The West Coast Trail – June, 2011 – [ View the Full Album ]

Every couple of years, we like to try an exotic hike or some other outdoorsy excursion. Two years ago, we climbed Mt. Shasta in Northern California and we enjoyed the region so much that we decided our next one would also have to be on the west coast.  This time, the Pacific Northwest!

Aaron isn’t sure exactly how he stumbled upon the trail.  I wanted to visit Vancouver and he searched for difficult hiking trails and before you knew it, we were talking about the West Coast Trail.  So, in July of 2010, Aaron proposed that we aim to hike the West Coast Trail in the summer of 2011.

After talking about it on and off over the course of the next year, we finally became serious and the studying began.  I purchased the excellent Blisters and Bliss guide and we diligently reviewed many trip reports, including Brett’s amazing write-ups (http://www.brettonstuff.com)

We spent weeks gathering the recommended gear for the arduous trek (things like gaiters and trekking poles are an absolute must!) and then finally the day arrived.  We’d had the best intentions of being as light as possible and didn’t feel like we were packing in the frills, but we still weighed in with 45+ lb packs…doh!

The West Coast Trail officially opens on May 1st and closes on September 30th.  From May 1st to June 14th, it is considered the early shoulder season in which trail reservations are not needed due to lower hiker volume.  This was our target.  We planned to start on June 3rd, just before the busy season, to allow us some cooler weather and emptier campsites.  The risk, of course, was a higher chance of inclement weather.

Finally it was time to begin our journey.  We flew into Seattle and rented a car.  From there, we parked our rental car at the southern trailhead (Port Renfew / Gordon River — Evan’s facilities are excellent) and took the roller-coaster-esque insane Trailbus up the dusty logging roads to Bamfield (Pachena Bay) where we ultimately began our trek.  While the sky was pretty overcast, fortunately it wasn’t raining.  Apparently it had been raining for the entire week prior to our start day making for some absolutely miserable and soggy trekking for many.  Such is the risk with the early season hikes.

Our trek itself was textbook except for the absolutely phenomenal weather which we had.  While it rained the entire week prior to our arrival — making the ground very wet and muddy for us, we had clear skies and no rain during our entire 6 days out on the trail.  Pretty amazing for the shoulder season!  On top of that, we had mostly cool weather and the seagulls weren’t out in force yet – though it did get warm lugging all that heavy gear on the sunny beaches.

Despite the phenomenal weather, the hike was incredibly difficult.  Far, far, far moreso than we had anticipated or imagined.  I honestly don’t know how you’d complete it in the rain and have an insane amount of respect for those that do.  The decaying boardwalks, roots, and wooden ladders must turn to sheets of ice in the rain.  I’m glad I didn’t witness that.

Anyway, we had an incredible, if not grueling time on the trail.  Each day took far longer to hike than we’d anticipated and we ended up with no real “free” time to speak of while in camp, but we managed to finish without any major injuries or incidents which is the mark of a successful trip.  Monique’s was everything the legends spoke of and the landscape and scenery was amazing.  We took the beach route whenever it was feasible to do so.  For any future travelers, I’d highly recommend the beach routes as well — even if it means waiting for low tide.  The sandy, rocky, and scenic beaches are well worth it.

It’s hard to not take a million pictures when walking through these remote and beautiful areas having never hiked in anything like it before, but I did my best.  During this trip, I saw more ladders, tree roots, and mud pits that I’d ever seen in my life or ever care to again.  Enjoy the pictures!

This wasn’t us (obviously) but it is an amazing undertaking.  And some really good video:  WCT Speed Record

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