*Before you start any new activity please check the link below and speak with your doc.
THE WEST COAST TRAIL
At the end of 2015 I set a goal to hike half the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island in the summer of the following year. It was a lofty goal, I wasn't doing much at the time, hadn't ever walked that far and had never backpacked into the wilderness. The section of the trail I intended to hike is about 42 km of up and down through rain forest, mud, roots, ladders and beach. I was going to do it in 3 days.
I am lucky to have a husband who loves to research as the gear to this en-devour can be quite complex. It doesn't have to be but the research he did saved us weight which made things easier for sure.
We spend the summer hiking with our packs full to prepare, doing overnights where we could. We set up when it rained, when it was dark and when it was cold and tested our gear. We made some important discoveries that would have been quite unfortunate to discover on our main trip when we would be a long way from the car.
When it came time for the trip we felt ready......sort of.
It was still scary, for the first time ever I was going to be taken by boat to a trail head and left there to hike myself out to the other side.
Could I do it?
The reason I chose this trail in particular is for two reasons
1. I love Vancouver Island
2. It's so remote and challenging and I knew it was the kind of game changer I needed. I knew if I could just get myself to the trail head I would have no choice but to complete this trail. No matter what it took from me.
This paid off, I came across many a challenge on this trail that I had no choice but to face head on and just keep walking. I got to get a taste of my own strength and resilience.
This was an amazing journey along a stunning coast. It was hard. It hurt at times. There were bears. My husband and I learned more how to take our time, honour and trust each other. It will not be our last trip, we have many a little trek planned for this summer as it turns out here in Alberta we have some world class trekking right out my backdoor that I had never noticed before.
I am lucky to have a husband who loves to research as the gear to this en-devour can be quite complex. It doesn't have to be but the research he did saved us weight which made things easier for sure.
We spend the summer hiking with our packs full to prepare, doing overnights where we could. We set up when it rained, when it was dark and when it was cold and tested our gear. We made some important discoveries that would have been quite unfortunate to discover on our main trip when we would be a long way from the car.
When it came time for the trip we felt ready......sort of.
It was still scary, for the first time ever I was going to be taken by boat to a trail head and left there to hike myself out to the other side.
Could I do it?
The reason I chose this trail in particular is for two reasons
1. I love Vancouver Island
2. It's so remote and challenging and I knew it was the kind of game changer I needed. I knew if I could just get myself to the trail head I would have no choice but to complete this trail. No matter what it took from me.
This paid off, I came across many a challenge on this trail that I had no choice but to face head on and just keep walking. I got to get a taste of my own strength and resilience.
This was an amazing journey along a stunning coast. It was hard. It hurt at times. There were bears. My husband and I learned more how to take our time, honour and trust each other. It will not be our last trip, we have many a little trek planned for this summer as it turns out here in Alberta we have some world class trekking right out my backdoor that I had never noticed before.
you can check out our journey through the link below
FAT TREKKING
When it comes to trekking preparation is key to enjoying your time. First that means some research. Research your trail to see special considerations (like having to carry more water, bathrooms or no, wood around to burn or no, expected weather) After that I suggest you start reading pack lists of other hikers (I have included mine below) and where to get the gear you need, used or new.
This can be an expensive start up cost if you let it be, as there are some pretty amazing things you can get and really you are aiming for as light a pack as possible.
Then comes some pretraining. Carry your pack! Full weight, and go for a long walk.
Then a longer walk.
Then do some squats with it on.
You and your pack are going to be partners in this and knowing how your pack feels will make that a friendship rather than that pack being your enemy.
Which brings us to:
This can be an expensive start up cost if you let it be, as there are some pretty amazing things you can get and really you are aiming for as light a pack as possible.
Then comes some pretraining. Carry your pack! Full weight, and go for a long walk.
Then a longer walk.
Then do some squats with it on.
You and your pack are going to be partners in this and knowing how your pack feels will make that a friendship rather than that pack being your enemy.
Which brings us to:
GEAR
Picking your backpack
When shopping for a pack don't be afraid to ask questions and try on a lot. Back packs aren't really designed with a plus sized body in mind but they do come in many styles and back lengths so with some shopping around you can find one.
Make sure your pack is adjustable and that the waist strap fits comfortably for you. *if you can't find a waist strap that fits its not a hard adjustment to add to that area.
Don't suffer with a bad pack, I am sure with a little patience you can find the pack you like. My pack is this one www.mec.ca/en/product/5034-394/Serratus-70-Backpack and I love it. Has lots of pieces that can separate.
Keep in mind that backpacks are part of the weight that you will be carrying so be mindful of a heavy pack.
Make sure your pack is adjustable and that the waist strap fits comfortably for you. *if you can't find a waist strap that fits its not a hard adjustment to add to that area.
Don't suffer with a bad pack, I am sure with a little patience you can find the pack you like. My pack is this one www.mec.ca/en/product/5034-394/Serratus-70-Backpack and I love it. Has lots of pieces that can separate.
Keep in mind that backpacks are part of the weight that you will be carrying so be mindful of a heavy pack.
