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.
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| 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.
