Hiking the trail to Stocking Lake in Ladysmith, Canada

This time I will tell you about my personal experience.

I am spending a few days at Ladysmith on Vancouver Island, Canada. Behind the house where I am staying there is a trail to Lake Stocking, on top of a small mountain. With no one to come along with me, I decided to go up alone despite not knowing the way and. I packed my backpack with everything I have suggested, and I ventured without bear-scaring gas, but with a shrill alarm siren somebody lent me.

First, I walked back from the houses down a little street and kept going upward on a wrong way for 5 or 10 minutes. I returned to my steps without having gotten rid of the fear of the local fauna.

When I found the real trail, I hesitated to continue while listening to a little voice in my head saying ‘Don’t go up alone, you don’t know the way and there are bears.’ However, another voice spoke louder saying ‘it’s not common to encounter bears, there will be no other opportunity.’ I started climbing the trail.

Almost all the way is uphill from Ladysmith by the Stocking Lake trail. But it is a very well-marked path, like all paths in British Columbia. Sometimes under the sun and others under the dark shade of the pines.

The views towards the sea are unique and I even found a park-style bench installed on a rock facing the sea.

Note: The first branch I came across that was large enough to give me security ended up in my hands and was useless.

Fear continued to propel me to the lake, but not before stopping me in my tracks when I felt the movement of something behind some blocks of cement that close the way to the vehicles. It was a man from the city’s water service. It took me an hour to reach my goal.

The lake is long although not very big, and the view is spectacular. There are city water service facilities, but this does not lessen the beauty of the location. The trail follows and makes a circuit to Lake Heart. As I have already visited it, I returned to my steps.

Going downhill, now with more confidence and already knowing the way, I ran whenever it was possible since the initial objective was to run the path. I didn’t stop listening to my ears and looking behind my back from time to time, though.

After half an hour of going downhill and a little more than 6 kilometers in total, I returned safe and sound and without the initial fear that got lost somewhere on my way back while I ran.

Don’t tell anyone that, for a moment, I hesitated to go up.