Thursday, August 4, 2017
Leaving the Hazy Mainland towards Vancouver Island.
After a long night of going through the checklist over and over again, I dragged my tired body off to work. “Get in early and get out early” I told myself – (also to make sure everything was cleaned up nicely for the wonderful people covering me when I’m away for a week). Made it back to the empty-fridge home (a rare state for it to be in) after lunch, walked the dog one last time, brought him over to the neighbours and threw our pack and gear into the trunk of the car. By after late noon, we made our way from the mainland to Swartz Bay, Victoria. Then drove through the windy roads as the sun set towards Port Renfrew, singing to the radio. The cozy hikers huts were waiting for us there. We quickly settled in, tucked our anticipation to bed and tried to get a good night’s sleep before the trek begins…
Meet the Gang
A big part of hiking preparation is getting your gear together. But the other critical part that no guidebook or blog seems to talk about is your hiking family. Even numbers are great – perfect for sharing some gear to lighten the load, and if ever there is a medical emergency, you have enough bodies to stay in pairs. Sticking (literally – no showers and lots of sweat… there is the optional evening swim, of course) together for 7 days can make or break friendships / partnerships. Get to know who you’re going to be spending the next couple days and nights with. What are you and your gang like under stress? How do you like to be supported and how do you best communicate? Fortunately, my partner and had some pretty awesome company throughout our journey!
