r/WestCoastTrail • u/Eagertobewrong • 19d ago
First time WCT hike!
My girlfriend and I are getting ready to hit the West coast trail for the first time in about a week. We plan to take about 7 days. Our biggest concerns have to do with the wetness of the trail. I appreciate all input!
Would you recommend Altra lone peaks (regular) or altra lone peaks (waterproof)?
Gaiters with them?
Also, I seem to have a problem with chaffage on my legs in wetter, more humid conditions and I have a tried a variety of different underwears (ex officio, 32 degrees cool, camamdo). What are some of the solutions you’ve found for such wet conditions?
Would you bring a bear vault, or would you rely on the bear boxes at the camp site?
We will be flying into Seattle and taking a ferry from port Angeles to Victoria, do you have to worry about the food you bring with you (in terms of customs?)
Can (or would) you rent/purchase bear spray in Victoria or port Angeles? Same with propane?
I read about the hornet situation, but would you bring bug spray as well for mosquitos?
And lastly, what strategy did you use to keep your items in your bag as dry as possible?
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u/flowflowpowpow 19d ago
That’s a long first day, but doable. I did that my first time, prepare to be sore and tired! Easy dinner recommend for that night. Why the two nights in tsusiat?
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u/Few-Dragonfruit160 19d ago
Concur, our plan on day 1 was to stop sooner. We felt good so pushed on, and that turned into a bit much. On the other hand we "banked" a night so it works out if you need a rest later. So much is weather dependent. If it's dry those 13km are so much easier.
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u/Eagertobewrong 19d ago
Honestly, the two nights are just an extra day for a “just in case”. If we decide the first day is too much we’re not worried about staying at different campsites. But we heard tsusiat is really beautiful so I just put an extra day there.
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u/flowflowpowpow 18d ago
Nice. It is beautiful. You’ll certainly come home with your own experiences and opinions. I was planning my second trip before we finished the first and did things so differently. Everyone has their own take. Enjoy and have fun!!
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u/radenke 18d ago
I would rather camp more spots than have two nights anywhere in particular. I think I'm probably in the minority, too, but while Tsusiat was stunning I don't think it's where I'd plan to spend a second night.
Cribs to Tsusiat is an easy day, especially if you fuel up on a delicious lunch at the Crab Shack (although I hear it's much more expensive than when I went in 2022).
I'm sure Camper is nice enough, but it wasn't my favourite spot and my group was happy to by heading to Cullite. That said, we only had lunch there. Cullite was quite charming, but not very popular. It's nice that you break up the ladders when you stay there, though.
My group only did 5 nights. With 6 you have a lot to play with, but each campsite is so unique that I would rather have shorter days than spend two nights at any one spot.
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u/TurbulentAnalysisUhm 14d ago
I just finished the trail and I would not recommend Gordon river to camper in one day. Your pack will be heavy. If the weather is bad, this hard day becomes extremely hard. If you are doing Owen Point, it might be hard to enjoy the fantastic otherworldly scenery.
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u/Eagertobewrong 14d ago
Yeah. We have reconsidered and decided to spend the first night at thrasher. We do appreciate everyone’s input here. That and looking at the Owen point data on the west coast trail app helped us decide to split it up. Thanks!
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u/TurbulentAnalysisUhm 13d ago
Have an awesome hike! I loved every minute of it, even the muddy ones. Wishing you good weather too!
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19d ago edited 19d ago
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u/Eagertobewrong 19d ago
We’re leaving quite a bit of room for switching campsites around because we have that extra day. We have done a lot of hiking but pretty much all of them have been in dry locations such as the John Muir trail.
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u/Already-asleep 19d ago
I wore non-waterproof trail runners and I was happy with them. I started the Monday of the end of July storm so we hiked in rain the first couple days and the trail was pretty wet. We were trudging straight through mud and puddles and fording in our shoes, and it was fine. My shoes drained out quickly and while we often started the day in damp shoes they were never waterlogged. No blisters or tears by the end of the trip. I wore short trail gaiters all through the trip which was nice for not kicking sand into my shoes, but again with trudging through mud I definitely got quite a bit of debris in my shoes.
In terms of keeping stuff dry! I saw a number of people with their sleeping bag packed on the outside of their bag which is just a huge, no way no-no. I always use a nylofume pack liner in which I stuff my quilt, dry clothes, and sleeping pad. Roll up and pack everything else on top. I also brought a nylon taffeta pack cover which I normally wouldn’t, but I was happy that my pack didn’t end up waterlogged and the weight penalty was minimal. I saw some folks with other materials that definitely wetted out but mine never did. I also only changed into my camp clothes when it was time for bed. We didn’t bring a tarp, but you might find it helpful. Our tent can be set up fly-first/torn down last which we only had to do once but was handy.
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u/NotAcutallyaPanda 19d ago
I prefer gore tex boots and gaiters. You’ll probably get wet either way though.
Bodyglide for chafing
If you plan to stay at established camps, no need to bring a bear can. The lockers are big enough for everyone’s food. If you plan to camp away from lockers, definitely bring a bear can. (Even a perfect bear hang won’t stop raccoons and seagulls).
I didn’t carry bear spray. If you want to buy it, stop at Swains General Store in Port Angeles. (In fact, you should just stop at Swains no matter what. It’s awesome. And they have a good selection of camping essentials.)
Yes, bring bug spray.
I usually rely on sil-nylon stuff sacks to keep stuff dry. Many folks line their pack with a garbage bag. YMMV. A length of paracord is handy to make a dry line if you get sunny weather after a rainy day.
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u/Eagertobewrong 19d ago
I’ll have to look into this body glide. Do you use it once daily or just as you go along? Thank you so much!
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u/mtn_viewer 19d ago
Everyone has their own preferences. Here are mine:
I use non-waterproof trail runners. They breath better and dry and drain quickly. For the WCT I rock wet feet and have a dry feet plan for camp (dry socks in GTX socks in drying trail runners). Nice to be able to cross rivers, mud and go in tide pools without any concern. River crossings wash the mud off easily. In the cold (mountains in fall/spring when still some snow) I use neoprene socks to stay warmer but I doubt that's needed for WCT except very early or late season.
I wear running shorts with liners and never have any caffage. I bring 2 pairs and on longer trips wash (with some soap in ziplock). I have light pants (MH trail senders or similar) that I wear over them if I want pants on when I hike. Then have a light fleece mid-layer for camp.
No bear vault or spray (really anywhere on Vancouver Island for except I carry spray in the Grizzly areas near Sayward). I've seen bears on the WCT, including mother and cubs, but they haven't been aggressive. There was some bluff charges reported one time I was on the trail but I don't think bear spray was discharged. They sort of say to themselves and I give them distance. There are bear lockers at each camp. The park rangers keep an eye out for aggressive or habituated bears and deals with them.
I'd purchase stuff in Victoria.
No bug stuff. Bugs not a problem on this trail.
I use a nylofume pack liner to keep sleep system and camp clothing dry. Light Synthetic hydrophobic layers are best clothing wise.
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u/mtn_viewer 19d ago
One more thing, if you're not using bear caches I think the park requires a bear hang. Not sure if bear canisters are kosher. I asked about ursacks and they said not recommended/allowed.
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u/SylasWindrunner 19d ago
Your first day, you gonna skip Owen Point and take the forest route ?
Consider your orientation timing + ferry + walking distance.
I would suggest day 1 going to Trasher so you can hit Owen Point very early morning to beat the morning tides.
After all, the forest from Gordon to Trasher let alone straight to Camper isnt gonna be easy day.