Starting Solo West Coast Trail Trip on May 16th

Well, everything is ready to go for my solo early season trip on the West Coast Trail using a hammock. I've chosen to go in mid May because you don't have to reserve a start date if you go between May 1st and June 14th. I've got my pack down to the lightweight class with a base weight of 6.4 Kg (14lbs 4oz) and a total pack weight of 10.3 Kg (22 lbs 11oz). Its definitely not the lightest load I've heard of for this length of a trip but it should make for a much more comfortable time than last year's aborted Juan de Fuca Marine Trail attempt with a pack weight of 27.2 Kg (60lbs)!

Even though I'm going lightweight I'm not going for any speed record. I'm planning on taking 6 days to do the entire 75 KM (46.6 miles) starting in Bamfield and ending in Port Renfrew. I'm going north to south because that was the direction I went when I was 14 and did the north half of the trail with a youth group and also by the time I get to the last couple of days, which are supposed to be the hardest, my pack will be at its lightest.

If I can get a cell phone signal, I'm going to attempt to blog from the trail. I doubt if I'll have a signal once I leave Bamfield but by the time I reach Bonilla beach at the end of day 3 I'm hoping I will have a signal from Neah Bay, across the Juan de Fuca Straight. I'll attach photos from the cell phone to start with and will replace them with real photos when I'm back and recovered.

Here is my itinerary:

May 16th - catch the West Coast Trail Express from Victoria to Bamfield
May 16th - sign on to the trail and hike to Darling campsite (14 KM)
May 17th - Darling to Hole in the Wall (14 KM)
May 18th - Hole in the Wall to Bonilla (20 KM)
May 19th - Bonilla to Logan (8 KM)
May 20th - Logan to Camper via beach at Sandstone Creek (6 KM)
May 21st - Camper to Gordon River via beach and Owen Point (13 KM)
May 21st - catch the West Coast Trail Express from Gordon River to Victoria at 4:30pm

UPDATE: I just found out that the West Coast Express only runs on odd numbered days in the shoulder season, so I'm going to move the leave day up by one day and finish on the 20th. My wife will pick me up at Gordon River.

Here are some useful links:

WCT @ i-needtoknown.com
West Coast Trail Express
The Gear I'm taking - If my current gear list changes much from this list I'll graft on a new link showing what I actually took

Gear dry run to Ruckle Park

With the departure date for my upcoming trip on the West Coast Trail coming up fast, I took all of the lightweight gear for a dry run on the weekend out to Ruckle Park on Saltspring Island. This was meant as a shake down trip to see how the loaded pack felt and to try out the hammock and clothes in some various types of weather.

For the most part I was very pleased with everything and with a few modifications and additions I should be set all set for the WCT.

The biggest problem I ran into was how cold I was sleeping in the hammock. The temperature on Ruckle was 7°C at night (44°F) with no wind. My campsite was right on the water. I had the Merlin -3 sleeping bag and the bivy pad in the hammock and was wearing my MEC Microweight long johns and long sleeved crew with the Wigwam merino socks. The side of me that wasn't against the bottom of the hammock was nice and warm but the other side was uncomfortably cold. I put on the Montbell Thermawrap at one point during the night but that didn't help much. I also folded the the bivy pad in half to put more insulation between me and the floor of the hammock. That helped more but as it is so narrow it was a hassle to try and stay on it. The hammock itself was very comfortable and if I had been more tired and warmer I would have had no problem getting a good nights sleep.

Since I've been back I've done some Googling to see what solutions there are to the cold problem. I'm happy to find I'm not alone. This seems to be a big gotcha with hammocks and it looks like everyone hits it unless they only warm weather camp. There are two main options to solve the cold problem, both involve adding more weight. One solution is to hang a down quilt outside the bottom of the hammock and use a sleeping bag or quilt inside. This seems to work well but is expensive and I don't think I've got time to wait for one to be shipped from the US.

The other option is to hang a cover under the hammock and put some kind of insulating material between it and the floor of the hammock. This is the route I took by ordering a Hennessy Hammock Undercover and Underpad. The reviews I've turned up see to be positive even though the open cell foam pad isn't the thick. This option is lighter than the quilt and cheaper. A bonus is that you can fine tune the padding under the hammock by adding your unused clothes, insulating layers and if needed leaves or moss. This should arrive by the end of the week so I can do another camp out at Goldstream Park to see how it works out.

