(west) Thrasher ... Gordon River
Gordon River trailhead
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The trailhead boat launch is not close to Port Renfrew town; it's a short drive but a long walk. If staying in town, first thing to do is to arrange transport.
If you park at Medd's, they will deliver you to the trailhead.
Fortunately, the WCT bus picks up & drops off at the trailhead information office which is walking distance from the boat dock. There is no signage. Look for the dilapidated wooden steps down to the boat.
Port Renfrew details:
Every hiker must cross the Gordon River. The cost of that trip is included in your Trail Permit but feel free to tip if you enjoy the ride. The boat is operated by the Pacheenaht Band.
The trailhead Information Centre is normally open 9 am - 5 pm. Pickup or drop-off your Trail Permit here. Survivors were formerly awarded a certificate but by August 2002 those certificates were no longer available!
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Starting from Port Renfrew, get the earliest ferry you can.
It may be difficult to find even an emergency campsite before dark if you get a late start. Good luck!.
Starting the WCT on the Gordon River.
Don't start the WCT with a fall on your keister — you will land on wet, slick, barnacle encrusted rocks. Be careful disembarking.
The Trail between Gordon River & Thrasher is entirely through forest as the headlands are impassible. It is slow, muddy, slippery, steep & switchbacked. You'll wade small streams & scramble under gigantic tree roots. Foliage is dense in sections of second-growth forest.
Many feel this is the most gruelling day on the WCT. Before 1998, hikers were sometimes able to pay extra to take the boat all the way to Thrasher — skipping the slog. No more. (One wag told us the Parks Service uses this section to weed out those hikers who aren’t going to make it — they are easy to evacuate from Thrasher.)
There are almost no ocean views to distract from scrambling endless ups & downs. This section takes everyone longer than they expect.
Watch for fallen sections of the 1888-89 telegraph wire & glass insulators.
Most hikers stop at the Empire donkey engine near the highest point of elevation on the WCT; about half way to Thrasher. Built on log-runners, the engine hauled itself to this location from the sea. It was used to haul logs.
If you are running out of time, there’s a small emergency campsite off the main trail just past the donkey engine. Follow a huge log & an old logging cable. There is room for at least 4 tents though finding water may be a problem.
Tough it out & continue to Thrasher if you possibly can.
You know you've reached Thrasher when you start down 500 feet of stairs! Count the steps, if you have the energy.
More detail on Gordon River to Thrasher.
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Coming off the trail, when you finally reach Gordon River, raise the buoy to signal to the boat operator that you are ready to re-enter civilisation. The boat will pick you up until 5 or 6 pm at night. If you are later than that, you may be spending one more night on WCT than you calculated!
(west) Thrasher ... Gordon River
