Despite the name change in the blog title, this post is a continuation of my last post about Copeland Islands Marine Park, as I visited both parks in the same trip. Read Part 1 here.
I will admit that the wind gave me a lot of anxiety on this trip. I’m definitely a fair weather paddler, and while I’ve been out in less-than-favourable conditions, I’ve never paddled in outright dangerous conditions. It was surprisingly windy overnight, which made me a bit nervous for our second day of paddling, but the wind forecast wasn’t that high and it did calm down throughout the day. I’m used to the wind being calm in the morning and coming up in the afternoon, so that was an interesting change to have it reversed.
We still got up reasonably early (7am) because we wanted to launch the boats while the tide was still high. Once the tide starts to go down, you lose the channel exit from our campsite and it adds a bit of extra paddling, plus you have to load the boats and gear further down the beach.
Fortunately, our timing was right on and we paddled out through the channel around 9am with just enough clearance to get over the newly forming beach. We crossed back over to the Malaspina Peninsula and said good-bye to the Copeland Islands as we made our way to Desolation Sound. There were some cool cliff features along the way, just past Bliss Landing, and we quickly arrived at Sarah Point, which marks the beginning of both Desolation Sound Marine Park and the Sunshine Coast Trail. It was a bit of a bittersweet moment for me as I have very fond memories of hiking the SCT last year and I loved seeing the Sarah Point hut again.
We had a quick break further along the beach at Sarah Point before continuing around the headland to Feather Cove, which is also on the SCT. It got a little windier as we rounded Sarah Point, but nothing to be concerned about. We spotted our second sea lion and then took in our first glimpse of the jaw-dropping beauty of Desolation Sound. I wasn’t able to successfully identify the mountains, but there are some gorgeous snow capped peaks in the distance as you first enter the Sound.
We took another short break at Feather Cove before crossing Okeover Inlet to Zephine Head. The Inlet crossing was fine and the tide was rapidly dropping, so we were able to pull out at a beach just around the Head. At high tide, you might have to continue into Galley Bay for a pull-out though. We had our lunch there and since the conditions were favourable, we decided to do a direct crossing to Mink Island.
It’s about a 3km paddle from Zephine Head to Mink Island in open water. We tried to stay close to one another on the crossing, but the wind definitely picks up the further out you get, so I finally dropped my rudder and that helped me maintain my course a lot easier. Seth is pretty opposed to his rudder and never uses it, so he had some trouble staying on track. We managed to correct this the following day (which was windier), by both dropping our rudders and having Seth paddle directly behind me (since I’m the slower paddler) instead of trying to paddle side by side. Whenever we go side by side we tend to get separated, so this system worked better for us.
That said, it was still a pretty good crossing. The wind was low and we didn’t have any trouble making it over to Mink Island. Once we got to Mink Island, we had the wind working with us, so that was nice. Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of good looking places to stop along the island, so we powered around the corner of the little arm on Mink Island (sorry I don’t know the name) and had a nice rest in the sheltered bay.
From there it’s not much further to the Curme Islands, which are the most popular attraction in the park, at least as far as I can tell. At the end of Mink Island, there are 3 small islands: South Curme, East Curme, and West Curme. The water was super calm at the end of Mink and around the Curme Islands, so we did a little paddle around each island. It was Seth’s turn to pick our site and he opted for East Curme Island, which I think was an excellent choice!
West Curme Island was really busy when we arrived, so I think that one might be the most popular. There was just one group on both East and South Curme, though a lot of people showed up to South Curme by motor boat later in the evening. But no one else joined us on East Curme, so it was just us and the other group (which is surprising considering it is the biggest of the 3 islands). We had a lovely site looking out to South Curme and Bold Head, and climbing up to the top of the island, another nice view looking down at West Curme.
The tide was very low when we arrived again, but in contrast to North Copeland Island, it was a more challenging landing. It wasn’t hard at low tide, but it’s a bit of a climb up to the island and at high tide, there’s no beach at all. There was just enough room for 4 kayaks between us and the other group, so I’m not sure where everyone stores their boats when the campsite is full.
Instead of dragging the boats up the rocks, we opted to tie them on and let the tide slowly float them up to the landing. It worked really well and when the water reached high tide around sunset, we popped them up on the bank.
