You’ll find her walking the Beaver Lodge Lands with her dog, wandering the seawalk with camera in hand, and basking in the awe of Elk Falls. Nycky-Jay Vanjecek is the talent behind Humans of Campbell River, a portrait project inspired by Humans of New York. Nycky was motivated to start the project in order to combat COVID isolation. Today, the stories that she has captured have tied together the Campbell River community, showcased spectacular nature and spotlighted local businesses.
“Spending time in nature here in Campbell River is everything. It is fresh breaths. It is the stormy, salty wind in your face. There is the smell of…it’s hard to describe. It’s just fresh, and you can just walk into the forest and everything kind of melts away. It’s like therapy. It’s everything.”
Originally from Saskatchewan, Nycky was drawn to Campbell River nearly two decades ago and since then has fallen in love with exploring the nature on her doorstep.
“I love that my kids got to grow up playing on the beaches and spending so much time outside exploring and going on big adventures that I didn’t get to do until I was an adult,” Nycky says. And that fun happens here year round, rain or shine. “Get a good rain jacket and some good boots and you can explore every day, every season,” she continues. “I’ll take the rain any day. The pouring rain, the drizzling rain, the misty rain, the sideways rain. I’ll take it all. It’s, it’s refreshing. And everything’s green all year round, and it’s just… it’s life.”
No matter the weather, Nycky recommends that visitors make time for Elk Falls on their journey in Campbell River. It’s by far her favourite place to take friends from out of town. “I’ve been so lucky to explore so many parts of Campbell River and Strathcona Park and the surrounding areas,” Nycky says. “But at Elk Falls, when the water is just gushing and it’s loud and you feel the spray on your face… it’s just like nothing you’ve seen before. It’s pretty incredible.”
While Nycky is eager to share the gems of Campbell River and its community with the world, she’s also seen the negative impacts brought about when hikers don’t respect the trails and the environment around them.
“If you’re coming to visit Campbell River, please take care. Leave no trace,” she advises. “Respect the land and the seas, the people, the businesses, and enjoy. Take it all in. Take time. Don’t rush through everything. Have fun.”
To follow along with Humans of Campbell River and Nycky’s work, click over to Instagram.
