What follows below is a series of photographs that I took while completing the West Coast Trail in August 1996 with my husband. (It is not meant at all to give an account of life on the trail.)
I hope you enjoy these close-up pictures of the Trail and get a sense of the beauty of the scenery.
Bamfield Trailhead, KM 0
A closeup of a log washed up on the beach.
Dune grass lining the beach
Trail to Pachena Lighthouse, KM 3
Rosy Twistedstalk, member of the Lily family
Pachena Lighthouse, KM 10
Flowers. The lighthouse staff at Pachena clearly put a lot of effort into the gardens around the lighthouse. It looked extra colourful after walking through the woods for several kilometers.
Almost everyone who walks by the entrance to the lighthouse must take their picture in front of the sign. I am no exception. (These signs spell out hello in the many languages of the hikers that pass by.)
Michigan Creek KM 12
Mussels. I took this picture on our first night where we camped at Michigan Creek. I was amazed at the sheer number of these clinging to the rock.
Boiler from the 1893 wreck of the Michigan. I was so interested in this boiler that I took pictures of it from several different angles as you will notice below. I was amazed that it still was standing after 100 years in the sea.
KM 14
Barge wreckage. The next series of pictures show other examples of the wreckages that still sit lodge in the beach. I have not shown the entire ship, but rather have tried to give some interesting perspectives on parts of it
Tsocowis Creek, KM 17
Nail in wood. Many of the logs that have washed up on shore have nails and other man-made features as part of them.
KM 16
Slug. One of the many harmless creatures that we saw on the trail.
Tsusiat Falls, KM 25
Cleaning the water filter. Each night (or every six bottles of water filtered) meant that either Ray or I had to scrub the water filter to keep it clean enough to pump through water. We discovered on the trail that keeping the water filter clean was a necessity. We had not carried enough fuel to boil our water and also, a good water source was not always easy to find.
Tsusiat Point, KM 27
Rock formation. These funny rock formations were many along this half of the trail. The next picture shows the range of color that covered the rocks. At high tide, these would be covered with water.
Rock formation.
Nitinat Narrows, KM 32
Pile of wood. The rangers that patrol the trail face an uphill battle maintaining the trail. We saw many similar stacks along the trail.
Dare Point, KM 38
Resting packs. We camped at Dare Point on our third night. We had great weather all day (sun without a cloud in the sky) and we gave the packs the night off as well.
The Cribs, KM 41
Splashing wave. We timed our arrival at The Cribs so that we could walk along the top. It was interesting walking at a slat for a couple of kilometers. The tide was coming in so we watched the waves crash against the rocks.
KM 38
Crab. Another example of the wildlife to be seen on the trail.
Walbran Creek, KM 52
Hiking Boots. No pictorial of the West Coast Trail is complete without a picture of muddy hiking boots. These are Ray's feet.
KM 54
Bunchberry.
Sandstone Creek, KM 59
Thrasher Cove, KM 69
Muddy Hiking Boots. My feet after a hard day hiking from Walbran Creek to Thrasher Cove. These last 18 kms were very rocky, muddy, and tortorous at time.
Port Renfew
The last view of the day. As one walks up the government wharf after being dropped off by the ferry, the pub sign beckons. The pub had rooms for $25 a night with a bed that is softer than foamies, and had access to hot water to bathe. The trail burger is delicious after several days of dried food. Of course, the beer is cold and they take Visa. A stop here is a great way to end the hike.
Close Up on the West Coast Trail. [Full Stride Publications, Trail Head / Footpath 2]. Lynne Siemens.
Copyright (c) 1997, 1999- by the author, all rights reserved, and may be used and shared in accordance with the fair-use provisions of U.S. copyright law. Archiving and redistribution for profit, or republication of this text in any medium, requires the consent of the author and Full Stride Publications.
[Last updated: September 10, 1997; 1999.]
Full
Stride Publications
Nanaimo, BC, Canada.
siemensr@mala.bc.ca