This was where I’d turn sixty. I knew it the second I read about the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge in the Globe and Mail in August 2025, even before I’d finished the article.

Somewhere wild, somewhere beautiful, somewhere Canadian. If I was going all out for this milestone birthday, I wanted to spend it in the most beautiful country in the world, and I did not need to travel halfway across the globe to do so. Eight days on Vancouver Island, among ancient forests with towering trees, coastal walks along the Pacific Ocean, and epic mountaintop hikes. Four nights at the Wickaninnish Inn, four nights at the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge. Decision made. Ready or not, sixty was coming, and I was going to meet it somewhere spectacular!

We celebrated my birthday ahead of our trip with our children and their partners at Lee, one of my favourite restaurants in downtown Toronto. I was beaming from start to finish, basking in the love of my family, and so thankful for their presence and thoughtful gifts. From Paul, the trip we were about to take, a gorgeous heart pendant, and a special watch still to come. From Lexi and Jacob, a photo session with a renowned photographer, scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend. From Jack and Julie, a handcrafted wooden sign for Hilltop Lodge, made by a Muskoka craftsman. And then, from Ross and Trevor, a lovely bottle of wine and something I’d been talking about for years finally made real: LovedThis!, our app, now live on the App Store. Thoughtful cards accompanied the gifts, and I packed them in my bag to reread on my birthday a few days later. I felt like the luckiest 60-year-old woman on Earth!

The next day, Paul and I were off: an early morning, 5-hour flight from Toronto to Vancouver, a 2-hour layover, then a 45-minute flight on a small plane to Tofino, on Vancouver Island. I gripped Paul’s hand as we made a windy descent through a layer of fog, landing at the tiny and remote Tofino Airport, so excited to finally be on this long-anticipated birthday trip. Just as we arrived at our hotel, the sun burned through the fog and the marine layer lifted. Perhaps our luck with great weather on trips was with us once again. Mother Nature was smiling down on us.

We stayed at the Wickaninnish Inn, a Relais & Châteaux property on Chesterman Bay, outside the town of Tofino and perched on a point overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Our 3^rd floor room had sweeping ocean views. We threw open the windows, lifted the blinds, and left them that way for the next four nights. I snapped a photo of the view to send home to the kids, letting them know we’d arrived safely. Then it was off to the concierge desk to make plans for the next four days, and to take the first of many beach walks. We did not come all this way to sit in our hotel room!

Tofino is known for its rugged beauty, outdoor lifestyle, surfing, storm-watching and endless beaches- ever-changing throughout the day with the massive tides. With the three-hour time difference waking us early, we were on the beach at 6 a.m. our first morning for a long walk before breakfast. The tide was going out, and the hard-packed sand of the ocean floor made for easy walking in our waterproof hiking shoes. Mornings in Tofino are foggy in August (locals call it “Fog-gust”), and we’d start each day layered up, shedding clothes as the sun slowly burned through. Beach walking each morning was a magical start to our days, and with the fog and the roar of the waves, it felt like we were hiking in a dream.

We did not rent a car for our four days in Tofino, which turned out to be a mistake. The hotel’s complimentary shuttle closed at 5 p.m. each day and wouldn’t drive us more than 10 km from the hotel. Surprisingly, there are no taxis or Ubers in Tofino- just one car service, Coastal Rides, for the entire area. The hotel did offer free use of its Volvo SUV, once per visit, so we took them up on it and borrowed the car to get to a hike on Long Beach, within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. We entered the 16-km sandy beach at Combers Beach, walking towards the beach on a raised boardwalk through a bright green forest of Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, and giant ferns. In this summer of trade tension with the U.S., the Canadian government had waived all park fees through a program called the Canada Strong Pass.

At 9 a.m., the fog layer was still thick and the beach was empty, but we took in the salty smell of the ocean, the firm sand underfoot, and the sea creatures revealed by the low tide. Soon the fog began to lift, the landscape shining brilliantly in the sunlight as we shed layers. Long Beach was remarkably quiet at this time of day, yet by the time we returned to the parking lot, it was filling quickly with camper vans and rental cars full of tourists.

With time still left on the borrowed car, we headed into town for lunch at the highly recommended Tacofino. At 11:30 a.m., there was already a line of twenty people patiently waiting for the best tacos on the island, and we were not disappointed. The tacos were delicious! Later in the week, we’d indulge at another local hotspot for lunch: Big Daddy’s Fish Fry. We walked the 6 km back to the inn afterward, to ease the guilt of the heavy meal and help digest the best fish and chips we’d ever tasted.

