road trip | Endless P Summer

Aug 20 Seattle, WA

As we were driving out of our parking spot in the Fishtrap BLM land this morning, we noticed how smoky it was in eastern Washington. So smoky that we might not be hiking the PCT. We still had a few hours to monitor the situation but as we were driving west things weren’t looking good. Parts of the trail were closed so if we were to hike, the views would be shit and we still wouldn’t be able to finish. We stopped at Snoqualmie Pass and talked to a few hikers, they didn’t really have good news and that sealed the deal for us.

I got in touch with my friend Ruthie in Seattle who was quick to offer to host us for a night which was great. Sara and I drove another hour to Seattle and came up with a plan to get out to the Vancouver Island Coast and hopefully away from the smoke. With Ruthie and her wolf dog Syd, the 4 of us spent the day eating lots of food, walking around Alki beach and exploring Discovery Park. It was a fun day in a great city. Plus it was our first time in a week that we slept indoors and were able to shower and do laundry.

Aug 21 Port Renfrew, BC

Sara and I got some pastries in West Seattle for breakfast then started making our way through the morning rush hour traffic. We had a ferry to catch in the afternoon from Anacortes, WA to Sidney, BC. Before that we had some time so we went for a run all over Deception Pass State Park. This place is sweet! There’s 2 big bridges that connect Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands and the surrounding areas have a bunch of trails and a beach. After our hilly sweaty run we of course jumped in the cold water and cleaned up a little, or at least cooled off.

We got lunch in Anacortes and waited in line for the international ferry. The boat ride through the San Juan Islands was enjoyable. The whole time I stood on watch with my bino’s for orcas and for the first time ever I saw not one but two, plus a few porpoises.

Once we reached land in Sidney we quickly went through customs then started making our way towards Port Renfrew on the southwest corner of the island. We found a parking spot at the Botanical Beach trailhead and tomorrow morning we’ll start here and hike the Juan de Fuca trail along the coast.

Aug 22, Chin Beach, JDF Trail

The Juan de Fuca trail stretches 47 kilometers across a section of Vancouver Island’s SW Coast. Since being in Canada half a day I’ve quickly converted to the metric system. You should too.

We started walking eastbound from the Botanical Beach parking lot this morning, mostly against the flow of hiking traffic. It’s been really nice. For the most part we’ve been in an old growth rain forest that sits right along the coast. We’re walking through lush forest with some massive trees and the trail is loaded with lots of infrastructure. When I say infrastructure I’m talking about staircases built into the side of the trail, or planks on the ground so you won’t step in mud, or bridges built out of old fallen down trees. I like that sort of stuff. Every once in awhile we’ll have a view of the ocean or pop out onto a beach and walk along that for a bit. Some sections you need to have a tidal chart in order to safely get around the headlands, luckily for us we’ve yet to get jammed up with high tides. I’ll say this about this place, it’s definitely more crowded than I expected. When we got to Sombrio Beach there were all kinds of people walking around, probably because there’s a road out that way but I was surprised. Still beautiful though and I’ve been digging it.

Since there’s only certain places you’re allowed to camp, when we got to Chin Beach around 5:30 after only 26 Kilometers we called it a night. Otherwise it’s about 12K more to the next camping.

Aug 23, Tofino, BC

The first 10K or so of the trail this morning, from Chin Beach to Bear Beach, was a bit difficult. Lots of ups and downs, a little muddy, and some roots and stuff. It wasn’t quite as tough as I expected though, one older guy compared it to childbirth(that didn’t make much sense unless he was talking about somebody else. Or maybe he was talking about when he was born, which seems like it would be difficult to remember). Anyway once we got to Bear Beach we chilled out for a bit, saw a bunch of seals and a baby sea otter. The rest of the trail was rather mellow and we reached the China Beach Trailhead in the early afternoon. We put our thumbs out and after about 15-20 minutes Mariah, a Port Renfrew local, drove us about a half hour back to our car at Botanical Beach.

Sara and I started making our way North on the Island towards Tofino and after a couple hours of driving we saw 2 girls with backpacks hitchhiking. We picked up Brittany and Chaya who were also on their way to Tofino. These two were good company and they told us about the hostel style campground they were headed to. Since the Tofino area didn’t have much for free camping, plus it was late, we ponied up the short money and got a parking spot at Poole’s Land for the night. It was more of a hippie commune than campground and definitely not for everyone but it was cool and an interesting place to experience.

