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West Coast Trail Tips #5-What to Bring
Planning and organization for taking a hiking trip on the West Coast Trail in crucial. There are a few basic, but essential things that need to be worked out before you go. The gear and clothing you bring on this hiking adventure can make or break the trip. This is article five in the series of five.
Taking a hiking adventure on the West Coast Trail is a great way to experience the real Pacific coast. But coastal hikes can be grueling and difficult. The weather is precocious, the ground conditions can be extremely variable, and the terrain can be hazardous. Making it through can be by sheer brute will, but the gear you take can help ease the way.
There are four important gear groupings to look at when you are planning. One area covers the gear for the time you are traveling. The second area covers the gear for staying in camp. Next, we have the area covering gear for the kitchen; and finally, we consider the clothing that you bring to deal with the changeable weather.
The Travel Gear
Travel gear includes the pack, the boots, the gaiters, the hydration system, and the pack cover. The pack is best if is an inside frame, fully adjustable, waist-belted expedition pack. If you have several people with larger packs, you can probably get away with a 60 liter pack, but on a 6 to 8 day camping tour, you need some volume. Make sure you get the pack fitted for you by someone who knows how to fit it and adjust it to you. Don’t take it for certain that an employee of an outdoor store actually knows how to fit a pack, even they say they have been trained. If you have any experienced hiker friends, as them to show you how to fit it properly. A good fitting pack, properly adjusted makes sure you waste little of your energy. Conserving your energy on the hike lessens fatigue and decreases the chance of accident and injury.
The most common injury on hiking trips are blisters, and the most common cause is poorly fit, poorly maintained, or not-broken-in hiking boots. For the West Coast Trail and BC hiking on the coast, you need rugged, expedition hiking boots. The trails are rugged and the packs heavy. You need to make sure that the boots you have fit the bill. Because the trails are most often muddy, gaiters are a major help in keeping feet dry. In mud, the wetness does not get through the gaiter, even if it is over the boot top. When you have standing water of 3 to 5 inches and mud up to the knee, gaiters are critical.
Water is vital to life, and beyond blisters, the most common injury on a hiking trip is dehydration. The absolute, most critical factor to incorporate into your hydration system is accessibility. Accessible water will be drunk. Even if you don’t take a filter or purification system, you need to have the water accessible. The filtration system is also very important. New gravity feed filtration systems are fast and easy. They are worth researching.
The Accommodation Gear
At the end of the day, you need shelter and sleeping gear. There are some great lightweight tents now on the market, ranging from about $200 to $600 for a two-person, three-season tent. Some tents are great, but a real pain to put up. If you get one of those tents, make sure you know how to put it up in wind and rain to keep is as stable and dry as possible.
Your sleeping gear contains your sleeping bag and insulating mat, as well as any bag liner you have. On the west coast, the damp air can make anything wet. Down bags lose their loft and warmth when they get wet. Keeping your bag dry is critical, especially in the shoulder seasons when the temperatures are lower. If your bag is GoreTex, you will not have to worry, but they are expensive. A synthetic fill bag or a hybrid bag are better choices. A heavy, -20 C is not needed. You can stay with a lighter 0 C bag on the coast. It rarely gets below freezing. Your insulating mat can be a foam pad, a standard Thermarest, or derivative, or one of the ultralight sleeping pads, also made by Thermarest.
The Kitchen Gear
The most critical considerations for your kitchen, other than the food, are that the stove works, works without a hitch, and is repairable in the field. And you also need to make sure you have your fuel when you leave. Do not count on hooking on a campfire: some beaches do not have enough wood. There are very good, light stoves on the market. It is easy to get one that is light, functional, and dependable. Liquid fuels may seem heavy, but they are refillable. Propane containers are heavy and are supposed to be refillable, but there are a lot of them that get thrown away.
Cooking pots add weight. Only take the size you need for yourself or your group. Plan on one pot meals, and limit the amount of cutlery. Coffee press lids for drinking bottles make great French press coffee, without having to carry a separate pot. Make sure you take the lid and have a good handle or pot grabber.
The Clothing
Clothing needs to be insulating. The prime mantra is, “No cotton!” Cotton dries slowly and does not insulate. The most effective way to think about your clothing is to think like an onion, with layers. Despite this Shrek-ly advice, layers increase the adjustability of your clothing options dramatically. The best fabrics are wool and fleece. New merino wool products that are thin make great base layers. Putting thin layers of fleece over top help maintain warmth.
