Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - West coast trail

hungryhun · 03-23-2014, 02:41 PM

I did this hike 4 years ago and it was incredible. A great resource for knowledge is the book "Blisters and Bliss". It's humorous and loaded with helpful tips.
I would also agree to go south to north. As Case333 mentioned, pack accordingly and you should be fine. You get the hard part of the trail out of the way when your legs/back are fresh and there is less risk of injury. Definitely train beforehand with a loaded pack, it doesn't have to be the same weight as you expect to carry, but at least it prepares you. There are no major hills to climb, but plenty of ladders along the way and massive boulders to traverse right near the start. I trained at the stairs off memorial 2-3x a week for 3 months prior.
Prepare a gear list with your friends to make sure you don't unnecessarily bring multiples of items. Personally I wouldn't bother with a backup stove as some would suggest as there is plenty of driftwood to burn at the campsites. I didn't bring a sleeping pad as you camp on the beach and for the most part you are on sand.
There are 2 options for shuttling back to your car. One is I believe a 4-5hr bus ride on terrible roads and little to no scenery. It is cheap so a lot of people go this route. The other option is a boat. Costs quite a bit more but is definitely worth it. I believe the gentlemen's name is Brian. He is an ex fisherman who turned to whale research when the fisheries collapsed. Now he shuttles hikers back and forth. He will go out of his way to show you the wildlife and is in no rush to get you back. We went on a wild goose chase after a pod of killer whales that came in over the radio...http://trailhead-resort.com/water-taxi.php
If you're driving out there and camping/hotel the night before, watch your gear. Another group had their vehicle broken into in Victoria and they lost everything. They had to go buy all new gear at MEC the morning they started...
Watch your tide charts, you do not want to be caught on the beach when the tide starts coming in. Give yourself lots of time to get between points of access.
Hope this helps! PM me if you have anymore questions!

03-23-2014, 02:41 PM	#10
hungryhun Backup Goalie Join Date: May 2004 Location: calgary Exp:	I did this hike 4 years ago and it was incredible. A great resource for knowledge is the book "Blisters and Bliss". It's humorous and loaded with helpful tips. I would also agree to go south to north. As Case333 mentioned, pack accordingly and you should be fine. You get the hard part of the trail out of the way when your legs/back are fresh and there is less risk of injury. Definitely train beforehand with a loaded pack, it doesn't have to be the same weight as you expect to carry, but at least it prepares you. There are no major hills to climb, but plenty of ladders along the way and massive boulders to traverse right near the start. I trained at the stairs off memorial 2-3x a week for 3 months prior. Prepare a gear list with your friends to make sure you don't unnecessarily bring multiples of items. Personally I wouldn't bother with a backup stove as some would suggest as there is plenty of driftwood to burn at the campsites. I didn't bring a sleeping pad as you camp on the beach and for the most part you are on sand. There are 2 options for shuttling back to your car. One is I believe a 4-5hr bus ride on terrible roads and little to no scenery. It is cheap so a lot of people go this route. The other option is a boat. Costs quite a bit more but is definitely worth it. I believe the gentlemen's name is Brian. He is an ex fisherman who turned to whale research when the fisheries collapsed. Now he shuttles hikers back and forth. He will go out of his way to show you the wildlife and is in no rush to get you back. We went on a wild goose chase after a pod of killer whales that came in over the radio...http://trailhead-resort.com/water-taxi.php If you're driving out there and camping/hotel the night before, watch your gear. Another group had their vehicle broken into in Victoria and they lost everything. They had to go buy all new gear at MEC the morning they started... Watch your tide charts, you do not want to be caught on the beach when the tide starts coming in. Give yourself lots of time to get between points of access. Hope this helps! PM me if you have anymore questions!