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Duncan, BC
Canada
17 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 12:09 PM
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Myself, my girlfriend Anne and her step-dad Keith set out to tackle the WCT last week. One of our best friends in the pre-trip planning dept. was a big ol' food dehydrator....we had it running for about 2 weeks straight before the departure, shrinking and miniaturizing onions, carrots, peppers, celery and souvlaki meat strips. Two entire heads of celery, about 20 stalks, dehydrates down to a little ziplock bag about the size of a powerbar. When we got to a camp, the first thing we would do is take out the dried meat and veggies, and put them in water to give them a head start on soaking for dinner. We bought a few "backpacker" meals from MEC, a chocolate dessert thing (which was quite tasty, anne & I took turns licking out the foil bag) and a denver omelette thing (which was exceptionally rubbery), but mostly our meals were of the self-assembled variety, instant rice or noodles, mashed potato flakes, soup mixes with powdered milk, and a scoop of dehydated veggies, and perhaps a dash of curry paste for flavour. Instead of cans, we had some of those foil tuna steak pouches which also worked out quite well. Breakfast was oatmeal, a textured soy protein mix, or pancakes and maple syrup one day. We also brought one of those bizarre precooked, no refrigeration necessary "5-second microwave bacon" packages, and although the slices were thin, a very tasty treat to have bacon on morning 4 of the hike!
The other thing we were keen to do in the trip planning stage was to reduce pack weight as much as possible. I got a digital fish scale off ebay a few weeks prior, and everything got weighed and compared. We left the 8.5 pound Wanderer at home and instead bought a 4-pound MSR Zoid 2 (another ebay special, brand new for basically half of retail!). One set of hiking clothes, and one set of camp/sleeping wear. We passed dozens of people on the trail grunting along with 60 or 70 pound packs, and by the end of each long day of dragging ourselves up & down ladders, or slogging through the sand, we were thankful to have only the weight we did. I started out with a 38 lb backpack, Anne had 34lbs, and Keith was around 43lbs (but he was also packing 6 cans of beer!).
Day 1: Gordon River --> Thrasher Cove (6km)
After staying with a family friend the night before in Port Renfrew, we arrived at the booth fairly well rested and checked in, observing with interest the bulletin board with all the "mama bear with cubs", "agressive male bear", cougar and even wolf sightings on the trail, and Keith dutifully noted the locations in his map for future reference. Keith was convinced at the very last moment to take his wife's neon pink fleece sweater, instead of his own heavy cotton hoody...and for the rest of the trip "Mr. Pink" was quite a sight in the campgrounds. We signed our papers, paid our fees and marched over to the ferry launch. About 5 minutes before the boat left, drops of rain started falling upon everyone. Off came the backpacks and all the raincoats came out....the mood was glum as everyone considered that this would be the start to a miserable day. However by the time we got across the river to the actual trailhead, the drizzle had stopped, and that was the last we'd see of any rain for the rest of the hike! Yes that's right, a complete passage of the West Coast Trail with NO RAIN! Unbelievable!
Our party somehow took the lead after about 30 minutes, and about 4 long muddy hours later we made it to Thrasher Cove. At the end of the beach, we scored (and this would be a recurring theme during the hike!) an awesome camp site featuring a well-constructed driftwood hut with a tarp roof. Apparently other campers had wandered down to that end and figured it was someone else's setup that had just gone for a walk or something, but when we had a closer look and realized that no, it was just a leftover remnant from a previous group, we moved right in. Anne found a very nice MSR stainless steel pot abandoned in the woods, and while I didn't particularily think we needed it, Keith adopted it and added it to his pack - and unlike our other pot which had the no-stick coating, this stainless one could be jammed right into the campfire, and we ended up making excellent use of it to boil water over the next 5 days.
