Taking a Newbie on a Thru Hike

My partner wants to come hiking with me, and I am thrilled. He's never done a long thru hike though, and I admit I'm still no expert. There are two hikes I still have yet to do up here in BC. One being the West Coast Trail, the other being the Sunshine Coast Trail. The WCT is 75km, and the SCT is 180km. We're planning on going in the summer months so he has some time to accumulate his gear.

The WCT can be some rough terrain, so I was leaning towards the SCT. Since it is further away I'd like to it as a thru hike instead of splitting it up. Is it unrealistic to except him to do the SCT if we slow it down and take a couple extra days? I'm worried about wearing him out haha.

Any advice so we can both get the most out of it?

I took a friend of mine on a 80 mile loop in southern utah last may. She had done plenty of car camping so I figured it wouldnt be an issue bringing her along. Boy was I wrong. She was absolutely miserable and through all the whining and complaining I became miserable.

Like most of us on this site I a couple full sets of extra gear. I take friends on one or two night trips but unless that they a backpacker who has invested in their own gear I wont take anyone on long trips again. I tell people before I take them out now that they have to be able to go multiple days with out a shower, be able to take a dump outdoors, be ok hiking in bear country, no smokers ( the last thing i want to smell is cigarette smoke when i am in nature) and no whiners

My suggestion is to take him on at least two shorter trips (ideally in a variety of conditions) before attempting anything close to what you are considering.

And be prepared to bail if he's unhappy. The trip is not as important as your relationship.

Being that we are in a serious relationship, we both want him to get into backpacking as I plan on taking longer and longer trips. He's pretty outdoorsy himself, just in different ways. He's done some long extended canoe trips, so I'm not too concerned with him whining. I just want his first trips to be reasonable.

yes... I don't think a long hike is a reasonable first hike. A weekend hike is a much better first trip. If for whatever reason he just doesn't like it, you two will be miserable for a long time.

Some people take to backpacking like a duck to water. Others just can't adjust to it. The chances are good your partner will be able to enjoy a long backpack with you, but the advice to take him on a couple of short overnights, maybe under less than perfect weather conditions, is good advice. Once you are on a long trail you could easily confront rain, cold, dirt, bugs, hunger, thirst, minor injuries, the whole list of things that must be contended with when you hike for more than a few days.

Long canoe trips are similar, but not the same. Go out together a couple of times before you drag him off for a 180km adventure. You won't regret it.

I should have mentioned that I definitely plan on taking him on shorter weekend trips before I'd have him attempt the SCT. I really do like the idea of taking him out in less than ideal conditions though. The west coast is wet, muddy, and often unpredictable so he should get used to that. Luckily he's got an outdoorsy background and is pretty much up for anything so I think it'll be a good summer.

OK, I am bad with metric. But those distances do not seem like that long- not what I would call a thru-hike, more of a long hike. He has been outdoors (not really a newbie then), long canoe trips (OK with being away from civilization). I would think the issue would be the pack on the back (I do not see how a weekend trip would match that) and walking (think feet). I think a good plan would be do do the trip, but start with low daily miles and work up to what he can do.

I have had real newbies (for example a 16-year old from New York City who had never walked off a sidewalk or seen stars) on a 35-day NOLS course and most did just fine - only a few did poorly. One thing I noticed is that young folks did better not that they were in better shape, but they had an open mind for new experiences. So if your guy has an open mind, that is really good.

So, I say go for it! And if it goes bad- well that is a good test of your relationship too. Sometimes the harder it gets the gooder it gets between people.

I second this advice. Even after a couple of short trips, he might discover that he doesn't like a long hiking trip. So it would be good to have options for leaving part way.

Chances are with his canoe tripping background, he'll love it. Yet another way to have an outdoor adventure!

Good luck and
Have Fun,
-Bob