Hitching Part 3

When we got to Regina we had time to kill so we headed to the mall for wifi and coffee. It was here that I first thought about life after the trip. Seaghan asked what I would be doing after and I had no answer. I knew I wanted to travel but was torn between New Zealand and Australia. Seaghan suggested we flip to decide. And so a coin toss decided the next year or two of my life. Australia. After the trip, I would work hard and save. Six months or so later I would leave for Aus.

Our host that evening was a friend from my days at Ocean Island Inn. She was the first person I ever served a mixed drink to and it was her birthday so we finally got to party a bit for the first time on our trip. Another friend from OI was there and we had a great little reunion with far to much Lucky Lager. Regina, the city that rhymes with fun!

The next morning we got a ride to the truck stop and were picked up in barely one minute. This was our last ride. He brought us all the way to Sudbury. It was a tight squeeze though. He had a big black lab and a guitar plus luggage. We each had a pack and I had my mandolin. Whoever sat in the back had to ride with the dog on their lap. Good thing he was well behaved!

That day we made it as far as Winnipeg. My home. It had been 8 months since I'd last been home. The prairies are so drastically different from the coast. Kilometre after kilometre of flat wheat and canola fields. The only trees are planted in thin rows to protect the crops from the wind. There's a lot of cows and the occasional grain elevator. A prairie girl at heart, it was nice to be back in Manitoba <3

We landed at the Forks where we were greeted by friends and family. The Forks is where the Red and Assiniboine meet and it has been a gathering place for thousands of years. The buildings that stand there now are left over from the sites days as a train yard. There are two markets, a museum and a hotel. There's also water buses that give tours and buskers throughout the site.

Our evening there included coffee from Espresso Junction, a long time favourite and a couple of bottles of wine from Fentons Wine Merchants. After dark, we headed down to the waterfront, cracked open our wine and visited. I played my mandolin for the first time on the trip and everyone sang. It was a perfect reunion.

Our time in Winnipeg was short and we were soon off withour new companions to the Trout Forest music festival in Northern Ontario. Ear Falls to be more specific. We had sent an inquiry email about volunteering for the festival but our e-mail was sent late and we hadn't heard anything back. We decided to chance it and go anyways. We arrived a few days early for setup and they were nice enough to take us on. They set us up with a place to camp and fed us whenever we were working. The other volunteers were so friendly and made us feel right at home.

The festival kicked off two days later and it was great! The music was mostly country but some had more rock influence, some folk. There was a nice variety and the performers were very talented. My favorite artist of the weekend was Brock Zeman. I loved his raspy bluesy voice and melodic guitar style. I bought a download card for his album “Welcome Home Ivy Jane”. There were so many talented artists that I wish I could have invested in. Other artists I liked included Petunia, the Travelling Steam Show, and the Weber Bros.

Kokom's Bannock Shack was another festival highlight. From bannock burgers to sugar coated bannock balls, if it tastes good with bannock, they made it! For those of you that don't know, bannock is a delicious fried bread that a lot of Aboriginal people here make. It tastes great and its aweful for you. Seaghan and I ate there three times.

The festival wasn't all sunshine and roses though. Our new companion picked us up in Regina and brought us all the way to Sudbury which I really appreciate. He seemed totally normal, until the first time he drank with us that is. He said a few creepy things but I ignored it. Then when we got to the festival he kept trying to get me alone. One night I went to the bathroom and he followed. He then insisted I come back to camp with him. When I asked why he said he wanted to have a smoke with me. We went back to camp and he forcefully tried to kiss me. I just pushed him away and told him I was in absolutely no way interested. I walked away but he wouldn't leave me alone. We got back to the stage and he tried again so I cuffed him and told him not to come anywhere near me. He avoided me like the plague the next day and didn't so much as put a hair out of line for the rest of the trip. Sometimes as a single female its easy to become intimidated but never let that get the better of you. If you're in a situation you're uncomfortable with, stand your ground or get out.

