The outdoors have always been a big part of my life. Whether it was spending weekends in the Rockies skiing as a kid or being outside from sunrise to sunset at my grandparents farm, my childhood was full of playing in the dirt and appreciating the earth. Yet it wasn’t until University that I truly had the freedom to learn and grow by myself in the outdoors. Thanks to UC’s Mountaineering Club, I got intros into rock-climbing and backpacking and met an amazing group of people that showed me how much there truly is to love and do in the outdoors. With them I went on my first backpacking trip and climbing trip, I learnt LNT (Leave No Trace) principles, how to respect nature, how to stay safe in the backcountry, how to use gear and how to take advantage of all the wild space around me. Thanks to them, I had the confidence to go on hikes and camp on co-ops out in California which led to some of my favorite memories from University.
After 5 years of being in class or on co-op nonstop, finally having a summer off before starting work in August allowed me time to go on trips that I had been talking about for years (which of course needed to include some backpacking and hiking). My bad ass outdoorsy Aunt and I had been talking about doing a backpacking trip together for a couple of years, so we figured this was the perfect time to do it. She had done The West Coast Trail in Canada 20 years ago, so we figured why the heck not, let’s do it again! So with Mike, my aunt and my cousin Jack, we made it happen!
The 74 km trail on the West Coast of Canada started as a lifesaving trail for shipwreck victims, but today hiking the trail is about exploring Vancouver Island’s temperate rainforest and wild coastlines and appreciating the beauty of territories that First national people call home. We hiked the trail in 6 days and 5 nights, camping along the way at Camper Bay, Walbran, Cribbs, Tsusiat Falls and Michigan. It was physically and emotionally challenging at points but it reminded me why I love the outdoors and being surrounded by nature. It gave me space to think and process the period of my life I am in right now with the end of University and the beginning of full-time work and moving across the country. It allowed me to disconnect from social media and focus on relaxing and recentering. It left me sore, dirty, and tired but it also left me so so so happy and relaxed. There is nothing in the world better than exploring places you can only get to by walking, and sitting around a campfire with pals after a long day of hiking.
Here are some of my favorite moments from the trail (musings continued after):
6 days, 5 nights, 74 km, 1 motel, 1 sexy white van rental car, 4 bags of beef jerky, 2 maps, 3 rocky beaches, 1 baby bear, 10 dehydrated meals, 6 cliff bars, 5 ocean shelfs, 1 bald eagle, 80 mud pits, 5 billion roots, 6 falls, 10 streams, 2 tents, 1 jet-boil, 1 broken water filter, 1 blister, 2 rainstorms, 1 waterfall, 2 ferry rides, 1 puffy wrist, 10 bars of chocolate, 5 ocean tooth-brush runs, 1 bumpy bus, 60 ladders, 5 pairs of darn-tough socks, 3 foggy mornings, 2 cable cars, 1 stream crossing, 3 hot chocolates, 1 failed game of cribb, 20 liters of filtered water, 1 lighthouse, 50 whales, and 200 buoys later I am covered in dirt and sweat, stinky and so so happy. Nothing like 6 days without showering to clear your head, recharge your soul and get you moving and grooving.
Huge shout-out to Auntie Tine, Jack & Mike for being the best backpacking companions and always offering me a piece of your chocolate bars.
Cheers - keleniak
#heckya