(Guest Post) Sunshine Coast Trail Year 3

Guest writer Peter here.

I am delighted to report that this is the third year I have hiked with Pearl along the Sunshine Coast Trail and that the tradition continues. Rose has just completed grade one and is slated to hike with me for the first time in a couple of weeks, when we will do an overnighter to a place called Rainy Day Lake.

This year we covered 50km (by the book, but my GPS data said it was closer to 60km) from Sarah Point in Desolation Sound to the Shingle Mill in Powell River. I would like to point out that these hikes were Pearl’s idea. After finishing last year’s cold and soggy trek, Pearl was eager to make bigger plans for 2024.

So, on Thursday of last week I scooped nine-year-old Pearl out of bed at 5:00AM and drove to the ferry at Earl’s Cove. There, we changed out of our pajamas and finished eating our toasted bagels. Once the ferry landed we booted our way up the peninsula and parked at the Shingle Mil where there was a helpful lady who told us where to park for free. I wasn’t sure how long the hike was going to take, so I was ready to pay for parking and had supplies for 4 or 5 days on the trail (my pack started the trip weighing 58lbs). From there a local offroad shuttle picked us up, along with two other hikers and a dog, and drove us the remainder of the way to the trailhead. Half on pavement, half off.

It is a notorious drive to the start of Sarah Point (especially the final descent to sea level) and right away we came across a woman with a stranded vehicle in the ditch. There was no way a few people and a dog could budge her car and in the end she was forced to pay the $1000 to bring a tow truck out to this remote location.

For years I had heard many delights of Desolation Sound from passing boaters and the writings of Grant Lawrence and was ecstatic to see it with my own eyes (even if it meant missing a few days of coverage of the Tour de France). Sarah Point, Feather Cove and all the lookouts along the way did not disappoint.

We stopped every hour for a snack break (trail mix, gummies, chocolate bars, and jerky) and constantly sipped on water as the temperatures were between 26-29 degrees celsius (which is hot for this part of the world). In some places the forest has grown over the trail and Pearl found herself tangling with ferns that towered over her head. About 12 km into the trail we stopped for a swim at Wednesday Lake.

We hiked the rest of the way to Manzanita Bluffs in wet swimsuits and were astounded by the views.

After getting drenched in our old tent last year, we decided to spring for a new watertight model for this year’s hikes and some of my recent mountaineering adventures. Pearl and I tried to decide whether to push on after dinner to the next campsite (6.5km away) or stay put. In the end we both felt knackered and decided this was the place for us. We shared this spot with a fellow hiker for several hours; however right before it got dark some exuberant Australians showed up. I don’t think they meant to be loud, but some people just never develop the skill of whispering. I had brought earplugs, but they didn’t fit Pearl’s kid-sized ears and she was up to about a quarter to midnight.

I woke her up at 6AM with a cup of hot chocolate and we hit the trail before 7. This day we ended up covering 24km by the book, but closer to 30km on my GPS. We debated the best flavour of sour patch kid, pointed out where her stuffed weasels would live if this was their forest (you’ll see one poking out of her pack in some photos), played games like “guess the movie in 3 clues”, and “can’t say yes, no, black, or white”. When we got really tired we counted trail markers (anywhere from 28-54 markers between each kilometer). We passed many giant Douglas Firs scarred by wildfires from over 100 years ago, crossed many bridges, and followed the course of several winding creeks loaded with waterfalls.

We were rewarded with a brilliant swim in Big Sliammon Lake. We pitched our tent, made a bear hang for our food, watched some Bluey on my phone, and swore that if any Australians (other than animated Blue Heelers) showed we would pack everything up and move on to the next site.

Our third day, we packed up after having a sound sleep. Pearl treated our water, and we headed to Little Sliammon Lake. On our way we spotted a beaver swimming in its pond, an alligator lizard, and a garter snake swimming in the water. We didn’t have as many kilometers to cover on this final day, so we ended up brewing up second batch of coffee and hot chocolate and hung out on the dock ,swimming for over an hour in one of the greatest spots created on this Earth.

From there we traipsed across our final valley and ascended our final hill where we lunched in the shade of some wispy, sun-soaked trees before making the final trek to where we had left the car.

We then hit the town, bought some ice-cream, and headed for the ferry.

I’ve wanted to cover this trail for a long time and am stunned that my daughter who just finished grade 3 wants to trek along with me. There wasn’t anything dramatic on this outing, just a lot of walking, some sore feet and shoulders, and a lot of beauty. Some cartoons on my phone didn’t hurt. I know she won’t always want to spend this much time with me, but for now, I’ll take it.