The West Ghost Trail

The West Ghoooost Trail

Paula’s daily words:

Day 1 – Port Renfrew to Thrasher Cove

12:00am – 4:00pm (5.5kms)

Slugs… / Salal leaves with faces / Vanilla latte / trail mix / too much food / Why didn’t we take our 2k and go to Hawaii? / Missing toothpaste in toob / “Ooh this is going to hurt tomorrow” / Psychiatrist / Iced

Day 2 – Thrasher Cove to Camper Bay

10:00am – 4:00pm (8kms)

Riddles / WHALES!!! / Boulders, seaweed and barnacles / Surge channels / Eagles / Know your tide tables! / Trampled wildlife / Slippery! / Cable cars / Drew’s magical fire stove / Geologist Brad / Paula’s safety tips / Brad’s geo tips / Ice bath? – Swimming in Camper Creek / Cedar smelling outhouse – smells good? / Christine peeing… in the water? / Owen Point! / The cave! / Sea anemones / The best tide pool there ever was (in the cave) / The West Coast Trail theme song (A Whole New World) / Janelle getting caught trail peeing… Beach access? Whoops!

Day 3 – Camper Bay to Walbran Creek

9:30am to 4:00pm (9kms)

Drew’s campstove / Everyone has a job / First cable car / Ladders on ladders on ladders / Brad got iced again / Suspension bridge / Contact! / Baby giraffe / “it’s just dough :( / Refilling of the toob. Thanks Drew? / Nap (two hours!) / Barry the seal / Love letters / Sand fleas / Chicken on the beach / Scratched lens / Canned tomatoes!? / Janelle’s cheese was so good / Rock skipping master / Faulting / Jamie’s Chilli / Balance battles on the log / Raw oceanic power / Carina had dessert! She shared! / 1km of boardwalk bliss / Paula’s first water filtration experience / “now I don’t feels so bad about dough…” / We are going to have a killer but / “This is familiar” / Pulls out map… just where we were / Fake lashes

Day 4 – Walbran Creek to Cribs Creek

9:40am – 4:00pm (11kms)

Hawks that poop on the tent… What a nice wake up call / Supple leopard / Shawarma / Seals having all the fun surfing / Sand. “I hate sand” / Bull kelp jump rope / Chez Monique! / Best burger ever / Gummy bears and worms / Cable car! / Resistance panty raid! Gonch raid! / Soylent free day! / Gross water at the campsite / River bears / Gin and Nuun tabs / “Best beer of my life” / “I just know if I had to climb back down a ladder I just climbed up, I’d be pissed” / Lighthouse / Seals and the sealion rock / The best name rememberer at Chez Monique / Fire ban :(

Day 5 – Cribs Creek to Tsusiat Falls

9:00am to 6:30pm (17kms)

Earl, Heather, Nicola and Ryan – Our besties / Like little children on the beach – way too distracted / So much wildlife / Whales, river otter and babies, seals, sandpipers flying in unison, eagle, hummingbirds… and fake whales Carina saw / First day of rain / Slippery rocks / Drew fell :( / 17km day! / Forgotten sleeping bag at Nitinat narrows / Witnessing the murder of many Dungeness crabs / Brad’s bowel emergency / “Do you have TP? Toss it, I’m having a minor situation”/ Filtering water from a trickle at Tsusiat Falls / Brad’s hunt for the non-existent bear cache at night / came back so sweaty… / Brad filled up the 4L under the falls, freezing his balls in Tsusiat falls

Day 6 – Tsusiat Falls to Bamfield

6:30am – 7:00pm (25kms)

Wake up to rain on tents / 6am wake up / Sand and water everywhere / Janelle really hates sand (in case you forgot) – “Like honestly it would make me rethink doing this again” / 25 big kilometers / Jamie missed his alarm / Stopped for the coldest lunch at Michigan / Carina carried extra water in her pack cover / Janelle’s broken pole / Fast cable car! / Heckling the sealions until they all came off the rock – they were so boring at first… / Drew: “Welcome to your own personal hell” / Christine: “I’m too young to die” / Janelle: “dig really deep”, “mind over matter” / We hit a wall / Soaked to the bone / Drew’s onset of gangrene (the soggiest set of feet) / Paula stepping off a boardwalk onto a rusty old nail. Through the boot, orthotic, sock and skin. Boo. Tetanus anyone? / No 1km marker on the trail / 2nd lighthouse on trail – “I’m over it” / Drew sees a father and two sons, thinks: “poor bastards” / Carina’s continual decoy whales! / “Imagine walking from my house to Shell Center and back again. That’s 12kms! / 5 whales while waiting to use the loo / Christine: “oh, those people are just starting the trail. That. Sucks.” … “ooops” I didn’t see you two there” / First Earl-less day :( / We walked forever to get to the camp office – “it will take you 2 seconds to get there” / Hike of shame, not triumphant / “Why are those people moving so slowly? / 4 minute showers – delightful! / Used a rando’s hairdryer