four years ago me would have thought four days ago me was absolutely loco.

as i’ve travelled more and pushed myself out of my comfort zone, from visiting places like rio and rwanda to travelling solo to jumping off the world’s highest bungee bridge, i’ve learned that i never truly know my limits until i push them. and i am way tougher than i thought i was!

and after completing one of my biggest physical challenges yet, i’m happy to say my limits still haven’t maxed out yet.

i just completed the juan de fuca trail, a backcountry hike on Vancouver Island where i camped for 4 nights. it was 5 days of hiking up and down, up and down, heavily weighted squats down boulders and tree roots, across giant squishy mud pits and across creeks. it was NOT easy. but i did it and it was amazing and peaceful and i am so proud!!!

before i dive into the deets, let me first just say that the majority of content in this blog post, and the whole hike in general, must be credited to my friend Linda. my friend from BCIT, Linda and i have kept in touch over our mutual love for travel (we even met up in bali once!). this was Linda’s third time hiking JDF and she is an expert backcountry hiker; she has recently climbed kilimanjaro and to everest base camp.

i messaged Linda at the beginning of spring, from the depths of quarantine, begging her to take me on a hike. she asked if i wanted to do a multi-day one and i believe my response was something along the lines of “eeeek i don’t know, i guess so?!?!?”.

but when she asked again about a month ago, you know what? no brainer — i was up for the adventure!!

Linda planned everything out and made my job as a first-timer VERY easy. we were also joined by Michele and Noemie to make up the most epic, chill, adventurous group of badass chicas to hike the JDF trail. this trek could have gone one of two ways depending on the company and the weather, and i could not have been more blessed on both. so grateful to have people like this in my life!!!

okay let’s get trekkin’!

The Route

you can go north-to-south (botanical to china) or south-to-north (china to botantical). there are also multiple entry points along the trail if you don’t wanna do the whole thing. i parked my car at China Beach and we caught the shuttle up north, which would have been to botanical but it was closed due to a problem bear (bears are common on the trail but a problem bear is one that is a lil too comfortable with humans. that’s a problem. NEVER FEED BEARS, YOU IDIOTS).

so unfortunately we had to shave off 9km from the beginning of the trail (botanical is supposed to be so nice too, with tidal pools and wildlife sightings! will have to go back) and entered at a diff trailhead called Parkinson Creek.

Parkinson Creek - Kuitsche - 4km

starting the trail was DAUNTING. my back probably weighed about 40 pounds, including tent, sleeping bag and pad, pillow, clothes, and food for 5 days. i’ve worn it travelling but never hiking.

my knees were not feeling ideal. if 4km sounds easy, try it with a medium-sized child on your back. and up and down and up and down and through mud. the first day was the hardest for me (it’s all mental, so i just had to wrap my head around what was happening and what was to come). it was a big stugg for me to find my point of balance with that giant weight on my back and i definitely felt like i was gonna topple backwards on a few of the trickier parts where we had to twinkle-toe across rocks or logs. my hipbones grew extreeemely tender, bruised from where my backpack was resting (you’re supposed to have about 80% of weight on your hips).

but we made it to camp and had the day to relax, recover, and enjoy! Kuitsche is a cute campsite in the woods. the campsites all have an outhouse and a water source. this was the only one not on the beach, but you can head down to sunbathe/sunset watch on the rocks, which is so beautiful.

Kuitsche - Sombrio - 5km

the trail was pretty much the same as above. hills, mud, weighted squats. a long stretch on the beach at the end. but this part of the trail had an eventful twist: a bear encounter!!

Linda was our fearless leader as she went up one of the hills and came face-to-face with a black bear climbing a tree. she whipped out the bearspray just in case and slowly and calmly (meanwhile i’m in the back having a borderline panic attack) backed away, down the hill and out of its sight, and we all made noise so it knew we were there. once she went up the hill to check if it was still there, it had disappeared. needless to say we have never hiked faster to get outta there and our sore bodies were miraculously recovered!

Sombrio has an easy public access point so it was hectic. we actually put off trekking here the first night cause it was saturday and would have been way too crowded. but it’s a nice site, on the beach, and we had the most inSANE sunset there. first it was golden orange, then there was like a 5-min downpour and then the sky turned bright pink with a rainbow and then there was a flash lightning storm in the distance for the rest of the night. it was so so amazing.

because we started off with our shortest hikes, we arrived around 12 or 1 and had the whollleee day to chill. nap on the beach, read a book, go for a stroll along the beach. continue singing folklore in my head — this day was ‘my tears ricochet’. i can’t explain how amazing it was so be off the grid, nowhere to be, no work to do, great company, and also just chill. fill up our waters in the creek, cook our dinner, sit and stare at the fire and stargaze into the night.

m a g i c.

we (and by we i mean Linda) chose to do the hike this way — easiest to hardest trails, shortest to longest — because a) our packs would be lighter near the end, for the harder parts, and b) she wanted us to be going mostly uphill for the muddiest parts. honestly i think it’s a lose-lose (or a win-win depending on your mood) but i was happy with this route because carrying my pack definitely got easier and i got a major second wind like halfway through!