Sleeping bags
If you are like me this category is of utmost importance! I like room and I hate sleeping bags. Still it will get cold overnight in most places and you will want a decently warm bag. Most backpacker bags are made as small as possible for packing so try a few and make sure you fit. I found to get what I wanted I had to sacrifice space in my bag as my sleeping bag was huge. I mean huge! It weighed 6.5 lbs. (compare that to my husbands bag that weighed 2.5lb) but the shape and fit was so important to me being able to sleep. I love this bag but wouldn't recommend it for backpacking as it really is a monster of a bag. www.mec.ca/en/product/5046-774/Frontcountry-Bed-SYN--3C-Sleeping-Bag
This winter I found a deal on down blankets at costco and I copied the design of my old bag and made my own that weighs 3.5 lbs and packs down way smaller. Can't wait to use it.
When you are shopping for a bag you can try them out in store, make sure you get in and that you are comfortable.
This winter I found a deal on down blankets at costco and I copied the design of my old bag and made my own that weighs 3.5 lbs and packs down way smaller. Can't wait to use it.
When you are shopping for a bag you can try them out in store, make sure you get in and that you are comfortable.
Sleeping Pads
Sleeping pads are surprisingly important as you can lose a significant amount of body heat to the ground. Find one with a R rating of 4 or higher ideally.
Pads are like bags and made slender and thin for packability and weight. But I need a wider pad, I am a wider person. And I like a cushy pad so I want at least a 2" height. The pad I have is this one http://www.exped.com/usa/en/product-category/mats/synmat-tt-9-lw-ruby-red I like the whole EXPED line as they are thick and warm, don't make noise when you move and are pretty wide.
Pads are like bags and made slender and thin for packability and weight. But I need a wider pad, I am a wider person. And I like a cushy pad so I want at least a 2" height. The pad I have is this one http://www.exped.com/usa/en/product-category/mats/synmat-tt-9-lw-ruby-red I like the whole EXPED line as they are thick and warm, don't make noise when you move and are pretty wide.
Tents
You will notice a trend starting here, backpacking tents are small. Made to weigh as little as possible and pack up small, they lack space to stretch out, or to be fat. So like packs and bags try some tents out. If you are sharing a tent with someone you will want to go with a 3 man as they are a little bigger. Remember that you probably have to keep all your gear inside the tent. (*if you get a tent with a vestibule you can keep things like shoes and poles in that but I keep my bag inside). Do a little research as there are big differences in tents but ideally its double walled for condensation and has entry on both sides so you don't have to climb across each other. I don't have a link for our tent but it has everything I mentioned here. This is a category that you can really spend some money so consider renting a tent if you don't plan on going out often. Big Agnes has some good options that offer interior space and are fairly light weight (but many of their tents will cost $400 to $700) Here is a good article for buying tents www.cleverhiker.com/best-tents-backpacking/
Fat trekking: my little warning story of preventable injury
When I hike I sweat a lot and that sweat collects under my boobs and under my gut as well as around my thighs. If I thought ahead I would have brought some anti chaffing glide for days and powder for the nights. I was not able to really wash properly for 4 days on the trail and by then end of the hike the skin under my gut had rubbed raw, like right off. Man that hurt. Luckily we had some first aid supplies so it didn't get too infected and I could keep it covered, but it hurt a lot. And it took 2 weeks to heal. And it was gross. Also I didn't cut my toenails before I went and 2 of them went black on the trip and eventually fell off. That hurt while I was hiking and mashing them, but didn't hurt after. After 3 days of stairs and ladders and roots in the forest I had one heck of a sore knee. I would have benefited greatly from a knee support.
These were all things that I knew mildly would happen from day hiking, but I didn't realize with 4 days in a row each of these conditions would be magnified.
So take note of what hurts when you are out day hiking, where the sweat is, how your feet feel, because these things will need extra attention on a multi day trek.
These were all things that I knew mildly would happen from day hiking, but I didn't realize with 4 days in a row each of these conditions would be magnified.
So take note of what hurts when you are out day hiking, where the sweat is, how your feet feel, because these things will need extra attention on a multi day trek.
My pack list
*cooking gear, food and tent were split between 2 of us
Back pack.
4 pairs of sweat wicking synthetic socks (1 kept dry and clean for sleeping in)
hiking shirt and hiking pants
camp shirt and camp pants (for sleeping)
fleece
rain jacket
rain pants
5 pairs of underwear
sportsbra
camp sandals
hiking boots
hiking poles
buff
toque (knit cap)
bandana
camp cloth small and medium
3 man tent.
small tarp
sleeping pad
sleeping bag
pillow
2L water bladder
1L water bottle
water purification tablets
pocket rocket stove with 2 fuels
camp pot, 2 bowls and 2 sporks
2 mugs
waterproof matches and a lighter
swiss army knife
pen and notebook
headlamp
batteries
3 iphone chargers
iphone
chess set (we did not use)
cards (we did not use)
first aid kit
4 pairs of sweat wicking synthetic socks (1 kept dry and clean for sleeping in)
hiking shirt and hiking pants
camp shirt and camp pants (for sleeping)
fleece
rain jacket
rain pants
5 pairs of underwear
sportsbra
camp sandals
hiking boots
hiking poles
buff
toque (knit cap)
bandana
camp cloth small and medium
3 man tent.
small tarp
sleeping pad
sleeping bag
pillow
2L water bladder
1L water bottle
water purification tablets
pocket rocket stove with 2 fuels
camp pot, 2 bowls and 2 sporks
2 mugs
waterproof matches and a lighter
swiss army knife
pen and notebook
headlamp
batteries
3 iphone chargers
iphone
chess set (we did not use)
cards (we did not use)
first aid kit