Monday and Tuesday, September 25 & 26, 2023 - Hiding From the Storm - 0.00 miles - 0’ total vertical up - 0’ down - Zeroing at Nitinat

There are lots of reasons to take a zero. Most usually involve a need of rest or resupply or injury healing time. On this trip it was to avoid bad weather. 

A storm has been building off the coast of Vancouver Island for most of the week leading up to this hike. We have watched each day, wishing it would go away or that the weather services were wrong. Friday was gorgeous, as forecast. Saturday rained all morning as forecast, but gave us an unexpected dry afternoon. Sunday was supposed to be rain free until late in the afternoon, and it was. Monday and Tuesday were to be nasty with a strong storm surge and heavy rains. And they were. So we spent both days and the three nights bookending those days at Nitinat. We had a cabin with no electricity, four queen sized bunk beds, a propane heater and a couple chairs and tables. We were comfortable and dry. But it seemed noisy here. The roar of the ocean was loud and unremitting. The storm had worked the ocean to a frenzy. We sat in our cabin or out on the deck or down at the Crab Shack and watched water flow into the “lake” from the ocean all day long, regardless which way the tide was supposed to be going, due to the storm surge. The water level in the estuary was full, the water was right up to the branches of the shoreline trees that hang over the water surface, close to the water line. Foam and debris were carried into the “lake” as they called it, from the ocean all day. 

Both days were exceedingly relaxed days. Up about 8:00am. Breakfast of cereal on my bunk. Down to the Crab Shack to sit around the wood stove and chat with people. I watched 6 episodes of “Stranger Things” during the two days. Played cribbage with Malcolm. 

We spent a lot of time hanging in our room just talking. Super nice. Got to know Bones better, as well as catch up with Malcolm. Super fun people to be around.

On Tuesday there was a break in the rain.  We hiked south on the trail about a mile, retracing our steps, and then left the mail trail to follow a connecting route to the ocean shore. Here we found the surf pounding, 12 foot or better waves smashing into the rocks and up surge channels. We hung out for over an hour just marveling at the waves and making phone calls home. In Nitinath we didn’t have any cell service. Here we had nearly four bars. It gave Malcolm a chance to catch up with Michelle on the John Muir Trail and to find where she had been the past few days and what her plans were going forward. I connected with Andy, he was at Disneyland, and with Sally. 

Back at the Crab Shack Malcolm and I started a Crib game while waiting for crab dinner. We had to suspend play when the crab was served but finished once we had the table wiped down. A Canadian hiker named Delaney wanted to play the winner. Malcolm scored 23 on his first hand against Delaney and never looked back, double skunking him. His friend, Kenny wanted in on the action so we played a game of four handed, Malcolm and I against Delaney and Kenny, Yanks versus the Canucks. There was much playful banter about cheating as Malcolm and I pulled ahead. Kenny was spouting political complaints about our two left leaning leaders, Trudeau and Biden while we countered. At times it felt slightly hostile. It didn’t help that at the end of the game, when boxing up the cards I accidentally dropped a card on my lap that I didn’t notice until I scooted back. Of course it was an ace. More semi friendly jiving about cheating occurred, especially now that they had the “evidence”. 

During these two days the sound of the pounding surge of surf out on the ocean filled the air. It wasn’t until after the storm had passed Wednesday morning that we noticed how quiet it had become that we realized how big and unusual the storm surge had been. 

We had the chance to interact with Sam and his wife Hazel, both 1st nation natives of Canada while we were in the Crab Shack. Sam's brother, Carl started the Crab Shack 23 years ago. On Monday Carl and his wife Shelly took over the duties of cooking and tallying food orders to tabs. Both women were a little standoffish unless they were talking about themselves or their families. Carl and Sam were both jovial men, good story tellers and liked to sit around the wood stove and bs. It was fun to get to know them a bit. The only non-native worker was Hippie Doug. We aren't quite sure how he got into this self proclaimed nepotism group enterprise, but he was well liked and an industrious worker. The first night at the Crab Shack he had a few beers and loosened up a bit.