Being on the “wet coast,” good rain gear is necessary. Check your gear for waterproofness before you leave. It can be light, as long as it is definitely waterproof. Combining some fleece covered with rain gear breaks the wind and maintains the heat better inside the garments. Rain gear is effectively another warmth layer.
Combining the clothing with the travel gear, the placement in the pack is important. Thinking in terms of systems helps. Have systems like, “quick warmth for stops” and develop it with your clothing and pack to always have some insulating clothing near an easy pack opening, and by leaving a space by the opening for putting the clothing back. Dromedary hydration bags with the hose run out near the face and a gravity filter back beside the bag is a “hydration system.” A systems approach helps with consistency and so, it helps with safety and security. We can’t go into all gear options, but you can uncover more details with a bit of research.
The gear you bring to a hiking tour of the West Coast Trail is important. The quality, usability, and the weight are important for getting from one end to the other as easily as possible. Researching great gear and investing in quality are worth it when taking on a challenging backpacking hike like this. Using a good tour company helps relieve some of the research time because they will help you with the details and give great suggestions for what to bring and the quality to consider.
West Coast Trail Tips #4-What to Eat
Taking a trip on the West Coast Trail means some planning and organization. There are a few basic, but essential things that need to be worked out before you go. One of these is good, quality food. Food is your fuel on this long hike. This is article four in the series of five.
The days of quick oats and Ramen noodles is over. For experienced hikers, it was probably never there. It is possible to have great food without having huge weights to carry and without breaking the bank to do it. Because of the long, continuous exertion of hiking for hours, the need to have good, nutritious food is very high. But nutrition does not always meet the emotional needs after carrying a 40 lb.+ backpack for 7 hours. We also need some comfort foods these days. And we have to carry all of this with the least weight possible. These are the food considerations for a multi-day hike.
Nutrition
Nutrition is about eating the right foods for all your body’s needs. It is not so difficult, but it does take some forethought, especially when trying to keep the weight down. Let’s look at both the vegetarian and meat-eaters options.
Meal Base
Carbs-grains, pasta, breads, crackers, vegetables. The secret to carbs is to keep them lightweight and quick-cooking. Both grains and pastas can be pre-cooked and dried, making them lighter and quick-cooking. Even if you can’t dry food, grains and pasta work well, but the cooking times will be a little longer. Plan on about 1 ½ cups of grain per person per meal. For pasta, plan on about 150 grams dry per person per meal.
Vegetables can be dried in a food dryer, also. This dramatically reduces weight and makes it possible to have those healthy veggies. Even if you get some pre-packaged sauce mix, adding extra dried veggies really helps the meal, adding a lot of great nutrition. If you are into your own sauces, they can also be dried. Dried sauces come out like fruit leather from the food dryer and are easily rehydrated at meal time.
Breads are usually pretty heavy, and take up quite a bit of space. Thin breads, such as tortillas, can provide a great base, are easy to carry, and can “carry” a load of stuff on top. Breads and crackers are quick and ready carbs, so they make great lunch bases, requiring no cooking.
These bases apply to both vegetarian and meatatarian meals. Next, we look at the proteins.
Vegetarian
Although there is a little protein in all grains and vegetables, it needs to be supplemented. Most vegetarians know how important beans are for their protein needs. Dried refried beans and humous powder are two easy and available protein sources. Both of these can be made into different flavors, effectively turning them into different meals. Peanut butter (peanuts are also beans, technically) is heavy, but is a protein source. If you are not strict, cheese is probably the main protein source of vegetarians. Cheese can be heavy, and dried cheese is not so great.
The bean powders can be added into sauces to thicken them up a bit, adding protein into a meal without having to have pasty bean goop all the time.
Meatatarian
Meats do very well being dried in a food drier. This is actually the best way to prepare it for a hike. It will reconstitute, but may need a while. If you are getting into the food drying, jerky is not difficult to make, and will be a lot less expensive if you do it yourself. For the meat, you can dry cooked, canned chicken, shrimp, fish, or even red meat. You can also cook it yourself and dry it. These meats are going into the bases, which are supplying most of the raw energy from carbohydrates.
Sausages and smoked meats, which are usually quite dry, are great for lunches. Any lunch leftovers can be added into dinners, using up the extra meat on that day.
Eggs can be taken on the West Coast Trail, or other hiking trip, but they are best taken in a carton bought from a store and used on the first or second day. If the carton is frozen before leaving , it may last until the third. The down side is the weight, which is another reason for using it quickly. Powdered eggs may work in pancake mixes, but you need the real eggs for French toast or breakfast egg sandwiches.
