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West Coast Trail – The 75km/48 mile hike in Vancouver Island (2021)
- freefal 3y agoI did this hike with some friends years ago. It can be wet, but it's a beautiful hike. You can camp on the beach and make fires every night. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a through hike with lots of terrain you can't access except by foot.
- skrueger 3y agoRE: wet trail. I agree. I did part of the hike in 2017 and some parts of the trail were a total mud slide. I enjoy my memories from that hike.
- tonyarkles 3y agoLOL, it started raining about 20 minutes after we left Bamfield and didn't stop the whole time.
- empressplay 3y agoI did Carmanah before they closed it and yeah it rained the entire time, we camped on the beach and it was foggy and rainy and the foghorn went all night long... good times!
- the_third_wave 3y agoI did Carmanah after it was closed, this was after I first paddled the Yukon from Whitehorse to the Bering Strait [1], camping in the forest, avoiding the bears. The track was partially overgrown but doable, the weather was mostly fine with even some sunshine now and then - it is a temperate rainforest so rain is to be expected. Standing there with my tent between those enormous trees after having first hitch-hiked up from Vancouver to Whitehorse, then paddled the Yukon to Alakanuk, then made our way to Haines to take the Alaska Marine Highway to Prince Rupert, from there on the Queen of the North [2] to Port Hardy where we staid with some friends before hitchhiking to somewhere close to Carmanah where we spent a week, then to Vancouver to take our flight back to the Netherlands - or so we thought. We got some breakfast and noticed a television screen in the back showing images of the World Trade Centre in New York with smoke billowing out of it. It was the 11th of September, 2011 and we were not flying out that day... nor that week. [1] Alakanuk - we met a teacher who invited us to give a presentation at Alakanuk School, if anyone here was there and remembers a Dutchman coming by in 2001: that was me. [2] ...which went down 5 years later... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Queen_of_the_North https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Queen_of_the_North
- tjr225 3y ago“Hacker” news
- justusthane 3y agoGood write up, and I'm impressed by his preparations for a first-time backpacker - especially his food dehydration. Most people, especially newbies, will just buy prepackaged meals. Although I had to laugh at his "green sand"[1] — beach glass? [1]: https://static-images-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/blog-21-wct/l/2023_04_19_18.jpg https://static-images-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/blog-21...
- zxexz 3y agoYeah, I’ve done quite a bit of hiking and backpacking. Only got into preparing my own dehydrated meals in the last year or so, before that it was always a combination of wet food and some prepackaged meals. I’m definitely impressed with the author of this article.
- grogenaut 3y agoWhile I hiked a lot as a kid, philmont, etc, I did a section of the wonderland back in 2013. My buddy is gluten intolerant. My hobbies is hobbies. While it was slightly annoying and ironic to make my own dehydrated food, where you cook the dried macaroni, then dry it back out only to add it back to hot water), it was fun and easy and the food was way better than the pre-packaged. Especially if you have a food dehydrator already which many people do. makes amazing apple chips when you use a meat slicer to cut the apples. I had tried gluten free pre-packaged but it was terribad... And even higher in sodium than the already 90% daily value per meal pre-pacakged dehydrated stuff. I made chili mac, chili, spaghetti. And a lot of jerkey, when you make the jerkey the night before the height you can get away with a lot. The turkey jerkey was delicious.
- eesmith 3y agoThe author is a first-time thru-hiker, not first-time backpacker. "I have done a lot of hiking, and cool trips, but never thru-hiking." and "upgrading all of my gear" indicate previous experience backpacking. The line "I remember buying cascade hiking poles from Costco, and it breaking in the middle of hiking of Peru" may been an event which occurred after this hike, but a search of the site finds https://www.dquach.com/2023/04/05/personal-newsletter-2023-q1/ https://www.dquach.com/2023/04/05/personal-newsletter-2023-q... with "Back in 2015 we were eating at Astrid y Gaston in Lima, Peru ... I was going to hike the W, which was a 5 day hike in Patagonia Chile about 4 days later", further confirming previous backpacking experience.
- seattle_spring 3y agoOoh I hiked this in 2008 along with the nearby Juan de Fuca Trail. It was mid-spring and oh so wet. What a great memory.
