Why Hike the North Coast Trail?

British Columbia’s new coastal hike at the north end of Vancouver Island, the North Coast Trail, is an addition to the wild beauty of Cape Scott Provincial Park. The new North Coast Trail is a treat, and every avid hiker needs to know why. I've outlined a few reasons below:

The Trail is New

There are no Crowds

Reflections of the old West Coast Trail

The Gem at the End

After traveling the rough coastal trail, it is a treat to walk the flatter areas Cape Scott Provincial Park, meandering along the trails exploring the old settlement areas as they are reclaimed by the ever-present wildness of the area. Cape Scott on its own is worth the effort to see. It is absolutely beautiful, with its sandy beaches, lakes, lagoons, and coves. To read more reasons, visit the full article at "Why Hike the North Coast Trail?".

Cape Scott Light Station and North Coast Trail-360 view

North Coast Trail Video from March 31

MEC Paddlefest Sunny But Not Well Attended

We had a beautiful sunny day at the MEC Paddlefest in Victoria, BC today, but attendance at this event is waning. A lot of the old diehard paddlers were there and a few new ones, but there may have been a third to a half of the people as last year. It's too bad, but people are finding other things to do. Anyway, it was good for us to be out in the sun at the beach.

Quite a few people did take part in the on-water stuff, including some free mini-courses and boat/paddle demos. Hoping things pick up next year!


Photos:

MEC Paddlefest this Saturday in Victoria, BC

Coastal Bliss will be at the MEC Paddlefest at Cadboro Bay on Saturday, June 5. We will be highlighting our tours and letting people try out our Swift Paddles. Come ready for fun!

A little professional development for Coastal Bliss: sea kayak guides in BC who are members of the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC have to attend a guides exchange each three years. We just spent the weekend carousing with our colleagues from other companies on Salt Spring Island at the Spring 2010 Exchange. There was a lot of play and training in currents in the local passages, navigation games, and marine biology talks by local expert David Dennings. We hope to have some video of some of the action up soon.

Rain, Wind, and Hail on the North Coast Trail!

Just back from a 7-day trip on the North Coast Trail as a pre-season warm-up (cool down?). It was pretty darned wet and chilly. Three of us braved the weather after having our water taxi to the trailhead postponed by a day due to hurricane force winds. The trail was soggy and muddy, and sometimes just downright WET. We saw it all, from crashing waves the size of giant submarines to rain, to sun, to hail. But we made it through all the way to the lighthouse for coffee with Harvey and Todd, the lightkeepers there. The walk out was relatively uneventful. All in all, it was truly AWESOME! Check out our photos here.