West Coast Trail - Walbran to Camper

July 17 – Walbran to Camper Bay

I'd set my alarm for 5:45 a.m., but it had been a cool night. I had both my buff on and the hood of my sleeping bag pulled tight, which meant I didn't hear my alarm. I finally surfaced at 6:20, which still gave me plenty of time to be packed up and on the trail by 7:30.

Today's theme? Mud. Roots. Ladders. Repeat.

At Logan Creek there is a relatively new suspension bridge (built in 2021) which makes crossing this massive gorge very quick and easy. It's a fabulous feat of architecture out in this wilderness, spanning 113m across and 40 m high. I was quite happy to be on my own while crossing as it was quite bouncy with just myself on it! 

In just 9 kilometres, I climbed (or down-climbed) 28 ladders, including the two longest ladder sections on the entire trail, on either side of Cullite Creek. Between them is a short cable car crossing.

I was a little nervous about managing the cable car on my own but with my light pack I was able to lift it one-handed, toss it onto the floor, climb in myself, tuck my trekking poles under my leg, and get settled before letting go with the other hand. Pulling myself across wasn't too bad but I was definitely happy the crossing wasn't any longer!

Despite trying to be extra careful all day, I still managed one good slip and landed squarely on my bum. Thankfully, nothing hurt except maybe my pride.

I didn't take many breaks, which probably wasn't the smartest strategy. By the end of the day, I was definitely slowing down. 

For perspective, the day before, I covered seven kilometres of relatively easy beach walking in about two hours. This day, nine kilometres took six hours. That pretty much sums up how much slower, and wet and muddy, the inland sections can be.

I actually saw fewer hikers than I expected. I met one solo hiker before Cullite, then a couple of larger groups near the creek. One group was coming down the ladders while I was heading up, and everyone patiently took turns. Good trail etiquette!

I reached Camper Bay around 1:30 p.m. and, since not many people had arrived yet, I had my pick of campsites and found a quiet spot away from the main crowd.

One thing I really enjoyed was the number of slugs I saw on this day. And also the variety of colours and sizes they were. 

So yes... today's hike was a real slugfest in more ways than one. LOL!