- micro_cam 3y agoMy step mom did this in the 70s or 80s. She said it was the first time she heard primal screams and that you could just pick up high end outdoor gear along the trail as people would discard it to save weight.
- sva_ 3y ago6 days for 75km? I suppose this guy must've really been enjoying himself along the way. Don't think you need to precook stuff like quinoa. Can just cook it on an ethanol hobo oven pretty quick.
- ovis 3y agoIt's rugged! 6-8 days is typical, according to Parks Canada: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/activ/SCO-WCT https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/activ/SCO-WCT
- quake 3y agoIt's a very difficult hike. I did it in 2008 and between the ladders, knee-deep mud, timing your hikes with the tides, and general swampiness, 6-8 days is average. There are sections in the South end of the trail where it's not unusual to only get 8 km in.
- Fricken 3y agoThe fastest known time is 9.5 hours, set by Matt Cecil in August 2014.
- notatoad 3y agoi know plenty of people who go on 20-25km day-hikes as a casual outing that requires no planning or forethought beyond waking up in the morning and deciding to go for a hike, and they'd all say 6 days for the west coast trail is a reasonable pace.
- tbalsam 3y agoThat's quite a pace, wowie! Usually I'd be tuckered afterwards with a 0 planning 20-25 kilometer...er hike. To be honest, the most enduro sport for me that I can do right now is kayaking, and I can do ~10 miles or so on flat water with my sorta tubby 10 footer in about 4 hours or so (with breaks)...and that's it, with a week's recovery afterwards. Crazy distance for them, I'm impressed and a little jealous to be honest. Maybe I'll be there someday. :)))) <3
- iou 3y agoDid this in 2009 and it was so fun, I want to do it again when my kids are old enough to go too.
- renewiltord 3y ago> For some odd reason, people pretty often have asked me pretty weird questions about my occupation. One time I was in Dallas Lovefield Airport flying on Southwest airlines waiting for my gate. Somebody asked me if I was a pilot. > I was kind of just puzzled like, what makes me look like a pilot? Just kind of weird what people assume of you. I enjoyed this conversational style through the thing. Nice one. Cool pictures!
- zeagle 3y agoNice write up. I also dehydrate meals for preparation and have a few suggestions: in the months prior cook extra vegetarian meals like dahls and curries to dehydrate, portion, and freeze until the hike; dehydrate canned chicken for protein; dehydrate banana slices (you don't need to soak them in lemon juice/citrate prior); and try the Kirkland brand shredded dehydrated potatoes.
- arecurrence 3y agoWhen I did this trail long ago I got to meet Monique (since passed) who ran a very tasty burger joint at the mid point. She had quite the operation going with a sizable garden and food boated in regularly. Exchange students ran much of the kitchen. I must admit, I had not been prepared to find myself arguing over esoteric details of Python with her. Monique was a very interesting person who was still going to school into her 70s. I fondly recall looking back to see her resting on the beach. While I wouldn't call it a "death hike", I've had several broken bones and been involved in a number of rescues over the years, and yet I still remember the fright from almost losing multiple fingers crossing a river in a cable car when a group up ahead thought they'd pull the cable to help us... it's a rather unique trail with quite a variety of uncommon points of interest.
- evilsetg 3y agoYears ago I volunteered at Monique's for 3 weeks with my brother. It was a great and interesting time and I met a lot of cool people in Monique and her family and other hikers and volunteers. We used to sleep in a shack in the back and their red cat named Mess would sleep on my face. One scene I will always remember is eating porridge for breakfast and watching for whales in the bay. What a wonderful place!
- Stratoscope 3y agoOh, I wish I could have had the chance to meet Monique. What an interesting lady! Please, if you have any other stories from those adventures, I would love to hear them. Is there a particular Python discussion with her that sticks in your mind?
- arecurrence 3y agoShe had been a Pascal programmer (at least for a bit) before moving to BC. I don't remember the details unfortunately but I do remember the surprise. :) As nice as the route is (and it is spectacular), the characters on the trail were probably the highlight. Each of the 13 campsites are unique and since the trail has steady entry from both ends, you'd meet a new group of fun people each night. There was a diver running a Crab and Baked Potato operation at Nitinat, and the Carmanah Lightstation was handing out XL chocolate bars to anyone knocking on the door. Here we are on the edge of the world and yet there's humanity throughout.