Towards the end of the festival, I started to come down from the crazy life I had been living in the last few months. I withdrew from other people and didn't do much but write. Our last two days were uneventful and the trip was over before I knew it. Its been three months now since I arrived in Sudbury. I got work as a flagger and labourer on the highway and am saving for my next adventure. When I started the trip, I had no direction and didn't know where I would land up. I took a leap of faith and it paid off. I've never been happier and I'm proud I made it this far. I'll never forget my experiences or the people that got me this far. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way <3

Hitching Part 2

Edmonton was out of the way but I really wanted to stop in. I used to live there and a friend was nice enough to put us up for a couple of days. We were dropped off at Canada's largest shopping centre, West Edmonton Mall. If you've never been its worth going just to see its outrageous size and attractions. These attractions include a skating rink, water park, pirate ship, aquarium, theme park, arcade, movie theatre with fire breathing dragon and more. It also has more than 800 shops and services. I've never been much for shopping though so we grabbed a sandwich and headed for the bus.

The next morning I stopped in at one of Edmonton's hidden gems, Bedrock Supply. Its a massive hobby shop dealing in everything from lapidary equipment and gemstones, to metalsmithing, lampworking, fibre art, and more. It also has a studio available and I was there to make use of their silversmithing equipment. Their studio is so well equipped and organized and studio time is only $10.00/hour. They have a wide variety of tools and resources so the options are endless. I made a simple little silver ring that I have worn every day since.

That evening I gave Seaghan my tour of Edmonton. We left some time after 10:00pm towards downtown and the beautiful Alberta Legislature. In front of the Leg is a large fountain that beautifully reflects the fascade of the building. The water is about knee deep and although signs indicate no swimming security never stops anyone. After wading in the fountain for a while, we walked over to the high level bridge. At night it has the most spectacular view of downtown Edmonton. From there it was off to Whyte Ave for a late night donair at Mike's. My time in Edmonton was short but sweet.

Pro Tip: Edmonton is a great city to cycle in. The river valley has a long section of the Trans Canada Trail that is well maintained and winds along some cute bends and creeks. Edmonton Bicycle Commuters is a community bike shop that rents refurbished bicycles for only $20/day or $50/weekend.

Hitching in Alberta that afternoon was harder than anywhere else on the trip. We took public transit from Whyte Ave to a suburb called Sherwood Park. Public transit stops right near a Flying J truck stop. As we walked towards the highway we were stopped by an RCMP officer. Our hitching sign was clipped to the back of Seaghan's bag so we couldn't very well deny what we were doing. He warned us that the place we were headed for, North Battleford, was a rougher town. He checked our I.D.s, asked where we came from and sent us on our way. Hitching is illegal but there wasn't much he could do about it. Just be honest and straight forward.

We were picked up by a wonderful older couple that took us as far as Vegreville, a Ukrainian town with the world's largest pysanka (Ukrainian Easter Egg). They took us out of their way just to show us the egg. They took pictures for us and even tried to get us another ride. They said they picked us up because we looked like good kids and it could be their kids on the road. They were sweet. They left us in a good spot and another ride took us an hour down the road to the middle of nowhere.

No trees, no houses. Just prairie. And there we sat. It was getting late. If we didn't get picked up soon we would have to camp in the ditch with the vicious mosquitos and no buffer from the sounds of the highway. After an hour and a half, on little car stopped to pick us up. Thank god!

Overjoyed, I ran to the window. I asked them where they were headed. They were headed as far as Regina and could drop us off wherever we liked. I ran back, ecstatic, to grab my pack and give Seaghan the good news. As I went to grab my pack, he says to me, “I don't even care that they're naked”. It took a minute for what just said to register. “What?” I asked. “I don't even care that they're naked” he repeated. I had gone up to the window and talked to them and hadn't even noticed. I was just so relieved that someone wanted to pick us up. They, put on clothes, made room for us in their car and took us all the way to an information pull out just outside Regina. Turns out there's some sort of nudist retreat in rural Alberta and they were just coming back from vacation. The guy driving smoked so much pot. At least twice an hour the whole way. But, they got us there in one piece and that's all that matters.

We rolled into the information pull out just after midnight. There were no trees, no shelter, no bathroom and no trash can. There was litter everywhere. It was a dump. We camped there anyway and our tent blended with the prairie grass very well. When we awoke the next morning, we were in good spirits. We were only 30 minutes from downtown Regina and the weather was great. There was a truck pulled in when we got up. We ate our breakfast and did our thing for a bit. The driver fussed under the truck. As we started to pack, he asked Seaghan if we needed a ride into town. We accepted his ride but were both uncomfortable. The guy seemed sketchy. Almost absent. He spoke low and mumbled a lot. He looked tired and sweaty.

