Juan de Fuca Trail adventure training trek

The Base Information Services 2019 Adventure Training Team. Front: Maj Jixiang Hu, LS Tammy Hudak, Brenda Lamont, and Melanie Gillespie. Back: Sgt Mike Fagan, Lt(N) Heather Macdonald, Capt Gordon Keyser, and Cpl Shilton Alfonso.

Sgt Mike Fagan, Base Information Services ~

Each year, military members all across Canada look forward to the annual adventure training.

This training is unique in that Canadian Forces members are encouraged to put forward their ideas for an event that challenges both body and mind while building team cohesion.

This usually involves some sort of physical challenge and always ends with some fun stories, fond memories and great photos.  This year was no exception at Base Information Services (BIS).

Proposals are typically narrowed down to the top three favourites and after fiscal, logistical, and safety considerations have been weighed, one proposal is chosen.

This year, BIS sent a team of eight members to hike the Juan de Fuca trail.

With preparations complete and a couple of practice hikes, including climbing Mt Finlayson and the Sugar Loaf Trail under their belts, the team was ready to embark on their five-day team-building excursion.

The trail is 47.5 kilometres in wilderness located within the Juan De Fuca Provincial Park along the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island. It boasts some of the most challenging terrain and truly stunning panoramic views through Canada’s only rain forest. Terrain and elevation change dramatically over the course of the trail.  At some points it’s nothing but rocks, at others it’s lush and green, and in other places the team found themselves surrounded by browns under a forest canopy of tall trees

Surrounded by the beauty of the rain forest, the team hiked through the changing terrain. They navigated through the mud, the rocks, and the changing tides, all the while keeping an eye out for bears, cougars, and the rumoured wasps’ nests near the trail.

While most did suffer at least one bee or wasp sting, a couple of hikers were lucky enough to avoid getting stung.  Highlights of the trip came with ocean-side fires on the beach in the evening, sunsets over the Pacific, a beautiful waterfall at Sombrio beach, and the thrill of crossing the suspension bridges.