The other issue I ran into was dirty clothes management. As it was chilly, I was wearing the long sleeved MEC Merino crew on the walk out to the park, in the evening while setting up and eating and to bed. I also wore it the next day on the walk back to Fulford Harbour to catch the ferry. By the time I got to Fulford I was smelling a bit rank. I had a quick wash in the sink while waiting for the ferry and changed into my short sleeved Merino t-shirt. If I was on the trail I would have washed the crew and left it to dry. However, because it was so cold in the hammock at night I feel like I need to wear a long sleeved shirt. I think the solution is to pick up another one from MEC and then I have one to wear if the other is drying. The t-shirt I can either leave or bring just in case.

WigWam Merino Light Trail Socks

I've had 3 pairs of these socks for the last year and I have to say that I love them! Not only do I wear them out on the trail but I they are so warm and comfy that I wear them most other days as well. They are classified as a light trail sock so they wouldn't be warm enough to wear out in the snow but for spring, summer and fall use they are great.

Even with the regular use that I have been given these I haven't seen any signs of thinning out or holes developing. Odour control is still good even after a years worth of use and washing. There was some minimal shinkage after the first couple of washes but nothing too dramatic. I started out running the socks through the normal cycle on the washer and then leaving them out to dry but after they accidentally got put in the dryer without any harm I just treat them like my other clothes.

Paid $15 at MEC in Victoria, BC.

MEC Tarn 3 tent

This is definitely not a one person tent! Another purchase from my aborted attempt at the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. I'm not sure why I thought that this would be a good attempt for a solo attempt at the JDF.

The tent itself is bullet proof and stands up to a hell of a lot of bad weather without any problems. However, it weights 3.2 Kg (7 lbs) and doesn't pack down to a very manageable size. If there is two of you it is much better as one person can take the tent and fly and the other can take the poles and pegs.

The tent is roomy for two but three would be very cozy. The vestibule is big enough to get two packs into and still have enough room to get in and out comfortably. There is a window in the fly vestibule and a nifty zippered flap that you can poke your head out of to see if the weather has cleared up. There is a footprint available for it (which I have) but I haven't had a chance to use.

Set up of the tent is pretty easy. The tabs for the three poles are color coded so you don't try to put the wrong tab on the wrong pole. The fly is the standard type that stretches over and attaches to the bottoms of the poles.

Currently only using the Tarn if backpacking with other family members. Retired and replaced by a Hennessey Ultra Light A-Sym Hammock.

MEC Ibex 80 Backpack

I purchased this pack in the spring of 2007 to use to attempt the Juad de Fuca Marine Trail. I hadn't done any significant backpacking since I was in my early twenties and figured that I needed something with a large volume and lots of pockets. I almost bought an Arc'teryx Bora pack but figured that I would save the extra money and purchase the Ibex 80 instead.

The pack itself is great but as I now know it is nowhere near being a lightweight pack. The empty weight for the standard length pack is 2.9 Kg (6.4 lbs) which is 3 times the weight of the Granite Gear Vapor Trail that I now have.

Tha pack is very well built and stands up to a lot of abuse. There are pockets everywhere on the thing so you should have no problems finding somewhere to put all of that gear.

The shoulder straps and padding on the back of the pack make it pretty comfortable even when hauling large amounts of gear. I had over 27 Kg (60 lbs) of gear with me for my attempt on the JDF and even though I came off the trail at the half way point it wasn't because the pack was uncomfortable.

If you are looking for an expedition grade pack and don't want to spend a wack of money this is the pack for you.

I still have the Ibex but for now it is retired.

SPOT Satellite Tracker

If you are like me, you have a spouse or partner that doesn't share your love of being out in the great outdoors and gets a little worried when you do go. The very nature of the places that we like to go to means that cell phone coverage is usually pretty spotty if not nonexistant. How cool would it be to have a small, light weight, long battery life device that could send a preconfigured email message to someone at the push of a button? That is what the SPOT Satellite Messenger does.

