Still processing...
I just got back from 75km of the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. Seven days. A heavy pack. A paper journal I kept the whole way through, and I’m only now cracking it open alongside the photos.
As tempting as it is to cherry-pick the highlights, I’m going through it all. The range is wide—awe, physical and mental struggle, and a specific fear that started on day one with a ladder I wasn’t expecting to meet first.
Mud. Slippery coastal rock. Endless ladders. All for…fun.
More soon.
Hey, you made it to the end, I have a secret for you!
I really thought I’d have the energy for a full essay, but my body and mind are still processing. I will say this though: somewhere around the halfway mark, I stepped on a loose root that rolled under my weight. My ankle (always weak) had no chance. Rather than fight it, I knew better and went with the momentum. Full body dive into a dry bush, full volume scream.
I rolled onto my back and lay there like a turtle, genuinely terrified to find out if the hike was over.
It wasn’t. Some tapping, a lot of tape, and I finished. The ankle is still swollen. I currently have one normal ankle and one that is doing its own thing. It will sort itself out eventually.