After unloading the boats, we were really warm, so we opted to go for a swim almost immediately. Like Copeland, the water was incredibly warm, though there was a lot of seaweed floating around with the low tide. Even Seth went for a swim and we were in the water for the better part of a half hour. We had landed on the island around 2:30pm, and after our swim, I spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing. Seth had a nap and I just enjoyed drinking my ice tea and watching the seals play while the tide came up.
Seth wasn’t as excited about a sunset paddle on this day, but I convinced him to go out for a half hour since you can’t really see the sunset from East Curme. The water was calm again and it was approaching high tide, so we paddled in and around all the islands before calling it a night. We slept with the fly off again and set our alarms for 6am to get an earlier start on the following day.
This was on account of those winds I mentioned earlier that were making me anxious. The wind was supposed to come up a lot on our 3rd day and I was nervous about the big open water crossing. We discussed it in the evening and decided we would take the long route back to our next campsite. There’s two benefits to this. The first is that you get to explore new terrain by circling Desolation Sound from the other side instead of doing the same crossing back along Mink Island. The second is that you avoid the big 3km open crossing, instead doing a 0.5km crossing from East Curme to Otter Island, and then a second 1km crossing across Tenedos Bay. The other benefit is that these two crossings are done at the start of your paddle, which would be early morning for us, resulting in less wind.
Here’s a screenshot of our 2 paddling routes for some context. I’ll cover the rest of the trip in the Part III!
The Sunshine Coast Trail has been on my bucket list for several years and I finally hiked it in its entirety this past summer. You can read my trail blogs starting with Part I, but I also wanted to create a guide to accompany those posts for anyone thinking of doing the trail. I think this is a great trail for thru hikers because while it is long (180km), it’s not life-altering long (like the PCT). But it is still long enough to require considerable advance planning, so here are some things I learned while planning the trek:
Experience/Fitness Level
The first question to ask yourself is whether you have the experience and ability to hike a trail this long. My longest trail prior to the SCT was 85km, but I’d hiked that distance on 3 separate occasions, so I felt confident that I could attempt 180km. Compared to other popular thru hikes in BC, I would say that the SCT is actually a bit easier (comparing to hikes like the West Coast Trail), but that it shouldn’t be underestimated. I was able to hike at a much faster pace on the SCT than other coastal trails I’ve done, but there is a lot of elevation gain throughout the course of the trail, so you definitely want to be used to climbing mountains before you attempt. However, there are lots of exit points on the trail if it becomes too challenging and the huts can make things more comfortable for newer hikers. That said, if you’ve never backpacked before, get some experience on shorter trails first, or plan to section hike part of the trail instead of the whole thing, because there is a big difference in difficulty when you have to carry all your gear with you, especially on a long trip with heavy quantities of food!
The Trail
The Sunshine Coast Trail is 178km long on paper, but a bit longer in practice. There have been many re-routes and trail changes throughout the years, so while there’s 178 trail markers on the trail, they’re not all actually 1km apart from each other. I clocked 190km on my GPS when I did the trail. The most notable section is from Tin Hat to Lewis Lake, which is 2-3km longer than indicated, so prepare for slightly longer days than anticipated. In addition, I tracked a cumulative elevation gain of 7500 metres over the course of the trail, so be prepared for a lot of uphill (and downhill if you have bad knees like me).
The trail starts at the far north end of the Upper Sunshine Coast, known as Sarah Point. It’s approximately 50km down the Malaspina Peninsula to Powell River and then the trail meanders through the mountains for another 130km to the trail end at Saltery Bay. The half point of the trail is at Tin Hat Mountain, which is largely regarded as the best viewpoint on the entire trail. There are lots of access points along the trail, but the two easiest are in Powell River (km 50) and Lang Bay (km 150). If you’re section hiking, I’d plan to hike one of these 3 sections, and if you’re thru hiking, these make good resupply points (more on that later).
While you can hike the trail in either direction, the majority of people go from North to South. The trail is set up for people hiking this direction so the trail markers will all be in order. Sarah Point is considerably harder to access than Saltery Bay, so it’s recommended to start at Sarah Point so that you can walk on the ferry when you get to Saltery Bay at the end of your hike and not have to coordinate transportation. For more detailed information about the entire 178km trail, pick up a copy of Eagle Walz’s book, or check out the SCT website.
