The West Coast Trail is a 47 mile thru hike along the Southwest side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is part of the Pacific Rim National Park and is full of some of the most amazing scenery I have ever been lucky enough to see. The average person takes 5-7 days to complete the hike although some adventurous souls complete in a single day by running it. Freaks. We chose the 7 day option.

Click the map for a larger view.



I agreed to do the hike on a whim. A friend of mine and former roommate from Grand Cayman asked if I wanted to go. Naturally I agreed before I really had time to think about it and we started planning. By planning, I mean we picked a start date, I bought some boots and a plane ticket, and headed off.



It.Was.Amazing.











For seven days he traveled through a varied landscape and were met with incredible views. We traveled through rain forests, bogs, over boulders, beside cliffs and along the beach.





That's me and yes, I'm on the trail.







My friend and hiking buddy in one of my favorite shots.







The area is known for rain, rain, and more rain. I read one account of a group of guys called the Mudhounds who hiked the trail in pouring rain the entire trip. During one particularly wet day they couldn't even leave their tents. We were much more fortunate and had perfect weather the whole week. It drizzled on the last day, for about a minute. Most of the trip we talked about how hard it would be if it were raining.







This just looks like a bit of a mud puddle. After taking this picture I walked through the bog and with one wrong step I was up to my knee in mud.



The trail is open from May to September only. The winter months are much too harsh and each year parts of the trail have to be rebuilt after storm damage. An incredible amount of work is involved in this and during our week we were constantly amazed at how well the trail was maintained. The trail includes about three dozen ladders, a suspension bridge, cable car ferries and dozens of bridge crossings.









In 2007 this bridge was destroyed and had to be replaced along with two of the cable cars. Over 2000 trees were knocked down in storms that winter. Yet, the trail opened only 15 days late.

Of course there are no services along the trail except for two glorious places. The first is a ferry service about halfway into the hike to take hikers across a large river. A couple brothers and sometimes their father run the ferry service. The ferry is great and all, but more importantly you can buy lunch. They spend the morning fishing for salmon and crab before coming to the ferry. They clean it and grill it up right when you ask for it. The salmon melts in your mouth. I'm salivating just thinking about it and I don't like fish.



The next place of wonder comes about a day later. You have to work for it. And work hard. There is a three mile stretch of beach that you have to slug across, carrying a 40 pound pack, in boots. All the while you can see the bright blue tarp of Chez Monique's calling you and pulling you forward. It was really the only time during the hike that I didn't enjoy. We spent those two hours with heads down, not talking, just putting one foot in front of the other.







But upon arrival is all becomes worth it. Burgers, sodas, oranges, candy bars, oh my. Best twelve dollars I may have ever spent. Monique is an amazing lady and a hoot. She talks to everyone like they were her kids and has wonderful stories to tell.



At the end of each day we were met with the same group of hikers. Each evening we would collect around someone's campfire, talk about the day's hike and learn more about each other. It was a great mix of people, a lawyer with his 13 year old daughter, an archeology professor, a newlywed couple, a German guy who had flown to Canada just for the hike.



The lawyer was our favorite because he had enough snacks packed for all of us. He had a three pound bag of peanut M&M's. Mmmm. On our last night he came out with three kinds of cheese, crackers, and tinned salmon. I have no idea how much his pack weighed but we sure helped lighten his load.



On one day we finished a little earlier than usual so had plenty of time to relax, write in journals, read and take pictures. (I think I shot 14 rolls of film that trip.) For most of our trip grey whales could be seen swimming along the coast and that night they seemed to multiply.









While I was wandering along the beach taking photos a whale made his presence known to every hiker in camp. I noticed him when I heard the first loud crack. He was probably two miles from shore but we could see this enormous tail pointing to the sky. He would bring his tail down and slap the water so fiercely that we all clearly heard the noise. Every hiker in camp stopped what they were doing and watched. It was silent except for the crack of the whale repeatedly hitting the water. It went on for two or three minutes before he silently slipped under water. Still the campsite was quiet. And I stood there during the whole thing, camera in hand, and never snapped a photo.









That's me.



There is so much about that trip that was amazing for me. Not just the scenery but the time in my life that it happened. I was just starting to think about whether or not I could foster the boys, and my grandmother, whom I've always considered one of my parents, was in very poor health.



Hiking the West Coast Trail was an incredible way to soothe my soul and clear my head. It was a way to step away from all the stress and sadness of trying to form a new family while watching another part of it fade away.



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I'm joining Pseudo (like I can spell the rest of that) in Travel Tip Thursday. Except it's Friday, I know that.



Make sure to check her out for more travel tips.