Juan de Fuca Marine Trail

In April of 2006 we decided to plan a big camping trip of some sort for September. Initially, this was to be 2 weeks canoeing on Murtle Lake, in Wells Gray, however we simply didn't get enough practice time on the canoe so this idea was modified in July of 2006. Our new goal for the trip would be "do a big backpacking adventure"!

At first we were thinking of the West Coast Trail, which is widely renouned as the premier backpacking trail in western Canada, but with suddenly having to move and all sorts of things going on with that our time became a little more limited than we had planned. So we switched to planning a trip on the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, which runs 47 kilometers between Jordan River (just north of Sooke) and Port Renfrew (where the West Coast Trail starts) on Vancouver Island.

I have done up a full trip report for the whole thing, as we kept a journal of each days adventures, which can be viewed by clicking here.

This adventure was certainly the hardest thing I've ever done, and I think Kathy agrees for herself as well, and it was very rewarding to finish! It's a little anti-climatic at the end when you've slogged a 40lb pack for 47 kilometers over rugged coastline and you get to Port Renfrew expecting everyone to ask about your packs, your dirty face, your scrapes and cuts...but no, they're used to it, it's the start and end point to the two most popular backpacking trails on the west coast. Bugger...

Unfortunately we took very few pictures of said rugged coastline and trail because frankly at some times we weren't sure if we would be able to finish the trip. Mainly the second day which is by far and away the hardest, consisting of switchbacking up a very steep wet slope, with the occasional tree fallen over the path to further challenge you, then at the top go directly down again. Rinse and repeat 15 times over 13 kilometers with very little flat stuff in between. Add 40lb packs, a light drizzle forcing you to wear poorly breathing rain gear, and the fear that you started too late in the morning and wouldn't arrive at the next site before nightfall...but we did, and we rock! So yeah, very little time to take pictures on the trail.

We carried both the Canon Digital Rebel and the Nikon Coolpix 4500, the 20d proved to be too heavy to carry, so the Nikon was the only one out on the trail, and that only occasionally. Pics with titles of DSCN are the Nikon and IMG are the Canon, it's up in the air who took what picture so these are all "joint venture" pictures between Kathy and I. They are sorted from start to finish, and include some shots from the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, which was so very cool, definitely worth the visit!