The device weights 209g (7.3 oz) and is waterproof to 1m for 30 minutes but it does float. The unit costs $169 CDN for the unit plus $100 USD/Year for the subscription. For this you get three functions: Check-in, Help and 911. When you press the Check-in button on the device an email is sent to an email address that you have setup before you left saying that you are OK, tells them your latitude and longitude and contains a link to Google Maps so they can see exactly where you are. The Help button sends a different message to an email address (which can be different than the Check-in email address) but it still contains your location and the Google Maps link. The 911 button sends a message directly to SPOT's emergency service provider who will then send out the closest help for you.

Coverage seems be everywhere in the world except for south Africa and India but I'm sure that will come. There are some extra services that you can subscribe to as well. For $50/year you can have progress monitoring and for $8/year you will be covered for up to $100,000 USD for the cost of your rescue.

There is a more complete review on Gearlog. You can purchase SPOT directly from their website or in BC from London Drugs.

I think I'll be adding this to my wish list.

UPDATE - April 22, 2008
I came across a thread on Backpacking Light that has some SPOT owners saying that OK and Help messages aren't getting through. This could be due to misuse by the owners but it doesn't sound like it. Maybe I'll wait for the version 2 product to come out instead.

UPDATE - May 14, 2008
I ended up buying a SPOT for the West Coast Trail 2008. I'll link to a review later.

The Kludahk Trail

I've know about this trail for 5 or 6 years now but have not hiked. When we lived in Sooke, we knew someone who was a member of the trail society who raved about the cabins. It seems to be a very well kept secret probably due to the number of cabins that the trail society have put in but can only be used by members. My guess is they don't want the cabins getting trashed as they most likely would if the number of people hiking the trail went up.

I've found good directions to get to the trail heads on the Club Tread Victoria website and a thread on the Club Tread BC site. There are some maps here as well which I've included below in case they go missing.

Solar charging mobile devices

I'm starting to look at power options for the various devices that I like to have with me when backpacking. The HTC P4000 uses a mini-USB jack to recharge it and both the Garmin 60CSx GPS and the Canon have this type of jack as well. Unfortunately, neither charges via it. The 60CSx can be powered by the USB jack but it won't recharge the batteries. This is better than nothing as I'm looking at a Solio Classic solar charger. This 156g (5.6oz) fold out unit has three solar cells on it that recharge a built-in but replacable 1600 mAh Lithium Ion battery. The battery can be recharged from the solar cells, from AC or from 12v DC. It comes with a number of different charging tips that allow it to charge or power lots of different devices. The idea is that you can leave it charging the built-in battery with it strapped to the backpack or while in camp and then when needed plug the device into it that needs powering up.

So, with this, the PDA/phone and the GPS would be covered but the Canon SD850IS camera would not. So far I can't see any compact camera from Canon or Sony that can recharge the battery in the camera body; they all have separate AC chargers for their custom batteries. I already have two batteries for the Canon and I get about 120+ pictures from a charge so as long as both batteries were fully charged before the trip they should last for as long as a trip like the John Muir Trail would take (15-21 days).

The Brunton ADC, I'm not sure about yet. I haven't purchased one yet as I'm not convinced of its utility. I have a home weather station already that tries to predice that weather using the barometric pressure trends but it is almost never correct so the only useful features of it I can see would be time (but I've got a TAG watch already), alarm, temperature and wind speed. I'll continue to look for some reviews before making a decision.

Initial thoughts on Ultralight Gear purchases so far

I've now got all of the big stuff off of my Ultralight Gear List. On Saturday I packed it all up except for the food and took it for a 10 KM walk around the Victoria waterfront to see how it carried and how the clothes I'm going to wear felt in the cool spring coastal weather.

The Vapor Trail pack was very comfortable with the 8-9 Kg (17-19 lbs) of gear, water and fuel I had in it. The straps didn't dig in to me at any point and didn't slip or loosen as I walked. The only thing I'm a little concerned about was that all of the gear filled the pack upto the bottom of the sleeve that you roll down to close the pack. Getting 7 days worth of food in shouldn't be a problem but thinking ahead to the John Muir Trail, I've got to get a bear canister in as well. It would probably fit, but it is going to make the pack a lot taller. As it is now, the pack goes from the small of back to the top of my shoulders. I had the OR hat on and the back brim of it was only hitting the top of the pack every now and then. With food and a canister it would probably be hitting it all of the time which could get annoying.

The New Balance shoes were great as well. No pinching or rubbing and they probably don't need any more breaking in. They are a lot more airy than what I am used to wearing which makes my feet feel cooler which I guess is the point!

