The enchanted caves of the West Coast Trail and seals (alive).

West Coast Trail Field Diary

Preparation for the West Coast Trail
Day 1 The Map (Nitinaht to Cribs Creek
Day 2 The Rain Cover (Cribs Creek to Walbran Bay)
Day 3 The Step counter (Walbran Bay to Campers Bay)
Day 5 Fed-up

Day 4 The Necessaire (Campers Bay to Trasher’s Cove)

Early bird vs. Night owl

I did not sleep very well to say the least. Given that I would rather be half an hour early than five minutes to late, I worried that we would not make it in time to the Owen’s Point. This spot was only passable at low tide (+- 1h) and it would take place at 10 am. Still, me and Philippe were about three and a half hours away from this bottleneck according to the family we met the day before . Whereas I would have fancied the idea of getting up well to early, Phil and I settled the dispute by getting up by 7am. This meant we would approximately leave Campers Bay by 8 am.

During the night, I decided to get up by 6am though and prepare our camp in order to be able to leave quickly. I packed my backpack, which usually takes a while, filtered 3 liters of water and prepared breakfast. At 7am when Phil’s clock rang, everything was ready to go, except his sleeping gear and breakfast. By 7.26 we had packed (almost) everything and were ready to go. Leaving this early gave me some peace of mind.

Surge Channel

It was a pleasant hike and we made good progress. At a look-out, we made a short break with some Haribo sweets. From there, we overlooked the coast and saw heaps of small fishing vessels trolling for salmon. Next, the trail lead us on the stoney shores of the West Coast Trail. The coast was slippery as soap, but the scenery was amazing.

Eventually, we reached a surge channel of massive size. There we caught up with Natascha and Jenna, we had met previously. Whereas they went inshore around the deep channel, Phil and I decided to build a bridge. Lots of drift wood suggested it would be an easy task, yet, we underestimated the weight of one log. They were massive. Together, we were able to carry it for a short distance. After a while, we had put one log in place to be thrown over the channel to cross it. I just posted the video from our bridge below.

Phil decided to go across it without his backpack, which I threw across the channel. Unfortunately, his military water bottle got a huge dent during this action. However, there was no way I was going over this shaky log with all my gear, instead I went the same way as the girls.

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Owen’s Point

The reason why we spent some fun time at the surge channel was because we were close to Owen’s point. Rather than more than three hours, it took us about two. Even before hiking through the bottleneck of the Owen’s point we had an extended second breakfast. Meanwhile, we enjoyed watching the seals lying around on an island. Luckily, we were at Owen’s Point well before low tide.

Owen’s Point was one of my highlights. Even though it is clearly marked on the map, I did not see many pictures of it online. Owen’s Point along the West Coast Trail is a magnificent natural arc carved by the relentless force of the tide over thousands of years. The lush green algae on the rocks, fed from the tides contrasted the hard dark coastal rock. Moreover, there was also this yellowish algae, which I had never seen before. The formation of this huge arc reminded me of the Arc de Triumph in Paris. However, this one was formed naturally that made it even more remarkable. It took a while until I was satisfied with my composition, which did justice to the grandeur of the scene, but eventually I found it. What do you think?

Owen’s Point along the West Coast Trail is a magnificent natural arc carved by the relentless force of the tide over thousands of years.

Trasher’s Cove

Several hikers crossed our path around Owen’s Point. This is since it is the only way to go and no alternative inland route. The following section of the trail was strenuous. There were heaps of huge boulders and no clear path. Furthermore, the tide progressed and came close and closer. A few more hours later we reached Trasher’s Cove early in the afternoon.

Trasher’s Cove is a wonderful bay with great sheltered places next to a sandy beach. What a great place to celebrate our very last evening on the trail. We prepared a bonfire to light it at the evening. When we finished gathering wood and putting a firepit together, we were told there is a fire ban at this camp sight. It was a splendid evening though and we slept without any alarm set.

I forgot to mention: Phil lost his necessaire at the previous camp. Nevermind, there is only 1 more day to go.

West Coast Trail Field Diary

Preparation for the West Coast Trail
Day 1 The Map (Nitinaht to Cribs Creek
Day 2 The Rain Cover (Cribs Creek to Walbran Bay)
Day 3 The Step counter (Walbran Bay to Campers Bay)
Day 5 Fed-up