Tod Inlet Trail – Gowlland Tod Provincial Park 

Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is located on the land of the W̱SÁNEĆ people, and is one of the last remaining natural areas in the Greater Victoria region. 

My roommate Ava and I decided we really needed to step into nature, for both exploring purposes and out mental health. We spent a total time of around 1 hour there. When we were driving there, we missed our turn and had to take a little adventure around Brentwood Bay, finding our way back to the parking for the trail. We started off on the trail, and people were really friendly. Every person we had walked past either said hi or did a nice wave, which was refreshing to see. We also saw a lot of dogs on the trail, which was nice to see considering both of our dogs are at home, and we missed seeing a dog.  

That day, we were both “crashing out” and needed out of the house. I realized staying in the house all day makes me anxious, so I needed to get into nature for the benefit of my mental health. The second I saw the greenery, I instantly felt better. It was like all my worries washed away. We walked past a little waterfall, all the way to the Inlet. When we saw the water, we went and stared at the water on the beach, thinking about life. We had a really good conversation, and I felt a lot lighter after.On our way back to the vehicle, we took a wrong turn, somehow ending up on a gated access to Buchart Gardens. We both had a good laugh and had to turn around and find the right path back, which we eventually did.  

Stress and Sleep Levels 

During our walk, I instantly felt a lot better. I felt really anxious that morning, and it went away the second I was in nature.  I left the walk feeling alot lighter, and I had more focus and direction for my work than I did earlier.

My Stress Levels from the day 

(Stress rises when heart rate goes up, as it did when physically walking). 

My sleep after our nature walk (I had a sleep score of 66 the night before, and typically range in the 60s and 70s).  

Overall, I felt refreshed and definitely less stressed after our walk, even if my body did not give the same exact results.  For my mental health and enhancing my focus on work, I find getting into nature helps, and I hope to implement that into my classroom for my students.

Resources

https://bcparks.ca/gowlland-tod-park

Oura ring statsitics