Time of Year
Time of year can also play a large role in determining when to hike the trail. If you don’t like crowds, then you may want to avoid the summer months and hike in the Spring or Fall. Summer can also be extremely hot and a lot of the streams can run dry in August, making it more desirable to hike in the shoulder seasons. The benefit of hiking in the summer is that you’re likely to have the driest weather, so if you don’t like hiking in the rain, this might be the best option for you, though the heat can be exhausting.
The challenges with Spring hiking are that if you go too early, there may still be snow on parts of the trail and you’re more likely to encounter rain along the trek. Whereas in Fall, you won’t encounter snow unless you go really late, but the streams are more likely to be dry in early Fall and you’re more likely to get rained on in late Fall. I wanted to do the trail in June, but I ended up doing it in August (when it was very hot) and early September (when the streams were mostly dry). But I didn’t encounter crowds during either time.
Getting There
Getting to the Sunshine Coast was probably the biggest challenge for me and was the most considerable cost of the trip. If you’re going with a group and have more than 1 car, it’s relatively easy, but if you’re alone or don’t have a car, it’s a bit more challenging. You’ll have to either drive or walk on two different ferries (Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and Earls Cove to Saltery Bay) and prepare to shell out $100+pp to take the shuttle to the trailhead. Saltery Bay and Powell River are accessible by transit, but the trailhead at Sarah Point requires 4WD to access. If you have 4WD, that’s great, if not, make a booking with the Sunshine Coast Shuttle. Here’s the options I’ve identified for getting to the trailhead:
Drive yourself (1 car). Park your car at Earl’s Cove and walk on the ferry, then get the SCT shuttle from Saltery Bay to the Sarah Point Trailhead. If you want to drop off resupplies, then drive on the ferry instead and park at Saltery Bay once you’ve dropped the resupplies and catch the shuttle. Once you finish the trail at Saltery Bay, your car will be waiting for you!
Drive yourself (2 cars). If you have a rugged 4WD with high clearance, you can park one car at Saltery Bay, drop off your resupplies, and drive your second car all the way to the trailhead. If not, drop off your resupplies and catch the shuttle from Powell River to the trailhead. Collect your car at Saltery Bay at the end of your hike and pick up the other car.
Take transit. You can walk on both ferries and there is a connector shuttle that runs between the two ferries in the summer. It runs every day except Thursday, but it only goes once per day. Once you get the second ferry to Saltery Bay, you can get the shuttle to pick you up and transport you to the trailhead, or you can take the city bus to Powell River, drop off your resupply, and then get the shuttle to the trailhead. This was what I did on my first attempt.
Fly. There are several airlines that fly direct to Powell River, but I recommend Harbour Air because it flies directly to the Shingle Mill Pub, which is one of the resupply locations. So you can drop off your resupply when you arrive and then arrange the shuttle to the trailhead. The downside is you can’t fly with fuel or bear spray, but you can purchase both from the shuttle company. This was what I did on my second attempt.
All of these options assume starting at Sarah Point. You can walk off the ferry at Saltery Bay and start from there, but it’s better to take the shuttle for drop off rather than coordinate a pick-up time when you might not know how fast you’ll be hiking. Unless you plan to camp at Sarah Point on your last night and get picked up in the morning.
Itinerary
Once you’ve established you’re ready to attempt the trail, itinerary becomes an important consideration. You can hike the entire trail in one go, or you can make a couple of trips to complete in section hikes, or even day hikes if you’re ambitious and comfortable with trail running. I decided on one big thru-hike, but circumstance forced me to complete it as two section hikes. You want to be realistic about your abilities when deciding how many days to allot for the trip. Because it’s a long trail, there’s a tendency to want to do a lot of kilometres, but consider whether this will be enjoyable over an extended period of time. If you’re hiking solo, it may be easier to hike longer distances, but if you’re in a group, you will naturally need a slower pace. If you don’t have lightweight gear, also consider that packing 3-8 days of food will present a considerable challenge.
Campsite choice is also an important consideration in determining your itinerary. Are you flexible in where you camp? Are you comfortable staying at tent sites, or do you only want to stay in the huts? Either way, plan to bring a tent because the huts can fill up on summer weekends, though users are supposed to prioritize space in the huts for thru-hikers. Determining how many days you have available for the trip can help you determine your itinerary, just make sure to leave enough time for travel to and from the Sunshine Coast as getting to the trailheads can be somewhat tedious.
