West Coast Trail - Nitinaht to Walbran

July 15 – Nitinaht to Carmanah

The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. and after all the planning and organizing, I was excited to get going. 

The mandatory check in and trail briefing at the Parks office started at 7:00 a.m., followed by the boat ride across the Nitinaht Narrows. Similar to last year, Carl Edgar was my boat drive. He and his wife, Shelley, operate the boat service and the famous Crab Shack where many hikers stop for a meal along the trail. I knew I had a longer day ahead (13.5 km) so I didn't stop for breakfast and got on the trail just before 9:00.

The first couple of kilometres were almost entirely boardwalk through the forest. It was impossible not to appreciate the incredible amount of work that has gone into building and maintaining this trail. The boardwalk stretches on and on, winding through giant trees and over wet areas that would otherwise be nearly impossible to cross.

Lots of roots to navigate.

I saw a lot of this view! :-) 

Soon enough, the trail opened onto the beach, and the hiking became even more enjoyable. The hard-packed sand made for easy walking, and there were long stretches of flat rock shelves where I could really make good time. 

One of the first tide-dependent sections was around Dare Point. The tides were favourable until about 12:20, but by 11:30 I still had a couple of kilometres to go. Not knowing exactly what lay ahead, I decided to play it safe and started to go back onto the forest trail. Before long I reached another beach access, and the beach looked much faster than the forest. I picked up the pace, hustled along the shoreline, and reached Cribs Creek just as the tide was getting closer to shore. Thankfully, there was no issue getting through. 

Many hikers stop here at Cribs campsite but it's a busy one so I wanted to get a bit further to one of the lesser used sites. But the day did get a little more challenging. 

The beach sand became softer and the hiking more tiring, so I stopped for a quick snack before continuing. Then came a few kilometres through the forest that seemed to be nothing but mud and tree roots. It definitely slowed me down a bit. 

I arrived at Carmanah Creek campground just before 3:00 p.m., about six hours after starting the hike. It felt good to finally drop the pack.

Along the way I spotted a colony of sea lions hauled out on a rocky island well offshore. I could hear them barking long before I could really see them, and the smell carried surprisingly far too! Even with my camera's zoom lens, they were pretty distant, but it was still neat to see them.

Sadly, the lighthouses along the trail are now closed due to ground stability issues but you can still get a look at them from afar. 

Once I was settled into camp, the hikers beside me suddenly pointed out toward the ocean. "Whales!"

The first thing I saw was several large spouts of water rising above the water. A little later, a few fins appeared. Although I didn't get any great photos, watching them, and watching for them, was a pretty incredible way to end the day.  

Can you spot the water spray from the whale? 

Best photo I got of a whale! LOL!

July 16 – Carmanah to Walbran

I woke up around 6:00 a.m. and took my time packing up camp. The tent was soaked with morning dew, so I had to wipe it down a couple times before stuffing it into my pack. By the time everything was packed, I changed into my water shoes, crossed Carmanah Creek, switched back into my hiking shoes, and finally got underway at about 8:00.

The creek crossing turned out to be much easier than I had expected. It was only about mid-calf deep and maybe ten feet across where it meets the ocean.

The first part of the day was another enjoyable beach walk. The sand was firm and Bonilla Point, about two kilometres away, only took me around half an hour to reach.

After that, the sand became much softer, making for slower going. Somewhere along the way I passed Vancouver Point without even realizing it. Vancouver Point is where you have to make a decision, based on tides and water level of Walbran Creek, to either take the beach route or the forest route. I'd talked to a few people heading the opposite direction who had already passed Walbran and they assured me it was crossable and the forest route wouldn't be required. 

These sea stacks were so interesting!

Thankfully, the walking improved again once I reached the sandstone shelves. As long as I stayed closer to the water where the rock wasn't as slippery, it was much easier than trudging through the soft sand. 

The timing of the tides couldn't have worked out better. They were at their lowest point when I reached the creek crossing near Walbran. Instead of using the cable car, there was a gravel bar across the mouth of the creek, so I was able to simply walk across. I was more than happy about that, especially after hearing that one of the cable car ropes had become frayed and was difficult to pull. Later in the day, as the tide came back in, I watched other hikers making the crossing by cable car instead.

I rolled into Walbran Creek around 10:00 a.m., which left me with a very relaxed day ahead.

Rain was in the forecast, so arriving early didn't bother me one bit. I'd much rather spend a rainy afternoon relaxing in my tent than hiking through it. In the end, only a few light spits of rain ever materialized.

