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West Coast Trail – The 75km/48 mile hike in Vancouver Island (2021)

by palidanx on 4/23/23, 11:29 PM with 78 comments

• by arecurrence on 4/24/23, 2:42 AM

  When 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.

• by freetime2 on 4/24/23, 7:21 AM

  A 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.

• by justusthane on 4/24/23, 1:01 AM

  Good 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...

• by buildbot on 4/24/23, 3:37 AM

  I 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

  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.

• by micro_cam on 4/24/23, 1:24 AM

  My 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.

• by freefal on 4/24/23, 12:33 AM

  I 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.

• by smallbluedot on 4/24/23, 3:29 PM

  This 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.

• by grecy on 4/24/23, 3:25 AM

  The 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-2

• by svenjr on 4/24/23, 7:44 AM

  This is awesome. You should checkout [FATMAP](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.

• by Dowwie on 4/24/23, 10:53 AM

  There'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

• by renewiltord on 4/24/23, 2:16 AM

  > 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!

• by mactunes on 4/24/23, 4:22 AM

  I 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?

• by btilly on 4/24/23, 5:17 AM

  I 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.

• by seabrookmx on 4/24/23, 4:38 AM

  I 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!

• by gambiting on 4/24/23, 8:57 AM

  >> 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.

• by Magi604 on 4/24/23, 2:57 PM

  I 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.

• by zeagle on 4/24/23, 2:18 AM

  Nice 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.

• by seattle_spring on 4/24/23, 1:07 AM

  Ooh 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.

• by swader999 on 4/24/23, 1:40 PM

  He could have fashioned a tooth brush out of a small stick by just mashing up one end of it. Very nice writeup.

• by iou on 4/24/23, 2:13 AM

  Did this in 2009 and it was so fun, I want to do it again when my kids are old enough to go too.

• by unixhero on 4/24/23, 5:40 AM

  Looks like Norway

• by tjr225 on 4/24/23, 12:37 AM

  “Hacker” news

• by sva_ on 4/24/23, 1:27 AM

  6 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.