Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Pushing your limits through 56 km’s in 3 days and some of the most intense hiking I’ve ever done, which matched the most incredible scenery I’ve ever seen, equals what could be the most physically and mentally challenging weekend I’ve experienced.

It started out with an invite from some good friends of mind, all I’d call established hikers; they’ve been hiking since they were young with family, all have done the West Coast Trail at least once and are what I’d call real hikers/campers. They had all the gear from backpacks to sleeping bags and tents.

Given how long we’ve been friends for, their experience and mine, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys. They took care of me with preparation, equipment and even encouragement through some difficult parts of the hike (which is hard to come by if you knew them ;)).

We hiked 14 km’s to our camp site after driving 20 mins into the mountains further than I’ve ever been. We get to a camp site which isn’t actually a campsite, it’s the middle of the woods next to a creek. We fish a little the first day, hang around what they call ‘the camp site’ and have a relatively early evening.

The next day was something I couldn’t have dreamed of. 26 km’s through the mountains, round trip back to our camp site was more than a test of will. And I’m serious about that. I’m not sure if I’ve walked 26 Km’s in a week on flat ground let alone in a day through the mountains.

I doubt any of the guys read this, but I’m grateful they brought be along and gave me the opportunity to experience pushing myself to the limit in a way I’m not used to; know what it’s like to actually camp under stars (which is much different experience than what it looks like on tv), and see sights I never would have seen otherwise. And trust me when I say ‘sights I’ve never seen’, it’s much different hiking through a mountain pass, near peaks of mountains you could almost touch.