Aug 24 Tofino, BC

Tofino, along with it’s neighboring city Ucluelet, is a surfing Mecca halfway up the west coast of Victoria Island. There’s other cool stuff to do there and not being much of a surfer I wanted to rent a sea kayak for a few nights and go camp out on an island(I’m not much of a kayaker either). When we started looking into renting kayaks we quickly realized we needed either a guided tour or knowledge of the local area, navigational charts, a 2 way radio, permits to camp in the Pacific Rim National Park reserve, a credit report, pass a background check, a clean driving record plus they were sold out. Maybe you didn’t need all that stuff but renting a kayak was no picnic.

So we went for a nice run on the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet to come up with a plan. This trail was great for running, it was hilly with good footing, along a rocky coastline and it was home to some giant cedar trees. Supposedly we were in wolf/bear/cougar territory and although I didn’t see any of those predators I did see a massive bald eagle perched in a tree stalking some salmon or something.

After our run we checked out Ucluelet and looked into renting surfboards. No problem! Way easier than getting our hands on a kayak. We went to the Wya Point surf shop and for a few bucks we each had a wetsuit and a couple of boards strapped to the roof of the Outback with the promise of returning them tomorrow afternoon. Sara and I drove up the road about 10 minutes to Wickanannish Beach and were in the water in minutes. So much fun! Not saying I’m Kelly Slater or anything but I did get up on the very first wave, QB was totally impressed. All afternoon there were big Canadian waves and really not all that many surfers in the water.

On the recommendation of my friend George we went to Tacofino for burritos afterwards and it may have been the best burrito of my life. I was wicked hungry but still, I think it was the greatest of all time. Sara was also a gigantic fan. If you’re ever in Tofino, BC and find yourself with a hankering for some Mexican food, the Tacofino food truck will not disappoint.

Aug 25 Comox, BC

Surf’s up bro! Just kidding, but seriously what an awesome day! It was raining on the car when we first woke up and the towels and wetsuits that we draped over the top were now soaked instead of dry. Oh well! Sara and I headed back to Wick Beach but there was nobody in the lot and when we walked out to the beach the waves looked way smaller than yesterday so we drove up the road a bit to Cox Bay and found some big time waves. Neither of us really know what we’re doing at all but after a while we were both getting up on the boards just about every other wave.

Our friend Ash and her boyfriend Zach were up this way enjoying a holiday of their own so we got in touch with them and met for lunch in town. I guess we just missed them on the water yesterday, if it wasn’t for this damn international cell service we could have all been catching some gnarly waves together (for the record Sara hates it when I talk like Spicoli when we’re surfing). After lunch those two were heading south and Sara and I had a few more hours to splash around with our new found surfing skills before heading east.

Tonight we drove east across the island on the wild and wooly rt 4 and eventually got to Comox, BC. There’s not really logging roads or pull offs over this way so we found a sweet little seaside campground at Kin Beach Provincial Park along the Straight of Georgia.for more pictures find me on insta @endlesspsummer and Sara @sarahikes

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Posted on August 26, 2018 by endlesspsummer

Hiking, international travel, road trip, travel

adventure, British Columbia, Canada, coastal hiking, hike, Hiking, hitchhiking, Juan de Fuca Trail, mountains, pnw, rain forest, seattle, sunset, surfing, Tofino, travel, traveling, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, washington, waterfalls

This week Sara and I drove the northern route across the U.S. Driving is way easier than walking 3000+ miles.

My co pilot and I are in a Subaru Outback that I kind of converted into an adventure vehicle. In the back we’ve got a 3 inch think memory foam mattress topper that I cut to fit around the wheel wells, added a sheet and blanket and just like that I’ve got a rolling bedroom. We installed curtains for privacy and a roof rack cargo carrier for our extra gear.