The group of 7 that had rode across the Gordon RIver at the start of the trail had arrived Tuesday morning at the Crab Shack with tales of horror. The night before they had been camping on the beach. The storm surge had created waves and tide so high that at least one washed under their tents and lifted their sleeping pads off the ground.  Pouring down rain, windy and now a wave threatening to wash them out to sea in the dark. They had had enough and were taking the boat up the Nitinat Lake to the other end and bailing out of the rest of the hike. It made our decision to hike quick and hole up in Nitinat seem all the more appropriate. 

It seemed like we should pack up and get ready to go Tuesday night for an early start on Wednesday, but the first boat ride across the narrows doesn't go until 9:30am and the tides won't allow us on the beaches until after 2:00pm. We just went to bed and planned to pack up in the morning.

Tuesday afternoon south a mile from Nititat, on the beach watching the storm surf pound the coastline

The Crab Shack and dock

Bones and Malcolm taking it easy in the Crab Shack as rain falls outside.

Cabin #1, our home for three nights while the rain fell, the wind blew and the ocean pounded the coastline. In the background is the narrows that connects the ocean to Lake Nitinat. The storm surge pushed the water inland all day Monday and Tuesday, filling the 30Km long lake to capacity.

Malcolm and Malcolm drying out and enjoying the warmth of the Crab Shack as Sunday comes to a close.

The Crab Shack floating on its log pontoons in the Nitinat Lake. We saw seals, otters, salmon and birds during our stay.

The deck on the front of Cabin #1, overlooking the narrows. The foam can be seen streaming into the lake from the ocean. Malcolm Jr set up his tent on the deck so he could sleep outside. Dry and comfortable.

Ryan lowering the live crab pot over the side. If you ordered crab to eat, up came the cage, out came a crab and shortly you were eating it. Doesn't get any fresher.

Malcolm, Malcom and Bones enjoying a whole crab each

Malcolm outside the Crab Shack on the slippery deck

Hippie Doug pilots the boat across the narrows on Wednesday morning, the Crab Shack receding into the distance.

Sunday, September 24, 2023 - Racing a Storm - 11.86 miles - 958 total vertical up - 741’ down - 6hrs 30 minutes - Bonilla to Nitinat

Glorious sleep!!  It took me a while to fall asleep last night. I had cramping on my right shin that wouldn’t leave me alone. I massaged it, took ibuprofen and a Benadryl and it eventually gave me a break and let me doze off. About three pee wake ups during the night and it was 7:30am. My tent was pitched perfectly on loose, deep, large grained sand. Lots of room inside. Mattress was inflated perfectly. So comfortable. Bliss. I spent an hour writing yesterday’s blog and finally emerged from my tent about 8:30am. As is my practice, I pack everything in my pack while still in my tent, then step out, roll up the tent and put it in the outside pocket and I am ready to go. 

I found Malcolm at our cooking station amongst the driftwood logs under the tarp having his morning coffee. I joined him, getting out my “Morning Sunrise” almond base cereal and having it for breakfast. He talked about a 9:00am “wheels up”, but it slipped by as he continued to pack. I had the tarp down and stored and was ready to go. My shoes were still sopping wet from yesterday’s romp through the mud in the rain, so I had put on my wet socks to make a matched set. Malcolm’s right knee started giving him pain year afternoon and was better after the night’s rest, but still talking to him. We set off down the beach, our first landmark ahead was Carnahan River and the cable car across it. Malcolm Jr. was a few minutes behind as was Bones. 

