Returning to British Columbia on the Trans Canada Trail

Reflecting on Past TCT Hikes in BC 

From Our First Explorations in 2018 to Walking Across Canada in 2022
 
Tomorrow we set off and hike into British Columbia on the Trans Canada Trail.  Now, to be entirely clear and honest - British Columbia is not entirely unfamiliar territory for us, nor is this our first opportunity to explore sections of the Trans Canada Trail in the province. In fact, some of our earliest preparations for walking across Canada brought us here in 2018, when we were still researching the national trail network, experimenting with equipment, and trying to imagine what an expedition of this scale might involve.
 

During those visits, we had the opportunity to snowshoe along part of the Great Trail above West Vancouver, travelling throughsnow-covered forests between Glenmore and Cypress Provincial Park.
 
Later that year, we also explored part of the Salish Sea Marine Trail by kayak, paddleboard and sailing boat, discovering a very different side of the national trail network.  (We will be sharing more about that experience when we get to Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver en route to Vancouver Island!)  In addition to which we make several climbs on the challenging Grouse Grind.   Together, these experiences reminded us that the Trans Canada Trail is not a single continuous hiking path, but a collection of recreational routes offering many different ways to experience Canada's landscapes.

 
At the time, walking across Canada was still largely a collection of plans, maps, questions, and hopes. We were preparing for a journey that seemed almost impossibly distant, without knowing where it would take us or what challenges we might encounter along the way.  Now, four years later, we are returning to British Columbia (or due to tomorrow) under very different circumstances. Having travelled on foot more than 12,500 km from the Atlantic coast through the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, and Alberta, we are finally approaching the Pacific.
 
There is something remarkable about returning to a familiar landscape after such a long journey, particularly when we remember that those first winter outings and kayaking excursions on our only water route were undertaken while we were still wondering whether walking across Canada was even possible.

 
We of course have many kilometres remaining before reaching Victoria, and plenty of unfamiliar trails and landscapes still lie ahead. Nevertheless, entering British Columbia feels like an opportunity to recognize just how far we have come, both geographically and in our understanding of what it means to follow the Trans Canada Trail!
 
An exciting moment tonight, tomorrow we enter our final province on the Trans Canada Trail!
 
See you on the trail!