Our plan is to take about a week to drive from Massachusetts to Washington, checking out a few new places, having some adventures, and seeing some friends. In Washington we’re going to park the car and get out onto the PCT at White Pass. Sara and I both thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in ‘15, but since there were crazy wildfires that year(and just about every year since) both of us were forced off trail in Washington. I was able to get back out there the following year to finish but Sara has about 350 miles left from White Pass to the Canadian border. If all goes well this should take about 2 weeks then we’ll hitch back to our car. From Washington we’ll drive north to Vancouver and explore some of British Columbia and Vancouver Island. We’ll then drive south through Washington and Oregon to California. There’s a bunch of things on the agenda but we haven’t quite nailed anything down yet so pretty much everything is subject to change. The only thing set in stone, so to speak, is to run a trail race on October 6th in the Bay Area. The Dick Collins Firetrails 50, anybody running it? Anyway the plan is to run and hike and train all over the place for this race, do the damn thing, then make our way back to Massachusetts.

If anybody has got any suggestions or wants to join us for something, or host us, get in touch, I’d love to see you.

Aug 14

We left Lynn, MA around 7:30 am and of course hit some traffic going through Boston but for the rest of the day it was smooth sailing. Originally we planned to go south of Lake Erie but about halfway through NY decided to go see Niagara Falls and reroute through Ontario into Michigan. The falls were cool, I had been there when I was 2 and they were exactly how I remembered them. Sara had been more recently and they hadn’t changed much for her either. We oohed and ahhed for about 20 minutes and were back on the road driving through Canada. Ontario was ok except that we had to wait at the border twice and get grilled about where I was born and stuff like that. Once back in the states Sara took over and drove a few hours through Michigan until we found a rest area to crash out for awhile. 869 miles, a solid first day.

Aug 15

I got some good sleep in that rest area and we didn’t have far to go today. Only a couple hundred miles to Rockford, IL, where we were staying with our friends Boone and Katie. Sara wanted to go for a run in Chicago so after getting out of Michigan and skimming through the NW corner of Indiana we were in the ‘Windy City’(not all that windy). We parked along Lake Michigan which looks more like an ocean and ran along the lake for awhile. After a few miles I recognized Buckingham Fountain from ‘Married with Children’ and after we saw that I wanted to go find the Bean. The Chicago Bean or ‘Cloud Gate’ is this huge sculpture in the middle of the city that serves as the backdrop for scores of dating app profiles. You’ve probably seen it. From the Bean we ran along the river walk then back along the Lake for awhile. There was a beach right near where we parked, perfect for a post run bath. After our bath we got some Chicago deep dish pizza of course. It was good and everything but it takes forever and you eat it with a knife and fork.

We got to Rockford later that afternoon and met up with our friends. Despite the pouring rain Katie gave us a mini tour of some local Rockford favorites. I saw one girl wearing a shirt that said, “Rockford doesn’t suck, you do.” It made my day. When Boone got out of work the 4 of us went for dinner and Sara and I slept in our rolling bedroom out front of their house. Rockford is a cool place, it gets a bit of a bum rap but I’ve been there a couple times now and I like it.

Aug 16

Today was all about the driving. We left Rockford around 7am and soon were in Wisconsin. A few hours later and we crossed the Mississippi River and entered Minnesota. Besides layovers I’ve never been to Minnesota before. We stopped at Great River Bluffs State Park and went for a run. It was cool, I don’t think I’d go out of my way for it but it was nice to get a few miles in on some nice trails and we even had a good view looking down at the river. After our run we spent the rest of the day just driving. All afternoon going across Minnesota then we crossed into another new state for me, South Dakota. SD is split in half by the Missouri River and I guess both sides of the state have an ‘Us vs Them’ attitude. I read this somewhere. We made across the river and all the way to Badlands National Park. There was a sweet spot to camp overlooking the Pinnacles section of the park in Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

Aug 17,

What a day! QB and I got up early and drove through the Badlands to the Fossil exhibit side of Castle Trailhead. Sunrise is a great time for this place, you can beat the crowds and the park looks amazing in the early morning hours. We ran out about 5-6 miles on the Castle Trail and back on the Medicine Root Trail. It was sweet! Awesome views and some nice easy flat trails. After our run we took our time driving out of the park stopping at a bunch of the scenic overlooks and stuff. Once we were back on the Interstate we stopped at the world famous Wall Drug. This place is advertised on billboards for hundreds of miles and I was excited about it, Sara however, was not impressed. It’s like miniature town or a giant gift shop, I thought it was cool. Further West we stopped at Mt Rushmore. A bit of a let down. I had wanted to see this for awhile but it just didn’t really do it for me, I think it would have been cooler if they just left the mountain alone. I wasn’t really bummed out or anything but Sara bought me an ice cream to spike my tone a little. Not far from Mt Rushmore was Custer State Park and that place had it going on! We parked there and did a run/hike up South Dakota’s High Point, Black Elk Peak. This is a relatively easy climb with rewarding views at the top. I highly recommend it. After we ran down we jumped into Sylvan Lake and took somewhat of a bath in its chilly waters.