We climbed the ladder to get off the beach up to the cable car, loaded ourselves in it and shoved off. It was a hard pull to get up to the unload station. Bones had arrived at the loading station and was waiting on the other side. We sent the car back, held it for him while he loaded on, and helped pull him across the river. We had been walking toward the Carnahan Lighthouse, it off in the distance, white against dark green evergreens, standing out on the point. When we got to Carmahan Point we scaled ladders to gain the high ground and followed the forest path thru the trees until we had beach access again. Malcolm and I were up ahead of Bones and Malcolm Jr by quite a bit. We hadn’t seen them for a few hours. Once on the beach we felt the wind had freshened, but it wasn’t cold. We were still in T-shirts and shorts. We could see white objects in the distance down the shore. We weren’t sure what they were. The footing was at times very grippy sandstone, sometimes slippery rock, then firm sand and occasionally soft sand. As we approached the white objects we found they were tents, Teddy Roosevelt type. Up the beach a bit further we found the hamburger shack. The proprietors have to pack in all their goods, so prices are steep. $37 for a burger and coleslaw. We stopped in to say hi, then continued on. The path split in just 100 yards, beach or forest. We chose forest because the tide was a bit too high yet. The path was overgrown and the salal tore at our clothing and packs as we pushed through. In about a kilometer we dropped back to the beach. 

It was now noon. I suggested a stop for lunch and within a couple hundred yards found a rock shelf to duck behind to block the wind while I ate. Malcolm wasn’t hungry having eaten the equivalent of two breakfasts a few hours earlier. 

While stopped, Malcolm Jr and Bones caught up. I ate and Jr taped Sr’s sore knee. We were soon off. We rounded a point and had to ladder up off the beach to make it around a point for about half a mile. While traversing the top of the cliff’s edge Malcolm pulled out his phone to take a photo. It slipped out of his hands and flew off the cliff’s edge. Luckily, it got caught in the shrubbery about six feet down. He was at the rear of the line, maybe 30’ behind so he yelled to get us to stop, then climbed over the edge to retrieve his phone. I came running to see what the yelling was about only to just his arm reaching up from the abyss and his son reaching for him. I didn’t know what was going on, but from my perspective, Malcolm had fallen off and Malcolm Jr was trying to save him. 

The trail returned to the beach and followed the shoreline up to the Cheewhat River. Here we headed inland to cross a suspension bridge. From here on we are on trail and boardwalk all the way to Nitinat and the infamous Crab Shack. The boardwalk decks through this section were particularly slippery. Neither Malcolm nor I took a tumble off the decking, but we each slipped numerous times and we’re extra careful with foot placements and balance. 

We had been casually racing the approaching storm that we had been tracking for close to a week and now it was catching up with us. A gentle rain started when we’re five minutes from the Crab Shack. Upon arrival, we walked under their covered area and shed our packs out of the rain, then walked down the ramps to the Crab Shack to inquire about extending our nights of lodging. 

The Crab Shack is a three sided building suspended on floating logs in the Nitinat River, tied to the south shore. The open side faces the river. The open area has a big wood stove in the middle of the 15’x15’ room with one table against the bank side wall. Plastic patio chair surrounding the wood stove are filled with hikers. Hanging from the rafters are numerous coat hangers adorned with wet socks and boots basking in the heat rising from the stove below. Facing inward, to the left is a high counter and opening to the kitchen beyond. Here Hazel and Ryan are cooking up food and tallying the money. 62 year old Sam, a retired fish and wildlife agent and Hippie Doug tend to the boats that ferry hikers across the river, the wood stove fire and spin tales and stories when around the stove during lulls in their duties, share their reefers and take turns being the town drunk. 

We were able to negotiate three nights in cabin one. It sits above the “lake” with a commanding view. The lake is extremely affected by the tides at this point, only 500 meters from the ocean.  The water surges in and out with the changing of the tides rushing past the front of our cabin at remarkable speeds. 

Both Malcolm and Bones went down to enjoy a crab and salmon dinner after we had settled in. I, not wanting to shell out $40 for dinner had my curry rice and chicken dinner up on the deck of our cabin. 

My shoes have been absolutely soaked for two days. I asked Bones if he could hang them over the wood stove for me when he went down. I spent an hour cooking and eating and watching an old episode of Stranger Things on my phone, then walked barefoot down to the Shack to enjoy the company of our hosts, other hikers and companions. 

I talked with Sam and Hippie Doug for a while, learning about the surrounding area. I was right by the stove, warming and drying my toes. Malcolm and I had a long discussion about our history with cars. It was now half an hour past hiker midnight (8:00pm) so I headed for bed by headlamp, still bare foot, my shoes still drying. What an amazing day!!