We got in but both sat in the back of the cab. My mandolin case was sat on my lap, pocket open, with my little swiss army knife tucked just inside. I felt uncomfortable but I wasn't alone and we only had to make a 30 minute trip. I tried to relax but just as we pulled out he stopped, he opened the centre console to his right and started fussing with something. I couldn't see what. He put the console back down, started to drive away and proceeded to snort coke. He asked if we would mind and I replied “Are you sure you're going to be ok to drive?”. We probably should have gotten out of the vehicle then but we didn't. He snorted again and drove us to town. I was so glad when he dropped us off. I had become so trusting of people on the trip and that ride served as a harsh reminder that not everyone is stable. Always stay on your guard. Luckily things got easier from there.

Check back tomorrow for Hitching Part 3 which includes our time at the Trout Forest Music Festival!

Hitching East Part 1

Hitching east is the greatest thing I have ever done. Its changed me wholly. Seaghan and I travelled across Western Canada mostly on the generosity of others and people were so nice. I met some of the most beautiful people in Canada. These people made travel so much more accessible to me and showed me it can be easy if you are willing to commit to it.

Our trip started in late afternoon on July 28th in Victoria, BC and mine ended in Sudbury, Ontario two weeks later. We hitched the whole way. We never stayed in hostels. We mostly pirate camped or stayed with friends along the way. We set out from the Ocean Island Inn using public transit and the ferry to get to Vancouver where we were camping in a friends yard. This is where I first found out that Seaghan had no gear. No sleeping bag, no mat, nothing. Just coats to keep warm. He toughed through it though.

I asked my friend for advice on where to get cheap breakfast and how to get out of town. They reccomended a place called Bon's for breakfast and it was so cheap! $3.95 and I was full. As for directions, they recommended we walk to commercial drive and talk to a crust punk. After breakfast, we headed to commercial and Seaghan found a punk right away. He was a young bearded guy with a duffel and ratty clothes. Perfect. We asked directions and he gave us hand written instructions on hitching out of town.

We followed his instructions and stuck out our thumbs for the first time. We also had a sign. I think signs are important. After 20 minutes of waiting and snacking on wild blackberries someone told us we were on the wrong side of the road. Oops! We repositioned ourselves and had our first ride within 5 minutes.

A pair of missionary siblings got us as far as Abbotsford. We were barely out of their car and at an off ramp when we were picked up by a transport. I remember standing on the side of the road. Seaghan got a huge cheshire grin on his face. “This one”, he said like he knew the guy was going to pick us up. We were ecstatic! We had only planned to ride with him to Kamloops and then split off to the north but we wound up staying with him right until the Icefields Parkway in southern Alberta.

Riding with the trucker was great. He had been picking up hitch hikers for around 30 years and had a surplus of stories. Late that night, as we rolled through the mountains near Revelstoke, he even told a storey about the night he swears he and two hitch hikers saw Sasquatch. We made it as far as Golden, BC that night and camped on a patch of grass behind a gas station. Many long haul truckers park there over night so we had no troubles camping there.

I woke up late the next morning and made the mistake of hitting the road with no food. When we were dropped off at the Icefields Parkway early that morning, we had nothing. The road was mostly frequented by tourists who don't pick up hitch hikers. When we were picked up, it was by a hiker in a cool car who took us as far as the Crows Foot Glacier. This was a terrible place to hitch from because all of the tourists pull in to take pictures and then avoid you pulling out. So many tourists took pictures of us. It felt so strange. None of them picked us up.

Eventually we were picked up by a coal miner coming back from a music festival. BC has lots of great music festivals that I'm ashamed to say I never took the time to enjoy. Anyway, he took us as far as Jasper through the prettiest stretch of mountains I have ever seen in my life. The Rocky Mountain range covered in glaciers and snow caps is absolutely breathtaking.

Pro tip: Do not fuel up along the Icefields Parkway. Our ride had to gas up at Saskatchewan crossing and paid $1.90/litre compared to $1.30 everywhere else. Food was also overpriced, we hadn't eaten yet that day and were going to grab hot dogs but they were a whopping $7.00 a piece.

