As we arrived we encountered two groups of people walking briskly up the beach with large sticks. They excitedly recounted their encounter with the local bear, who had snuck up behind one of them while he was setting up his tent.

They had heard about the bear (as everyone had) and had already stashed their food in the bear locker. This time the bear seemed more inclined to harass the humans than find their food (remember, he had quite a meal that morning). I put this down to his sugar high.

The end result was our three groups camping together at a site down the beach and making sure every spare scrap of food was eaten, burned or in the bear locker. There was no doubt that the bear hung around the perimeter, however: Joe nearly tripped over him while heading to the bear locker with the last of the food to be put away (they both beat a hasty retreat) and a guy from one of the other parties was gathering kindling down the beach and encountered the Lab-sized scavenger sitting just inside the bushes.

However, our diligence paid off and the bear refrained from entering our camping area. The moonlit night also eased our wakeful vigilance with the ghostly sight of a moose and her calf silently wading through the river, up onto the beach, and beyond our site. They passed within twenty metres of where we sat.

Despite our best intentions, we only made it to Morrison Harbour before we ran out of time. Admittedly, we dawdled and soaked in the stunning landscape and exceptional weather. We packed well and made gourmet trail meals (fudge brownies, mushroom stroganoff, and vegetarian chili amongst other delights). So, as we reluctantly turned around we felt slightly humbled by the Coastal Trail. In our defense, we had transversed the most rugged part of the trail, but we had aspired to get at least half way. Next time we'll try the water routes.

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