Life's a Stitch

Botanical Beach and beyond:

It was after this point in the day, about seven hours in, that I told Chuck that everything was crying except for my eyes. Another 60+ point:  it felt bad at the end of the day's hike, but at least for me, by the next morning I was ready to go again. Who knows how many days that would have lasted?

Nearby Avatar Grove – Canada's gnarliest tree. Notice Chuck miniaturized on the lower right side of the tree:

All's well that ends well. We made it in one piece to meet Blogless Marsha at the hotel in Sooke:

We dubbed her Hikeless Marsha for the weekend.

Final thoughts: be prepared for high log or plank bridges, tree trunk stairs, slippery surfaces, no turning back and no communication with the outside world. But in the end, despite half a black toenail, I had no blisters, a sense of accomplishment and bravery, and physical strength that I had forgotten about. It was good preparation for our post retirement dream of a Camino trek.

One last 60+ thought. With the exception of our group we never encountered anyone over the age of 30 on the trail. Hmmm.