Description
The West Coast Trail is located on the southern west coast of Vancouver Island, BC Canada and stretches 77 kilometers from Port Renfrew on the south end to Bamfield on the north end. It started with a shipwreck back on January 22, 1906. The 253 foot (77 meter) vessel SS Valencia ran aground just north of Klanawa River on Vancouver Island's west coast. The wild and rugged shoreline bordering a temperate rain forest offered no relief whatsoever and the lives of all 126 passengers were lost! This tragic event spurred the government at that time to construct a trail between Port Renfrew and Bamfield in case of future shipwrecks as this section of the Pacific had been the site of more than 60 shipwrecks since 1854! The present West Coast trail generally follows the route of the historic life saving trail. A heavy wet climate has produced a dense forest of cedar, hemlock, fir and spruce. The forest floor is jammed with salmonberry, huckleberry, salal and in places, the heavy spiked stalks of devil's club.
|