Heading up the beach

Lighthouse on point in distance 

Bones and long cable car

Lots of beach walking

Around a point

Getting off the beach to round a headland 

Looking down

Trail on bluff where Malcolm dropped his phone

In the Crab Shack


Our cabin #1 for three nights

Nitinat Lake/Inlet from our cabin

At night in the crab shack

Saturday, September 23, 2023 - What a Day! - 10.88 miles - 925 total vertical up - 1004’ down - 7hr 37 minutes - Camper Bay to Bonilla

I put all my food in the bear box last night before heading to bed. Well, I thought I did. At about 3:00am while I was partially asleep, I felt something run across my sleeping quilt. I reacted and it began running around in my tent, bouncing off of me and the walls. In my half awakened state, in the dark, I pictured a bird trapped in my tent. I know, that makes no sense, but when you are asleep and awakened by a rodent using the inside of your tiny tent as a road rally track it is hard to be coherent. All I could think of was unzipping the tent so what ever was inside could get out. As I groped for the zipper, the frenetic activity stopped. Whatever it was, it had left thru the holes it had chewed through the mosquito netting. 

I inspected my pack and found it had chewed through the waist belt pocket to get to two used Next Bar wrappers. There was no food, just empty Next Bar wrappers that it had chewed. The damage? My frazzled nerves, two holes chewed in the mosquito netting and one of my waist belt pocket’s zipper destroyed. 

Our plan to get moving by 7:00am to get an hour or two of rain free walking got backed up to 7:45am. I woke Kiwi Comet at 6:00am and trudged over to the food locker to retrieve our bags. I did my usual routine and was ready about 6:50am, but Malcolm’s routine takes longer than an hour. It was good because I actually did my stretching/yoga and brushed my teeth while waiting for him to get ready. We all gathered at the foot of the cable car crossing the river, then headed up the trail. We climbed 400’ right off the bat, getting up out of the Camper River drainage, including a number of ladders. KC was still walking with us. We all were enjoying her company. Really nice kid. The trail was in the forest and was a tangle of roots, downed trees, stumps and extended boardwalks punctuated buy mud fields. As the morning progressed the sky got darker and darker and the rain started about 9:30am, an hour later than predicted. We all whipped out our umbrellas, except KC. She decided to just let the rain fall on her and soak her clothing. It wasn’t particularly cold. Even with our umbrellas we all got wet around the shoulders, but it was nice not to have the rain falling on our heads and running down our faces. Malcolm and I figured how to stabilize the umbrella handle to our chest strap so we had hands free to use our poles, a must on the slippery logs, boards and stumps. It worked well especially on the ladders. There we went down nine in a row descending to Cullite Creek cable car crossing and 7 in a row ascending the other side. I managed to get my heart rate to 166 by the top of the last ladder on the climb up!

After crossing the cable car at Cullite Creek, Malcolm Jr., who is usually way out front and waiting for us, lingered a few minutes at the crossing (he boulder hopped the river) to get water while the rest of us kept going. We had made a pact that the last person in line would actually be two people so if one slipped and got injured there would be someone there to help. About 30 minutes after the crossing KC caught up with us and said she had expected Malcolm to catch up with her, but, uncharacteristically, he had not. She was concerned that he might have fallen on the continuously hazardous footing. We stopped, thanked her, and started to divide up, Malcolm and Bones to go back and find him, InReach devices for communication and so forth, largely orchestrated by KC. Her whitewater rafting guide skill set coming to the surface. Just as Malcolm and Bones were preparing to leave, in sauntered Malcolm, unhurt, just taking it easy. 

More forest obstacles brought us to the ladders descending into Walbran creek and a decision to either take to the beach which would require wading Walbran Creek or use the cable car to cross and more forest walking. We chose the beach. A short 3 or 4 minutes and we emerged from the forest to a sight I had never seen before. The sky and beach were solid seagulls. Thousands and thousands. I was transfixed. Magnificent. What causes them to all congregate here, at this time?