- grecy 3y agoThe trail is utterly incredible, one of the best I hiked on the way from Alaska down to Argentina. Here's my trip report and photos from years ago: http://theroadchoseme.com/the-west-coast-trail-pt-1 http://theroadchoseme.com/the-west-coast-trail-pt-1 http://theroadchoseme.com/the-west-coast-trail-pt-2 http://theroadchoseme.com/the-west-coast-trail-pt-2
- technological 3y agoNice write up. Enjoyed reading it
- buildbot 3y agoI did this trail a few years ago, was an utterly amazing experience. We did the route backwards, going north to south. I brought some really good cameras with me and the weight was 100% worth it, the shots I got on that trip still hang on my wall to this day. Example photo: https://adobe.ly/3LpJ444 https://adobe.ly/3LpJ444 We were very lucky weather wise, it did not rain the entire trip, which as others say, is not typical. The ladders, oh man, very terrifying as someone with a fear of heights. Some of them lean fucking backwards, so your pack and body weight try to pull you off the cliffside… The crab spot near the middle is amazing. Everyone does stop there, how can you say no to crab and beer after hiking 25 miles? The Juan de Fuca trail that is next door is also one of my top favorite hikes, though I have never been able to finish it as we got rained out both times - once in scouts, once in a group of friends - the trail slid away and we could not physically continue each time.
- no_wizard 3y agoJust so I can picture it: in the middle point of this hike there is a flow blown restaurant / food shack?
- orthoxerox 3y agoIt's not so strange; it's on the beach, so you can bring supplies in by boat or seaplane.
- no_wizard 3y agoI don't think its strange (in fact, its probably really opportune, talk about a captured audience from a business perspective), I'm curious about how big it is, the layout etc.
- buildbot 3y agoIt’s actually fairly decently sized, probably like 10ish tables outside on the deck? It’s got two smallish buildings If I recall correctly? All built over the water on a pier. And yeah it’s in an estuary so they just bring all the non fished food in by boat every few days.
- mactunes 3y agoI was just about to comment about my dear of bumping into a grizzly bear while hiking there, but apparently “only” black bears live on Vancouver Island. That would still keep me away and I always wonder if I’m just way too cautious or if the likelihood of running into a bear is so low that it’s worth it?
- kevinob11 3y agoI run into black bears a couple of times a year mountain biking in the PNW, I usually just see their back as they run away. I think it is extremely unlikely to be attacked by one. Grizzlies are a bit different certainly.
- seabrookmx 3y agoThe chance is low and the chance that it would be an issue is also low.
- swader999 3y agoYeah, I've only come face to face with a grizzly once, black bear a few times a year over decades in the bush. Grizzly with cubs or on its kill is a serious thing, bear spray is a must.
- jml7c5 3y agoThey're pretty docile. Think of them as very big raccoons, not small grizzlies. The primary thing that brings the bravest black bears into close contact with humans is their love of untended food, but they're skittish and will scamper the moment someone hollers at them. Personally, I worry more about cougars and wolves.
- cgh 3y agoFYI, Vancouver Island has the highest population density of cougars in the world. This includes mountain lions, pumas, panthers, etc, all the same big cat by other names. They are so elusive though. I lived on the Island for nearly six years, during which time I mountaineered and hiked all over the place, and never saw one. Saw lots of black bears though.
- seabrookmx 3y agoI grew up a short drive to the south. The West coast Trail is not for the faint of heart but the Juan De Fuca trail is much more accessible if you happen to be in the area!
- tra3 3y agoIt doesn’t get the same love as the wct and consequently is in worse shape. Easy to bail at any point though.
- btilly 3y agoI did this hike in grade 11. Right when it opened in a class trip. I can pinpoint the timing pretty precisely - I heard about the Chernobyl disaster after getting back. Also I bought rubber gumboots for the trail. Highly recommended. It is truly beautiful. If you've never visited the Pacific Northwest, you should.
