The North Coast Trail on Vancouver Island isn’t your average walk in the woods.
It’s an 86.7-kilometer stretch of backcountry coastline shaped by the elements, and by the generations of Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation who’ve stewarded this land long before hikers like me ever stepped foot here.
Starting tomorrow, I’ll be off-grid with my son, Nate, and fellow Adventurepreneurs for 10 days: hiking, climbing, sliding, and scrambling our way from a water taxi drop at Shushartie Bay all the way to the Cape Scott Trailhead, where a 4x4 will take us back to Port Hardy.
Towering old-growth. Tide-dependent beaches. Bear and wolf country. Deep, soul-testing mud pits.
Here’s our rough route (for those who love maps):
📍 Day 1-2: Shushartie Bay → Skinner Creek → Nahwitti River
📍 Day 3: Nahwitti → Cape Sutil (the island’s northernmost tip)
📍 Day 4: Cape Sutil → Irony Creek
📍 Day 5-6: Explore Cape Scott + Guise Bay (windswept beaches, shipwreck remnants, old lighthouses, and sea lion sightings)
📍 Day 7-9: Nels Bight → Nissen Bight → San Josef Bay
📍 Day 10: Exit via Cape Scott Trailhead
The weather? North Coast roulette: partly sunny, slightly damp, 100% muddy.
Fellow hikers have warned:
“It’s like nature’s obstacle course. You’ll question your life choices at least twice a day.”
“10/10 mud. Would suffer again.”
“One of the most beautiful and humbling trails I’ve done, and my legs still hate me for it.”
Honestly? That’s the point.
Adventure should challenge you.
It should strip away the noise and reconnect you with what we’re built for: movement, presence, resilience.
Why do this?
Because this kind of adventure doesn’t just happen. You have to schedule it. Plan it. And commit to it like any important business meeting, except this one involves salt air, wet socks, and the kind of clarity you can’t buy in a boardroom.
If you’ve been talking about taking that trip, that hike, that recharge... put it on the calendar. Invite someone to join you. Commit to it like you would your next quarterly planning session.
You can’t lead well if your tank’s empty.
You can’t find fresh ideas if you’re stuck in stale air.
And you definitely won’t find perspective scrolling your inbox.
So here’s to trail-tested leadership, unexpected lessons, and the kind of clarity that only comes after your third pair of socks has already failed you.
If you don’t hear from me for a bit, I’m probably somewhere between a rope climb and a mud pit, or wading through, maybe even swimming across a stream, recharging in the best way I know how.
Let the adventure begin.
- Chris
PS: If you’re also planning something wild, off-grid, or personal-growth-inducing, reply and tell me about it. I love hearing what others are building, dreaming, or adventuring toward.
(Credits to the owners of the images)
Meet Chris Hardwick
Executive Business Coach
For over 20 years I've been helping entrepreneurs and business leaders to realize their dreams and achieve success.
As an entrepreneur, world traveler, adventurer, and motivator, I lead by example. My goal is to inspire you with my passion for life, success, and happiness.
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