A few weeks ago, we set out on the wild North Coast Trail and Cape Scott with my son Nate, and two good friends, Trevor and Dave. Ninety kilometers of rugged terrain stretched out ahead of us: thick rainforest, muddy bogs, rocky headlands, and long stretches of remote, wild animals and beaches.
We’d been planning this trip for five years. A pandemic, injuries, timing and life got in the way. This summer, it finally happened.
When you strip away comfort, convenience, and control, the lessons come alive. As I look back on that week, a few of those lessons stand out.
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Risk and Responsibility
On our very first day, Trevor slipped on a mossy wooden staircase and fell off the side. Thankfully, he landed softly in the undergrowth, his fall cushioned by his backpack, with nothing more than an injured pride. It could have been worse, much worse and at the beginning of the trip.
That moment set the tone; every slippery log, every steep rope climb, every sharp descent carried the reminder that one wrong move could change the whole trip for all of us. In the wilderness, you don’t get to hit the reset button or outsource the risk. If you get hurt, it can change the outcome of the entire journey and totally shift the group dynamic.
Business is no different. A single decision from a leader can ripple through an entire company. Responsibility isn’t just personal, it’s collective, and can shape the path forward for everyone.
Adventure drives that home in a way boardrooms rarely do.
Finding Roles
Every adventure, like every business, succeeds or fails because of planning and your roles and responsibilities.
On most trips it’s generally the lack of planning, the weather or physical challenges like mud and rope climbing that become the biggest challenges. However, it can sometimes be the small things that can easily become big things, like who goes first, when to stop for a break, who sets up the tent, who filters water, or who gets the stove going for dinner after a long day on the trail.
Trevor and Dave found their flow early. They packed their own tents and shared a stove and a single gas bottle, and it worked perfectly. Trevor, a seasoned accountant, leaned into detailed planning and preparation, studying the tides and the weather forecasts. Dave, an experienced wealth manager, handled the logistics, trail permits, water taxi, return bus, campsite and ferry reservations and drove us up to Port Hardy, which made the whole start smoother.
I pulled the overall itinerary together and provided a consolidated gear list, the kind of kit decision that can make or break a trip. Having the right equipment (and not too much of it) set us up for success from the start.
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On trail, Nate and I settled into our rhythm, too. We set up the tarp and pitched the tent together since it was more efficient. He boiled water, while I laid out the bedding and we both filtered water to refill our 3L camelback bladders for the next day and Nalgene bottles for cooking dinner and breakfast. We would all go for a swim in the surf, then Nate and I would have our daily cold plunge and wash in a nearby creek while Trevor and Dave shook their heads at us in the frigid water, “no thanks”.
Those small moments matter. In the wilderness, teamwork isn’t optional; it’s about survival.
In business, the same principle holds true. When people step into their roles with clarity and commitment, the whole system moves smoother. Misalignment doesn’t just slow you down; it creates unnecessary tension between team members.
I always encourage my clients to have an organization chart with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, reporting structure and a definition of what success looks like.
Serenity in the Pause
My rule when hiking is to stop every hour or so, for about five minutes, drink some water, grab a snack and rest the legs. It’s something I learned trekking in the Himalayas back in the 80s, and it still holds true today.
On the trail, those pauses gave you space to look around and appreciate the incredible scenery; the forest, headlands, rock shelves, beaches, waves, eagles soaring overhead, whales or bears in the distance, all while hearing the wind move through the trees high above our heads. To notice the different layers of moss like a miniature forest and the way ferns stretched toward the light. For a few minutes at a time, we weren't trudging forward with a heavy backpack. We were simply present, enjoying a quiet moment in time, each with our own thoughts.
Here’s the paradox… pausing made us faster and stronger. We finished each day with more energy, less fatigue, and greater awareness.
In life and business, the same truth applies. If you don’t pause, you burn out. But if you stop to appreciate your progress, reflect on your journey, and recharge, you build momentum that carries you further and faster.
The People You Meet Along the Way
One of my favorite parts of any adventure is the people you meet on the trail. We made new friends with hikers from Germany, France, the States, Edmonton, Kelowna, Victoria, and Vancouver. Each had their own reason for being there, their own pace, their own way of handling the epic adventure.