Sombrio - Chin - 7km

beware of the big muddy patch just past Sombrio, and then you’re onto one of the most beautiful parts of the trail with lots of viewpoints of the water. there was also like 1.5 km of the trail that flattened out and went through the woods which i was OBSESSED WITH.

i think Chin was my favourite place to camp! the beach was rocky and we got an awesome site just tucked in the trees right off the beach. passed out hard on the rocks after the hike that day and just loved laying there in the sun. we had a lovely campfire and met a few friends, had some chats about conspiracy theories and gazed at the milky way. it was such a nice night :)

Chin - Bear - 12km

this was the day i was dreading — our 12k day, the part of the trail that is rated most difficult — but have i mentioned it’s all mental? this turned out to be my favourite leg!

after stopping for lunch (pepperoni stick was my claim to fame) i got a second wind and for the rest of the entire hike i just breezed through it. my pack felt lighter, it just felt like it was a part of me now. it was a lot of steep inclines and declines with peaks that never seemed to end, but i bursted ahead on my own (that part of the trail isnt known for its bears) and just got’er done!

on Bear we camped at the third campsite, the one closest to the trailhead to China so our hike would be shorter the next day. i would say that is the worst campsite (the first has epic sunset views and second is the most popular with rope swings etc) but honestly we still had an amazing fire, we were right next to the water source, had a nice little nook with logs to chill on for dinner and our fire. it was so lovely :)

Bear - China - 9km

we woke up to a mystical wonderland with some epic light beams coming through the trees, and these guided us through the first chunk of our hike. i LOVED this day, felt so light on my feet and so stoked it was the home stretch. in the morning we also saw a sea creature moving through the water that we could not place; my best guess is a pink beluga but we also speculated it being a ogopogo, finless pink dolphin, sea sasquatch, dugong, etc. i’m open to anyone’s educated guesses on this.

7km took us to Mystic Beach, where we found towers of inukshuks, a rope swing, and trickling waterfall on the cliffside. from there it was 2km to the car and let me tell you i have never been more stoked to see automobiles. we did it!!!!

what to pack

again, Linda fully prepped us for this so this is basically her list with some notes of my own!

you can rent gear from these sites:

here’s a checklist from mec: https://www.mec.ca/en/explore/juan-de-fuca-trail-checklist

camp rsvp: http://bcparks.ca/reserve/frontcountry-camping/

shuttle rsvp: https://trailbus.com/reservations/

pack:

tent
sleeping pad
sleeping bag
pillow (you can also shove clothes in a pillowcase. but i love my compressible travel pillow from mec)
cooking pot and propane
bowl and sporkife
mug — i got this one which is super lightweight!
water filter — we drank from filtered creek water and it was DELISH
water bladders — i only had a bottle and really regretted not getting a bladder as it’s so hard to get your water bottle out from your backpack on the trail
clothes - like 1-2 tank tops, warm fleece, rain jacket, hiking shorts/pants, 3-4 hiking socks, undies, 2 sports bra, comfy pj/camp pants. bathing suit optional
wet wipes
bug repellent (they werent bad along the ocean but still good to have)
sunscreen
hiking boots
band aids / moleskin
first aid kit
headlamp
lighter / fire starters (Linda’s secret ingrediant is laundry lint!)
lots of garbage bags/ dry bags to store your food, garbage (it’s pack it in, pack it out), extra shoes
flip flops for camp
light microfibre towel to sit on
book
bear spray

my hiking buddies had gaiters for the mud and poles, so use if you wish!

for food:

i got dehydrated meals from mec and they were SO FRICKEN GOOD. risotto (okay i put too much water in so it was risotto soup), three-cheese lasagna, sweet and sour chicken with rice, and pasta primavera. it was fricken gourmet. i didn’t even feel like i earned my A&W burger that i stuffed my face with after the hike

breakfasts: 1 instant oatmeal a day

in between: snacks! pepperoni sticks, dehydrated mangos, chocolate raspberry clusters and chocolate coconut bar from mec (these were clutch), almonds, 1 clif bar (macademia nut) a day. i was quite happy with my food stash, i just wished i brought more pepperoni sticks and something else savoury like maybe triscuits.

my actual face when i discovered i could stand up with my backpack, fully expecting to fall back onto my butt.

Other Tips:

buy food/supplies in advance, MEC/Atmosphere/Cabelas were slim pickins!
keep your permit with you because the rangers come and check
each campsite has an outhouse with TP and hand sani but it’s always good to bring a bit in case of emerg
hike in the morning so you get there in daylight and get a good campsite
know how to read the tide tables so you don’t get caught because some portions are on the beach!
there are shuttles from downtown victoria and back. a popular hostel in vic is Ocean Island Inn
there are entry points at mostly every beach/campsite in case of emergencies or you wanna start midway through
definitely watch out for bears, especially for the botantical-sombrio portion. bring bear spray
you can go with kids! we saw quite a few families
when parking at China Beach, don’t leave valuables or anything to tempt break-ins as they are common here
PACK MINIMALLY. your bag is gonna be HEAVY. scrap those outfit changes and go lightweight-everything.
the trail is EXTREMELY muddy. we had the best weather and still passed some mud oceans. so that’s why some people hike with gaiters, or at least don’t be afraid to get muddy! you may also want to consider poles for this reason
band aids, moleskin, etc are a must. even if you’ve broken your shoes in, the extra weight on your back may make you more prone to blisters
make sure your bag sits on you right (80% on hips, basically hovering over shoulders). this will make a huge difference. watch a youtube vid on it before you go.
wet wipes are your friend. creek showers are also your friend.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING. like stop and eat multiple times throughout the trail. you are burning TONS of cals and need to refuel.
A POSITIVE ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING, for you and your hiking buds. don’t go expecting anything from weather or wildlife. go with the flow and make the most of it — you’re pushing yourself on an epic adventure and you should embrace whatever it throws your way and be proud!!

Backcountry bound: Hiking the Juan de Fuca Trail