We moved just a bit down the beach away from the mass congregation and stopped at the camping area to eat lunch. KC let us know she was going to go ahead, possibly going on to the next campsite beyond what we had planned. We wished her well and after she left all agreed she was a remarkable 22 year old and we all enjoyed her company. Damn. Didn't get her contact information. She would be fun to connect with over the years to see where she ended up.

The rain had stopped. We put on some clothes to avoid a chill in our wet shirts, ate and then started down the beach, happy to avoid climbing over forest obstacles. The creek had a large driftwood log in the middle that allowed us to hop across without getting our feet wet. The sun peeked out occasionally through the haze and clouds and we were able to mostly dry our clothing as we walked. The surface varied from slippery sandstone and mudstone to trudge worthy deep pebbly sand, but with no logs and stumps to clamber over. The going was easier by far. 

We arrived at Bonilla Camping area about 3:30pm, set up camp and hung clothing to dry. A nice waterfall brought the creek to the beach. Malcolm and I ate dinner together under the tarp I had set up and enjoyed the occasional sun and no rain. I crawled into my tent a little before 8:00pm and other than a cramping muscle on my right calf was soon asleep. 

Malcolm with his morning coffee

Some structures are better than others. Bones negotiates this one.

Lots of long, slippery boardwalks

Ladders and umbrellas 

Thru the meadow

Typical bad section of trail

Long suspension bridge across river

Unbelievable number of seagulls 

Video of Seagulls

Beach hiking 

Campsite at Bonilla

Sunset from my tent

Friday, September 22, 2023 - What a Day! - 9.71 miles - 1684 total vertical up - 1542 down - 7hr 15 minutes - Port Renfrew to Camper Bay

Didn’t sleep real well last night. We forgot to check the thermostat on the baseboard heater before we slept. It was set at 22°C. I fidgeted and slept poorly until 2:00am. I crawled down the ladder from my bunk and checked the temp. Too hot. I cranked it down to 15°. It took about 30 minutes for the room to cool. After that I slept well. Also, at 2:00am I dropped my iPhone and had to crawl down and retrieve it. While down I watered the ground outside the front porch. The door was incredibly squeaky as I opened and closed it. I am sure it woke Malcolm. 

We got up about 6:30am. I had a bowl of Morning Sunrise for breakfast seated inside our cabin, then packed up and waited. The bus was set to pick us up at 8:45am. Malcolm grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the restaurant across the street where Bones and Malcolm Junior had a “logger breakfast”. 

We walked down to the bus pickup spot, the same place where we were dropped off yesterday and waited for the bus. Malcolm tried to get more money from the cash machines in the area but none would comply. 

The bus was a few minutes late and we were beginning to panic. At 8:50am I could here it rattling in the distance and announced its arrival. A quick 10 minute ride and we were back at the registration office. We secured our permit and Parks Canada Pass, then sat around another half hour waiting for our orientation to begin. The park employee guided us into a room and went through the same information we got from the required video. At 10:20am we were out and at 10:30am she lead us to the boat dock. 

As we walked we strategized on the best way to be first off the boat. We reasoned if we boarded last we could get off first. There were about 14 of us vying for spots. When we reached the gangway they let the first ten on and told us to wait until he dropped them off and then he would come back for us. Not good. We explained we were heading to the second campsite, Camper Bay, not the first, Thrasher. The captain of the boat told us we could ride back by his wheel house. We scampered down the gangway and boarded. They dropped us off on the other side of the river, but we were at the back of the boat and were to be the last to disembark. Bones walked right between the 10 seated to the front before the landing craft ramp was lowered. Everyone else stood, blocking both Malcolms and me. Young Malcolm jumped up on the wide gunwales and walked past everyone. Old Malcolm asked if anyone else was going to Campers. Only a young girl said she was and volunteered to join us. Everyone else got the idea to let us climb the ladder off the beach first. Bones and Malcolm were already at the base of the ladder and climbing. We cued up at the bottom and waited our turn, happy to be at the front of the line. Once each of us finished the climb we started hiking, not waiting for the next person to top out. We had discussed the idea that if we waited at the top then all walked to the next ladder we would all be waiting at the bottom of it while we each climbed. We just walked apart so as to maximize our speed. We had a long way to go. As someone we met yesterday said, “If you can make it to Camper the first day, you’ll be legendary!!

