(west)  Owen ... Thrasher ... Gordon River  (east)

Thrasher Cove

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Almost every hiker camps at Thrasher.

It's small & crowded but we like it. This section of the hike is so difficult that hikers have a strong sense of camaraderie. It's fun to compare notes. Hikers finishing meet up with those just starting.

Watch and listen for whales breaching.

Thrasher offers the best food-hanging tree on the Trail. Get your rope up there as soon as you arrive. (It’s a bit of a climb up a makeshift ladder.) Next on the priority list is wash-up & laundry, if weather permits.
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Heading for Camper, Parks Canada recommends you take the forest Trail for safety. It is tough. We recommend you instead (if you are fit, healthy & psyched) plan to hike the shelf to reach Owen Point at low tide. (If you hike the forest Trail instead you will miss Owen Point & need to climb more ladders!) Everyone in camp will be talking about the tides & debating the best hour of departure to reach Owen Point at the best time. It can take slow groups 4 hours to get to Owen!

For some the stretch Thrasher - Owen Point is the toughest section on the West Coast Trail:

• gigantic boulders
• huge fallen logs
• slippery seaweed

You may want to have stronger hikers carry the packs of less confident hikers past tricky bits.

Trying the coast you may even be forced to turn-back. But it will be MEMORABLE! It’s the favourite section for some, admittedly masochistic, hikers.

Negotiating giant boulders west of Thrasher.

Your reward for persisting on the coast is Owen Point. If you take the forest you miss Owen & don't get many views of the sea. (Of course you could take the forest Trail to about km 66 then backtrack to see Owen without packs.)

More detail Thrasher to Camper.
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If heading for Port Renfrew, the tides are not an issue. Leave when you like. It takes us anywhere from 4 - 7 hours to hike that section. Hard to believe that the distance is less than 6 km!

Donkey engine.

If you want to catch the WCT Bus to Victoria be aware that it departs the Gordon River Trailhead at about 4:15 pm.

(west)  Owen ... Thrasher ... Gordon River  (east)

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