  
Day 2: Thrasher Cove --> Cullite (12km)
After climbing down the last km of steep ladders from the main trail, and talking to a group that had just come along the beach past Owen Point, we elected to try that route rather than go up and through the forest again for the next hike. There was about 2 km of boulders and large rocks to navigate, but luckily everything was fairly dry. The cave at Owen Point was definitely a highlight, and although we reached it with the tides still a bit high, we took off our boots and were able to carefully make our way around it. A few minutes earlier we had passed a girl wearing her sandals and carrying soaking wet boats as she had not been so lucky navigating the slippery rock. The next part of the beach hike was amazing, this huge rock shelf with almost lunar landscapes and all these perfectly spherical tidal potholes. We went up and around two big surge channels, and jumped over a 3rd smaller one. We then were back into the forest for the rest of the day. This was a day of over 8 hours of hiking through some of the toughest terrain, and we were exhausted upon reaching Cullite Creek about 5:30 pm. We found a spot, and set up our tents, and in a matter of minutes another 4 or 5 groups of people showed up - so we were just in time! By this point Keith had heard enough legend of Monique's cafe, and as he was sure he'd be able to replenish his supply there, he proceded to finish off the rest of his beer. As Anne & I are waiting patiently for the camping scientists out there to invent dehydrated beer, we made do with some much more weight-efficient tasty vodka and lemonaid powder cocktails. This was the night where we had our first and only encounter with dangerous wildlife. In the middle of the night, an enterprising mouse chewed its way into the tent, apparently seeking Anne's lip balm, and ran across her face. This prompted an emergency evacuation of the tent and all its contents, to make sure said mouse was not lurking in the folds of a sleeping bag to attack us later. The next morning other parties also reported mouse attacks, pack invasions, and mouse turds in the cups and pots left out.
     
Day 3: Cullite --> Cribs beach (17km)
One dude we had passed on the trail heading south shortly before Cullite Creek suggested we press on that night to get to Walbran, as it was an awesome camping spot. However, after starting out along the next section of the trail after leaving Cullite the next morning we were glad we didn't take his advice - the forest trail towards Walbran was another one of the toughest parts of the trek. It was a hot and sunny morning, and after crossing the Walbran cable car, I had a nice refreshing dip in the river.....it was cool, but I've been swimming in the Cowichan since May, so I'm used to it! After awhile we were back on the beach again, and eventually the Carmanah lighthouse appeared way off in the distance like a fairy-tale castle, gleaming red & white. This was another glorious part of the trail, with easy walking beachs and the beautiful "sea stacks". Another few kilometers and a blue tarp structure was sighted - Chez Moniques! We marched on, had a cold beer and purchased a few more take-outs. The burgers looked tempting but instead of paying $20 for a deluxe burger we thought we'd save our money and go for the fresh crab at the Nitinat ferry the next day instead.
We pushed on towards Cribs beach, somehow thinking it would only be another half hour or so....but it was actually more like 1 1/2 hours, and the beach sand was soft and exhausting. By this point we were all really short on water, and parched by the time we made it to Cribs. There was only one other couple camping there, and again we took residence in a lovely driftwood compound. We saw a few surfers who had arrived on jetskis (from Nitinat?) and were enjoying the big waves in front of us.
