It is true, I broke up with a boy after he took me camping in Vermont. Not because of the camping per se, but because he did not prepare properly, which I took as an indicia of a broader lack of forethought—especially when I think of how magical and well-prepared a stay at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge can be.
And I’ve joked that my idea of camping is a hotel room with a view of the trees.
But I’m also my father’s daughter, and he instilled in me a love of the outdoors — canoeing, fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing — all of which he and I did together often.
We had a home in southwestern Vermont for decades, and I treasure those memories outdoors with him. My mom and dad called our home Pinelawn because the pine forest offered an aroma of pine that hit you as soon as you arrived. About eight years after they bought the property, on July 15, 1995, a very rare Super Derecho took out nearly 200 of those trees. My father and I stood together, looking at the carnage, and we both cried.
He and I would rise very early before anyone else in the house stirred to take our canoe to Gale Meadows Lake. We would glide along the mirrored surface in the fog before the dawn burned it all away. We once saw a blue heron sail from its next and laughed together in delighted awe.
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge
When I arrived at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, I felt my father close. The natural beauty stuns you into a reverential silence. Being here feels spiritual. We arrived by seaplane from Vancouver on Thursday evening, and Sarah Cruse, the General Manager, greeted us warmly. We then took a horse-drawn wagon to the lodge, whose luxury tents spread through a forest alongside the sound. Sarah remarked that the wagon brings us back to the past, as we used to be in relation to nature. “Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is nature,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. And slow down, I did.
After a welcome drink, we reviewed our schedules with the staff and made any desired adjustments. Our lovely tent fronted the water, and we could hear the currents move over the stones and the patter of rain.
I was chagrin that I’d arranged my stay during the first presidential debate, assuming I’d be offline while here. But the lodge does have one television — primarily for football matches like the Euro 2024 played yesterday in Germany. They set up a private dinner so I could catch all of it, for which I was very grateful!
The next day, we canoed, hiked, rested, and ate. We also enjoyed a sound bath. The myriad options are impressive — canyoning, horseback riding, archery, yoga, massage, hiking, fishing, rock climbing, and more. We saw a bear, another bald eagle, and ducks. And a bald eagle that dove for a baby duck. The mother deterred the eagle with her noise. Still, that was something!
People read by the fire, played chess, billiards, or backgammon, and played the guitar or piano.
The clientele is a mix of families and couples. Many are single parents with their offspring, and I saw a dad with two teenage sons, a dad with three adult sons, a mom with two adult daughters, and a dad with three young daughters and a son. We also saw single couples and groups of couples, too. Most guests are from the United States, but others come from Europe and Australia.
The food here is terrific, healthy, and plentiful. At lunch yesterday, I laughed and pointed out to my companion that she’d uttered “wow” at least five times.
The staff is also extraordinary — caring, accommodating, proactive, and joyful, with contagious smiles. As you can see from these images, the design embodies sophisticated simplicity.
Just being here is like bathing in pure air. When the rain falls, the forest seems greener and feels like a magical forest!
A few months before that Super Derecho in 1995, Simon Schama published his monumental, fascinating historical study of nature and its representations, Landscape and Memory. The book’s first section is devoted to an analysis of “woods”—the history of forests, the individual trees in them, and what woods have meant over centuries amid different cultures. I’ve been thinking of that book a lot during this trip. Schama wrote, “Before it can ever be a repose for the senses, landscape is a work of the mind. Its scenery is built up as much from strata of memory as from layers of rock.”
Indeed, these scenes and landscapes have open up layers of memory. And the smells of cedar, pine, and rain on the stones swirl around me, stir up thoughts, retrospection, and yes, regrets too.
I highly recommend Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge. You can stay for 3, 4 or 7 nights. The lodge is available for buyouts and is great for elopements. And it’s not unheard of people who have booked for 3 nights to extend, if they are able, to 7 nights.
It’s that beautiful.
I’m here for you when you’re ready.
