Hiking the length of Vancouver Island (Episode 5)

[@alyssagibson4432]

Your videos have become part of my Sunday routine. Love it, thanks for sharing!

[@KrystaNorwick]

Yay I'm so glad! Thanks for watching!

[@peterfontaine4627]

Awesome alpine section! Love hearing the ravens croaking when you were getting water at one point.

[@KrystaNorwick]

Glad you enjoyed! It's so fun to try to capture the natural sounds!

[@AetherPavilion]

Just discovered your channel. Fellow Islander here (born/raised in Victoria). What a lovely way to experience this great region of ours top to bottom. Thanks for sharing your journey. Years ago I was really into long distance walking and thought about walking the old E&N rail line from Victoria to Courtenay. Maybe I will, cuz it ain’t being used for much else these days. Best luck on rest of your adventure.

[@KrystaNorwick]

Welcome! Thanks for watching!! That sounds like a very epic walk! Let me know if you end up doing it!

[@aquamarine9568]

Thank you both of you for sharing this spectacular hike. I am really enjoying the series.

[@KrystaNorwick]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@skibrat]

This was just what I needed this morning!!! It has been raining for 3 days now (atmospheric river)and this has taken me back to the wonderful summer we just had. Great filming and that sunshine warmed my soul. Loved the music you chose. Thanks for all the efforts you put in so that we can enjoy the journey with you!!!!

[@KrystaNorwick]

Thank you so much for watching! Really appreciate it! And I'm glad to bring a slice of our summer back into your life :)

[@ervinslens]

Absolutely amazing scenes my friend and your storytelling is so pleasing and inspiring! Love it 👏👏

[@KrystaNorwick]

So glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for watching :)

[@jayduncan9315]

Hurray...you dropped into my hometown, Port Alberni! Twin City Brewing is a frequent destination when we visit family. The sights and sounds of nature is such a treat!! How crazy beautiful this land is!

[@KrystaNorwick]

Port Alberni is such a nice place!! It was so enjoyable to drop out of the mountains and down into town. I agree - this island is so beautiful!

[@wildside.nikki.]

Yay! A new video! Just moved to the island in September and I’m so excited to see some of these places in person, but seeing as I don’t drive and only have my feet and a bike for transport, I’ll have to live vicariously through you two in the mean time, but it is so encouraging to see such beautiful, wild places reached by foot! Thank you for taking us along with you 😊⛰️

[@KrystaNorwick]

Yay I'm so glad you are enjoying the videos! Welcome to the island! I hope you love getting to explore the beautiful nature! Lots to see via foot and bike!

[@david_onthetrail]

The Beauforts are in my backyard, I am so glad you shared this VIT hike with us. I must take some time to explore my own backyard. Thanks again for sharing Krysta and Brian.

[@KrystaNorwick]

I couldn't believe how incredible the Beauforts were! I would love to explore them again! Thanks so much for watching :)

[@kathimatthes-sr3fv]

Love that you capture not only the visual beauty, but the amazing sounds of the natural world. 👏👏, another great video👍😍

[@KrystaNorwick]

So glad you enjoyed! I'm starting to get really into trying to capture as much of the nature audio as possible!

[@monicamather796]

So nice to see some of my favourite places on the Beauforts! Love those mountain lakes. I will be doing the traverse sometime in the future, but have enjoyed seeing you too hike thru first 😊

[@KrystaNorwick]

Beauforts are incredible!! I hope you have a glorious traverse!

[@JESUSHERNANDEZ-ob4ps]

Saludos , desde Mexicali BC

[@PlantPapaJohn]

Very Nice Krysta. Definitely on my list of hikes to do. :)

[@KrystaNorwick]

You should! Such a nice area!

[@Brian-qv1ir]

The Beaufort's don't get as much attention as Strathcona Park or Mt. 5040, but I consider them my favourite hiking in the area.

[@briannorwick]

They really are a special mountain range ❤

[@KrystaNorwick]

Agreed! They are incredible!

[@LouralMeeks]

Spectacular! There doesn't seem to be much of an established trail in places though. What did you use to route find please?

