Team Chemise Rouge
Trip Start
Jul 09, 2006
1
Trip End
Jul 15, 2006
Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada
Monday, July 17, 2006
Heres the jist. Several months back, my good Friends Jimmy and Jill Gillis(The Jillises), Steve Eliason(The Beav)and I set up this trip to meet in Victoria and then backpack the West Coast Trail for July. Perfect! I have wanted to do this trek for at least eight years, not to mention its just about in our backyard. Due to varying circumstances i was never able to do it prior. Well we finally did it this month. Perfectly planned out by the Jillis's and executed by all of us. They brought along a good friend of theirs and new friend of mine Kevin Knowles. This was the perfect opportunity and traveling with this group was a can't miss.
We ended up doing the full 75 kilometers in a mere 4.5 days. The average is 6 to 8 days. We heard the quickest time someone ever did the trail was between 12 hours and 18 hours. Who knows which is true, but all i can say is, if true, either of those times are impressive.
The highlights were many, but some of the best ones were these: It was hilarious, by coincidence we all had been wearing red shirts while hiking. People probably thought we were a team or something...hence "Team Chemise Rouge." Another one was on day 3 Steve and I hiked back 3 kilometres from camp in the rain to find Kevins lost tent poles...which we did. Another highlight was the crab and beer at the Nitinat Narrows ferry- kick ass! But the best was at "Chez Monique's." When we showed up soaked, cold and hungry, Monique herself was curled up on the ground in her sleeping bag in the middle of the store/eating area. Passed out! Hilarious, we were stepping over her and talking and she didn't stir. Someone even thought she was dead. Anyway when she finally woke up we had the best breakfast burger i have ever had. Well we WERE starving and all we had been eating was the dehydrated food we'd packed, whatever, it WAS good anyway. We had tonnes of laughs and the odd time cries, but basically the whole trip was a highlight.
We worked our butts off and actually ended up passing everyone who left the day before us. One chick thought we were on steroids and couldn't believe how we passed them...whatever. Yeah cuz we look like juicers i guess...right. Hey we had fun but at times we felt like we'd been to hell and back. We still ended the days with a laugh and a shot of fireball....then a grimace from a newly developed muscle pain or blister soon followed. Good times!
