Twenty nine years ago I did the West Coast Trail with my wife, her parents, and two of their friends who were younger than them. This 70km hike along the west coast of Vancouver Island is a one-way trip along a rugged shoreline with many rivers to cross, ladders to climb and repel, and even a few cable cars to pull yourself over deeper rivers. You carry everything you need in your pack and you have to be prepared for any weather systems coming off of the Pacific Ocean.

This September I’m doing the trip again with a buddy. Today I picked up new waterproof hiking boots, a water bottle that filters the water (necessary since we can’t bring enough water with us for 6-7 days), a new tent, and a few other accessories. Over the coming month I’ll need to collect quite a few more items and dig up a few more from my garage that I haven’t used in years.

While it’s going to be a challenge, it’s going to be a lot different than my last experience. I’m actually in better shape, with a better back, and equipment is now a lot lighter and more compact. This is really going to a great experience.

I usually like looking for new experiences, but I think a 29 year gap is long enough that this will feel as new as if I’d never done it before. Also, my last trip was north to south and this time we are starting in the south… so the adventure really does feel new.

I can’t decide yet if I’ll do a paper journal or if I’ll still find a way to digitally write, but I won’t be taking a break from writing daily. That said, I also won’t be posting anything until I return from the trip. I’ve never written a daily travel log but I think I’ll give it a go. Or maybe I’ll do a series of daily photos? Or both? I have time to decide all that, first I’ve got to make sure all the supplies are purchased and will fit in my pack. This isn’t a trip where you want to leave behind something important, there aren’t any stores along the way.

That said, there is a local (and very remote) restaurant near the halfway point. It was called Mona’s when I was last there, and I got an overpriced (but well worth the price) breakfast of bacon and eggs on my last journey. I’m not sure what the new place is called, and how expensive it will be, but I’m not going to pass up a ‘gourmet’ meal on this trip when everything else I eat will be cooked by adding boiling water.

I’m looking forward to roughing it on the trail, but I’m going to accept any luxuries that come my way. One other luxury I hope to take advantage of is staying an extra night at a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall is near a ferry that we need to take, and I’m hoping the locals that run the ferry will sell us some crab for a dinner on our extra night at the falls. A luxury like this is a memorable moment on a trip like this… I trip I hope to remember 29 years from now.