After a long, cold January with plenty of time to wish I was somewhere warmer, I have made a decision about where to go next. My permit and my flights are booked. Flying in and out of Vancouver with time to visit the family and also climb a mountain or two in Whistler in July. Then a ferry to Victoria where the adventure begins...
I have chosen one of the world's most physically challenging hikes. At only 75 kms it is certainly not a long trek but it will be a demanding one. I will be hiking the West Coast Trail located along the Southwest coast of British Columbia's Vancouver Island. The WCT follows the coast along the Pacific Rim National Reserve. This was originally a lifesaving trail for the survivors of the shipwrecks that would face peril on the treacherous shores otherwise known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. As beautiful as it is also rumored to be, this hike is not for the soft. There won't be any 1500 count Egyptian cotton sheets on Sealy posturepedic pillow top mattresses with plush, down comforters and memory foam pillows.There won't be wifi or hot showers or a Masseur named Sven to rub my sore calves into submission. There will be no convenient little markets selling fresh fruit, gluten free snacks or water bottles and certainly nowhere to buy a coffee or a glass of wine. No. There will be none of that...
There will be a 1 inch foam pad and sleeping bag between me and the cold damp ground and a little waterproof (I hope) tent to shield me from the wind and the rain and there will be rain. It is a temperate rain forest and with the rain comes mud... and bugs. The tides will dictate when and where along the coast to hike. There will be 75+ ladders to climb up and away from the sea shore and even a cable drawn basket to pull myself across the river. Due to the remote location, rescue, if necessary, for whatever reason, could take days. If this doesn't sound like enough rugged nature there will also be bears and cougars (and no... I'm not talking about me hahaha)
AND mice, yes...mice, desperate to find a way into my pack and my snacks.
On a very positive note, it will be a photographer's dream. There will be foggy, misty mornings and sunny afternoons. Breakfast and dinner by a camp fire on the beach. There will be birds singing with the sunrise and the sound of the ocean waves to fall asleep to each night. There will be sea lions on the shores and whales in the distance. I'll be tripping over the roots of hundred year old trees towering over head, showering under waterfalls and bathing in rivers. There will be no sounds of traffic, no phones ringing, no TVs. However, there may be the sounds of me cursing the mud and the rain and the weight of my 60L backpack, but otherwise just the peace and quiet sounds of nature. There will be one little snack hut near the end of the trail that sells crab legs and beer...neither of which I can have as a celiac with a shell fish allergy hahahaha.
There will come a time that my body will no longer accept a challenge like this. That time is not now.
This may not be the trip that brings clarity of the mind like the Camino was but it will definitely challenge me both mentally and physically. Removing myself off the grid, taking away the luxuries that we all take for granted, being in a place where the elements can break you, showing me natural beauty that not all eyes have the opportunity to see, this is a hike that can and likely will bring me to my knees.
Stay tuned for what to pack and how to train to survive the West Coast Trail (theoretically of course)
Images included are what to expect if you follow along in July and hike the West Coast Trail with me!