My favourite activity of our four days at the Wickaninnish was cycling on Chesterman Beach. The Inn had sturdy, comfortable beach bikes, built for riding on sand. Timing was everything with this activity, with our goal being to cycle at the peak of low tide. Lucky for us, that week it fell at 9 a.m., just when we were ready for our first activity of the day. We cycled the length of Chesterman Beach, then carried on to Cox Bay Beach with a simple lift-over at a rocky point. We explored the resort community there and walked our bikes along a raised boardwalk. We’d been to this beach once before, back in June 2010, staying at the Long Beach Resort with the kids. At that time, I promised myself that we would return to this glorious spot one day. We parked the bikes to explore caves made accessible by the low tide, mesmerized by seaweed-covered rocks and tide pools alive with vibrant ochre sea stars, green surf anemones, crabs, mollusks, and sculpins. We admired the surfers, entering the cold water, ready to catch the waves of the incoming tide. Before returning the bikes, we extended our ride through the neighbourhood adjacent to Chesterman Beach, admiring the beautiful homes, many of them in rental programs. We were in paradise.

August 14th finally arrived, and I couldn’t believe I was 60 years old! How could this be, when I felt like I was turning 40? Turns out forty-year-old me never got the memo. We started, as always, with our 6 a.m. beach walk, then a lovely breakfast at The Pointe before heading out for a beach bike ride. The afternoon belonged to the ocean: a whale-watching excursion with Remote Passages, a local tour company. We spotted a female grey whale named Orange Crush, who has returned to the waters off Tofino every summer for over fifty years. Sea lions basked in the sun on a small island, and a raft of a hundred sea otters drifted nearby, adorable on their backs, holding paws and huddled together for safety and companionship. A wonderful dinner back at The Pointe closed out an incredible birthday, and I decided: turning 60 ain’t all bad. A quote I’d recently read came to mind, one by Rich Webster: “Twenty years from now, you’d give anything to be this exact age, this healthy, and back in this exact moment. Take a second and enjoy it now.”

One must-do activity when visiting Tofino is a trip to Meares Island and a hike on the Big Tree Trail. In 1984, Meares Island became the first designated Tribal Park in Canada, following peaceful blockades and legal action by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation to stop clear-cut logging and protect its ancient, towering old-growth temperate rainforest. The trees here are considered sacred Trees of Life. Just a 10-minute water-taxi ride from Tofino, the island holds one of the most magnificent forests in the world, bursting with Western red cedar, hemlock, and spruce. We set off on the 2.4 km trail, thankful for our waterproof hiking shoes and a little skeptical about some of the tourists who had arrived with us in sandals and pristine white sneakers. The hike was muddy and full of obstacles, so it’s not one for novice hikers! The highlight is the Hanging Garden Tree, one of the largest Western red cedars in British Columbia, measuring 18 metres in circumference at its base and estimated to be 2,000 years old, quite possibly one of the oldest trees in the world. It gets its name from the countless plants and young trees sprouting from its vast branches and hidden nooks. Our morning on Meares Island was truly awe-inspiring!

Four remarkable days at the Wickaninnish Inn flew by. In addition to The Pointe, we feasted at Shelter and The Schooner in town, both of which we’d highly recommend (with reservations!), and we luxuriated in spa treatments at The Wick, where massages eased our tight muscles after such active days. Captivated by the beauty of Tofino, we know without a doubt, that we will return. But the celebration was only half over. Next up was the second leg of my birthday trip: four nights at the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge.

On a warm, sunny afternoon, we met our boat for the trip into the wilderness of Clayoquot Sound, excited and unsure what to expect. After a scenic 40-minute boat ride past Meares Island and into the heart of the sound, we arrived at the docks of the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge. The general manager and her team of enthusiastic, welcoming staff greeted us like old friends. Young, international, and full of energy, they somehow reminded me of arriving at summer camp in the Ontario wilderness, all those years ago. A horse-drawn cart carried us from the dock to the main lodge reception, with the friendly resort dogs trailing behind.