Leaving the park we stopped in the town of Custer for some supper then made our way into Wyoming. At one point while driving through Wyo there was a massive buck standing in the middle of the road. Luckily I didn’t hit it, but it was a good reminder to keep my eyes peeled for these things. After the buck we stopped at the next rest area in Sheridan, WY and got some sleep.

Aug 18

We weren’t far from the Montana border thus morning and we were soon driving West down I-90 through the Big Sky State. It rained a lot while driving which was good because it cleaned a lot of the bugs off the windshield but it would be nice if this rain made it out west to take care of the wildfires. Around lunchtime we realized we were only about an hour from the northern entrance to Yellowstone NP and there were some hot springs just a couple miles into the park. It was a rad little detour. 2 miles or so into the park is a little unadvertised parking lot and a short .5 mile walk from there are the springs. The Boiling River flows into the Gardner River and creates an area in the river perfect for soaking. It’s a strange phenomenon, even as hot springs go, while you sit there half of your body can be wicked hot while the other half is wicked cold. Just gotta find that happy medium.

After soaking for awhile we got back on the road heading north towards Missoula, MT.

Our friends BK and Prickly Pear have been busy hiking the Continental Divide this year and because the wildfires have been wrecking havoc on the trail, they’ve been rerouted. We met them in Missoula where they hitched to this morning and are staying with a friend tonight. The plan is to drive them to East Glacier Park, MT tomorrow where they will get back on trail and squeeze in as many miles of the CDT as possible without getting forced off trail due to fires. We met up with them in town and ate tons of food, as thru hikers do. Since they were staying on the floor of a friend’s small apartment, Sara and I drove to a local WalMart and parked there for the night.

Aug 19

Sara did the driving this morning and the 4 of us had a fun ride through the smoke up to Glacier NP. The CDT is a gnarly trail with all kinds of obstacles, if it’s not the snow it will be the fires, right now it’s the fires. You can read about their adventure this year on BK’s blog here: ramblinram.com.

In East Glacier we met up for lunch with our buddy Speed and his friend Galaxy Girl who just walked through the Bob Marshall Wilderness and in doing so Speed completed his Triple Crown.

From Glacier NP, Sara and I drove through some smoky country along the West Side of Flathead Lake and along the middle fork of the Clark river. It was quite scenic. We were right near the tiny town of Hot Springs, MT so naturally we went to check that place out and have a quick soak. We got a tip to check out Good Medicine Hot Spring and that’s exactly what we did. $5 on the honor system and we had access to the healing powers of Camas Hot Spring mineral waters. It was great, we had the place to ourselves and once we felt our minds, bodies, and souls were completely rejuvenated we got back on the road.

Shortly before getting back on I-90 and getting into Idaho we stopped at Frosty’s Burgers. From the outside it looked cool but do yourself a favor and skip this place. From now on I’ll try to read the reviews beforehand. After we waited forever we quickly ate our burgers and were driving again. Blasted through the Idaho Panhandle then were into Washington. About 30 miles west of Spokane we found some BLM land in Fishtrap Washington and had a nice private place to camp for the night.

Because of the wildfires there’s been lots of smoke ever since we got into Montana and it’s not letting up. We recently found out that the PCT has a bunch of trail closures which would make it difficult to complete. Plus the views are shit and the air quality is very bad. There’s a pretty good chance we’ll be coming up with a new plan once we get to Seattle and finding some smoke free areas to run and hike. Stay tuned and follow me on insta for more pictures and videos: @endlesspsummer

Endless P Summer

Road Trip Part 2: Vancouver Island

Road Trip Part 1: Driving across the U.S.