E13: The magnificent Sunshine Coast Trail

Ahh, the Sunshine Coast Trail. At 180 kilometres, and with at least 14 huts, it’s Canada’s longest hut-to-hut hiking trail.

The trail stretches along the coast of British Columbia, from Desolation Sound to Saltery Bay, through a region separated from the rest of B.C. by several fjords, and only accessible by boat or plane. It traverses a wide range of landscapes, passing along coastal shorelines, creeks and lakes, through old growth forests and logging clear cuts and up over mountains. Its total elevation gain is 6,000 metres, which is more than the height of Mount Kilimanjaro. 

It’s situated on the traditional territory of Tla’amin Nation, which is also the namesake of some of its features, like the anglicized Sliammon Lakes. 

This episode’s guest is Greg Zolob, who hiked the full trail last summer just before I hiked it. Greg offered a lot of very helpful advice as I was planning my hike, so it seemed fitting for us to sit down, share stories from our hikes and profile the trail for other prospective hikers. 

Today’s episode covers:

• Megan and Greg's 2021 hikes
• What to expect on the trail
• Resources for planning a hike
• How to get to Powell River and to the trailhead
• Megan and Greg’s favourite huts
• Water availability
• Resupply strategies
• A rousing game of "Would you rather...?"

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