[@KrystaNorwick]

Yes there has been a lot of route finding! We received the GPS track from the Vancouver Island Trail Association and imported it into Gaia GPS. We used this to and real time assessment of the terrain to pick our route.

[@rainygirl65]

I’m from Cumberland 🎉.

[@KrystaNorwick]

Such a nice place!

[@stephaniedavis4381]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey! How heavy are your packs on average? And what size Ursack do you have? I'm really trying to lighten my backpacking kit! Any tips greatly appreciated.

[@briannorwick]

We are both using Durston 55l Kakwa packs. Half the weight of our carry is our gear, the other half is food. Over the past few years we’ve been slowly trying to lower our base pack weight, but now that’s to allow for more camera gear and batteries. Areas that we had a big success for lowering weight were having 1x hiking outfit and 1x sleeping outfit only, trekking pole tents, and cutting down the number of items in our miscellaneous gear bag- lots of little items were quickly adding weight there. Happy hiking 🏕️🏔️❤️

[@briannorwick]

Also to your direct question, we are currently using the Ursack Major and Ursack Major XL. The Ursack AllMitey is one we’d look at as well, due to the extra critter prevention.

[@cindycam9651]

Curious, do you wear waterproof socks on the really wet days? My feet would blister like crazy with the wet?

[@briannorwick]

Great question. Perhaps counter intuitively, our foot wear isn’t waterproof at all. We’ve been using non-waterproof shoes and socks and using the philosophy of letting our equipment get wet, but then having gear that dries quickly. In our experience, the non-waterproof footwear dries quicker than the waterproof version. We believe this has to do with the fact that when the gear isn’t sealed, it allows for us to push the water out with each step. Also, each time we take a break and each evening we separate our shoes and insoles allowing them to air dry at every opportunity. Hope that answers your question.

[@KrystaNorwick]

No I don't. Our Lone Peak Altras dry out quickly with walking. I also swap socks at my breaks. I don't get any blisters! But used to get so many blisters when I wore hiking boots.

[@Marigold-m2]

Couldn't you do a walking meditation the whole time you are walking? Or the Japanese Forest Bathing concept while hiking? Perhaps more beneficial than listen to podcasts, which really are just other people's ideas that may not benefit your life. How much extra battery power/weight do you have to carry to keep the podcast going most of the day for 5 days in a row?

[@briannorwick]

Yes, great point. We certainly do a combination of forest bathing and podcast and music and conversation. Sometimes the forest bathing doesn’t make it into the video. For me personally, on these big adventures, my internal dialogue can be more challenging than the physical challenges. Sometimes for me it’s good to sit with the discomfort, and sometimes it’s good to have help to get through it. Thanks for watching.

[@KrystaNorwick]

Agreed with Brian! I always do a combination of things from listening to nothing, podcasts, audiobooks, music, or talking with my hiking partner. Sometimes the hiking becomes so challenging that you need something to occupy your mind. But for me, it's all about balance!

[@Marigold-m2]

I will never understand listening to podcasts or anything while hiking, I don't care how long you are hiking each day or how many days in a row. For me it defeats the purpose of being outside in nature & all the benefits it brings. But then I wasn't brought up or have the need for constant stimulation by tech that may contribute to anxiety, depression & other issues.

[@briannorwick]

Thanks for sharing your experience. In your time in nature, do you prefer moments to sit and enjoy the nature or do you prefer movement in nature? Lately, I’ve been noticing how the longer I sit, the more complexity I notice in the scene. Details that were invisible slowly start appearing; small insects, fungi, etc reveal themselves.

[@KrystaNorwick]

I think it's all very individual how we approach the activities we love. I by no means listen to something 100% of the time. But, I receive so much inspiration, knowledge, and joy, from listening to other people's art. It is a very enriching experience for me. It's not about being stimulated, it's actually about consuming art for me. And I receive a lot of joy from listening to the sounds of nature too! When I'm out hiking for sometimes half of the year, listening to audiobooks is a great way for me to keep up with my reading as well.