Sometimes the best treasures are well kept secrets we don't even know are there. Hearing about the Tofino WWII crash site years ago left me curious and wanting to hike it for many years. Finally, I've had the opportunity. I lead the girls to a trail which winds through an abandoned building, muddy marsh, and some beautiful bog areas. Though it wasn't quite the tidy trail we expected, it was adventurous, beautiful and we found the 1945 Canso Bomber. Seeing the crash site was neat and eerie. It had been visited many times as was visible through the graffiti. However, it was still beautiful in it's historical way and completely surreal to think it first crashed into the hill 68 years ago. The plane in peices appeared to be, we assumed, a fatal crash. After our hike, research states that all 12 personnel (some injured) made it to safety after a search was conducted the next day.
Read a very interesting article here:
http://www.ruudleeuw.com/pdf/Septer-PBY11007n.pdf
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| The 'airplane' |
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| Abandoned building. |
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| An example of the terrain we were working with |
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| Markers to follow. |
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| Beautiful flowers |
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| First sites. |
