Long Trek to Hidden Garden

Conquering one of the most difficult trails in Canada

 Cougar Annie’s Garden is located in Hesquiat Harbour, on the West Side of Vancouver Island.

It can only be reached by  boat or by float plane from Gold River or Tofino. In late June of this year four aging adventurers reached the fabled gardens by kayak and by foot, a trip that ultimately took 8 days to complete.

 Paul Wiltse, Doug Hudson, Gerry Hudson, and myself, Stuart Isto set out to reach the historic gardens by driving to Tuta Marina, about 75 km beyond Gold River on logging roads. From this nearly-deserted starting off point we launched our four Necky kayaks into Zuciarte Channel and set out for the Hesquiat Penninsula, just south of Friendly Cove.

 The first night we got as far as Bligh Island, where we camped and enjoyed the excellent local oysters, then the following morning we paddled the remaining 18 km to land at the mouth of the Escalante River, just about directly south of the lighthouse at Friendly Cove. On the way there we passed Resolution Cove, where a plaque told us about Captain Cook having landed there in 1788.

 Most of  Hesquiat Penninsula is now a Provincial Park, and the Hesquiat Trail roughly follows the shoreline for 50 km or so. We left the kayaks at Escalante River and started the four-and-a-half day hike into Boat Basin in Hesquiat Harbour.

 Each day we would rise from camping about 6am, break camp, and be hiking by about 8. Then we’d hike all day until 5 or 6 pm, with a break for lunch and 1 or 2 tea breaks.  The Hesquiat trail is a series of beaches separated by rocky outcrops or headlands, some of which are passable on foot and some not. Where we couldn’t hike over the rocks, we had to follow animal trails through the woods to reach the next beach.  Every beach was a little different, some sandy, some marshy, some covered in boulders, some a vast shelf of sedimentary rock.

 About half way through the trip on foot, we made our first contact with another person, the lighthouse keeper at Estevan Point. At the lighthouse we stocked up on triple-filtered water and had a nice break.

 Two more days of hard trecking finally brought us to Boat Basin, and a complete tour of the historic homestead which is Cougar Annie’s Garden and the Nature Study Centre of Boat Basin Foundation.  Founder Peter Buckland lives at Boat Basin most of the time throughout the year and currently there are also 2 caretakers living on the Cougar Annie property.

 Following this portion of our journey, Peter drove us from Boat Basin, on logging roads, to a place near the Escalante River so that we could hike down the river and return to retrieve our kayaks.  We were unfortunately delayed an extra day on account of having come down to the ocean in a cove considerably farther north than that cove where we had left the kayaks, so that we had to again hike south the following day to retrieve them and paddle back to where we had left the cars.  So the entire trip lasted about 8 days from the time we left Powell River..

 A few dozen people hike this trail every year but we were evidently the first on the trail this year. Generally those who make this hike are delivered to one end of the trail by boat or float plane and picked up at the other end. The Hesquiat Trail is a trail in name only, since there are no markers of any kind nor are there any improvements such as bridges or cleared trails.

 Though there are similarities to the West Coast Trail, 100 km farther south, there are none of the kinds of support one has when hiking the West Coast Trail. We were entirely on our own most of the time and had to rely on our own resources. We carried 40 lb packs throughout the hike and found the going very difficult for many parts of the trip. This is a lovely and seldom-visited part of the West Coast. Anyone wanting to take this hike is advised to be well prepared. We encountered a good deal of rain as well as numerous wild animals. Bear spray would be a suitable precaution., Many thanks to Powell River author Heather Harbord for advice concerning the kayak portion of this journey.