We made it to Jasper by early afternoon and had some wicked poutine with our ride before he left. We offered to pay for his food but he declined as did every ride we tried buying food for but I always felt it was important to express how grateful we were. If it weren't for people like him, we never would have made it. I can't stress enough how thankful I am for every person who helped us along the way <3

We paid for camping that night. $30.00. That's the only time we paid to sleep somewhere and it was worth it. I love Jasper. Its the first place that I ever visited the Canadian Rockies and every time I visit I'm amazed at how quiet and serene it is. Jasper is not overly commercial for a tourist town. Its small. They don't allow large franchises so there are no Wal Marts or the like to take away from the natural beauty of the place.

We stayed at Whistler's Campground where $30.00 got us our own site and as much wood as we wanted. The park was very well maintained and park staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We were in a designated hiker/biker site and almost every camp had someone with an instrument. My only complaint about the site was that the fire pits were so tiny and the wood only fit in one day. It didn't make the greatest fire to cook by.

A friend of ours hitched to Jasper on the same day and stopped in at our camp. He's very gifted with food and helped us cook. The guys climbed a tree and well after dark we called it a night. We met up the next morning for a relaxed breakfast in the visitor centre lawn and then checked the thrift stores for cheap cookware. Our friend walked us along the dirt path to the highway, pointing out fresh herbs along the trail. Lavender, sage, and one for tea that I can't remember. It all smelled divine and I really wish I had picked some to take with. After a fond farewell, we stuck out our thumbs once again and were picked up within 10 minutes by a speedy Algerian. He got us to Edmonton in no time.

Check back tomorrow for Hitching East Part 2 which includes our most interesting and our worst rides!

Juan De Fuca Trail, Vancouver Island

The Juan De Fuca marine trail is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Scratch that. It's the hardest thing I've ever done! I've never been a particularly fit person and I've never gone out of my way to do anything nearly so physically strenuous. I was also unbelievably unprepared and greatly underestimated how tough hiking can be. I was surprised by the constant ups and downs and massive mud pits but the lush forest and breathtaking views were worth the struggle.

Day One - Mystic Beach:

I hitch hiked straight from the Sooke Potholes to the eastern trail head at China Beach. This was my first time hitching and it went pretty well. I got three rides and made the trail head in no time. After a quick chat with the friendly park staff ,I headed to Mystic Beach only two kilometres away in hopes of finding a travel partner.

The trail to Mystic is easy and the beach is beautiful. It was blazing hot out so I dipped underneath a waterfall at one end of the beach and tucked into a site to make camp. Lack of wood was a bit of a problem for my ghetto fab cook stove. I really should have forked out a couple bucks taken a proper gas stove. That evening I lazed on the beach and watched as the fog rolled in over the setting sun.

As I was about to tuck in for the evening, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A rat. It scurried right under the driftwood log in front of me. This served as a reminder and I hung my pack in a tree but there were no good branches so it was only about four feet off the ground. The last line in my journal entry that night read, "One thing that I've discovered is that the beach has rats. Legit."

Day 2 - Mystic Beach to Chin Beach

My next journal entry began with, "There are rats on the beach and they chewed through my pack". Yup.  The dirty mothers. They gnawed at it in four places! They only broke through in one spot and ate all but one graham cracker. Lesson learned. Always take extra time and find a good place to string food packs. After a not so lovely rehydrated breakfast I packed up and was off. The goal was Chin Beach, a whopping 18.7km away with a stop at Bear Beach 7km in.

I made it to Bear in what I think was good time. I don't really know though because I didn't bring a watch and my phone was dead. Brilliant. I know. I was really unprepared. I had lunch on the beach and grabbed a quick nap on a log and then made a move. I was already tired at this point. My pack must have been over 60lbs and I was starting to understand how difficult hiking can be. Bear was deserted and beautiful and so tempting but I decided to push on. Another mistake. Know your limits. I didn't. 

