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West Coast

West Coast Trail Tips #1-Planning

The West Coast Trail is a world class long distance hiking adventure on the west coast of Vancouver Island in Canada.  The very rough coastline has been the scene of many shipwrecks, most with few or no survivors.  A trail was put in between Port Renfrew and Bamfield as a way for wreck survivors to get out of the wilderness.  Without the trail, the coastline is too rugged for even the hardiest person to make it through.  The trail has been improved over the years, with numerous ladders, suspension bridges, boardwalks, and cable cars, but it remains a challenging traverse.

The challenges on the West Coast Trail are different from other hiking trails that are inland.  Coastal hikes have a number of unique hazards that must be understood and respected.  Hiking on glaciers or at altitude presents a similar problem.  Each has its own unique set of risks that require skill and knowledge to meet.  It is because of these unique risks that the planning and preparation are extremely important.  Because the hike is a traverse, extra planning and organization is needed to ensure arrival and pickup.  Most areas need special planning.

We will look at four main areas needing to be organized for a hiking trip on the West Coast Trail:

•Dates for the trip

•Transportation to, from and during the trip

•Food, before the trail, at the campsites, and at "special" places

•Equipment needed to get through the trip.

Date Considerations

Several aspects relate to the dates that will be chosen for the trip.  The number of people in the group will present an opportunity or a challenge, depending on the dates.  High season and shoulder season times allow or inhibit larger groups, and the need for reservations at earlier dates. The tides and the trail conditions vary greatly during the season and the month.  What can be seen, and passed through, changes with the tides.  Lastly, the weather can be any mixed bag along the coast, but the general trend is to have the better weather during the high season of July and August.  Judging your group is important in deciding how they will do in wetter weather.

Transportation

Three main considerations exist for the transportation.  First, which end is the starting point and which the ending point is a critical decision.  Getting to and from the trail is an important obstacle to overcome.  The third is whether to take a vehicle or to hire out all the transport.

Food

The dates you pick, or the length of the trip affects the food planning.  To hike the trail safely, plan on taking at least seven days.  It can be done in a shorter time given good conditions, but it is not dependable.  The longer the trip, the more food is needed, and the planning and preparation increases.  Choosing to buy or dry and package your own food needs pre-planning, and the amount and quality of the food you carry is important.  Fresh food is healthy, but heavy.  And there are opportunities for food along the trail at Monique's and at the Nitinat ferry.  Money is essential for these places.

Equipment

Although this is a backpacking hike, which requires a common set of equipment for most trails, there are specific needs around some things when hiking on the coast.  The common elements are the proper pack, with the right features for a long , multi-day hike, and proper hiking boots.  The climate is very wet, even in August with great weather.  Keeping clothes and sleeping gear dry is nearly impossible.  Longer trips need lighter gear, and then there is the ever-present problem of mud.  A warm, dry shelter is important for the end of the day, so taking a great tent helps make the trip better.  Clearly, the right equipment is essential.

With the right equipment; good, healthy food; foolproof transportation; and the right dates, hiking the West Coast Trail is a great and memorable trip.  Ensuring that all of these things are in place takes planning.  If you are good at planning, you now have the basic considerations.  If you do not feel up to it, you can read the rest of the articles in the series, or just hire a guiding company to do it all for you.

To learn more about hiking trips on the West Coast Trail, visit www.coastalbliss.ca where you will find this and much more about adventure tours and BC coastal hiking.

About the Author

Gary Ward has been leading trips and teaching in wilderness areas for 20 years. Having travelled from desert to sea, he spends most of his time now in coastal areas, exploring the boundary between land and sea, land and sky, and sea and sky.

Gary can be found on one of these boundaries, running Coastal Bliss Adventures with his partner, Georgia Newsome, and writing about Beautiful BC.

How many west coast swing dancers are there in the world?

If not the world, US is fine. Or US, Australia and Europe. I'm looking specifically at West Coast Swing Dancers, not ballroom or "swing" dancers. Must be "West Coast Swing" Dancers. They can dance other dances, but must know how to do basic West Coast Swing. West Coast Swing is a style and is not limited to the west coast of the U.S. Thank you!

wow that's going to be hard to know.
I do all ballroom dances, plus ECS, and lindy hop which is what WCS originated from.
I CAN do WCS but I prefer ECS because I'm better at it -- so does that make me a WCS dancer?

There are probably 500 people in my "social dance group" and the majority can do some basic WCS, though not all can do it very well (me included)

Skee.TV Presents Ice Cube Ft. Maylay & WC "Too West Coast" Music Video

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