This beach visits took place on unceded, ancestral territories of the many communities and people that now make up the K’ómoks First Nation (http://www.komoks.ca/about-us). Both of these beaches are currently managed under the BC Provincial Park system. Here’s their website with information about Kitty Coleman (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/kitty_coleman_bch/) and Miracle Beach (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/miracle_bch/). Note that Kitty Coleman is a “Class C” park which means it’s managed by a community park board.
Anytime I visit Vancouver Island I get pulled into its majestical ambience. Immediately I re-envision myself living there either deep in the Alberni Valley or along any of the long rocky beaches on the Island’s northern shores. I’ve started to see my Island trips as a way to “getting away from it all”, exercising my privilege trying to find some solace and escape this global-late-capitalist-fuck that just won’t stop. I want a quiet beach and the sunset on the horizon because I’m so tired and need some self-care.
We ended up at two Comox area beaches late on a week day a few weeks back. I expected them to be busy, but they were quiet and magical. The air was crisp, but watching the sunset hit the coast mountain was a kind of re-awakening. A reminder that this is me in the world, that this moment can be a moment to recharge and recommit myself to activism and stewardship. And that chilling out on the beach for a few hours, bathed in the salty goodness of ice cold late afternoon swims, could just be enough for a weekend.
Diandra Oliver - Writer, Researcher, Economic Developer 