Is it a Go?

I think I've decided to finally go for it: solo the West Coast Trail.  Over the past couple of months I've spent countless hours doing research, watching YouTube videos, reading trip reports, talking to the wardens at both trail heads, watching the weather, listening to marine reports, learning about the tides, and seriously, seriously planning gear and food. The trail permits are all taken, but as a solo hiker (or two or three people) can generally walk on and start hiking the same day.

In two weeks I'll be heading to the island and have a week to explore the coast - to feel the humidity, to watch the ocean and the tides, and to test myself on day trips in that area.  Following that I have two nights booked in Port Renfrew.  It's less isolated than the Bamfield trailhead, so I figured it's easier to kill time there if I do have to be on standby for a day or two.  Each time I've checked with parks though, they said if I were there right now, I could just get on the trail.  I'm feeling confident about that.  Waits are longer for weekend starts (Fridays and Saturdays). I'm going for a Tuesday start to up the chance.

Interestingly enough, booking the hotel in Port Renfrew was something I did quite on impulse. I just wanted to be sure that I had a place to stay and this place had the best reviews on TripAdvisor.  A small kitchenette helps for last-minute food preparations and keeping things for a potential wait.  Just last night I realized that the hotel is just across the water from Thrasher Cove, the first campsite I'd plan on staying at while on the trail.  They say those south few km are the most challenging, so those would get done first. I'm even cautiously optimistic about possibly being able to skip Thrashers and continue on to Campers. Judging by the videos and all, it seems the trail really isn't more than bushwhacking - and I do that quite regularly. Elevation gains are far less than we have here in the mountains. Surely one can make it more than 6km in one day?  I'll see.  If standbys were to get bad (they say the longest waits ever were three nights), I'd consider a 3-nighter in-and-out from the south.  But I want to sleep on the beach, I want to see the light houses, go on the cable cars, walk through Hole in the Wall, and then go for the long ride on the water taxi back from Bamfield. Normally I plan things down to the hour; here the weather, tides, and how I feel would dictate where I end up.  I need that - moments to just wander, to relax, to sit on driftwood, to watch the ocean.

This one guy has compiled a great set of daily vieos of their trip along the West Coast Trail here.