Kinbari

It must have escaped from a log boom - cut logs that are headed to sawmills/shipping are marked on one end with spray paint to show they are 'owned' by the logging company. On the East coast of Vancouver Island, there are little tugs that occasionally go around the shoreline, and collect the runaway logs.

I live on Vancouver Island, and sa-lal is the standard pronunciation here. That being said, there may be a First Nations pronunciation that I have not heard. Also, the hikers are probably choosing not to follow the shoreline because it's all inlets and steep, slippery rocks up there - it's much easier to injure yourself trying to traverse a rocky cliff than it is navigating through the salal.