The girl who said she would like to hike with us was Hailey, a 22 year old from New Zealand traveling by herself. She fit right in with us older men and talked with each of us as we traversed the trail, sometimes at the back with Bones and Malcolm, sometimes with me near the front. She was cracking me up. She was absolutely comfortable with the four of us and appeared to delight in talking to each of us for the whole day as we walked the trail. We gave her the trail name “Kiwi Comet”

The going was varied. The trail might be like any other trail for a few hundred feet, then an absolute tangle of roots and logs to climb over, then a series of ladders. It climbed and descended constantly making forward progress a challenge. 

We made it to the Thrasher turnoff in about 2 hrs 20 minutes, well below the 3-5 hour estimate. We continued on toward Camper Beach. At the first beach access we dropped our packs at the trail junction and climbed down the ladders to the beach. It was solid bedrock and the tide was high enough to block our passage. We snapped a few photos and returned to the forest trail, about 4Km left to go. 

All of us were getting a little tired. This is more obstacle course than trail. Thank goodness it hasn’t rained all summer. I would not say the trail was dry. It was quite muddy in places. With the rain in the forecast we could see what a quagmire this will be in the days ahead. 

Finally we descended into Camper Creek via four ladders, then rode a cable car across the stream to the other side. We really didn’t need to ride the cable car. The river was very low and we could have rock hopped across. But this was the first cable car of the trip and we wanted to ride it. We camped just off the beach, Malcolm and I squeezing our tents into a level area just off the beach. Malcolm Jr. decided to sleep out on the beach nearer the surf Bones slept on the beach just down from us 50 feet.  Kiwi Comet pitched her tent just below Malcolm and me on the beach. We put up a tarp to use to pack our packs under in the morning if it was raining. We stowed all our food items in the provided bear boxes, used the composting outhouses and were in bed by 8:15pm. I wrote until nine. We plan to get up and be moving by light if it is not raining in the morning, hoping to get a few miles in before the rain starts. We will see what tomorrow brings. 

Bones, the two Malcolm’s and me at the registration office 

In the boat crossing the Gordon River

Malcolm on the boat

Approaching the shore and start of trail

The first ladder to get off the beach

A section of “good” trail

Ladders and boardwalk

More ladders

Rail

Log becomes trail

Bad boardwalk

A side trip to the beach. Kiwi Comet (KC) in the middle

Crossing Camper River in a cable car

Beach camp at Camper River

Clouds offshore

Thursday, September 21, 2023 Still Staging

Slept okay last night. Asleep by 10:30pm. Awake at 4:00am for the first time. Dozed until 6:30am. Malcolm got up at 6:30am. I followed. While he showered, I ran to the lobby to see what the continental breakfast offered. Omelets, grapefruit, many types of breads for toast, waffles, etc. Pretty good fair. I downed two omelets and a piece of toast and headed back to the room. Malcolm was dressed. Bones knocked on the door a few minutes later and we all headed to breakfast. I had another piece of toast and a bowl of fruit and yogurt. I grabbed a muffin, croissant and energy bar for the road. 

We loaded up the car, Malcolm’s Subaru, with our gear and headed up Canadian Hwy 4 on the three hour drive to Pachena Bay. We stopped in Port Alberni for coffee, then back on the road. It soon turned to gravel even though we had about 60 miles to go. 

Conversation ranged over many topics in the 2016 Subaru, from stories of previous adventures to heat pump installation and maintenance. 

We arrived at Pachena Bay about 11:00am and drove through the campground. We stopped at the store/registration office and inquired about the trail. They pointed us to the office just beyond the south boundary of the campground, about 0.5 Km away. Malcolm Jr and I walked to it while Malcolm and Bones drove the car around. 

Once at the registration office for the trail we talked to a bright and kind woman who patiently answered our questions. Bones has been pushing for a 4:00am start Saturday morning so we can round Owen’s Point before the incoming tide makes the route impassable. Her response was kind, but frank, “Why would you want to walk thru the caves in the dark and rain. You won’t be able to see anything. We discourage people from doing that stretch of beach in the rain when it is light out.” “Why would you want to do that?” This last statement became my mantra for the rest of the day. 

