West Coast Trail - as brutal as everyone says it is

Picture courtesy of Alan Cheung.

It's almost been a week since 7 of us departed from Vancouver to hike the infamous West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. When I left there wasn't any way that I thought it could be as terrible as the blogs and books make it out to be - boy did I have some sort of misconception. 

This was definitely one of the biggest challenges I've ever experienced in my life where there was nothing holding me back but myself. It was 73 km of boggy, muddy, hilly, moving sand, blisters, rough terrain, LADDERS LADDERS LADDERS, tonnes of sweating without showers and outhouses like smelled like hamster cages. We ended up taking 6 days as opposed to the usual 7-8 but we trekked along for 20+ km on day 3 which was one of the longest days I've felt walking in my life. It is so hard to describe to someone the emotions felt and the wonderfulness that we stumbled upon. The trail literally makes you feel like you are the last person standing in this world and all you have surrounding yourself is beauty and a sense of awe. 

But with all the obstacles set aside, it was an eye opening experience. By the end it made you feel like you could conquer anything you wanted in life not only physically but also mentally (especially since you got so much time to think). I discovered a lot of interests that I had on this train and the boundaries that my body and mind could withstand. One of the most important things that kept me going was to constantly say "you can do it and keep going". Even if I was held back in some respect, there were ways that I could compensate and power though it even if it's not the most desirable. I know that life isn't as simple as putting one foot ahead of the other but at times it's the same where you don't know if you can keep going. In the end it's a matter of personal strength, good people that help you along the way, lots of laughter, chocolate and alcohol :)