Campsites
You don’t necessarily need to pick exactly where you’re going to camp in advance when you draft your itinerary, but it’s good to set some goals so that you can assess whether you’re ahead or behind your targeted pace while on trail. I decided on 10 nights on the trail and planned my itinerary around that. I generally had a target that I wanted to reach every second night and I was flexible on the opposite nights based on how I was feeling. I wanted to stay at Tin Hat Hut and Walt Hill Hut because I heard they were the most scenic, so I set goals for when I wanted to arrive at those locations. It’s also good to know if there’s any sites you want to avoid, so you can plan around that. For example, I really didn’t like Homestead Rec Site or Lewis Point Rec Site.
Definitely pick up a copy of the SCT guide when assessing where you want to stay. Some campsites are more rugged than others and they don’t all have bathrooms, water sources, or bear caches. Water sources are important because if you stay at a campsite without one, you will have to hike with extra water. Likewise, if you’re staying at sites without bear caches, you’ll need to put extra consideration into how you’ll protect your food. See below for more information on both of these items. Even if you plan to stay only in huts, I still recommend bringing a tent with you because the huts can fill up on popular summer weekends. However, if you’re hiking in the off season, generally you’ll be okay. I’m told the huts were extremely busy in 2021, but when I hiked the trail in 2022, they were virtually empty, both in August and September.
Gear
Gear is a favourite topic of any hiker. You don’t need expensive gear to go backpacking – I hiked with cheap gear for years and did just fine. But prepare yourself for the weight of it. I’ve invested in some really lightweight gear over the years and it really paid off for me on this thru hike. I was able to hike longer and faster than if I was using cheaper, heavier gear. In some instances I sacrificed comfort for this (a smaller sleeping pad, only the essentials for clothing, a non-freestanding tent), but the comfort of the lighter pack was more than worth it for me.
Fortunately, the SCT is not an alpine hike, so generally you can get away with cooler gear. I always bring a lot of warm gear when I’m going to the alpine, but this wasn’t needed on the SCT, especially in the middle of summer and with the huts. Plus, if you’re doing the hike with a friend, you can share gear to lighten the load. A few things I would definitely still bring include trekking poles, bear spray, and all of the 10 essentials, especially an inreach (or satellite device) and a GPS (or a large power bank for your phone).
Food
Food is one of my favourite topics when it comes to thru-hiking. Some people get really into calorie counting for a big hike, but I’ve personally never found this was accurate for me and resulted in carrying way more food then I needed. If you’ve done some practice hikes, they should give you a good idea of how much you will generally eat and then plan for slightly larger portions sizes or extra snacks since it’s a long hike. Personally I prefer to bring larger meals in lieu of extra snacks. Generally you will get hungrier the longer you hike, so plan for a bit extra towards the end of the trip. Always bring an extra day of food on a trip of this scale in case of emergency.
I’ve been getting really into dehydrating and I prepped my entire menu for 11 days using my dehydrator. You don’t need a dehydrator to do a multi-day trek, but it can significantly lighten your load. The average person carries 2lbs of food per day, but I was able to get my weight down to just over 1lb per day (12lbs for my 11 days on trail). The easiest way to shed weight is through dehydrated/freeze dried meals. I dehydrated my own, but you can also purchase them from a large suite of options at places like MEC, though these are often a little bulkier and very pricey. Before I got into dehydrating, my preference was to stock up on simple grocery store items like knorr sidekicks, of which there are lots of rice and pasta options, or easy dinners like ramen. The trick is finding some way to add protein. Tuna packets are a good option, but a little heavier than dehydrated proteins. Famous foods carries lots of freeze-dried options.
Resupplies
Resupplies go hand in hand with food. If you’re fast, you can probably carry all your food from the start, though carrying so much food weight may slow you down. The two easiest resupply points are the Shingle Mill pub in Powell River and the general store in Lang Bay. Shingle Mill is right on the trail, but Lang Bay involves a 2.5km road walk each way. Because of this, I opted for just 1 resupply at the pub. I carried 4 days of food at the start and then picked up 7 days of food from the pub. Another option is to pre-arrange a drop-off from the SCT shuttle company at any point where the trail crosses a road, but this is a pricey option, so I didn’t meet anyone who utilized it. Both the pub and the general store will hold your resupplies free of charge.