She suggested that we walk 0.5 miles down the trail on the beach and then return via the forest trail so we could get a quick introduction to the trail. Our bus to take us to the start of the trail didn’t come for almost another two hours so we had the time. This we did. 

The tide was coming in, but we had plenty of time and beach to make it to the forest junction. We stepped off the beach and onto the forest trail to return to our starting point and complete the loop. A nice mile loop. We got our introduction to the ladders. We ascended about three and descended the four in the half mile back to the registration office. We got a taste of why the going is advertised so slow. Only one person on the ladder at a time really slows progress. 

Back at the start we hung around the registration office, ate a little lunch from our packs and prepared for the bus. We met a couple groups just finishing 6 nights on the trail and extracted as much info as we could about trail conditions. 

The bus showed up at 1:15pm, disgorged about 20 hikers and then left to go to Bamfield. He was back at 1:35pm, just in time to load us up and be on our way by 1:45pm. The road had felt quite smooth on the drive in in Malcolm’s Subaru, but in this bus it was a very rough ride. From 1:45pm until 4:15pm the ride was the equivalent of having someone shake coffee cans of pebbles next to your ears while strapped to a run amuck vibrator chair. Once we hit pavement again the noise and vibration diminished and conversation was possible. It was so loud that when I tried to listen to “Spare”, the audio book with my earbuds, I couldn’t hear it. 

We rolled into Port Renfrew about 5:30pm, made a stop at the registration office for the trail, then continued into “town” and stopped at a hotel. Here we disembarked with our packs and walked back up the road a bit to the “hiker cabins” where Malcolm found envelopes outside the office door with codes to get into our tiny cabins. Once inside we dropped our packs and headed for the Port Renfrew Pub, a spacious and nicely designed building on the waterfront. 

Dinner was excellent. I had a salad with grilled chicken on top. We walked to the end of the pier in town, then back to our tiny cabin. It felt chilly. 

During dinner Bones obsessed about the coming weather. According to the Canadian Weather Service a low is forming off the coast that will bring about 6 inches of rain over the 7 days we will be on the trail, a grim prospect, especially considering the perfect weather of the past two months. Bones could speak of nothing else, his eyes transfixed on swirling animated graphics of the approaching front. We all agreed it would most likely be miserable weather, but since there was nothing to be done about it there was no use dwelling on it. We had the clothing, rain gear and shelters to endure an onslaught and had considered all alternative distances to attempt to achieve tomorrow (Friday), our last clear, dry day to position ourselves for protected camping in the days ahead. We would just have to see what the trail was like and what kind of time we could make on it. 

As we prepared for bed the plan was this:  hopefully hike to Camper Bay the first night, a distance of about 7.5 miles, skipping Thrasher Bay campsite at 3.5 miles. Reason?  It is the last day the route will be dry and hopefully quagmire free, allowing us to make better time in the good weather. Saturday is supposed to be quite wet. We don’t know how far we can make it Saturday, but hopefully get enough distance to put us in range of Nitinat Narrows where we have a cabin reserved for Monday night. Sunday the weather is a little calmer and we hope to make use of the dryer conditions. Monday and Tuesday see the brunt of the storm hit with an excess of three inches of rain expected to fall. We hope to be snug in our accommodations during this. But, at this point we don’t know how fast we can move, what the trail is like and what surprises lay in store for us. The only way to resolve the unknowns is to get on the trail and adapt our plans to the conditions. 

I slept on the top bunk, Malcolm on the ground level bed. Lights out about 9:15pm. Big day tomorrow, with bigger ones in the days ahead. 

The West Coast Trail Express Bus. It runs from Victoria, BC to the WCT daily. 

Malcolm and Malcolm in the WCT bus

WCT bus and registration office for the trail in Port Renfrew

Inside and outside of our cabin at Port Renfrew

Wednesday, September 20, 2023 Staging

Michelle had detailed instructions on how to get this trip rolling. She set it all up, but is now on the JMT (VVR tonight). Her reservations for the JMT fell on the same dates as this WCT hike and she chose to go with her friends to California instead of the wet coast of Vancouver Island. 

