September 15^th, 2001

In the early evening Peter, Simon and I can drive aboard the ferry to Vancouver Island.

It's a real nice evening atmosphere as we pass several small islands. After 95 minutes we land in Swartz Bay. Dusk has already set in as we leave the ferry and occupy a campground on the nearby McDonald Provincial Park. We tidy up the van once more, sort out stuff and try to make more space for us. It is dark already as we finally eat a hot soup and go to sleep afterwards.

September 16^th, 2001

In the early morning we drive to Victoria, capital of British Columbia. We check our e-mails at the library of the local university and then head downtown to stroll around for a while. The city has a real British touch, something new after many typically Canadian cities before ;-))

Around noon we chose a restaurant in Chinatown and stroll over to the street market afterwards. Then we head towards the harbour.

We really like the town, but another rough 150.00 others obviously, too. Soon we have enough, we are not used to so many people on one spot anymore. From Victoria we head on further west and follow the highway #1 northbound.

The highway follows the coastline and so we can take a glimpse on the Strait of Georgia. Finally we stop at a small provincial park, where we put up our tents.

September 17^th, 2001

After a short breakfast we go on. We follow small roads through many fishing villages.

We stop wherever we like to, so we find a workshop where old wooden boats and canoes are restored and shown in the museum in the next room. We drive on to Nanaimo, where we do groceries for the next days. From here we head westwards through dense rain forest, passing huge trees.

At a river we stop for a break from driving. As we go on we see a car stopping at the side of the road. We know, what that means, there must be an animal nearby. Indeed, there is a black bear only few meters away that grazes in the ditch. We cross the whole Island that is almost as big as Switzerland and get to Uclulet, a fishing village that tries to implement tourism.

We get out an hike a newly built trail along the shore. In only few years this trail is supposed to follow the shoreline for many kilometers, just as the Juan de Fuca or the West Coast Trail today already. The weather is something in between sunshine and rain, mostly overcast. From here we head on to the Pacific Rim National Park where we pitch our tents. Just as the sun sets we are on the beach and watch a fantastic show.

The camp site gives us a first impression on how it's going to be the next days. Rain forest - wherever you look just dense rain forest.

Late in the evening - it's dark for quite some time already - we prepare supper and get into the sleeping bags soon.

September 18^th, 2001

After a short trip to Tofino, the end point of the Trans Canada Highway, we head back.

We stop several times and take a walk to the beach, every time we can discover new amazing things.

Especially the rain forest is fascinating. It is just very dense and seems to be completely impenetrable. Around noon we drive back to Nanaimo where we pick up Sabine who came back from Ontario this morning. Until the evening we follow a logging road that passes Shawnigan Lake and brings us to Port Renfrew, the southern starting point of the West Coast Trail. In dusk we set our camp on the nearby campground.

After supper we go to sleep soon.

September 19^th, 2001

We park the van safely in Port Renfrew and get a lift back to the registration office. Here we are registered, get instructions on a video, a topographic map and a timetable for the tides.

At 10:30am we get a lift by motor boat to the trailhead of the 75 km of the West Coast Trail. This trail is known for its beauty, but also for its difficulty, especially in times of rain (almost all the time ;-)) On the first meters already we get a sense for what it's going to be like the next days. It's going to be muddy even though the trail is made more comfortable by about 107 constructions in total.

There are cascades of ladders, bridges - solid one as well as suspension bridges and logs that where put into place - ramps and cable cars that make it possible to actually hike the trail in 6 days. In between muddy holes, slippery logs, tricky roots and deep puddles dominate. The first day surely is to make us get used to the strains and the difficulties of the trail.

Today we have to cover only 5 km (which takes us 3 hours !), which lead us passed the last relicts of an attempt to build a road and exploit this area. There is a "donkey", a steam powered winch to move logs, that is left of these days. A road that was to be built from the north along the shore, was never finished. But at least a trail was blazed to give ship-wrecked people a chance to get out of this green hell.

Over uncountable ladders we get down to the beach of Thrasher Cove. Although we got our reservations for a time close to the end of season there are about 25 others of which most walk the trail southbound. We pitch our tents on the narrow beach surrounded by heaps of driftwood. Now I am glad I brought my hatchet as well as my saw, especially as only driftwood is allowed for a camp fire. We enjoy the sunny afternoon in bright sun and toward the evening we prepare supper and group around our cozy fire that smells for aromatic cedar wood ;-))

Today we hit the sacs early as we have to get up early tomorrow.

September 20^th, 2001

Around 6am we get up and have a quick breakfast. In no time our tents and the other gear is packed and we get going.

The first kilometers of today we hike on the beach. That sounds quite easy at first glance, but is at least as strenuous as walking in the rain forest. First we have to pay attention to the timetable for the tides (that's why we are on our way that early ;-)), second is, we have to climb huge slippery rocks and logs of driftwood.

It is overcast and later it starts raining as well. But still this section of the trail is the most beautiful. We round Owens Point and get to a huge washout in the steep cliffs. The formations are really interesting.

