Part 3: What is the WCT?

We at G-WeB must be honest. The pictures on this link are a pale reflection of the awesome beauty and physical challenge required to hike this trail. The WCT is a 48 mile trail that runs along the southwest corner of Vancouver Island. It's flanked by two, remote fishing ports - Bamfield to the north, and Port Renfrew to the south. It's in a dense rain forest which crosses 6 First Nations lands. There are numerous access routes that connect the trail with hiking along the Pacific Ocean. Ocean hiking is tricky because many stretches can only be traversed at low tide. Other challenges include cable cars to cross waterways, rope bridges, and ladder systems with ascents and descents up to 200 feet!

Every step offers treacherous adventure; in rain or wet conditions (which is most of the year) the hundreds of cedar ladders, platforms and wooden walkways, and 20 to 100 foot long, log bridges require hyper vigilance to avoid slipping and injury. The forest is lush with vegetation and the trail often resorts to becoming a carved dark tunnel through thick foliage. With ascents only reaching about 200 feet above sea level, panoramic seascapes are plentiful.

The ocean is magnificent. Should you be lucky enough to hike the WCT during low tide, you'll hike over lunar-like rock platforms, surge channels, and around Owen Point - which can only be traversed when the tide is dead low. Just south of this outcrop, there's a huge, mile-long boulder field to traverse which is a must for the adventurist!

Although the Boys hiked the trail in 6 days, 7 should be the minimum. Camp sites are located along the ocean where many fresh water creeks find the Pacific. With only 26 hikers allowed to enter either end of the trail per day, one might (mistakenly) expect to be tripping over wide-eyed backpackers. In fact, the opposite seemed to be the case. It was both useful and delightful to infrequently crisscross the path of fellow hikers to hear about their adventures and welcomed advice about things yet to come. Depending on what you choose, one could spend an isolated night along the ocean, or nestled among some of the thousands of logs washed on shore during the winter with other backpackers. Here's just a peek of the WCT!