Poor Darren got some pretty nasty blisters. I honestly don't know how he kept walking. (Susan must have been slipping him some of the good stuff). But I overheard him say at one point as we were trying to reach our daily destination, "Let's not talk about how far we have to go, let's talk about how far we can go." Oh that we had the luxury of hiking only as far as we thought we could for the day. I'm sure we would have been content with just half of what we actually did. It just goes to prove what you can do if you set a goal and stick to it.
This girl though. She was the best hiker and camper. I loved sharing a tent with her.
This was a dead octopus on the beach.
The rock formations were other-worldly.
Remember in my training runs how many times there were obstacles on my path? Turns out that was perfect training for the WCT because entire trail was an obstacle! Seriously, this trail is an impromptu and improvised trail. Any natural obstacles become part of the trail. For example, if a tree falls down adjacent to the trail, it becomes the trail. If a tree falls down across the trail, the trail continues under or over it.
The base of this suspension bridge was an 8 inch plank. It was long, narrow and swingy but felt sturdy enough and it was fun to cross.
You can see the steep ladders going up on the other side of the bridge.
From the top of the bridge. Already high, but let's climb higher.
View from the middle of the bridge out to the ocean.
Julie was such a trooper even though her feet hurt terribly, she was unstoppable and strong the entire hike. I was so reassured she was there because in the event I had to be carried out, this was the girl for the job.
These ladders were very high and steep. So glad I did all those push-ups.
Cullite Creek. Our only cable car crossing. What an adventure.
These guys made me laugh again and again on this hike. Jeremy wore a yellow hoodie, red shorts and a green pack. Julie called him Condiment Man. (I wish I had a picture of him) At one point on the trail, Jeremy said, "This is not an old man hike. I'm glad I'm doing it now and not ten years from now!" Darren bears a striking resemblance to George Clooney. Darren can reference any movie. His references are hilarious, as long as you've seen the movie. Which I hadn't. (Mickey promises to fix that as soon as we reach civilization. Nacho Libre anyone?)
Susan doing Yogic stretches in the rocky cove. This girl was a rock star. A pharmacist by trade, she actually brought an entire pharmacy with her. She was prepared for any emergency. She bandages a mean blister, and when that doesn't work, she can medicate you so you won't care anymore!
Braiding hair in the fading sunlight.
The wall of rocks at the back of this photo were the only things in this campsite giving off heat. We laid against them until they no longer gave off heat.
Julie and Susan in their Frogtogs. We thought they looked like the Blue Man Group. They are wearing them here not because it was raining, nor for the obvious fashion statement - but rather because of their heat-retaining qualities. As the picturesque Cullite Cove is under the forest canopy, we couldn't light a fire. (Most of British Columbia is on fire right now). The wind came up and it was very cold. We huddled around our tiny propane stove and pretended we were warmer.
Someone coughed all night in an adjacent tent and we heard the next day they had asked someone to request an evacuation at the next guardian cabin (4 km away).
Love letters in the sand.
How are the feet? Let's just say I am glad I packed as much Tylenol and Motrin as I did. Susan has something stronger if I need it. So far, so good.
I am so thankful for modern medicine.
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