Making It Taste Great
The secret to flavor is salt and oil. Olive oil, butter, margarine, and salt will make anything taste like it was made at home. Make sure that you take a good supply of salt and plan out your oil supply per meal to keep your weight down.
What will make your meals really yummy is taking and using a bit of extra spice. Dried curry powder creates a nice Indian meal. Add a few cashew and chopped, dried apricots into your meal, and you have gourmet. A bit of chili powder and a small container of jalapeno peppers give a Mexican flair. Take a small bit of cilantro to add a gourmet touch. Even a little of these extras make meals extra special and add to the nutritional value. Look up recipes and menus for hiking trips. Using the sequence of thought- base, veggies, protein, spice, and gourmet extras-gives a way to decide whether to either use the meal as-is or adjust it for weight.
Food for the Soul
At the end of the day, you want something extra to reward yourself. This is where you add in the little extras for evening tea, such as chocolate, a couple of caramels, a couple of cookies, or some other candy or fruit leather. You can go with a full-on dessert that you make, but the ingredients need to be lightweight, so expect to make it and to compromise on weight. Cheesecake, pudding, and chocolate mousse are great possibilities that can be made from ready-made mixes. If you think small and light, you can usually manage a treat after every meal.
Keeping it Light
The key to all of this is to keep it light. If you allow 1.2 pounds (about 550 grams) per day, that is a good rule of thumb. This means about 10 pounds for an 8-day trip. If you can manage to have food dropped in halfway, it is possible to reduce your weight distribution for the whole trip and increase your daily food allowance all in one move. Of course, you pay for it.
The main ways to reduce weight is to remove as much packaging as possible and to dry foods. Repackage if necessary to take only what is needed for each individual meal with no extras. This means plan the menu beforehand and mockup the meals to know how to cook them. Camp stoves are notorious for their inability to simmer and most good camp meals need to simmer. Cook the meals on your camp stove. If you need to disperse the heat a bit, you can buy heat dispersers, or you can make one.
What’s on the Menu?
If this is all too much for you, you can always go on a guided tour. The guides are usually very good cooks and have worked out their menus over years. Some companies are now drying their foods to increase the nutritional value and get away from chemical preservatives. They have the nutrition and the gourmet parts worked out for you. They also work out your snacks and deal with any food allergies or special diets you might have.
On the West Coast Trail, most of the tour companies have a food drop mid-trip to decrease your weight. They have worked this out and paid for the service. This takes you off the hook for lots of time and experimentation before your trip, giving you more time to make sure you are in shape.
At the end of the day, the food you get makes a big impact on the quality of the trip. If you count on about 550 grams of weight per day and a budget of about $15 per day, you can plan your meals and should be able to come in under weight and under budget. If you want to leave it to a tour company, you can rest assured that the guides have worked out great menus and bring the little extras to make your trip truly unforgettable.
West Coast Trail Tips #3-Getting There and Back
Taking a trip on the West Coast Trail means some planning and organization. There are a few basic, but essential things that need to be worked out before you go. This article looks at the planning considerations for deciding how to arrange your transportation to the trail. It is article three in the series of five.
The West Coast Trail is a traverse, meaning it has two distinct ends and the journey goes from end to end. Getting to and from two distinct trailheads, many kilometers apart can be challenging. We will look at the options for getting there and getting home in this article.
Many people are kind of stuck on their cars and find them hard to give up, even for a few days. So, one option is with your own cars. If you just don’t want to buy transportation, maybe you can get someone to take you out and pick you up. Another option is to buy the transportation from one of the shuttle services running between the trailheads. Maybe a mix of these options is what you are looking for, combining your car with some bought transportation. And finally, another option is to hire a guide company to take you from pickup point to drop off point (and provide all those extras in between).
The two car shuffle?
If you want to use your own cars to get to the West Coast Trail and back, you will need two. That means driving both to the final end of the trail, leaving one, then driving all the way around to the other end. From there, you then get to hike the trail to the first car then drive all the way back around and get car two from the trailhead. Now, that’s a lot of driving, a lot of time, and a lot of gas. With increasing consciousness toward saving fuel and decreasing exhaust emissions, this is a pretty poor option.
Friends and beer.
With enough beer, your drivers will still be your friends after the trip is over. You can talk someone into taking you out to one trailhead, and then someone, maybe the same person, to pick you up at the other trailhead. This can work, but you have to have friends on Vancouver Island, or at least in southern BC.
The perfect mix.
