I started my journey on the side of the Alberni Highway. Backpack packed to the brim with camping gear, a cardboard sign readi Tofino on one side and Parksville on the other. My thumb splayed out in true hitchhiking style. The narrow, two-lane highway takes a winding journey from the eastern coast Vancouver Island to the western coast where the surf capital, eager, young bros and the Pacific Rim National Park attracts everyone from mainlander tourists to hardcore adventurers. Standing on the shoulder of the highway as I was with my thumb out, I didn’t feel nervous, though. Vancouver Island might boast to have the most cougars per capita, but they might also prove to have the most hippie vans per capita, as well, if such a survey were ever taken. I saw at least four just in my five minute wait, and then, as I’d been hoping, one of them pulled over, and I hopped in.

This ride took me 45 minutes to Port Alberni, and from here I quickly got picked up again by a brother and a sister headed to Tofino for a day-trip. For the hour-and-a-half ride to the coast we talked about our lives and our plans. I was reminded by how small the world truly is when we had a mutual friend. On the way, they generously shared food and coffee with me, gave me helpful advice on what to see, what to do, and where to eat, and even pulled over at a rest stop so that I could take pictures of the mountains.

Once I got to my destination, I explored the town for about an hour (it's not New York City) before I was ready to find a beach. Most of the Northwest's coast isn't like the sandy paradise of Florida, but is rather rocky, strewn with cliff, barnacles, and pebbles. The main tourist beach is Long Beach, and is a few kilometers down the road from Tofino. I got a ride with some kind folk from Montreal and the Czech Republic who were in search of an elusive Rainbow Gathering happening around the area. They not only gave me a ride there, but also invited me to hang out with them and join their beach cook-out.

Eventually, I realized it was time to leave so that I could find my campground and set up my tent for the night. I got picked up immediately by a woman who had vowed to always pick up female hitchhikers and had seen me earlier that day at the beach. She drove me straight to my campground and made sure I had my plans figured out before she left. It's a good reminder that strangers can care about you just as much as friends and family.

The next day, I took a long walk in the fog, and tried to soak in the Pacific Northwest atmosphere. It was my last day on the western coast of Vancouver Island, but I also knew that in less than a week, it would be my last day in that part of the world for a long time. I've grown to love this area- the forests, the mountains, the people- and I know that I will be back as soon as I can.

P.S. My notion of the world being small was reaffirmed a few days later, when I saw one of the guys who picked me up from Montreal on the eastern side of the Island!