    
Day 4: Cribs --> Tsusiat Falls (17km)
Finally the trail was getting easier....we were glad we had chosen to start from the south end and get the hard part over first. Although there were still a few good mudholes, Keith and I had taken off the gaiters as they were just too hot to keep wearing. Up along the trail on the bluffs, we saw a pod of Orcas blowing and jumping way off in the distance. It would have been great to have binoculars. At the Nitinat ferry crossing we took full advantage of their hospitality and feasted on crab and that favorite hiking fuel, "beer". We trudged along, and once again were getting very low on water. For some reason, we thought the campsite for Tsusiat falls was upstream a little further, so Anne and I climbed all the way up the ladders just before the falls before someone told us, no the campng it was actually right on the beach at the base. Two toes on my left foot were feeling very painful at this point, and after another 8 hour, 17km day I was irritated and dehydrated and ready to call it a day. It was another blazing hot day, and finally taking off the boots and dipping my feet into the pool at the base of the falls was heaven. There was very little shade, and we had dumped our packs a few hundred feet down the beach....but while I was sweating and swearing and filtering another batch of water (5 litres x 100 pumps per litre.....gah) Anne and Keith found another primo spot nestled in the driftwood, claimed it, and retrieved our packs. They set up a clothesline and with the tents and sleeping bags hanging up we finally had a nice shady spot to relax and recover. A few minutes later other hikers started pouring in from both directions (Tsusiat Falls is one of the most popular campsites on the trail, for obvious reasons) and again it seemed we were just barely in time to get our primo location. A full dip in the pool, a stiff cocktail, about 2 litres of water, and some hearty dinner and I was feeling much better and ready to enjoy life again. We met some crazy Albertans who, after day 1, had decided to make it a goal to do the whole trail in 80 hours. They had just come 21 km from Carmanah, and were hoping to charge through, blisters and all, to Pacheena the next day (25km) even though it would mean they would arrive too late to catch the shuttle bus out and would have to camp the night at the trailhead anyways. That seemed way too rushed for us, even our 5 nights was pretty much the fastest pace I could imagine doing the hike in. We met lots of people who were planning 7 & 8 days, with lots of time for relaxing and moseying.
    
Day 5: Tsusiat --> Darling river (11km)
Anne had camped at Darling years ago on a school trip, so we were planning to stary there instead of Michigan Creek for our last night. It seemed that every other hiker we talked to along the trail who had stayed at Michigan had the same things to say about it - infested with mice, way too crowded, and no firewood left.....so after a very leisurely 11km walk from the falls, we set up camp nice and early by the Darlington river. Along the beach, I came across an almost brand-new lifejacket....and since I had almost gone into canadian tire the week before to buy one, I decided my bag was light enough and we were close enough to the end that I would pack it home. It did make for a very comfortable backrest that evening! This campsite is where we met up with CT member Canuckgirl and her crew of merry travellers again, they were debating whether to stay there or carry on to Michigan, but eventually walked on the extra 2 km.
   
Day 6: Darling --> Pacheena (14km)
The next morning we were sitting around the campfire drinking hot chocolate when two grey whales were spotted right in front of us, surfacing and blowing. I tried to get out there with my camera to take some shots, but the timing just didn't work.
We made awesome time through the last section of trail, had a brief stop at the Pacheena lighthouse (and marvelled at their 6 gigantic tanks of diesel) and came to a section of trail with huge old growth trees uprooted everywhere from the big windstorm of winter 2007. Now at this point we were almost at the end, just one nagging issue: along the way, all the ladders are numbered in order - and starting out at about #90, we had watched the numbers gradually go down. But the last ladder number we saw was 12, and that was quite a ways back. Where were these last 11 ladders? A-ha. Right at the very end of the trail. None of us was too impressed at this point, but at least we had had lots of experience with climbing up and down by then. Out to the trailhead, a painfully slow lunch at the Bamfield restaurant, and then a ride back to Duncan via the logging roads to Lake Cowichan. Still haven't quite unpacked everything yet, but what can I say? It was a fantastic trip, no bears, no blisters and no rain!
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Edited by - Randy Benders on 07/06/2008 4:50 PM
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 Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 1:15 PM
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Dehydrating food; smart cookie!  I do just the opposite, down here in the land of sand; I pack every kind of wet food to stay hydrated; peaches, 3 litres of water, packs O' GU, fresh fruit,
ahhhh...water! water! Water!
I know how you feel about the extra weight carrying. I even would go as far as "unsalted" pretzels...hehe.
Great TR! Great to have those places to refuel. Dehydrated beer?