The next stretch (Bear Beach to Chin Beach) was labelled most difficult on the trail map. "How hard could it be to walk through the woods?" I thought to myself. I found out quick. After a large climb up, I went straight back down. And then up and down over and over. That was about when the mud pits started. They ranged in length from 5 to about 20 feet. There were logs to step on to avoid the mud but my shoes had absolutely no grip so I slipped every time. Yet another and probably the most important lesson I learned. Wear proper shoes. It will save you from so many unnecessary falls.

Rather than continually slipping off the logs, I decided it would just be easier to walk through the mud. Wrong. The first time I sank right to my waist. The next time my shoes got stuck and I had to scrape out whatever muck I could before continuing. Some of those pits are way deeper than they look. Back to the logs it was. Every time I slipped though I would bash my knee and by km 15 I was hurting.

If that wasn't enough I was starting to worry about being in the woods after dark. Having no way to tell the time was stressing me out. I just kept watching the sun and hoping I would get there before the fog and dark set in. Vancouver Island has the largest concentration of black bears and cougars in the world and dusk is their dinner time. This was making me nervous so I short breaks and pushed myself harder than I should have. There was no enjoyment in it for me. It was hard and I was tired. By the 16th km I wished I had someone with me and I started to lose heart. Every km got harder and I felt more and more beat down. I just wanted to sit down and cry. Finally I reached the 20 km marker. I could smell fire. Almost there. Descending the stairs to the beach, I felt overwhelming relief. I had done it. 

Chin Beach is very rocky but has plenty of wood at the east end. There are camp sites in the bush or at the edge of the beach. I opted for a spot on the beach so I could take in the view but had to deal with a lot of wind in the evening. The fog rolled in thick.It got very cold and I was glad for my large fire.

Day 3: Chin Beach

I woke up at Chin feeling weak and defeated. I was so scraped and bruised from the previous day's hike that I was afraid to continue. I had bit off much more than I could chew. I had fallen so many times. I was in no rush and decided to take a day to recover at Chin Beach.

Good choice. Chin is gorgeous. In periods with no fog, the Olympic Mountains were visible in the distance.  Low tide revealed small rocky tide pools with the occasional star fish. It was serene. I spent much of that day in the shade of my tent looking out on to the water and writing. Every once in a while a set of hikers would pass by  and early that afternoon I saw a pair of people I recognized. They stopped in for lunch, which they were kind enough to share and we traded notes on the trail as they were headed in the opposite direction. They mentioned a suspension bridge with a great view and a reasonably easy stretch of trail for the most part. By the time they left I was in better spirits.  I started to get excited for the next day.

That evening was beautifully clear and mild. I gathered enough wood to keep warm for the night and as I sipped my tea, I relished in the beauty of the beach. I've never beach camped before this trip. I love it more than I can express. It was really worth all the trouble. Every single beach on this trail was stunning.

Day 4: Chin Beach to Sombrio Beach
 
The trail to Sombrio Beach was definitely my favourite. There were only a few climbs on the trail before the path levelled out along the hill tops. A haze hung in the trees with dripping leaves and beams of light peaking through. Thick hanging Spanish moss added a dense feel to the old growth forest. After a while the trail levelled out on what must have been an old logging road. It made for a great leisurely walk. This leg of trail also had a suspension bridge that offered a fantastic view. 

Unfortunately all of my previous falls were catching up on me and I decided I wouldn't make it beyond Sombrio Beach. The last few kilometres were my slowest. I was constantly climbing over massive roots into mud pit after mud pit. I could see the beach but it felt like it took forever to get there. Sombrio was absolutely breathtaking and I regret that I didn't camp there. The beach stretched on and on. There were so many good places to camp. It was magnificent. I was done though and didn't really take the time I should have to appreciate it. I hiked to the highway, stuck out my thumb, and headed back to Victoria for my last few days on the west coast. I regret now that I didn't finish the trail but know that I will go back one day more prepared and will be able to enjoy it all the more.
 
About the Trail:

The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail stretches across 47 kilometres of coast and forest from China Beach to Botanical Beach. Camping is $10/night and follows basic wild camping rules. Pack it in, pack it out and the like. Fires are allowed on beaches but not in forest camp sites.

Special Thanks to Sam for letting me use his pictures!

Have you done the trail? What did you think?