Other Considerations
Water Supply – No matter when you hike the trail, water supply requires constant thought. Not every campsite has a water source, so you may need to carry extra water with you if you plan to camp at one of these sites and you need to know where your last reliable source of water is before you get to the campsite. When I hiked in early August, the majority of streams were still flowing, but when I hiked in early September, almost every stream was dry. This meant that I had to get almost all my water from lakes and ponds, meaning I often had to carry extra water and that a water filter was extremely necessary to purify my water. Streams are a higher quality source of drinking water than lakes or ponds, so plan accordingly when choosing your water treatment system. At times I carried 4-5L of water with me depending on my campsite and last reliable water source – 5L of water weighs 11lbs, so it’s a significant addition to your pack!
Bear Caches – Not every campsite has a bear cache. Most of the huts have them (but not all) and most of the tenting sites don’t have them. Pending on location, it may be very difficult to create a bear hang, so it’s recommended to bring either a bear bin or bear bag on the trail. Everyone has different opinions on bins vs. bags. Personally, I think a bin is the safest option, though I opted for the bear bag for weight reasons. It’s almost impossible for a bear to walk off with your bear bin, but it can walk off or crush your food with a bear bag, so I still tied mine to a tree even though it’s made of kevlar and supposedly bear proof. It was never tested.
I was really lucky to have great weather while on the Sunshine Coast Trail. It was hot when me and Emily visited, but clear and sunny. Likewise, when I returned in September, it was cooler, but still nice and sunny. There was one day of rain in the forecast that coordinated with my day hiking from Confederation Lake to Tin Hat Hut. Tin Hat is the highlight of the SCT, so I was a little disappointed initially, but the forecast was looking good for the following day, so I figured that even if I didn’t get the view on the way up, I would still likely get to enjoy it.
It started raining overnight while I was at Confederation Lake, so I was glad to be in the hut. I got up early again to start hiking and was on the trail by 8am, despite the rain. Fortunately I was in the forest, so while it rained my whole hike down from the lake, I never got wet through any of my layers. The annoying thing about Confederation Lake is that after you leave the hut, you immediately undo the 600m of elevation gain from the previous day as the trail continues back down to Fiddlehead Hut on Powell Lake.
It got dryer as I hiked down and by the time I reached the bottom, it had stopped raining altogether! It’s about 500m off trail to hike down to the hut at Fiddlehead Landing, but of course I made the detour to see the hut. There was a small crowd at Fiddlehead (4 people). The friend from the previous night was there, along with a couple from Vancouver, and a mountain biker. The 3 hikers were also hiking up to Tin Hat for the night, so I had a quick conversation with them before they departed and then chatted with the mountain biker while having a snack and some lunch.
Fiddlehead Hut is really nice and I think it’s more popular than Confederation Lake because of its close proximity to Tin Hat, but I think the Confederation Lake Hut is better overall. The Fiddlehead Hut still has an enclosed sleeping loft, but it’s totally open on the bottom and because of it’s location in the trees, it’s cooler and darker.
After Fiddlehead, I had 8km to the top of Tin Hat Mountain, but it was almost 1200m in elevation gain, so I had my work cut out for me! As far as climbing goes, I would say Tin Hat is definitely the hardest climb on the whole trail. There are several other climbs, but the climb to Tin Hat feels the steepest and longest (technically Troubridge is longer, but it’s not as steep). I’m actually really thankful for the weather that day because even though the rain had stopped, it was still overcast. It was muggy climbing up the mountain, but not as hot as it would have been with the sun out. Blue sky did poke through a few times and I got one really nice view down into the valley, but the higher I went, the foggier it got.
The challenging thing about Tin Hat Mountain is that there is no water source at the top. Most of the streams were still running in August, but when I returned in September, almost every creek listed in the guidebook was dry. When the campsite has water it isn’t a problem, but when your campsite doesn’t have water, it makes for large water carries. There’s a stream about 5km before the top, which is the last place to fill up, but even that stream was almost dry. As a precaution, I got most of my water from Powell Lake and then filled up my last bottle at the stream. I carried 5L of water up, which weighs a whopping 11lbs! 5L was definitely overkill, I think I would have been okay with 4L, but I don’t like having to conserve water and be thirsty, so I lugged it all up there for comfort. I wasn’t sure where my next water source would be the next day and I wanted enough water to get me down the mountain to Lewis Lake.