As we hike on we first hear and then see the seals on a rock a little bit off shore. On our way along the rocky shore we find uncountable numbers of little washed out pools which show a great variety in animals. The colors and shapes are fascinating, the roar of the breakers in the background.

There are millions of sea-urchins and from time to time we find starfish in many variations. We just pass a little bay as we see a whale, no 20 meters away, blowing. It seems to graze the sea grass and only comes to the surface once in a while. Nonetheless we are excited...

A lot more animals we can spot today, for example a underwater snail, at least 10 cm big. We follow the whale along the shore, which swims northbound. As we leave the beach and follow the trail up into the rain forest, it blows once more as if saying goodbye. We know quickly that we are back in the rain forest. The mud wholes of yesterday are now filled with water and make it a big mess.

For 9 kilometers we crawl over roots and logs. Somewhere we get to our first ride on one of the five cable cars. Here 2 people can cross the river by sitting in the cable car and pulling themselves over.

In the early afternoon and after 12 km we reach our next campsite, the Cullite Cove. We pitch the tents in this beautiful bay surrounded by steep cliffs and go for a swim in the nearby river.

Some time later two more Germans arrive and join us at the camp fire. They are Sigi and Ernst, who was here two years before and tells some stories from then. We talk on until late in the night before we go to sleep.

September 21^st, 2001

In the morning drizzling rain is falling and it keeps like that for the better part of the day. We hike on after we crossed Cullite Creek using another cable car. After 2 kilometers of mud attack in the rain forest we reach the big suspension bridge that spans across Logan Creek.

On the northern side the bridge ends at a almost vertical rock where a ladder leads straight upwards. After we got ourselves and our heavy backpacks up there 3 kilometers of jumping from puddle to puddle and another cable car wait for us before we get down to the ocean again. As we reach the beach we have to accept that we spent to much time on our lunch break at Walbran Creek and the high tide has set in. So we have to walk another 2 kilometers on muddy tracks. On one of many logs Simon and his knee cap slips. In pain he manages to walk on. As we get to the beach again we have to wait for two hours for low tide before we can hike on.

As we get to Banila Point after 10 kilometers we set our camp together with Sigi and Ernst, who we met along the trail once again. It turns out that Sigi is a medical doctor and has a much better equipped first aid kit than we do. after he is done, Simon feels a bit better already. After a cold shower and a hot meal again we join a camp fire. A drizzling rain sets in and after a while we vanish into the tents.

September 22^nd, 2001

We get going altogether today. Simon feels a lot better, but still he thinks about getting off the trail in Nitinat (about half-way).

Before we get to Carmanah Point with its white lighthouse civilization gets hold of us. On the beach - right in the middle of nowhere - the curiosity of the trail awaits us - an fast food & snack bar. We can't afford anything to eat )although the prices are moderate), but Ernst stands us a coke which we enjoy in the suddenly appearing sunshine. We have lunch together with Sigi and Ernst later today, but then we split up as Simon, Sabine, Peter and I would like to get further than Nitinat today. We hike along the beach and enjoy the day.

As the trail leads us into the woods again we are informed by signs that we enter the country of the local natives. They offer the ferry service on both big rivers on the trail, for example here, across the Nitinat Creek. After the crossing the trail runs on top of steep cliffs. From time to time we can get a glimpse on a estuary or a nice bay below us. The first bay we can climb down to we chose to be our next campsite. In warm sunshine we take a shower and relax a bit. Not only the place itself is already beautiful, we get the most amazing sunset in addition.

We have supper and sit around the fire for a while. Today we have covered 17 kilometers and we feel just as tired.

September 23^rd, 2001

As we get up in the morning fog covers up everything. The trail does run as well in the woods (mud, mud mud ;-)) as on the beach (sand on which it is hard to hike either).

At the small but beautiful Tsuslat Falls we have a short break. The fog has lightened up a bit and the sun just comes out.

We don't have a break until few kilometers before our last campsite. Until the evening we hike on and as the trail is a lot less strenuous today than in the beginning we feel good covering a lot of ground.

In the evening and after 19 kilometers we reach our campsite for tonight. From only 12 kilometers are left for tomorrow until we reach the northern trailhead. We really taking a swim in the nearby river and get closer to the warming fire to have supper later.

September 24^th, 2001

We get up around 7am and have a short breakfast. The remaining 12 kilometers mostly run though the woods and once more it's really muddy and foggy again. At 12:30pm we can say we did it.

After a hot soup I take a shuttle service that brings me back to Port Renfrew in 3 hours using logging roads. On this route one can see how little the forests up here are worth in terms of ecology. Even though the coast is protected from logging only few kilometers away you find clear-cuts.

In Port Renfrew I pick up the van and then it takes me 4 hours to get back to Bamfield. As long as it was light I was able to backtrack my way but finally I get to a fork without any signs. I decide to try my GPS and indeed I find my way. It's not the one I went before, but tiny tracks through the woods that are narrower than the van, I only hope it one of it doesn't end in the middle of nowhere. In complete darkness I get into Bamfield and find my friends again. After a warm meal I get into my sleeping bag. With this day a particular impressing part of our trip  comes to an end. We enjoyed our time a lot and wish to come again some day.