08 August 2015

Hiking The West Coast Trail


I'm back from hiking the West Coast Trail and excited to share more than 
a few photos of the incredible adventure. My father and I pushed through 75 km of challenging terrain coupled with breathtaking views, completing the 
trek in a speedy 4.5 days. Vancouver Island is truly nature's paradise and I'm 
so lucky I got the chance to experience it on a larger and more intimate scale 

Missing from photo: Raincoast Trading Canned Wild Salmon,
  Dehydrated "Cheezy" Kale Chips,Fruit Leather and Pineapple

My food supply for 5-6 days:

It's funny because I thought this would be enough until I hit the trail and realized I'd be burning up to 3,000 calories a day, hiking for over 8 hours at a time. Thankfully my dad brought enough money so I could splurge on the small cafes and restaurants that are run by local natives on the reservation land. Next time I would definitely bring more trail mix and CHOCOLATE BARS because you really need the fuel and energy-dense calories to keep your body going on long, hot days


Waiting Downtown Victoria for the WCT Shuttle Bus to pick us up


The start of the trail from the North to South direction


Waiting to find out if we could go on as stand-by hikers because we didn't register. Found out there were two open spots the next day so we had to stay at base camp for a night


Pre-WCT dinner at our campsite in Pachena Bay, B.C


Me scarfing down my canned salmon and roasted kabocha squash. My dad made some
 kind of noodle mess that he claimed was extremely delicious, more so than it looked


Hot Huck's Italian Veggie Ground. The best dried veggie protein 
I've ever had. This made for a great protein addition to our meals


Planning out our trail route for the next day


The start of a lengthy series of steep and grueling ladders


Bear poop!


Motorcycle? Oh the things you'll find on the West Coast


Pachena Point Lighthouse


My Dad posing amongst the copious buoys


Cooling off at one of the smaller waterfalls


These were such a challenge when you've got a 30lb backpack strapped to you


Anchor


Our first cable car zipline crossing


"Bathing holes" as I referred to them at Tsusiat Falls


Camping on the beach


Hung our booties out to dry


Marking my territory ;)


Quick boat ride over to one of the hidden resturant gems


Caught a fellow hiker holding what would soon be lunch


My father was like a little kid when his coffee and plate of fresh crab arrived. He
 let me try some and it definitely wasn't bad at all. I opted for a baked potato though
 with margarine, washed down with Coke Zero and a Diet Coke for later


Beach walking. West Coaster's call it the "Beach Boogie"


Poser


The second restuarant we came across, Chez Monique's on the beach


Look at all that liquor. It made me kind of sad because I don't
 think it's necessary to have booze on such a trip. Plus many campground's 
were filled with drunken hikers, some partying into the late night


Chez Monique's


Sit-in dining at its best hehe


Our candy loot: Diet Coke, Reese Peanut Butter Cups, KitKat Bar, 
Miss Vickie's Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar Chips and Lay's Classic Potato Chips 


Hiker Box. A great idea for hikers to unload the weight of extra 
food they didn't need or for those who didn't bring enough to fill up


Cleaning my sore feet from the wet sand


Misty morning


We met Vinz & Jonas, super kind and sweet German's, who happened
to hike at the same pace as us. We wound up at the same campsites 
each night and they were a great duo to socialize with on quiet nights 


My Dad and I all smiles :)


Right after that photo we fell asleep. Beach walking is 
exhausting and a noon nap was just what our bodies needed!


The rest of that day was anything but a snooze...especially with ladders
 that climbed to the stars and went on for miles (it felt like) and a 
wicked suspension bridge that tossed me about here and there


Chef Kelsey making Protein Macaroni with Cheese and Ketchup
 to top. I'm always happy around the kitchen (beach kitchen)


Getting closer to the end of our journey


Stopping for lunch. Me all puffy from allergies and fluid retention from sore muscles


I'm such a little hunchback, hungry and tired


The end! The gang of us who all stayed fairly close on the trail. I'm in the very back cuddling myself pretty much (sorry for the blur). We parked our weary butts down 
for almost an hour waiting for the ferry boat to pick us up and take us to shore


Felt great knowing I could rest and eat and not 
have to carry 30lbs on my back anymore haha


My eyes were so puffy and swollen, definitely needed some Reactine/anti-histamines


We capped off our great adventure with Lunch at The Renfrew Pub, 
Port Renfrew B.C. I ordered poutine as an appetizer and had a burger with
 fries for the main course. I only bothered to take a picture of the succulent 
poutine and then wolfed down everything else like a piggy. Man was it worth it!

That's it folks, the West Coast Trail experience in a nutshell. I hope to return 
to conquer it again someday...maybe even next Summer with my boyfriend :)

6 comments:

ProvidenceMine said... [reply]

Your trip looked absolutely amazing! I love to hike but it's been years since I've done so. Judging from the snapshots I can see why Canadians brag about their country so much. I can also see how you stay so nice and thin! You snack and you look like a nymph, I snack and I look like a spare tire.

Oh, well. What can a girl do.

I hope you document more of your trips in the future! I had a great time looking at this blog entry!

Peace and Blessings :D

Victoria said... [reply]

Great post! I live in North Van and I think we have quite a bit in common. I've been looking forward to doing the trail for years… planning for next summer :) Thanks for your tips about food and such and maybe I'll email you if I have questions in the future!

Lee said... [reply]

What an amazing trip! Good writing and presentation.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said... [reply]

Wow! What a wonderful experience; and how nice that you got to share it with your dad. I bet you he absolutely loved spending that quality time with you :-) (and you with him of course). It looks and sounds like you two had a wonderful time. The food sounds good too!

Trevor said... [reply]

The Vega Sport Peanut Butter bars are where all the magic happens.

Karen (Toronto Girl West) said... [reply]

I love that you and your Dad this together!!!!! What an epic way to make memories! <3

Also, you look to be in a really good place in your life. And I for one am thrilled for you!!!!!

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