WCT - We (well, some of us) made it!!

I am now back safely from the trip to Vancouver Island and the hike on the West Coast Trail. The hike was exciting, unpredictable and rewarding. We had really good weather and saw a lot of wildlife. My walk from the train to work in Atlanta's code orange air this morning had me feeling more dirty than I ever felt in 8 days without a shower on the trail. I look forward to sharing our stories and experiences with you in person as well as through the blog. To whet your appetite I will tell you that we spent 7 nights on the trail, had mostly great weather (one big rain day) and started our trip with 8 hikers but finished only with 6.

I would like to start the adventure by introducing everyone.
Duke - the leader of the pack, lives in Seattle, has had this trip on his mind for some time now and made the whole thing happen

Rob - Duke's elder brother, ultralight, giggles a lot, answers questions like there is such a thing as a stupid question and you just asked him one

Richie - Duke's childhood friend from scouts, consultant to National Athletic teams for the Nation of Bahrain so he know what being in shape means

George - A jean-shorts-clad friend of Richie's in New Mexico, most recent conquest was a 31 day fitness boot camp immersion experiment that lasted 31 days

Matt - Duke's son, the guy who invited me along,

Graham - Duke's future son-in-law, patient and knowledgeable, fresh from a bike-car accident that had him in the hospital less than a week before (shoulder)

Josh - Graham's friend from childhood, unfortunate recipient of guff from the older guys

me - Matt's friend from grad school in Atlanta, Pacific NW first-timer and Canadian impersonator

I am planning to add posts detailing each day of the journey but wanted to put up a link to the pictures that many of you have asked about.

the photos