Six of us ventured out on our first backpacking trip of the year. The snow levels precluded mountain hiking so we opted for the coast. Given our time constraints, we chose the Juan de Fuca Trail: 47 km and doable in 5 days. We teamed up with Andrew, Merewyn, Gabriela and John and set off for the ferry on a fine summer’s afternoon. The ferry ride treated us to the sight of a pod of dolphins feeding, flashing through the water. Once in Victoria, we found the hostel and dropped off our gear before heading out to park the cars by our friend Brenda’s place. We found our room and settled down to a mouse-disturbed night’s sleep.
Day 1: China Beach (trailhead) to Bear Beach, 10.5 km (photos on Flickr)
Day 2: Bear Beach to Chin Beach, 10.5 km (photos on Flickr)
Day 3: Chin Beach to Sombrio Beach, 8 km, including a diversion in search of sea lions… (photos on Flickr)
Day 4: Sombrio Beach to Payzant Creek, 11 km (photos on Flickr)
Day 5: Payzant Creek to Botanical Beach, 7 km and the long 3 km into Port Renfrew (photos on Flickr)
Being. Outdoors. 