Mates

Botellas de soda

Botellas de soda

Feria de San Telmo

Old license plates and signs

Signs

Feria de San Telmo

Antique food packaging

Artist with his work

I got there a little too late. At around 4:30pm, the antique stalls were already starting to pack up and close. I walked around the neighborhood  for a little bit.

San Telmo

Young musicians performing tango

Parroquia San Pedro Telmo

I found 2 interesting mimes on the street. I really liked the girl’s expressions.

Mimes

Mimes

One block away from Plaza Dorrego is Pasaje de la Defensa, an big house constructed in 1880 and is now a commercial gallery.

Pasaje de la Defensa

Pasaje de la Defensa

Old fountain

Pasaje de la Defensa

El Patio del Tiempo

Mercado San Telmo

Mercado San Telmo

Mercado San Telmo

Old car emblems

Mercado San Telmo

Mercado San Telmo

I just purchased the Montane Shell Atomic DT 2.0 rain pants online. I hope it fits me well so I don’t have to exchange it.

I still need to buy a waterproof stuff sack and gaiters. I have decided to take the same New Balance 875 I used on the John Muir Trail in 2009.

Unlike for the JMT, I won’t be using a water filter for this hike, choosing instead to use purifying tablets. I also won’t be taking a bear canister, which is a huge relief.

Other that the above, the list is almost identical to last year’s JMT.

Note: Instead of making multiple posts as I plan for the West Coast Trail, I’ll consolidate them all in this post, which will be updated/edited regularly until I leave for the hike in August.

Inspiration

Amtrak's Coast Starlight

While planning for the John Muir Trail, I came to realize that it was consistently rated as one of the top hikes in the world. Another hike that appeared a lot of in different lists, sometimes even as #1, was the West Coast Trail. I’ve also have been wanting to ride the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Los Angeles to Seattle for quite some time. I always enjoyed train rides, and seeing the slow transition between different cities and regions. A couple of years ago I also saw some amazing pictures of Shi Shi Beach (here and here) in the State of Washington and have been wanting ever since to see it in person.

This trip provided a great opportunity to combine everything into one amazing journey.

Itinerary

I’ll taking the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle, rent a car there, drive to Olympic National Park in the coast of Washington, do the “Ozette Lake to Shi Shi Beach” hike. Drive to Port Angeles, take the ferry to Victoria, BC, Canada. Enjoy the city for a couple of days before starting the West Coast Trail. My plan is to take 7 days to complete the hike, and then fly back from Victoria to LA. I should take a little bit under 3 weeks to do all this.

The Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach is a little bit of a problem because once I finish, I’ll need to find a way to get back to my car at the trailhead. It doesn’t appear to be any public transportation in the area. Maybe I’ll have to hitch a ride, or another option is to hike back to Lake Ozette which should take 1 1/2 days.

WCT Permit

There are two ways to reserve a permit, either online on Parks Canada website, or by calling their office between 9am to 5pm. Reservations can be made up 3 months prior to the start date, starting on the first day of that month. Since I want to start the hike on Thursday August 12, 2010, the earliest I can reserve is June 1, 2010.

Since you can’t call their office until 9am, I stayed up late the night before to see if online reservations would open at midnight. Sure enough, I was able to reserve online and ended up paying CAD 127.50 for the permit plus a CAD 26.67 reservation fee. I’m not sure if I could have saved the reservation fee by waiting until 9am and getting the permit by phone. From what I’ve heard, there’s very high demand for the limited permits (60 total each day, starting from either trailhead) and given that people can reserve online starting at midnight, I didn’t want to run the risk.

I will be starting from Pachena Bay, the northern trailhead.

Ozette Lake to Shi Shi Beach Permit

I called the Olympic Nation Park to get  my Wilderness Camping Permit. The first night I’ll be camping at the site north of Ozette River, and the following night at Shi Shi Beach. I want to thank Josh, the ranger I talked to on the phone, who was very courteous and helpful.

What To Bring

My West Coast Trail Packing List is very similar to the John Muir Trail Packing List I used last year. I still need to add gaiters for sure and a waterproof stuff sack. Once again I’ll be wearing the New Balance 875 I took to the JMT. I’m sure that asking for help at the backpackingligh.com forums will clear a lot of my doubts.

Sequoia National Park was very different from last year once we got close to General Sherman Tree and Lodgepole: it was mostly covered in snow. The short trail from the parking lot to General Sherman was full of ice and snow. Our plan was hike the Congress Trail but decided not to since the trail was barely visible (only footprints in the snow) and most sign posts were buried in snow.

Melting ice on trees

Trail to General Sherman

Trail to General Sherman

Sequoia National Park

General Sherman

Snow covered trails

Road to parking lot north of General Sherman

Sequioa National Park

No dogs allowed

Giant Sequoias

Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park

Yosemite Valley was also different. I took a bus to get into the valley to start the JMT last year. The bus entered the park from the east but this time we entered from the southern entrance. When we came out of a long tunnel through a mountain, we were treated to a spectacular view. From the vantage point, we could see El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls, and the valley.

Yosemite National Park entrace

El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Falls

Bridalveil Falls

El Capitan

The valley floor was full of people. We did the first couple of miles of the John Muir Trail, stopping short of Nevada Fall before turning back. There were a couple of spots on the trail that were covered in snow. The waterfalls were in full force, unlike when I saw them late summer last year.

Start of John Muir Trail

Vernal Fall

Vernal Fall

Parts of the trail were covered in snow

Nevada Fall

Half Dome cables

1Starting in 2010, hiking Half Dome during weekends (Fridays included) or holidays will require a permit. You can reserve a permit up to 4 months in advance on the National Park Service website.

2 If you are not used to hiking long distances or if you are not in good shape, I’d try not do the whole hike up and down from Yosemite Valley (16 miles)  in one day. Going up 5000 feet in 8 miles is pretty rough. By the time you get to the cables you might already be very tired, and after the summit you’ll still have to go down 5000 feet. Instead, I’d hike up to Little Yosemite Valley or around the Half Dome trail junction the first day, camp there, and then summit Half Dome early the next morning, before the crowds get there. This would require a wilderness permit and some advanced planning, but it’d be a more enjoyable trip.

3 There was a big pile of used gloves on the base of the cables, but I’d get some cheap gloves that fits you before the trip. I bought a pair of $3 gloves at the Home Depot. They had rubber on the inside and provided great grip on the cables.

4 Make sure you bring a lot of water, or a way to purify it on the trail. I think for a 16-mile hike you’d need about a gallon. Also, keep in mind that I didn’t find any water after Little Yosemite Valley, so if you need to purify, make sure you get plenty there.

5 Wear shoes with soles that have very good grip. The granite has been polished by the hundreds of people who step on it every day and can be a bit slippery.

6 Bring a headlamp or flashlight just in case you take longer than expected and need to hike in the dark.

7 Don’t climb the cables when there’s any possibility of a storm. Not worth risking your life and you can always do it at a later date. There have been many accidents (some deadly) in the past during storms.

8 Bring warm clothes if there’s a possibility you’ll be hiking during sunrise or sunset. Temperatures can go down quickly during sunsets.

9 Wear plenty of sunscreen and wear a hat. The sun can be pretty punishing at the summit.

10 Once on the cables, take your time, don’t rush. Don’t try to pass the people ahead of you. Be cordial to the people going in the opposite direction. If you are struggling, let the people behind pass you, but don’t feel pressure to have to go faster than you are comfortable. Always go at your own pace. On the same token, don’t rush the people ahead of you. Offer them encouragement if they are struggling.

Crowded cables