The following trip report is intended as a brief account of our experience in doing the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail over the Canada Day weekend in 2007. When researching the trip online the only accounts we found involved spending more nights on the trail than we had available so I offer this for those who are seeking to read about a slightly faster but still enjoyable trip along the trail.

Rough Stats:
Total Distance: 50km (including walk to Port Renfrew)
Total Elevation: approx 1200m gained.
Total Hiking Time: approx 25 hours
(including photo/snack/washroom stops, hour long lunch breaks on Sat/Sun, and an hour of tide pool exploration on Monday. Pure hiking time closer to 19 hours if hike out to Port Renfrew and stops are removed.)

It is also worth noting that we lucked out with almost no rain the entire weekend. In rainier conditions we would have needed more time because certain sections would become much more slippery and treacherous. I feel this would only have added a couple of hours onto each hiking day at the most.

The Group
Four people made up our party.
S: male with a fair bit of backpacking experience and high fitness level.
L: female with a moderate to high fitness level and some backpacking experience.
K: female with a moderate to high fitness level and no backpacking experience.
And me: off the couch after a month with a stress fracture in my foot and with no backpacking in the last 10 years.

Three of us work at the head office of a major outdoor equipment retailer so it’s fair to say that our gear leaned towards the advanced and lightweight. K and I were each carrying less than 30lbs in a Gregory Deva 60 [K] and a first generation Gregory G-Pack [me] that I would not recommend. Supposedly the newer generations are much more durable but I had numerous problems with load distribution and comfort which were only partially due to the missing single stay. A partial pack list can be found at the end of the article for those curious to know what was brought along.

Day 1 [2km | Parking Lot to Mystic Beach]
A light rain began to fall steadily twenty minutes before we pulled into the parking lot on Friday afternoon. Traffic was smooth through Victoria and the trip from Vancouver (beginning near Cambie and Broadway) took somewhere around 5 hours. This included early arrival at the ferry terminal, a coffee stop outside Victoria, and a slight detour along a slow side road due to some bad Google maps directions.

We dawdled with getting our rain gear on and eating a bit of a meal so we wouldn’t have to cook once we got to camp that night but were soon on our way. We took our time, stopped to strip off rain gear as the drops turned to mist and soon ceased altogether, and paused occasionally to snap a few photos.

About an hour later we arrived at Mystic beach and headed over to the far west side of the beach to set up camp above the high tide line. It had been some time since any of us had camped on a beach and there was much discussion over how high the tide might rise. If you are not used to beach camping then it may be worthwhile to do some research on discerning high water marks to avoid having a poor night’s sleep while thinking that every wave sounds like it’s about to wash over your tent.

Food bins are available here.

Day 2 [19km | Mystic Beach to Chin Beach]
The map marked today’s section as being the Most Difficult of the trail. Be prepared to climb roughly 80m up to a ridge, duck back down into the next valley, and repeat several times. It seems quite common to leave China or Mystic beach and go only as far as Bear Beach (9 or 7km) but this is where we stopped for lunch after getting a rather late 10:00 start. Other than the stretch down Bear Beach, the trail is entirely through the forest until you return to the beach at Chin.

Lesson learned: when arriving at camp later in the afternoon drop your packs at the beginning of the beach and walk unencumbered until you find a site.

We made the mistake of walking down the beach to find a spot and arriving at the far side having not found anything. K and I walked back down the beach without our packs on and found two spots near where the trail had dumped us down on the beach. We then had to return to grab our packs and again hike back over the same terrain. At the least, this added an extra kilometer to our day of hiking. In the end, however, we set up in what was to be the best site of the weekend, nestled in the driftwood and perched with a lookout over the ocean.

Food bins are available here.

Total time from camp to camp including lunch but not site finding: 7.5 hours.

Day 3 [19km | Chin Beach to Payzant Creek]
On the menu for today is a short stretch of Difficult before leading into Moderate terrain all the way to camp. During the lighter switchbacks of the Moderate section we tossed out optimistic ETAs expecting to cover ground much more quickly now that we had easier going. This was not to be the case and in the end we would spend two and a half more hours on the trail than yesterday.

The reason? Mud — and plenty of it. Large boggy sections slowed us immensely as we took our time to pick our way through them. As the day wore on we would begin to charge through them with more confidence and were able to move more quickly, but it took us longer than anticipated to arrive at our lunch spot at Sombrio Beach and we were further delayed by a watery and woody detour.

