousats primarily live in the village of Marktosis on the east side of Flores Island. The native village of Marktosis on the east side of Flores Island--Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia To further confuse matters there is a facility/marina that is called Ahousat (which we visited). This facility appears to be run by non-natives, but the grounds used to be occupied by the Ahousat band. Ahousat is from a Nootka word that probably means “facing opposite from the ocean” (the Ahousat’s also used to live on the exposed west coast of Vargas Island) or “people living with their backs to the land and mountains”. The Ahousat’s were noted sealers in the late 1800s. Another band in the sound are the Tla-o-qui-aht, formerly the Clayoquot tribe. The Tla-o-qui-aht’s main reserve is located between the Pacific Rim National Park and Tofino. Another Tla-o-qui-aht community exists on the northwest coast of Meares Island. This community is labeled Kakawis on current Canadian charts, but also goes by the name Opitsat. The Clayoquot’s (“different people”) were a powerful tribe, once lead by chief Wickaninnish, whose name is still associated with many landmarks. Other bands include the Hesquiahts who are located near Hot Springs Cove.

Weather
Being sandwiched between the North Pacific and the Vancouver Range, Clayoquot has potential to be a wet place. This geographic situation leads to Clayoquot being classified as a coastal temperate rainforest. Below is the average rainfall for Tofino:

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Year
Rainfall (inches) 16.0 14.3 13.9 9.5 6.1 4.8 3.3 3.6 5.9 15.3 17.9 16.9 127.4
Rainfall (centimeters) 40.6 36.3 35.4 24.1 15.5 12.2 8.3 9.4 15.0 38.8 45.6 42.8 324.0



Thick, typical fog at Whitesand Cove--Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia Those that live in wet areas will recognize these as impressive statistics—sort of a “Rain Badge of Honor” if you will. For sake of comparison, Seattle gets an average of 37 inches (97 centimeters) of rain per year and Prince Rupert gets an average of 95 inches (241 centimeters) of rain per year. That being said, it didn’t rain on us much during our two week stay at Clayoquot. We did however experience lots of fog. Both Clayoquot and Barkley Sound are well know for fog, primarily in July, August and September. The positive offset to being a wet rain forest is that temperatures are generally mild:





  Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Average
Fahrenheit 39.7 41.4 42.3 45.1 50.0 54.3 57.6 58.3 55.6 49.8 43.9 40.5 48.2
Celsius 4.3 5.2 5.7 7.3 10.0 12.4 14.2 14.6 13.1 9.9 6.6 4.7 9.0


As you can see, like most of the northwest, August is the warmest month. As always, be prepared with both your swim trunks or your fleece.

Logging, Mining, Eco-Tourism, Sealing

Kayakers setting out from Tofino--Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia Like most places in coastal British Columbia, natural resource depletion/cultivation has historically been the primary source of economic sustenance. In the late 1800s the primary business was sealing, and prior to that, sea-otters. Pelagic sealers based out of Victoria, Neah Bay, Port Townsend and parts of California obliterated both local and distant seal and otter populations. By the early 1900s, mining dominated the Clayoquot scene. Prospectors came to the area seeking gold, silver and copper. At one point or another, claims have been staked at the head of most of the inlets. There were several “mining booms” or “rushes” but none seemed to yield significant results. All the time, commercial fishing was building as an industry.
Sunrise over Meares Island--Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia By around 1950, commercial logging began in earnest. A variety of logging companies (including MacMillan Bloedel—“MB”) secured leases on land and began systematically clear cutting. Things came to a head in the 1980s when MacMillan Bloedel started the process in motion to log Meares Island. Over the next 10+ years environmentalists, tribal bands, the Canadian Government and logging companies engaged in trench warfare. Thousands of protestors were arrested and countless hours were spent in courtroom maneuvers.
Today, Meares Island remains unlogged, and most other logging activities have been stopped. Both commercial and sport fishing activities have been seriously curtailed. Fish farms have been declared as the primarly environmental issue. Eco-tourism has become big business. Whale watchers roar to-fro in huge, high powered inflatables and kayak accessory shops are all over the Tofino sidewalks.











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