West Coast Trail – Day 5 Fed up

Time to say goodbye to the West Coast Trail!


Fed up - no more food left as supplies made us hurry up.
Fed up – no more food left as supplies made us hurry up.

West Coast Trail

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


Day 5 Fed up (Trasher’s Cove to Gordon River)

Strange noises

During the night sleeping at Trasher’s Cove, I woke up due to noise. It was in the middle of the night. It was pitch darkness. But the sound was louder than the gentle waves crashing on the sandy shore. What was it? Dozily, I peeled slightly out of my sleeping bag. There was it again. A noise like smashing pots and lids together in order to frighten away wildlife. There were voices. It seemed to be far up in the canopy of the trees. Weird. However, there was no way I was going out of the tent. Especially, because there was a warning for this camp due to a bear who has lost its fear of humans.

Morning views at Trasher's Cove on the WCT
Morning views at Trasher’s Cove on the WCT

The following morning, Phil and I woke up to sunshine. We did not set any alarm clock to make up for the mornings we had gotten up early. It was a pleasure to sleep in. The view eventually convinced us to get out though.

A trail guardian came to visit and asked for any wildlife sightings. We did not see an on the entire trail. However, I told her about the noise I heard the previous night. She told me that the Natascha had heard them too. So it was not me dreaming.

Trasher's Cove West Coast Trail
Trasher’s Cove West Coast Trail

Phil and I had not that much food left for breakfast, nor lunch. We had fed up almost our entire supplies. This was distressing and became noticeably an issue. Luckily, we got some sweets from the girls because we had given them some chocolate the evening before.

The vegetation slowly changes from a rainforest to tempered needle forest
The vegetation slowly changes from a rainforest to tempered needle forest
Ladders along the West Coast Trail after Trasher's Cover Southbound
Ladders along the West Coast Trail after Trasher’s Cover Southbound

Donkey Engine

The following stretch of the trail was not that beautiful. Immediately behind the camp, there were ladders and subsequently the trail was in the forest. The forest was amazingly beautiful, but I missed the views of the ocean. Actually, it was kind of arduous part of the trail. The only sight along the way was a rusty old logging machine called donkey engine. That says a lot. Would it not have been for Jenna craziness, this place would probably not have stayed too long in my memory. She’s awesome.

Donkey engine along the West Coast Trail
Donkey engine along the West Coast Trail
The world famous donkey engine on the West Coast Trail - well worth the visit after hiking for 5 days.
The world famous donkey engine on the West Coast Trail – well worth the visit after hiking for 5 days.

We made it

Eventually, we reached the final ladder down to the pebble beach. Before climbing down, we pulled at a line to raise the buoy. This was the signal to be picked up by the next ferry. While waiting, Byron and Tara arrived with Daniel in tow. The former two were from Nelson, BC and had started as well at the middle point. We had seen them several times. Daniel was new to us, he is from Seattle and slightly older than us. Shortly after we were picked up by the ferry and signed out at the office of Parks Canada.

Hungry face @ExpediTom
Hungry face @ExpediTom

Next stop was the barn – the only restaurant in “town”. Whereas Phil ate a burger and fries, I opted for the Indian Taco – it was delicious! About an hour later, the girls from Winnipeg arrived and we relaxed at the beach until we were picked up by the bus.

Bus ride to the West Coast Trail

It was a wonderful adventure and within less than 5 minutes back in Victoria BC, I was fed up with all the lavish people and wished I was back outdoors.

West Coast Trail Summary

It was a pleasure to do the West Coast Trail. Apart from a few strenuous parts due to many ladders, the trail had mercy with us. We did not experience long periods of rain, nor was the terrain too muddy. There were stretches to be careful, but more often than not it was enjoyable hike with not much elevation. What I underestimated was how hard it is to hike on sand. Hiking poles would have been extremely helpful in this case, but they are annoying to climb ladders. For the next time, I would take some more food with us and no more Gnocchi because it is just not enough.

Furthermore, we need to make sure to lose less material on the way. :)

This is it! West Coast Trail Field Diary ExpediTom
This is it! West Coast Trail Field Diary ExpediTom

Read more!

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

3 Responses

  1. West Coast Trail Summary - ExpediTom

    […] Preparation for the West Coast Trail1 The Map (Nitinaht to Cribs Creek2 The Rain Cover (Cribs Creek to Walbran Bay) 3 The Step counter (Walbran Bay to Campers Bay)4 The Necessaire (Campers Bay to Trasher’s Cove)5 Fed-up (Trasher’s Cove to Gordon River) […]

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