West Coast Trail
Planning
Packing List
Day 1 – Pachena Bay to Darling River
Day 2 – Darling River to Tsusiat Falls
Day 3 – Tsusiat Falls to Carmanah Creek
Day 4 – Carmanah Point to Camper Bay
Day 5 – Camper Bay to Thrasher Cove
Day 6 – Thrasher Cove to Gordon River
Part of the Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
West Coast Trail
Part of the Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
Previous entry: Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach Hike Day 3 – Shi Shi Beach and Hitchhiking to Port Angeles
Journal entry for August 8-11, 2010.
After finishing the Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach hike and hitchhiking back to Port Angeles, I spent the rest of the day there waiting for next day’s ferry to Victoria, Canada.
Victoria Express ferry
Victoria Express ferry
Victoria Express ferry
I took the Victoria Express ferry, which was cheaper than the Black Ball ferry. Apparently, the Victoria Express was later acquired by Black Ball, and it is not in service anymore.
The ferry ride was enjoyable. The weather was cold and windy in Port Angeles in the morning, but when I arrived at Victoria, it was sunny and very warm. Going through customs was quick and easy. I then walked the 15 blocks from the ferry terminal to the Ocean Island Hostel.
I checked into my room and found out that it was way too small to fit 3 bunk beds and a large refrigerator. They were fitting 6 people into a small bedroom. Three of the people in there were staying long term, which meant that they had a lot of stuff scattered around the room. All in all, I wasn’t impressed, especially since I was paying $22/night. I was glad to be relocated to a different room the following night, with mostly tourists backpackers instead of long term residents.
Over the next few days, I met a lot of interesting people in the hostel. One 19-year old girl had hitchhiked across Canada by herself. There was an English girl who had been backpacking around the world for 2 years, and was soon going home. An German guy was traveling across Canada and made money by picking fruit in farms from time to time.
Some of the sites I visited included the Parliament building, the Royal BC Museum (very impressive), and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Victoria Harbour
Victoria Harbour
Parliament
Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf
I had a good time in Victoria, even though I found everything to be very expensive. I do think I spent too many days here. Maybe 2 days instead of 4 would have been perfect.
Next entry: West Coast Trail Day 1 – Pachena Bay to Darling River
Part of the Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
Olympic Coast
Planning
Packing List
Amtrak Coast Starlight (Los Angeles to Seattle)
Seattle, Washington
Port Angeles, Washington
Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach Hike
Day 1 – Lake Ozette to Ozette River Crossing
Day 2 – Ozette River Crossing to Shi Shi Beach
Day 3 – Shi Shi Beach and Hitchhiking to Port Angeles
Victoria, BC, Canada
West Coast Trail
Day 1 – Pachena Bay to Darling River
Day 2 – Darling River to Tsusiat Falls
Day 3 – Tsusiat Falls to Carmanah Point
Day 4 – Carmanah Point to Camper Bay
Day 5 – Camper Bay to Thrasher Cove
Day 6 – Thrasher Cove to Gordon River
West Coast Trail
West Coast Trail Journal Index
Part of the Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
Packing list contents
I purchased the Montane Shell Atomic DT 2.0 rain pants online, which ended up fitting me great. They really compress very well into the small stuff sack that comes with it. From ZPacks I got a cuben fiber stuff sack for my clothes and a more heavy duty one for food, they are ultralight and of great quality. Lastly, I got the minimalist Dirty Girl gaiters which is not waterproof, but it won’t matter since I’m not wearing waterproof shoes.
I have decided to take the same New Balance 875 I used on the John Muir Trail in 2009. They are a little worn out, but I hope they will hold it together.
Unlike for the JMT, I won’t be using a water filter for this hike, choosing instead to use purifying tablets. I also won’t be taking a bear canister, which is a huge relief.