We had assumed this was more of an adults’ destination, especially given the cost of staying here, so we were surprised by the number of young families arriving with us, especially one 6-year-old bouncing off the walls, likely from too much sugar from the counter in reception. It turns out that family was an exception: one of the parents works for the company that owns the resort. Hmmm! There were plenty of couples too, and the team carefully curated our experiences, so we were always grouped with other adults. After a few days together, we felt like fast friends with the people we’d shared our adventures with.

We had told our friends at home that we’d be camping in tents, downplaying what was ahead. We travel a lot, and we wanted to keep this expensive destination on the down-low. So much for that! Our tent, perched over an estuary at the end of a boardwalk through old-growth forest, was secluded and divine. We had room to unpack, an outdoor shower, and a comfy king-sized bed, and I loved the hot water bottle tucked in during turn-down service. After four nights in this luxurious accommodation, I now describe it to friends as “fancy glamping.”

We wanted to seize each day and fill our itinerary with everything on offer, starting with a 6 a.m. cold plunge into the sound on our first morning. The water was 8°C, and the 2-minute plunge was an exhilarating way to start the day! Paul was one and done, but I indulged in a second early-morning dip a few days later. We went horseback riding through gorgeous forests and streams on beautifully cared-for horses. We donned wetsuits and scrambled and swam up a rushing river, an adventure called canyoneering. We hiked and climbed steep terrain to Penny Falls, rewarded with sweeping mountain views. Extreme electric mountain bikes carried us to each of our activities. We even dusted off the archery skills we’d learned as kids at summer camp, with Paul proving to be quite the marksman! He bought an archery set as soon as we got home, excited to practice his reawakened skills.

Our pinnacle day, and the highlight of our eight days on Vancouver Island, was the Ursa Hike. With a guide and group, we hiked 6 km into the wilderness among majestic trees and moss-covered boulders. Then the lodge’s helicopter picked us up on a rocky, riverside beach and whisked the two of us and our private guide to a mountainside landing pad, while the rest of our group returned to the lodge on foot. We ate a gourmet picnic lunch in the sunshine, seated on the landing pad with views of Clayoquot Sound far below. Refuelled, we began a steady, uphill climb to the summit of Ursa Mountain. We picked and nibbled wild blueberries as we went, in awe of the views in every direction. Still, we kept our eyes on the trail, concentrating so as not to make a misstep. I gripped the ropes tightly on the steep sections. This hike is not for the faint of heart or those with a fear of heights, and it demands good fitness and careful footing. With our guide leading the way on a marked trail, we never felt in danger.

At the summit, we felt on top of the world, with no sign of civilization anywhere. We were truly in the wilderness! A helicopter tour of the mountain peaks and glaciers on our way down was the icing on the cake. Paul, seated next to the pilot, took tons of pictures and asked plenty of questions. At one point, as we dipped close to a peak and the pilot turned to chat with Paul, I nervously suggested that he keep his eyes “on the road!”

The food at the lodge was plentiful, fresh, and delicious. The homemade granola and fluffy pancakes got us ready for our active days. I devoured the fish offerings at lunch and dinner, all locally caught and outstanding. It was the best food we’ve eaten at any resort, anywhere, and here we were, deep in the wilderness, savouring every bite. The staff made sure all our needs were met, and we loved chatting with them and hearing their stories and where they were from. It truly was an international team!

We got lucky with perfect weather, sunny and warm every day, though I’m sure this place shines in any conditions. The nights were cool, but we were cozy inside our tent with an electric stove, a plush duvet, and hot water bottles. The cool mornings warmed up quickly, and as the fog lifted each day, the remarkable landscape brilliantly revealed itself like a present being unwrapped.

After four incredible days at this very special place and a total of eight days on Vancouver Island, it was time to say goodbye to the fantastic staff and the friends we had made, and to head home. Even the departure was an adventure. I had never been on a seaplane, and I felt safe and thrilled to indulge in some final beautiful views of Vancouver Island. Our plane cruised over the Strait of Georgia toward Vancouver Airport at just 300 feet above sea level, on another cloudless day!

This is sixty! For eight unforgettable days, we were kids at summer camp all over again. We cycled the beach beside the Pacific Ocean at low tide, devoured fresh seafood, plunged into icy water, hiked through towering forests, climbed a mountain, rode horses and flew over the sea in a seaplane. And all of it in Canada: the true north, strong and free, my glorious home and native land. Twenty years from now, I know I’ll give anything to be back on that mountaintop, this healthy and this happy. Sixty, bring it on!