I also had the Montbell Wind Shirt on over the MEC Microlight Merino shirt and once I got going and warmed up it was fine. It wasn't very windy along Dallas Road but it should be fine in the forest trails of the West Coast Trail and JDF Trail. The bright red color did make me feel a little conspicuous though!

I'm going to take it out again a couple of times a week over the next month or so to get used to it. I will also be going camping on the weekend of April 26 and 27 to give everything a more thorough trial.

Backpacking Trips that I would like to do

I've been finding out about some backpacking trips that I would like to do at some point in the near future.

The North Coast Trail - this is the one I'm most looking forward to. 61 KM around Cape Scott at the north end of Vancouver Island. Various people are describing the NCT as like the West Coast Trail when it first opened. I think it is currently scheduled to be open for hikers in the spring/summer of 2008. I planning on doing this in the spring of summer of 2009.

The John Muir Trail - 211 miles of California ending at the top of the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Yikes! I think I've got a bit of training to do before I'm ready to attempt this one.

The Pacific Crest Trail - The big brother to the John Muir Trail. 2650 miles from the Canadian border down to Mexico. I doubt if I'll ever get a chance to thru-hike it but hopefully I'll be able to do some of the more interesting bits.

The Wonderland Trail - 93 miles around the base of Mount Rainer in Washington State.

BC Leg of the Trans Canada Trail

I would also like to enter (and finish) a MOMAR race

Planned hikes for 2008

So far I've booked time off work to do the following hikes:

West Coast Trail - May 15th to 22nd.
Juan de Fuca Marine Trail - June 29nd - July 2nd

This is the second time around that I will have attempted both of these trails. I did the WCT when I was 15 with a group organised by the Y. I was a real hoot. We spent a couple of days out at Cape Beale and then did the North half of the WCT. This time I'm doing it solo and will be doing the whole thing. I don't think I'll have time to get out to Cape Beale but I'll see what happens. I'm going in May so I don't have to make a reservation and to beat some of the crowds. The weather may be a bit problematic but I don't mind hiking in the rain.

I also attempted to do the JDFT last summer and got from Mystic Beach to Sombrio Beach but I brought way to much stuff (about 60lbs!) which killed my back and feet. This is what got me into Lightweight Backpacking in the first place as I wanted to finish the JDFT this year but don't want to take that amount of stuff.

I may do another in the summer depending on how things work out, not sure which yet at this point.

Ultralight Gear list

Here is my light weight gear list for a 7 day pack. My goal was to get a sub 30 lb pack with gear that will keep me comfortable and warm. I'm not happy when I'm on the trail if I'm cold, wet or hungry so I've made some choices that aren't necessarily the lightest but will address these. If you want to see the spreadsheet in fullscreen you can do so by clicking here.

Rain Gear

I think I have most of my lightweight gear selected without too much internal debate over which to choose. But for some reason, I've spent a huge amount of time trying to figure out what type of rain gear to get.

I started off with the Marmot Precip jacket and pants as that seemed a pretty common choice amongst other backpacker's gear lists. At a combined weight of 586 grams it looked to be a good (and cheaper!) choice. I'm now leaning towards the Montbell Peak jacket and pants which have a combined weight of 530 grams but appear to have much better ventilation which will be important since I do most my hiking in spring, summer and fall and being on the west coast of Vancouver Island we get a lot of rain!

I had toyed with the idea of using an umbrella and a wind jacket and pants but I don't think I can make that leap just yet. We get too much rain here which can come out of nowhere for me to put my trust in a flimsy jacket and pants and an umbrella. I'm also not sure how I'd grow the third arm to hold my poles and the umbrella.

If money was no object I'd go for the Integral Designs eVent Rain jacket as this seems to have gotten very good test results, both for ventilation and water repellancy. I don't think I can bring myself to drop close to $500 for jacket and pants for something that will hopefully spend a lot of time in the bottom of the bag.

First Post!

I wanted to create a blog to keep track of various tid bits of information that I come across while researching for projects at work as well as hobbies and interests at home.

Currently, I'm looking into Ultralight Backpacking after an aborted attempt at the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail last summer due to carrying about 25 Kg of gear. My target is to get my "skin out" weight (gear in pack including consumables plus gear worn) under 12 Kg. Once I figure out how to post it,I will put up the gear list that I am currently using or thinking of getting.