Other than the above, the list is almost identical to last year’s JMT.
| Category | Description | Pounds | Kilos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Pack | Packed stuff without food or water | 12.30 | 5.58 |
| Food & Water | 7 days of food and 1 liter of water | 12.70 | 5.76 |
| Total Packed | Base pack, plus food and water | 25.00 | 11.34 |
| Total Skin Out | Base pack, food and water, worn clothes, and hiking pole | 28.82 | 13.07 |
| Item | Description | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backpack | |||
| Backpack | Osprey Exos 46 (Top Lid Removed) | 33.25 | 943 |
| Pack Cover | 30 Gallon Trash Bag | 1.25 | 35 |
| Shelter | |||
| Tent | Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 1 | 46.85 | 1,328 |
| Sleeping Bag | Mont-Bell Spiral Down Hugger #3 | 19.00 | 539 |
| Sleeping Mat | Therm-a-Rest NeoAir (M) | 12.50 | 354 |
| Packed Clothes | |||
| Waterproof Jacket | GoLite Phantasm S | 9.30 | 264 |
| Rain Pants | Montane Shell Atomic DT 2.0 | 6.80 | 193 |
| Fleece | Mountain Hardware | 9.55 | 271 |
| Beenie | Mountain Hardware | 0.90 | 26 |
| Bandana | Bandana | 1.05 | 30 |
| Gloves | MEC Windstopper N2S | 1.75 | 50 |
| Socks | Defeet Cloud 9 (3x) | 5.25 | 149 |
| T-shirt | Patagonia Capilene 1 Long Sleeve | 5.00 | 142 |
| Underwear | ExOfficio Boxer Brief | 2.20 | 62 |
| Cooking & Water | |||
| Spork | Light My Fire Spork | 0.40 | 11 |
| Water Treatment | Micropur Tablets | 0.65 | 18 |
| Drink Tube | Platypus Drink Tube | 2.00 | 57 |
| Water Containers | Platypus 1L (3x) | 2.70 | 77 |
| Other Stuff | |||
| Headlamp | Princeton Tec Fuel | 2.75 | 78 |
| Lighter | Mini Bic | 0.50 | 14 |
| First Aid Kit | Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .3 | 2.70 | 77 |
| Pocket Knife | Victorinox Classic | 0.70 | 20 |
| Emerg. Fire Starter | REI Stormproof Matches (14x) | 0.42 | 12 |
| Duck Tape | Gear Aid 100" Roll | 1.50 | 43 |
| Guidebook | Bliss and Blisters | 0.85 | 24 |
| Compass/Whistle/Thermometer | Coghlan's 4 in 1 | 0.90 | 26 |
| Stuff Sack | Zpacks Cuben Fiber (520 cubic inches) | 0.20 | 6 |
| Food Stuff Sack | Zpacks Cuben Fiber "Blast" Food Bag | 0.80 | 23 |
| Rope | 1.5mm Z-Line Spectra Cord (50 feet) | 0.90 | 26 |
| Carabiner | Mini-D Carabiner | 0.10 | 3 |
| Pee Bootle | Small Gatorate Bottle | 1.40 | 40 |
| Notebook | Small Notebook | 2.40 | 68 |
| Pencil | Pencil | 0.45 | 13 |
| IDs | Driver's Lic./Credit C. | 0.50 | 14 |
| Passport | Passport | 0.85 | 24 |
| Emergency Cash | Cash | 0.20 | 6 |
| Photography | |||
| Digital Camera | Panasonic Lumix TZ-5 | 8.70 | 247 |
| Tripod | Mini Generic Tripod | 1.70 | 48 |
| Camera Batteries | Extra Batteries (2x, 0.95z each) | 1.90 | 54 |
| Toiletries | |||
| Toothbrush | Oral B (Sawed Off) | 0.30 | 9 |
| Toothpaste | Dried Toothpaste Dots (7 days) | 1.00 | 28 |
| Floss | Oral B Ultrafloss | 0.15 | 4 |
| Toilet Paper | Toilet Paper | 0.50 | 14 |
| Sunblock | Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 70 | 1.40 | 40 |
| Lip Balm | Dermatone SPF 23 | 0.30 | 9 |
| Bio Soap | Dr Bronners | 1.40 | 40 |
| Purell | Purell | 0.40 | 11 |
| Insect Repellent | Jungle Juice (REI) | 0.40 | 11 |
| Food (7 Days) | |||
| Food | 28oz/day (7 Days, includes packaging) | 168.00 | 4,763 |
| Water | 1 Liter | 35.27 | 1,000 |
| Hiking Poles | |||
| Hiking Poles | Gossamer Gear Lightrek 4 with Straps | 7.90 | 224 |
| Worn Clothes | |||
| Convertible Pants | Mountain Hardwear Mesa (M) | 14.10 | 400 |
| Hat | Outdoor Research Sun Runner | 2.90 | 82 |
| T-shirt | Patagonia Capilene 1 Long Sleeve | 5.00 | 142 |
| Underwear | ExOfficio Boxer Brief | 2.20 | 62 |
| Gaiters | Dirty Girl Gaiters | 1.25 | 35 |
| Socks | Defeet Cloud 9 | 1.75 | 50 |
| Shoes | New Balance 875 | 26.00 | 737 |
| Miscellaneous (Not Carried During Hike) | |||
| Train Ticket | Confirmation Email | ||
| Return Flight Conf. | Confirmation Email | ||
| Permit Confirmation | Permit Confirmation Letters (2x) | ||
I went to the John Muir Trail with a no-cook diet and it worked out pretty well for me, so I decided to do the same for this hike. I did adjust it a bit by adding more sweet stuff, which I really craved and felt hadn’t packed enough for that occasion.