If you just can’t give up on your own car, you can drive your car to the end where you will finish the hike, then have one of the shuttle services take you to the other trailhead-takes about 4 ½ hours and costs about $75, plus your own gas to get to the end. This way, you get to finish and drive home in your own car. This may add a day to your overall trip, but it is a viable option.
Take me, baby!
And of course, you can pay to have someone else drive both ways. West Coast Trail Express and Pachena Bay Express both go to the trailheads from Nanaimo and Victoria, and back again. Travel to and from will cost you about $145 from and to Victoria. This is a great option. It saves wear and tear on your own car, and uses less fossil fuels by taking more people in one vehicle.
I want the whole enchilada!
The tour companies that operate West Coast Trail tours take care of the transportation, if not from Vancouver, from Victoria or Nanaimo. They make all the arrangements beforehand, saving you the hassle. After the end of the trip, it can be really nice to sit back and enjoy the ride back with the new friends you have made in your group. With the tour companies, it’s all about the quality of the experience, and having the ride taken care of for you is quality.
Getting to and from the trailheads on the West Coast Trail can be arranged in a number of ways, but the best will depend on your values, budget, and desire for more or less taken off your plate. Only a few real options exist, but thinking through what you want is important and can affect your experience greatly.
West Coast Trail Tips #2-When to Go
Taking a trip on the West Coast Trail means some planning and organization. There are a few basic, but essential things that need to be worked out before you go. This article looks at the considerations for deciding when to hike the trail. It is article two in the series of five.
Deciding when to go on a wilderness hike can involve a number of crucial factors. The factors may relate to how well prepared you are with fitness, equipment, or skill; or they may relate to the number of other people you will encounter; or the factors may relate to weather or other conditions. Choosing the time to go to some destinations is more difficult than just when you are off work, and can involve a fairly complex set of choices. For the West Coast Trail, all of these factors may influence the decision making process.
When is the park open?
The most obvious factor for choosing when to hike the West Coast Trail will be doing it when the park is open. Although there have been a few hardy hikers travel the trail in January, most people do not want to have to swim the channel at Nitinat Narrows and across the bay at Port Renfrew. The ferries for these crossings are open from about May 1 through September 30, which are the dates that the park is open. Within these five months there are other factors to consider.
How many other people are on the trail?
The peak season for hikers on the trail is between June 15 and September 15. During this time Parks Canada has a reservation and quota system in place. A maximum of 30 hikers are allowed to start from each end of the trail each day, with a maximum group size of 10. If you have a group of more than 10, you may have to split your group and start on different days.
Commercial tour operators are limited to a maximum number of places during the season and can only begin hiking from Port Renfrew on odd numbered days, and from Bamfield on even numbered days. Of course, a commercial group fits within the 30 hiker maximum per day.
The busiest times are between July 1 and September 6, when there can easily be 350 people along the 75 km of trail, which may mean 60 to 100 people in a campsite. The practical shoulder seasons, May 1 to June 30 and September 7 to 30, see significantly less people on the trail, for some very good reasons.
If you want to go in the peak season, the reservations do book up, so you will want to reserve early in the year for your July to August hike.
Why should I go in the peak season?
The peak season usually has drier weather. This can have a big impact on the difficulty of the trail. Later in the season usually means a drier trail. The drier weather allows the muddy areas of the trail to dry out somewhat. Earlier in the season, there is more mud, adding considerably more effort to each step, so someone who is just on the edge of being fit enough to make it through the trail under the best conditions will be overwhelmed on a muddy trail. The boardwalks, ladders, and exposed roots will also be considerably more slippery due to the 7 months of algae growth on the wood, so the footing is more dangerous.
The other factor to consider with the peak season is the length of day. Earlier in the peak season gives the longest daylight period. The length of the day begins to shorten rapidly in September. Shorter days mean being in camp earlier to get set up before dark, which in turn means a shorter hiking day. July 1 has sun between about 5:30 am and 9:30 pm, while August 31 has sun between 6:30 am and 8:00 pm. This may seem like a long time, but a group can easily arrive at a camp after 6:30 pm and still be setting up, cooking, and cleaning up after dark.
Which is better in the peak season, July or August?
August is usually know as “Fogust” on the west coast. Morning fog is common and even all-day fog can happen. The weather is usually quite warm, but the views out onto the ocean may be limited by the fog. July usually has the best weather and the clearest air. Otherwise, the previous discussions apply.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of going in the shoulder seasons?