When I got to the top of the mountain, it was totally fogged in, but the hut is fully enclosed and it was so cozy in there I didn’t even care! Plus, it was the middle of the labour day weekend and I was thrilled to have other people around. The solo hiker was there, along with the couple from Vancouver, as well as a couple from Prague and their cute dog, so 6 of us in total. These 5 other hikers totally gave me life! I was still getting used to solo hiking at this point and it was so much fun to hang out with other people who have similar interests at the end of a long day. Everyone was really nice and talkative and I thought we had a lovely evening sharing about our lives. It really energized me. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was my last night camping with other people and it helped to motivate me over the next few days. Tin Hat Mountain is a really special place and I’m so glad I got to share it with such fine folks!
It was cold at the top with all the clouds, but they did start to clear out and around sunset we got a few glimpses of the view surrounding the hut. Even the limited view was incredible and I was excited for the following morning when it was forecasted to be clear. We decided to go to bed early and then we all got up to catch the sunrise at 6:30am (another benefit of September hiking – later sunrise).
It was totally clear when we woke and we enjoyed our breakfast out on the rocks while the sun came up. After breakfast I packed all my gear, but I opted to hike up to the top of Tin Hat Mountain before continuing on. The hut isn’t located right at the peak, but it’s only another 10-15 minutes to go up to the radio tower at the top. I’m so glad I did this because the view at the top is really out of this world! A definite highlight of the trip for me. The upper Sunshine Coast has so many lakes and mountains, it really makes for the most scenic view and I loved looking out over the backcountry with a 360 degree view. I had a little solo photoshoot at the top before saying goodbye to everyone and continuing on.
I didn’t see the solo hiker anymore after this as she only had 3 days left in which to finish the entire second half of the trail, and the other couples were heading back to Vancouver. Tin Hat is located at km89, so it’s pretty much exactly at the halfway point. I had 5 days to go before I planned to finish the trail and I hoped I would meet more hikers before then!
I had two options for that night. I could go a short distance (9km) and tent at Lewis Lake, which Carolyn told me was one of her favourites, or I could go a long distance (23km) and camp at the Elk Lake Hut. I would have loved to linger at Tin Hat, but I knew that by nightfall, I’d prefer to be at the hut, so I departed for Elk Lake, which was definitely the right decision distance-wise.
It was a bit of slog down to Lewis Lake with all the downhill, but the campsite was really lovely! I got there just in time for lunch and took a lake bath and washed some of my clothes before continuing on. I had 14km to go from there, which I wasn’t looking forward to, but it ended up being much easier hiking than anticipated. It was quite flat and I ended up powering through 7km in 90 minutes! That was probably a pace record for me, but it came at a cost and I noticed I had 2 small blisters when I stopped for a snack, so I forced myself to slow down to protect my feet.
I saw a couple exploring Lewis Lake and 1 solo male hiker going in the opposite direction, otherwise, I didn’t see anyone else all day. The topography was interesting between Tin Hat and Mount Troubridge because you’re pretty much hiking through or along clear cuts the entire way. You can’t see what’s been logged when you drive the sunshine coast along the main highway, but there’s a lot of it going on in the backcountry. I think that’s one reason I didn’t encounter much wildlife, because of the heavy machinery. Though I did have to go through a few detours where the logging had forced the trail elsewhere.
It’s a pretty gentle uphill for most of the day, the only real challenging part is the last 1-2km, where there’s a steep climb up to the lake. I pushed through, arriving around 4pm, but was immediately disappointed to be the only one at the hut. I expected it, but it was still disappointing. Elk Lake is a small lake with a big log wharf extending out into it. It’s a partially enclosed hut with an open front along the trail and windows looking down on the lake. Unfortunately there was no service at the hut, so it was probably my most anxious night on the trail, also not unexpected seeing how it would be my first night alone.
I played some music while I cooked dinner and did my nighttime chores. The worst part about camping solo is the monotony before bedtime. I hadn’t brought a book with me, so there was really nothing to do. I had an audiobook, but I was trying to conserve battery, so every minute listening to my audiobook or music was a treat. I killed time until sunset and then opted to go to bed early. I was nervous about bears, but felt reasonably safe in the sleeping loft and was honestly more nervous about mice. I’d heard they could be pretty bad in the huts, but shoutout to everyone keeping the huts clean this season because I didn’t see a single mouse in any of the huts I stayed in! So fortunately, I ended up sleeping better than anticipated my first night alone on the trail and it did get easier after that. Continue reading Part VI.
The Road Goes Ever On 