This morning Dad and I took it easy. We actually didn't end up leaving camp until 11:30 am, when we talked to another group carrying a radio. They had been following the weather forecasts and the latest forecasts were all calling for rain to begin that night. We weren't very anxious to spend another night in the rain so we decided if we could, we would finish the trail that night. As Dad put it we are both people who can put our heads down and accomplish something if we set our mind to it. We had about 23 kilometers to cover, almost a third of the trail, but we had the toughest parts behind us (though in truth I hate when people talk about the south end of the trail being tough and the north end easy, a more accurate description is that the trail gets less difficult as you progress north but you have built up so much fatique in your muscles that in actuality it doesn't feel easier, you can just travel more kilometers in a shorter period of time).
We paid the price for our late morning on the beach. The tide was in and we were forced to walk on the soft sand where one step feels the same as ten. There is no resistance to push off against so our leg muscles had to work a lot harder. We passed by the ship ruins of the Uzbekistan along the beach. The West Coast Trail is known as the "graveyard of the Pacific" because many ships met their doom near or on its shores. Ship passengers often died in the harsh environment before they could reach safety and the government was finally forced to carve out a rough trail to provide a lifeline for future shipwrecked men and women. Over the years improvements were gradually made until we have the West Coast Trail at present.
The last ten kilometers from the Pachena lighthouse to the Pachena Bay trailhead were a mental and physical challenge. Dad and I had new aches and pains in various parts of our body, in addition to the ones we had previously accumulated and it literally felt like my body might fall apart at times. As we walked Dad reflected that he was so tired that he hadn't even thought to take our pictures at the lighthouse. Instead when he saw another hiker taking pictures with her camera all he thought was "that looks heavy". Dad and I made fun of our enthusiasm on the first day when we would say "whoa this is really hard" with huge grins on our faces. And I joked that we didn't make very convincing poster children for the newcomers just starting out from Pachena Bay that day. The last two kilometers really almost "done me in". At every kilometer along the trail there was a sign stating how many kilometers we had left to go, except the 1 km sign was missing. Not knowing whether I had already started hiking that last kilometer really played tricks with my head, as did the big fat series of ladders at the end of the trail.
But then we were there at the trailhead and our mission was accomplished. I guess I can check the West Coast Trail off my life list but I would like to do it again sometime. The beauty of the west coast is absolutely spectacular and it was special that Dad and I got to share those great and sometimes painful experiences together!
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