Quick and wild trekking on Vancouver Island

You know a trek is badass when it was created along a rugged coast to rescue  shipwreck survivors. When its Wikipedia article is loaded with phrases like “surge channels” and “impassable headlands”. When a friend of a friend sees a documentary on the trek, doesn’t catch the name, and emails, “Tell me where this trek is or I’m going to die.”

Sure thing, friend-of-friend: It’s the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, Canada, part of Pacific Rim National Park.

It’s not a massive trek — only 47 miles (75km). But there’ll be plenty of adventure, and with an oceanview lean-to every 8km you can stretch things out as you please.

But even if you take a laid-back pace you’ll still have to negotiate dozens of “ladder structures” to travel among the Pacific cliffs. The tallest is reported at over fifty stories high. Just don’t look down.

You’ll have to cross rivers on cable cars — motor not included. While standing on a slippery platform you haul the car in with a rope, load up, let gravity carry you halfway across, then pull yourself to the far platform hand-over-hand.

You’re likely to cross paths with cougars, bears, wolves, orcas, and salmon-fueled vagabonds. Luckily there’s a mandatory pre-trek orientation to prepare you for encounters with such animals.

There are rumors of a Native American family that lives near the end of the trek and cooks knock-down meals for any and all passerby.

Lastly, there’s this no-nonsense warning from the town of Port Renfrew, one of the two trailheads:

…One of the most grueling treks in North America. It is isolated, strenuous, physically demanding and potentially hazardous. Hiking the WCT demands stamina and expertise in hiking and backcountry camping skills. You are required to wade rivers, use cable cars, negotiate steep slopes, climb ladders and follow an irregular, slippery trail.

Sweet!

If you’ve been there, let us know about it…

Photo by footloosiety via Flickr.