Malcolm and I hung out at his house all morning, eating breakfast, talking, doing last minute chores at his house before vacating it for 10 days. He spent an hour doing his workout routine on his equipment upstairs. I read and did some yoga. 

Bones called about noon to say he was in the emergency room with stomach pains and would not be coming. He had passed a kidney stone a few days earlier and was concerned he was passing another. The CAT scan showed no further stones, just packed intestines due to the opioids he took for the kidney stone pain. He called again about an hour later to say he was back on the trip and would meet us at Malcolm Jr's house about 1:30pm as previously arranged. 

At 1:20pm we headed for his son’s house to pick up Malcolm Jr and Bones (his brother in law). En route we decided to go back and get Malcolm’s microspikes for the slippery logs and stone beaches. We picked up Bones and Malcolm Jr, then realized we had not brought the peanut butter chocolate shake mixes (MichellShakes) for Bones. We had put them in a cupboard when we heard he wasn’t coming and had forgotten to bring them back out when his condition proved to be only constipation. We scooted back to Malcolm’s house to pick them, then left town and headed north on I-5 towards the Canadian border. There was no wait at the border. The border agent expressed a bit of envy when he learned we were off to hike the WCT and wished us good luck. We were soon through and on our way to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. 

We were a bit ahead of schedule. We stopped at a Walmart to find a cash machine so we could each get some Canadian dollars. My debit card would not work. I tried a few times. No good. We walked across the parking lot to a burrito shop for a late lunch. Excellent. Then we were off to the ferry dock, arriving an hour and a half before sailing as requested by BC Ferries. I called GESA about my card not working. They said I had to inform them of travel plans out of the country to be able to use my debit card for cash. The call lasted about 25 minutes. I was told all was ready to go. I tried again. Nope. Rejected. 

We drove onto the ferry about 6:00pm and had a nice 2 hour boat ride to Nanaimo. Once on the island, we drove to our hotel, the Inn on Long Lake, checked in, then scooted out to A&W for a quick bite to eat before going to bed. Overall a good day. 

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 The Start of the West Coast Trail

I finished watching the required video, an introduction to the WCT, as required. I was seated comfortably in my desk chair in the loft watching it on my TV monitor attached to my computer. It was now 12:08pm and the Caldwells were coming at 12:20pm to pick me up. I had piled my pack and suitcase out at the end of the sidewalk in anticipation of their arrival, and to be sure I had everything I needed out of the house and grouped together, ready to go. 

While watching the video I had thought of a couple last minute things and had written them down on my notepad in my phone. I headed out the front door to retrieve them and to my surprise Bill and Pat were already parked, ready for me to load up and go. They weren’t in a hurry.  I grabbed the few items, stuffed them in my pack and suitcase, checked the house to be sure I had everything ready to go and got in the car. 

Sally had left at 8:45am this morning, headed to Jeff’s house to help with sick grandkids. Jackie was away at training all week and Jeff could use the help. This left me alone to close up the house for leaving. Sally wouldn’t be home until Saturday. 

We drove to the LaQuinta Inn by SeaTac where Bill and Pat exited. They were flying the next day to South Carolina to meet their new grand daughter, Natalie, born just a few days ago. I continued on to Anacortes to spend the night at Malcolm’s home. I got there about 4:30pm. We talked for an hour or so, walked to town and had dinner at the Adrift restaurant and walked back to his house. I sorted through my gear once more, decided not to take my chair nor my Crocs and set them aside to put in the Prius. I will take the suitcase in the car for the drive to Nanaimo and Panchea Bay where we exit the trail. In it I’ll have a change of clothes for when we finish. 

The weather forecast is not good for our hike. Friday, our first day of walking looks sunny and good, but the next 6 days show rain in the forecast everyday. 

Tomorrow we leave Anacortes about 1:30pm and drive to Tsawwassen where we catch the ferry to Nanaimo. Until tomorrow.