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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1468031
Show, which runs from July 22 to August 1 and features hundreds of works by Vancouver Island sculptors, painters, photographers and jewellers. Past prizewinners include Vincent Fe's steampunk Wild World (clockwise from left) Mystic Beach; the nearby boardwalk; a selection from Sooke Fine Arts Show; a dish from Wild Mountain; and Sooke Potholes Provincial Park Round trip: 6 kilometres Elevation gain: 300 metres Location: Mount Work Regional Park (northwest of Victoria) Hike the highest peak on the Saanich Peninsula. From the park's main entrance in the Highlands, start up the wide path. Quickly, fork right for the Summit Trail. As you ascend, the mixed forest thins out and arbutus trees with their peeling cinnamon bark increase in numbers. Look for the yellow plates to stay on the rocky and rooty trail; ignore the numerous side paths. Reach a broad viewpoint overlooking Jocelyn Hill, Pease Lake and Saanich Inlet. Kinnikinnick and hairy manzanita line the path. A metal sign marks the view- challenged summit. Push on for several minutes south for mossy ground, open rock and expansive views. Watch the ravens and bald eagles, and survey the anchorage of Royal Roads, the Salish Sea and Washington's snowy Olympic Mountains. Return the way you came. —Stephen Hui Iconic Hike MOUNT WORK Early summer on the Island is your best bet for enjoying an outdoor fire, and these portable fire pits from Solo (from $199) not only light faster but also keep things properly contained—two absolute musts in this day and age. solostove.com THE 'IT' GEAR teapot, Jonathan Kacki's bike-wheel photography and Nicole Sleeth's arresting, cigarette-smoking nude. You can also absorb your fill of local history at the Sooke Region Museum, featuring photography, clothing and artifacts dating back as far as the 18th century. For dinner, head to Wild Mountain, which is not only the best in Sooke (especially with the iconic Sooke Harbour House still under renovation), it could easily take the podium for the best in B.C. Oliver Kienast and Brooke Fader are straight out of central casting for passionate, talented chefs who use farm-to-table as an ethos, not a catchphrase. There's a new wood-fired pizza oven if you want more casual, but the daily menu always offers a masterclass in what Sooke is all about. SUNDAY You've had your morning soak in the hot tub. You're almost awake. What about coffee? Get it organic and locally roasted at the West Coast Grill along with your chicken and waffles or a West Coast benny. Caloried up, you're ready for your last splash. Summer in Sooke means the Potholes. That's not a pub, nor a road hazard—the Potholes are a series of swimming holes carved into the bedrock of the Sooke River by glacier-deposited boulders... and, in more plain terms, they're a hoot. Clear, clean and not-too- cold water will give you a last dose of West Coast wilderness to set you up for the trip home. MAY/JUNE 2022 BCBUSINESS 49 BCBUSINESS.CA