I found a fantastic campsite tucked away in the forest. It was quiet, peaceful, and for a while I had the area completely to myself.

The rest of the afternoon was wonderfully uneventful. I wandered around camp, took a few photos, spent some time reading my book, and simply enjoyed being there.  

West Coast Trail - Getting There

Adventures on the West Coast Trail start long before you actually set foot on the trail. From planning and preparing food, checking things off the packing list, getting it all to fit into your backpack, and making it as light as possible is just the start. A light pack makes for a happy Shelley.  :-) 

July 13 – Port Renfrew

After having a good gym session in the morning, I drove up to Port Renfrew in the afternoon. My first stop was the Pacheedaht Campground office so I knew exactly where I needed to be the next morning. It always feels good to take a little uncertainty out of an early start.

With that taken care of, I headed over to Botanical Beach. It was low tide, which is supposed to be the best time to visit, but I must not have hit it quite right. I didn't see many sea creatures beyond a few little crabs scurrying around the rocks. Even so, it's a beautiful spot and a nice way to ease into the trip.

On the way back to Port Renfrew, I passed two women hiking into town with big backpacks. They looked liked they'd just come off the Juan de Fuca Trail. I thought of my own upcoming hike and know I would not like a 5-6 km walk along the road back into town so I stopped and gave them a ride. They were very appreciative and it gave me an opportunity to ask questions about that trail. 

Dinner was at the Renfrew Pub, where I had delicious pulled pork tacos paired with a Lone Tree blackberry cider. An excellent choice, if I do say so myself.

That night I stayed in one of the Hiker Huts. They were clean, comfortable, and set up with bunk beds. And one of the few places that you could book for just one night so it's perfect for hikers passing through. I wish the huts had their own washrooms though. Every middle-of-the-night bathroom trip involved a headlamp lit walk outside. 

July 14 – The Journey to Nitinaht

The morning started with breakfast at the Coastal Kitchen Café, conveniently located just across the street from the Hiker Huts. After that, it was back to the Pacheedaht campground to park the car. Five days of parking cost $100 (ouch!) and before long I was boarding the West Coast Trail bus.

As I climbed aboard, I overheard two women chatting about pack weights. One commented on how light the other's pack was at 37 pounds.

"So how much does yours weigh?" she asked.

"Oh... in the 60s," came the reply. "But I've got three pairs of shoes in there."

I'm still not sure if she was joking. I quietly kept the fact that my pack weighed only about 25 pounds to myself!

One thing I wasn't prepared for was how cold the bus would be. The air conditioning ran the entire trip, and even wearing my sun hoodie over my T-shirt, I was freezing.

Great views from the front seat of the bus!

The drive was smooth until just after Pine Point Recreation Area, when the road turned into a long stretch of rough logging road. At first it wasn't too bad, but eventually it became incredibly bumpy. I was very happy that Nitinaht was my destination and I didn't have to endure the whole ride to Pachena Bay.

We arrived at the Nitinaht Junction around noon, but getting everyone unloaded and onto the shuttle took a little while. There were only seven of us heading to Nitinaht, and we finally reached the West Coast Trail office around 12:25, only to discover they were closed for lunch until 1:00. After that, there was another wait before we could check into our rooms at 3:00.

With time to spare, I wandered down to the river and spent some time watching the kite surfers. They made it look so effortless, gliding back and forth across the water. It was a relaxing way to pass the afternoon.

Once I checked into the Nitinaht motel, I grabbed a cold drink and a few snacks from the nearby store, stretched out on the bed, and enjoyed some quiet reading time.

Later that evening, I headed out to explore. I stumbled across a beautiful hiking trail that began beside two totem poles before winding through a peaceful forest of towering trees. It eventually led to the river, where everything was calm and quiet. I retraced my steps back to town, feeling like I'd discovered a hidden little gem.

Puppy Season

Puppy -- as in baby seal pups! 

Every late July / early August since we moved to Victoria, we've seen the yearly gathering of momma seals and their babies on Colvile Island, which is just in front of our home. This year, we also saw them on an even smaller island just a little further west of us. 

The lighting was particularly good a couple mornings ago so I got out there with my camera before it changed. 

I was just about to head back inside when I realized that Andrew, who'd headed out earlier for a walk, was also busy taking photos of them! He got a bit closer than I did, plus has a larger telephoto so I'm sure he got some really good ones!