- unixhero 3y agoLooks like Norway
- freetime2 3y agoA few random reactions: > You would think sleeping by the beach is relaxing, but really that is far from the case. I didn’t sleep that well as the ocean was thundering in the middle of the night. I agree sleeping on the beach is nowhere near as pleasant as it sounds. I remember one night I set up camp near the shore, and kept waking up throughout the night to the sound of lapping waves in a panic that the tide was rising and would inundate my tent... except on this occasion I was camped next to a lake! > You would be surprised but there are so many debates in the hiking community. This debate is to bring hiking poles or not. I definitely recommend using hiking poles. They are lightweight and easy to stow when not in use (many backpacking packs will have dedicated loops/straps for them). They have saved me from falling on numerous occasions when I have lost my footing on a slippery trail, and they also help to redistribute weight off of your legs which helps tremendously with fatigue on long hikes with heavy packs. I avoided hiking poles for many years because I thought they looked dorky, but eventually gave them a try when I was suffering from knee pain on descents - and have used them on just about every hike since. For me they making hiking so much more enjoyable. > For the thru-hike there were two options, south to north or north to south. We opted to go south to north as it starts off super difficult, then slowly gets easier. I can't comment on this trail specifically as I have never done it, but it might make more sense to start with the easy part and end with the difficult part. Reason being your pack will be lighter by the end of the trip, and also after a couple days I tend to settle into a rythm whereas the start of a trip can be a bit of a shock. On other trails where I have the choice I tend to prefer ascending on the steeper route and descending on the gentler route.
- Loic 3y agoWe do "family" hiking (3 kids, 9 to 15) with up to 110km through the mountains with maximum 20 km and about 1000m up and 1000m down on a "hard" day. I fully agree with you: - start slow to get the body to find itself (and keep 2 days at the end of the hike to book a nice hotel with a pool for the kids). - hiking poles are a must. It also saves the hike if you have ankle/knee pain as you can put the weight on your arms to release the pressure from the bad leg. Our kids prefer walking without.
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- svenjr 3y agoThis is awesome. You should checkout [FATMAP](https://fatmap.com/routeid/2808585/Juan_De_Fuca_Trail_Day_4/@48.8046321,-124.1231251,292050.6894896,-90,0,189.1701069,satellite,summer https://fatmap.com/routeid/2808585/Juan_De_Fuca_Trail_Day_4/...) for planning big outings like this if you want. It is a great tool.
- gambiting 3y ago>> Warning: below talks about poop talk Can someone please explain to me why some people think warnings like these are necessary. I really want to understand.
- csunbird 3y agoPeople like to read articles during their lunch and poop talk is known to decrease your appetite.
- Dowwie 3y agoThere's a survival show called Alone that recorded several seasons on Vancouver Island. One thing I learned from that show is not to underestimate this island: The rain, the wildlife, the wild! Most of the seasons can be watched for free, now: https://play.history.com/shows/alone#episodes https://play.history.com/shows/alone#episodes
- swader999 3y agoHe could have fashioned a tooth brush out of a small stick by just mashing up one end of it. Very nice writeup.
- Magi604 3y agoI did this years ago solo. I told my neighbor about it, and old-school type fellow, and I was describing all the ladders and cable cars and established campsites. He laughed at me. He told me he did it in the 70s where basically no amenities of any sort existed and it was like bushwacking through literal wilderness. Definitely a life bucket list type item, a true world-class hike. >Another huge issue is peeing in the middle of the night. When you are warm in the tent, you have to change, walk to the bathroom, then walk back. Imagine being at home, and instead of walking to your bathroom, you have to walk to the building next to you. Piss bottles my friends. Take an empty gatorade bottle (MARK IT SO YOU DON'T USE IT FOR DRINKING) and keep it in the tent at night. Easy qol hack.
- smallbluedot 3y agoThis blog post exaggerates the danger. I did this hike in 2011 and while very strenuous, is not as extreme as the author makes it out to be. That said, underestimate it at your peril. There was a posse of "fancy Moms" from Toronto along the trail when I did it. Several of them tapped out on day 2. The West Coast Trail is the definition of type 2 fun. While certainly a memorable experience, I wouldn't do it twice.