West Coast Trail Sign Up

In previous post, Where to Start, Where to Start, I went over some stuff on how to narrow down start dates for a hike. We looked at the effect of how long the hike would take, will the weather allow it, required travel arrangements, what happens if you need to extend time on trail, and what happens if you don't get your ideal day. Now that we have gotten our permits here's how it went.

Sign up for permits opened up at 10 am out time. We were hoping to jump onto the portal right at 10 am, but Roslyn had a meeting. So at about 10:20 am Roslyn went online and tried to get our preferred start date. And then tried to get our secondary dates. And then tried to get our tertiary dates. Then Roslyn and I texted back and forth for a bit on dates.

We ended up selecting a start date about 1 month after our preferred date.

Here's some follow up tips we've learned:

1 - Be on time for permit sign ups

We had heard the trail was popular, but were kind of surprised that all the dates between April 1 and the end of August were taken by 10:20ish am on opening day. If the date is really really important to you, make sure to book on a time slot so you can get in to get a permit.

2 - Be flexible

For us, sliding the hike back a month wasn't too big of a deal. We preferred our August start date due to temperature and rainfall, but the September start date we ended up with will still suit our needs. There is traditionally more rainfall so we may have a wetter and muddier experience, but it gives us an extra month to prepare and condition.

3 - Buy as a group

If you are going to go as a group make sure you buy your permits together and then reimburse people. There is pretty much to way two separate people will be able to get in, pick a date, and confirm the other people also registered for the same date. On that note, everyone may want to be together to do the registration so that its easier to get opinions on what dates are acceptable if your in a group of 4+.

With all that in mind, remember that preparing for the trip is supposed to remain part of the fun. Try to have a flexible plan, know what your limits on dates are, and accept the possibility that you may have to wait until the next year if you need a very specific set of dates. Also, make sure you prepare for all types of weather that could show up during your hike. The best way to do this is to plan out your hikes for the summer and then do them regardless of conditions. 

With all that said, have fun planning for the up coming hiking season!