We need it, for sure! Great pictures, too! Memories of a lifetime in a fantastic trek like that. |
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Langley, BC
Canada
243 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 3:29 PM
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| Awesome pics and report, still one of my goals to do in life. I had a friend that just went last week and probley still there. Thats cool that there was a huge anchor there in the photo. |
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Penhold, Alberta
Canada
2009 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 6:33 PM
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Great report Randy! Sounds like you folks did a great job at meal planning and it obviously paid off with the low pack weights too. I've been there 3 times and each report I read this summer begs me to plan another trip in the future. Thanks for sharing your trip. |
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bandana wearin', pole huckin', view lovin', dog herdin', 4x4 navigatin', lake huntin', butt-slidin' bridge crosser, who enjoys postholing with an overnighter pack
Surrey, BC
Canada
4649 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 6:45 PM
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That was a great read  . Thanks for posting a T/R on your trip. I loved the part about the mouse scurrying across somebody's face - priceless |
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6784 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 7:31 PM
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| Well done and well written |
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surrey, bc
Canada
1389 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 9:07 PM
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hey, good to see u're report! :)
re: the smaller, lighter packs.. trust me, i had eyed up a few of those along the way with envy! amazing how much food weighs eh!? my pack was 15lbs lighter at the end..
re: the mouse and the tent - u can tell Anna that she isn't alone.. same thing happened to me.. lesson learned!
re: the bright pink sweater - haha! :) it was pretty noticeable.. kinda glad to hear it belonged to his wife! hehe! ;)
was great meeting u all! :) |
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Fleece thong wearin, Buntzen Lurkin, mystic poet mountain man and international spokesman of the friends of the white squirrel society
Port Moody, B.C.
Canada
5908 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 11:26 PM
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Another good report on one of the top 5 hikes I have done in my life.
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 08:47 AM
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| Great report, thanks for sharing. |
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ass wigglin, cheese lovin, 4x4 drivin, apostrophe hatin, hiking chick who loves camping on snow
spaceship..
Canada
7209 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 08:52 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by darrenbell
each report I read this summer begs me to plan another trip in the future.
Me too.
$20 for a burger? Whoa, I don't remember paying that much.. although it was three years ago when I did this trip.
I enjoyed reading your TR and your photos, thankyou for sharing  |
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Duncan, BC
Canada
17 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 9:30 PM
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Thanks for the comments everyone! And nice to meet you too canuckgurl on the trail.
There's a few video clips too from the trek, but I haven't really had time to go through them yet, I'd like to try and make a little sequence for youtube or something.
Yeah, Monique's had the "plain" burgers for $15, and the deluxe bacon cheeseburger affair was $20...but if you've come all that way hankerin' for a trailburger, you might as well go all out! |
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New Westminster, BC
Canada
173 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2008 : 10:39 PM
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| We're leaving on Friday for our 2nd stab at the WCT -- glad to see you got good weather! Nice report, awesome photos. |
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new Westminster, bc
Canada
365 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2008 : 09:32 AM
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| $20 for a burger!!! I hope this is wrong as we were planning to eat there twice!!! |
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Coffee swillin', wine lovin', Owl fearin' Andie McDowell stunt double, who sports retro gear
Vancouver, BC
5466 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2008 : 11:28 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by arbutusq
$20 for a burger!!! I hope this is wrong as we were planning to eat there twice!!!
I remember it being about $9 in 2005. Oh well, I guess they can charge what people are willing to pay; nobody is forced to eat there although, it sure is hard to resist since it's there, and cravings are high by the time you reach Carmanah. |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13460 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2008 : 1:03 PM
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Wow , those burgers got to be something real special. Ingredients or the love of cooking and charging high ?
You put in an awesome detailed report, whch I have not finished but will enjoy later on.
Very nicely done,
K |
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12 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2008 : 5:03 PM
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| The burgers are huge... I had two of the basic ones in June :) |
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West Coast Trail ***** June 26-July 1, 2008
