The West Coast (Trial) Trail

West Coast Trail - Tsusiat Falls

The West Coast Trail runs along the southern length of Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  It was originally set up, not for tourists, but rather for survivors of ship wrecks.  The waters off the coast are a myriad of hull lashing rock and coral formations waiting to tear the bottom out of any boat which dares to trespass.  Back then ships would encroach upon the area's reefs unknowingly to their fate.  Those who did not perish in the water or from the jagged rocks along the shoreline died in the thick forests.  The trail was meant to give them some degree of hope.

I have done the trial, err, I mean trail, twice; once in 1997 and again in 2013.  It is around 75 kilometers long; it will take the adventurer 5 days to do 15 km per day.  That doesn't sound like a lot, does it?  I mean, those of you who do 10,000 steps a day do 8 km - and doubling that shouldn't be too difficult.  However, you forget that you have 25 kilograms of weight on your back, get to sleep in a tent at night, and have serious vertical obstacles to overcome.  Then there are the bugs and the fact that you have to pump your own drinking water to avoid getting giardia (beaver fever).  And did I mention the lack of toilets or the risk of torrential rainfall?

The first time I did it we were in a group of about 8 or so.  I was a spry young fellow then and felt it would be a walk in the park.  Well, it was a walk in the park, but they build parks much tougher than you would guess.  My knees were shot, I was covered with mosquito bites, and I developed an impressive case of impetigo.  But I was successful and celebrated my victory the way a zombie might rejoice over some obscene conquest.

Not having learned my lesson the first time, 16 years later I decided to try it again.  Once again there was a group of us, some from the first quest and a few new ones, including my own son and daughter.  Clearly my near demise from that first journey did not cause any alarm - the desire for glory could not be dissuaded.  No, the pursuit of valor and honor would go forth.

So the bunch of us headed out to the WCT - woefully cunning trials.  The first day saw us do 12 km and we camped at a wonderful beach.  It was so great and we were so tired that we decided to hang around a second day to lick our wounds and celebrate our meager success by playing a few rounds of cards.  The following day, number three now, took us another 13 km and we finally came to Tsusiat Falls, where I took the above photo.  Something was different though from before.

Being 16 years older did not make me any wiser, but it certainly made me more prone to the hazards nature threw at me.  It turns out I was not the only one suffering from the trials put upon us by the trail; most of us had felt sudden urge to call a cab and get a ride back to civilization.  So, we hung around for another full day and vanquished boredom by throttling fellow hikers at cards.  Then we made a decision.

We had just done 25 km of 75, taken 4 days, and had the hardest part of the trail yet to challenge.  So we would retreat to where we started.  After all it would mean we spent 6 days or so hiking 50 km which in itself was nothing to sneer at.  Some of us (my kids mostly) wanted to go on, but that meant breaking up the group.  To me the trip was really about being with people - it wasn't the destination that was important, it was the journey - and so we headed out together.  Two days later, with lighter packs and hearts, we arrived from where we started.  Defeated yet still victorious, we held our heads high as we shuffled off home.  We did not complete the West Coast Trail, but we did survive the West Coast Trial, and in the process made some memories that will last forever.

Vermilion lakes, Banff

Beautiful Vermilion Lake, Banff, Alberta

There are lots of different ways to see the world.  Most of us, in North America anyway, do it through the window of a car, either as a passenger or a driver.  Sometimes we will walk a bit, although it often entails leaving the car to visit some place briefly then getting right back in again.  We came, we saw, we left.  I know this because it is the way I often travel.  It is always enjoyable, but I have to tell you there is much more to the world that what you can see by car.

I love the outdoors, although my body is as such that I can't love it quite the way I used to.  Still though, if you really want to get to experience something intimately rather than through the typical drop and leave method familiar to so many of us, you have to get out of your comfort zone.  It means spending time, energy, and resources in the attempt to have a close encounter of the bird kind (and other living things too).  It not just about the land, its also about what is upon, above, and in it.

The above photo I shot a couple of years ago while visiting Banff.  We were there for a week or so and I brought along my kayaks.  Kayaking is just another way to explore the planet, but it gets you close and personal to nature unlike strolling along a paved path.  It is one of the reasons I go kayaking; I can go places and see things few others have been able to.  But it is not the only way to explore.

Whether your explorations take place on a trail, in a canoe, or from a car, they all have one marvelous thing in common; you get out of the house and spend some time admiring what a great country we have.  If, you happen to be away from Canada, then you can appreciate what a great planet we are here to enjoy.  I want to encourage you, plan to go and explore your country / planet.  Yes, it all takes time, energy, and resources, but you will have experience something which electronic media cannot possibly give; an awareness and a connection, deep and personal, to this great place called Earth.

Life in Samoa

Home in a Samoan village

Home is where you live; it is where your friends and family are.  It is where you lay your head at night and where you eat breakfast in the morning.  Most of all, home is where your heart is - it is part of who you are.
The above shot is of a home in a traditional Samoan village.  If you were close enough you would find no glass in the windows.  The door has no lock, and the welcome mat is out.  It is a place you can visit with no fear and people will greet you with warmth and a smile.
While visiting this little enclave of tradition; a bastion bearing beauty and benevolence towards outsiders, we were thrilled to see the children playing.  There were no playgrounds or organized activities.  There was no electronics to mesmerize them or adults to control them.  They were free spirits; curious but polite. 
Their parents were busy with looking after the things adults do; but were themselves welcoming and helpful towards each other and ourselves.  It was a community, and it was home.
Home means something different to us all, but in the end it is a safe place where we are welcome.  Here, everybody was home.