| Item | cal/ounce | Ounces | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per Day | 112 | 25.55 | 2,868 |
| Snickers Bar | 140 | 3.3 | 462 |
| Salami | 90 | 4 | 360 |
| Cheese | 105 | 2 | 210 |
| Trail Mix | 151 | 3 | 453 |
| Peanut M&Ms | 146 | 3 | 438 |
| Dried Fruit | 78 | 2 | 156 |
| Bacon Bits | 140 | 2 | 280 |
| Tortilla | 75 | 5.25 | 394 |
| Hummus | 115 | 1 | 115 |
West Coast Trail Journal Index
Part of the Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
West Coast Trail Journal Index
Part of the Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
Amtrak's Coast Starlight
While planning for the John Muir Trail, I came to realize that it was consistently rated as one of the top hikes in the world. Another hike that appeared a lot of in different lists, sometimes even as #1, was the West Coast Trail. I’ve also have been wanting to ride the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Los Angeles to Seattle for quite some time. I always enjoyed train rides, and seeing the slow transition between different cities and regions. A couple of years ago I also saw some amazing pictures of Shi Shi Beach (here and here) in the State of Washington and have been wanting ever since to see it in person.
This trip provided a great opportunity to combine everything into one amazing journey.
I’ll taking the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle, rent a car there, drive to Olympic National Park in the coast of Washington, do the “Ozette Lake to Shi Shi Beach” hike. Drive to Port Angeles, take the ferry to Victoria, BC, Canada. Enjoy the city for a couple of days before starting the West Coast Trail. My plan is to take 7 days to complete the hike, and then fly back from Victoria to LA. I should take a little bit under 3 weeks to do all this.
The Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach is a little bit of a problem because once I finish, I’ll need to find a way to get back to my car at the trailhead. It doesn’t appear to be any public transportation in the area. Maybe I’ll have to hitch a ride, or another option is to hike back to Lake Ozette which should take 1 1/2 days.
There are two ways to reserve a permit, either online on Parks Canada website, or by calling their office between 9am to 5pm. Reservations can be made up 3 months prior to the start date, starting on the first day of that month. Since I want to start the hike on Thursday August 12, 2010, the earliest I can reserve is June 1, 2010.
Since you can’t call their office until 9am, I stayed up late the night before to see if online reservations would open at midnight. Sure enough, I was able to reserve online and ended up paying CAD 127.50 for the permit plus a CAD 26.67 reservation fee. I’m not sure if I could have saved the reservation fee by waiting until 9am and getting the permit by phone. From what I’ve heard, there’s very high demand for the limited permits (60 total each day, starting from either trailhead) and given that people can reserve online starting at midnight, I didn’t want to run the risk.
I will be starting from Pachena Bay, the northern trailhead.
I called the Olympic Nation Park to get my Wilderness Camping Permit. The first night I’ll be camping at the site north of Ozette River, and the following night at Shi Shi Beach. I want to thank Josh, the ranger I talked to on the phone, who was very courteous and helpful.
My West Coast Trail Packing List is very similar to the John Muir Trail Packing List I used last year. Once again I’ll be wearing the New Balance 875 I took to the JMT.
West Coast Trail Journal Index
Part of the Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
This was a 2-week business trip in May 2010, and I barely had any time to sightsee and take photographs. Here are some of the few I took.
St Lawrence Market
St Lawrence Market
St Lawrence Market
St Lawrence Market
St Lawrence Market
St Lawrence Market
The Beach
The Beach
Free bikes
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls