West Coast Trail
2006

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75 km, six days, five nights, 120 something bridges, maybe twice (?) that many ladders, multiple blisters on every foot, gorgeous weather, awesome beach camping and lots of Germans. It's the West Coast Trail.

Several of my friends have done this hike and so it got me going loooong ago. They all described it as "Incredible!", "Fantastic!", "The most amazing thing we have ever done!" and "A death march...!" Nice. Shelley and I finally decided to give it a shot and so three months ago we tried and managed to reserve our slot/permit to hike this thing.

I'll try to relay the important details here...

Hiking Permit - You will need one. Reservations can be made by calling the Super Natural British Columbia Reservation Service and you can find instructions and phone numbers on the BC Parks web site. You need to call three months in advance to reserve a spot. When you call make sure that you

1. know what trailhead you will be starting from
2. know what date you want to start and what date you expect to finish
3. have a 'plan B' ready in case your first choice of dates is full
4. have a credit card handy

Shuttle Bus - If you want to get from one trailhead to the other, the West Coast Trail Express will take you there. You need to reserve your spot on the bus in advance.

Parking - You might need this as well but it does not have to be paid for in advance. There is a pay lot .5 km from the south trailhead, just pull in and pay.

Orientation - This is something you HAVE to attend at one trailhead or other before you start hiking. It takes about 45 minutes and contains important updates about trail conditions and tides. It's only scheduled about three times/day so plan accordingly if you want to hike really far the first day. Once you complete your orientation they will give you a permit which gets you on the two ferries and your tide table.

Ferry Fees - This is required to cross the two water channels that are too large to wade and where there are no suspension bridges or cable cars. When we went it was $30 Canadian per person which covered the ferry in the middle of the hike and the ferry at the south trailhead. You pay this fee at the trailhead where you start your hike when you receive your orientation.

Cash - Bring some. Food is available at roughly the half way point and at the ferry in the middle of the trail. It sure is nice to be able to get a beer/soda/some food after eating freeze dried meals for 48-72 hours straight! Beer costs $5 Canadian and meals run about $15 Canadian. They also have candy bars. :)