The early shoulder season has long days and less people, but the weather is usually still more changeable and the trail still muddy and slippery from the winter and spring. If you and your group are experienced hikers and “know the ropes,” then the early shoulder season may be an option. The only other consideration is that the Nitinat ferry runs may be less often during this time because of less demand from hikers.
The late shoulder season is usually drier and less crowded with people, while there may still be fog and the rains may also be starting. The days in September start shortening dramatically the later it gets: sunrise around 7:15 am and sunset around 7:00 pm by September 30. Late September can be a real treat, or it can be a washout.
What effects do the tides have on when to hike the trail?
Some of the easiest and most stunning parts of the trail are around tide-dependent areas. Owen Point is one area that is remarkable, but is impassable at higher tides. Check the map and tide charts to see when the best tides occur to make it around the point. Camper Bay to Sandstone Creek is another tide dependent area, if you take the shore and not the inland trail. It is a beautiful area, but check the tides for this also. Tsusiat Point, with its Hole-in-the-Wall sea arch, is yet another tide dependent spot. By checking the tide tables or a tide calculation website, these areas can be accessible with proper planning.
As “they” say, timing is everything. With the West Coast Trail, timing certainly makes a difference, and planning can help get that timing right for the hike that you want.
West Coast Trail Tips #1-Planning
Taking a trip on the West Coast Trail means some planning and organization. There are a few basic, but essential things that need to be worked out before you go. This article gives a synopsis of the planning considerations. It is article one in a series of five.
The West Coast Trail is a world class long distance hike on the west coast of Vancouver Island in Canada. The very rough coastline has been the scene of many shipwrecks, most with few or no survivors. A trail was put in between Port Renfrew and Bamfield as a way for wreck survivors to get out of the wilderness. Without the trail, the coastline is too rugged for even the hardiest person to make it through. The trail has been improved over the years, with numerous ladders, suspension bridges, boardwalks, and cable cars, but it remains a challenging traverse.
The challenges on the West Coast Trail are different from other hiking trails that are inland. Coastal hikes have a number of unique hazards that must be understood and respected. Hiking on glaciers or at altitude presents a similar problem. Each has its own unique set of risks that require skill and knowledge to meet. It is because of these unique risks that the planning and preparation are extremely important. Because the hike is a traverse, extra planning and organization is needed to ensure arrival and pickup. Most areas need special planning.
We will look at four main areas needing to be organized for a hike on the West Coast Trail:
•Dates for the trip
•Transportation to, from and during the trip
•Food, before the trail, at the campsites, and at “special” places
•Equipment needed to get through the trip.
Date Considerations
Several aspects relate to the dates that will be chosen for the trip. The number of people in the group will present an opportunity or a challenge, depending on the dates. High season and shoulder season times allow or inhibit larger groups, and the need for reservations at earlier dates. The tides and the trail conditions vary greatly during the season and the month. What can be seen and passed through changes with the tides. Lastly, the weather can be any mixed bag along the coast, but the general trend is to have the better weather during the high season of July and August. Judging your group is important in deciding how they will do in wetter weather.
Transportation
Three main considerations exist for the transportation. First, which end is the starting point and which the ending point is a critical decision. Getting to and from the trail is an important obstacle to overcome. The third is whether to take a vehicle or to hire out all the transport.
Food
The dates you pick, or the length of the trip affects the food planning. To hike the trail safely, plan on taking at least seven days. It can be done in a shorter time given good conditions, but it is not dependable. The longer the trip, the more food is needed, and the planning and preparation increases. Choosing to buy or dry and package your own food needs pre-planning, and the amount and quality of the food you carry is important. Fresh food is healthy, but heavy. And there are opportunities for food along the trail at Monique’s and at the Nit Nat ferry. Money is essential for these places.
Equipment
Although this is a hike, which requires a common set of equipment, there are specific needs around some things. The common elements are the proper pack, with the right features for a long , multi-day hike, and proper hiking boots. The climate is very wet, even in August with great weather. Keeping clothes and sleeping gear dry is nearly impossible. Longer trips need lighter gear, and then there is the ever-present problem of mud. A warm, dry shelter is important for the end of the day, so taking a great tent helps make the trip better. Clearly, the right equipment is essential.
With the right equipment; good, healthy food; foolproof transportation; and the right dates, hiking the West Coast Trail is a great and memorable trip. Ensuring that all these things are in place takes planning. If you are good at planning, now you have the basic considerations. If you do not feel up to it, you can read the rest of the articles in the series, or just hire a guiding company to do it all for you.