Sooke Potholes, Vancouver Island

When I think of travel, I usually think of going abroad. Or at least far away from where I live. I forget about the things in my backyard. Like the Sooke Potholes. What a great way to spend the weekend! If you enjoy, hiking, cycling, swimming or camping then Sooke is for you. And if you're feeling adventurous its a great place to try cliff jumping!

I don't drive which can be a real pain while traveling but the Potholes were SO accessible. I packed my gear, met up with a friend, hopped on the bus and an hour later we were hiking towards the park. The walk to the gate takes about an hour and its another hour to the camp site so I would recommend just sticking out your thumb and hitching a ride in. We didn't realize how far it was but a nice fellow stopped and gave us a lift. For you nifty cycle folk, the galloping goose takes you straight there. The Goose is beautiful and reasonably flat most of the way. Plus, its only 50km! Make sure you bring a patch kit though as the Island is riddled with blackberry bushes and you will most likely get a flat somewhere along the way.

The hiker biker site at Sooke is amazing. Its so spacious and has a communal fire pit as well as a covered picnic area. It's also only ten bucks. We were extra fortunate in that there were no other hiker bikers on the Friday night so we had a massive site all to ourselves. We got to the site just before dark so there was no one around to sell us wood. This gave me the opportunity to test out my ghetto fab cook stove. It was just a stainless steel dish with a grill over top. We grabbed whatever sticks we could find and lit a fire in the dish. We had boiled water in about 5 minutes. Not bad if I do say so myself. This was also my first chance to try re-hydrated dinner. It wasn't quite as bad as I had imagined. Just after we finished dinner the park ranger rolled up, sold us wood, and we ditched the weenie camp stove. After sitting by a roaring fire for a while and sippin bevies it was time to turn in.

The next morning I woke up to a bit of a surprise. As I rolled over to grab my sneakers I was surprised to find a 7 inch banana slug sliming across my left shoe. That may not be a big deal to you but where I come from anything over an inch is freakishly big. I was disgusted. I decided that I didn't really need shoes that bad after all and marched towards the toilets. As I walked along a little kid came up beside me and asked "Why don't you have any shoes"? I explained about the nasty mother on my shoe and he casually said to me before walking away, "You should really try to get over your disgust". Thanks kid. I'll work on it.

Breakfast was rehydrated and looked pretty terrible. It tasted about the same. I really wouldn't reccomend it. I've since realized that Oatmeal is just as easy and tastes way better. After breakfast we went to find a place to swim. An easy trail runs along the river and there are plenty of little swimming holes. There are also 3 proper beaches. We went to beach #1 which is busier but has a great place to cliff jump. The water is SO clear and SO deep. After watching a few people, I had to do it. I climbed up to the cliff where my friend had already been sizing up the jump. I peered over the edge, asked if it would hurt, hummed and hawed and went for it. What a thrill! It felt like it took forever to hit the water! It does hurt the toosh a bit if you don't jump straight. Totally worth it though.

After the jump, my friend left and I had a night on my own in Sooke. The hiker biker site filled up that night by about 5:00 and everyone there was super friendly. They gave me tips for my next adventure (the Juan de Fuca trail) and about better foods to take camping. Seems I'm not the only one that dislikes re-hydrated foods. Whoda thunk? Tips they gave me included taking oatmeal with little boxes of rice milk, pasta or rice for dinner and wearing proper shoes (which I most certainly did NOT have).

That evening I went swimming in a pothole quite close to camp. Both times it was entirely deserted. It was so peaceful. The water was beautiful and I could see and feel little fish brushing up against my legs. I turned in early and hitch hiked out the next day towards the Juan de Fuca Trail. I would have loved to have spent more time there and would go back in a heartbeat. If you are on the Island this is a MUST DO. I promise you its well worth it.

Special thanks to Ashley for the pics <3

Hello

I've spent the last month travelling and I've never been happier. At first I thought that living out of a backpack was crazy and that I wouldn't be able to adjust. How can someone live with so little? And with no plan? The day I left Victoria, I was all nerves. "What the hell am I doing"?! I can tell you now that I made the right choice. I'm in love with the people I've met, the things I've seen and the lifestyle. I could not have asked for better.

That's why I'm writing to you now. To share my experiences and maybe encourage someone else to jump outside their comfort zone and see the world in a different way. And maybe learn from some of my mistakes. So here we go! To a new blog and a new chapter of life <3