First, a note on Sombrio. Do not plan on camping at Sombrio Beach if it is a nice weekend in the summer. Especially not on Canada Day weekend. The beach is littered with drunken partiers with coolers, cheap tents, and obnoxiously loud voices. The ability access the Sombrio trailhead with a vehicle has made it a popular place for surfers and rednecks. If you’re looking for solitude, avoid this beach.

Shortly after leaving Sombrio we found ourselves following a stretch of beach with no obvious cutoff to the high path. Due to recent storm damage we had read that one of the tidal bypass trails was inaccessible from the east and so assumed we were meant to stay along the beach. Clambering up onto a rocky outcrop at the end of one beach we realized that we would have to climb down and wade through 15m of frigid ocean water to reach the other side of a small bay. Patting ourselves on the backs for overcoming this little obstacle we plodded on down the beach only to arrive at another dead end.

A long inlet cut into the rock and was so deep that there was no possible way of crossing it. Another couple had arrived at this spot ahead of us and they discovered a log that they were able to scamper up as we watched and wondered if there wasn’t another way around. After much deliberation and talk of not wanting to backtrack through the water and other obstacles, we went for the log. Roughly 10 meters long and sitting at about a 35 degree angle, the loose bark was anything but enjoyable to climb. The girls both had rocky starts when trying to get that initial step up onto the log from a branch that put us at 2 m off the ground. I discovered only after the fact that K’s pack had been oddly adjusted in a way that forced one’s head forward at a rough angle if the wearer leaned forwards and given her relative lack of hiking or climbing experience, she had a rough time with the log. After a false start or two, we removed her pack and she scurried to the top with no problems. I then had to climb up with her pack, return to the bottom, and climb it again with my own pack. Half way down I had serious thoughts of making a beeline for the top and asking S to go back down for the other pack but I persevered and completed the return trip. Something about climbing on back that peels away under your hands and feet is rather unnerving and I hope others are better able to find the trail than we were that day. The good news is that the tree deposited us directly back onto the trail and were able to continue merrily on our way.

Little Kiutshe campground is drive-in access and looks extremely boring. We were all a little tired by now but glad to not be camping there.

Trip time for today was roughly 10 hours and it’s worth noting that Payzant Creek is not a beach campsite so savour your night at Chin Beach. Food hanging wires are available here.

Day 4 [9-10km | Payzant Creek to Port Renfrew]
Holiday Monday and we’re off somewhat early to ensure that we have enough time to attempt hitching back to the vehicle we left at the China Beach trailhead. Along the way we luck into a whale sighting as a pod makes their way through the straight of Juan de Fuca and for only the second time this weekend we feel a light rain falling down on us but it’s not enough to warrant pulling out rain jackets.

An hour or so is spent exploring Botany Bay tide pools before we’re off trucking down the road to Port Renfrew. This stretch of road really isn’t that bad, although we all had aching feet and were glad to arrive at the Lighthouse Pub. A burger and a beer on the patio is an excellent way to finish the trip and I highly recommend the poutine addition to your fries.

The shuttle comes by at 4:45 and stops at each of the Juan de Fuca trailheads. It takes about 40 minutes to get to China Beach and will cost $20/person.

For trail information and maps visit the BC Parks site.
Tide charts are available at Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Rough Gear List
This is a very rough list of what I was carrying and approximate weights based on information found through manufacturer and dealer websites. Other items not listed were carried. Weight shown equals roughly 22lbs. I have definitely discovered the joys of carrying a light load and am willing to spend the extra money on high performance gear. Food was spread around the whole group, but had I been hiking alone, I would have used a lighter shelter option that would have compensated for the increased food weight.

Click image to view full size.

Clothing not included in list and aside from what was being worn at any given time:
1 pr softshell pants (MEC)
1 pr underwear (MEC)
3 pr socks (two light, one warm)
1 XCR Gore-Tex jacket (Arc’teryx Theta AR)
1 pr rain pants (MEC Hydrofoil)
1 merino long sleeve (Icebreaker)
1 merino short sleeve (Icebreaker)
1 pr surf shorts (Level Six)
1 technical t-shirt (Nike)
1 lightweight hat (MEC)