Then there were the rangers, young twenty-somethings working ten days in, five days out to maintain the trail. Rachel, one of the rangers we met, who would be attending SFU in the fall gave us invaluable intel: skip the crowded campsite at Nels Bight with contaminated sulphur smelling water and push on another thirty minutes to a pristine, empty beach call Guise Beach only 3 km from the Cape Scott Lighthouse and at the west end of the beach climb up a creek to a small waterfall with the freshest water. That advice changed our whole experience that night.
A few days before, another ranger, Liam from Ireland, shared some freezies with us, while his colleague James from Toronto tried his hand at catching some of the Coho that were jumping just off the beach at Cape Sutl.
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In business, too, listening to those with different and unique perspectives can save you from costly mistakes. Sometimes the smallest tip, from someone you might otherwise overlook, can make the biggest difference.
The North Coast Trail was built by Shaun Korman and Ben McGibbon over a 4-year period from 2005 opening in 2008. Shaun and Ben established 43K Wilderness Solutions and now hold the contract with BC Parks to provide Rangers who maintain the North Coast trail and do projects all over Vancouver Island.
George Burroughs has owned and operated the Water Taxi to Scharchute Bay for the past 20 years and the Bus service back to Port Hardy from the San Josef trail head. Initially, only about 50 people/year; however, now with 2-3 water taxis/day, there are about 1,000/year.
Challenging but Rewarding
Make no mistake: the North Coast Trail is hard. The mud sticks to your boots and hands, the roots, logs and steps are greasy and slippery. Headlands rise steeply from the sea, and the ropes to climb up are often slick with mud, demanding every ounce of strength to get up and over them. Some of the beaches are just big river rocks washed up in piles, and with every step you sink into the loose rocks like quick sand, sucking the energy out of you. Some beaches are easy to walk on hard grey sand and others are beautiful soft white or yellow sand, where it’s wonderful to take off your hiking boots and feel the sand between your toes.
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Early on, one of my trekking poles snapped from the sheer weight of my backpack and body weight while descending a complex maze of tangled roots. With my old motorbike knee injury from 40+ years ago, poles were an essential piece of equipment I needed. A quick trailside repair with my big army knife, some 12” long ¾” diameter sticks whittled down with duct tape to hold everything in place, kept me moving, a reminder that sometimes it’s not about perfect conditions, it’s about being prepared and making do with what you’ve got.
Every difficult stretch made the victories sweeter: a hidden waterfall, a secluded campsite, a spectacular sunset over the Pacific that felt like it showed up just for us.
The same goes for business. The grind is real. Scaling a company, leading through uncertainty, and building something meaningful is messy, frustrating, and sometimes discouraging. When you push through the challenges, the rewards are amplified so much more by the struggle it took to get there.
Momentum is Everything
The final push late on Day 7, when we arrived at San Josef Bay, required us to go up and over our last headland due to the high tide, to get to the secluded 2nd beach per Rachel’s suggestion. Nate took off, selecting a rather tricky climb up to the top of the 30-40’ cliff, I was a little apprehensive, rock climbing with a 45lb backpack and then proceeding for about 500m along the top of the cliff edge trying to keep up with him while not falling along the edge of the forest before finally climbing down to the beach to our last camp site.
That night, sitting around the fire, we started planning our next adventure. The Pacific Crest Trail. 4,270 kilometers from Mexico to Canada. A trek that’s been on my bucket list since moving to Canada 36 years ago.
It struck me that this is a pattern in my life: as one adventure winds down, I’m already planning the next. That forward momentum keeps me alive, motivated, and connected to something bigger.
Leaders need the same rhythm. Wins are important, but without the next summit in sight, momentum fades. If you want your team to stay energized, don’t just celebrate where you are; paint the picture of where you’re going next. Create that all-important vision and goals to get there.
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The Ultimate Transformation
Maybe the biggest gift of the North Coast Trail was how it forced us off our devices and into the present. No constant pings, no screens. Just mud, laughter, campfires, raw nature, peace, oh, and the occasional quick snap with the iPhone for this blog.
It’s amazing how quickly you rediscover yourself when the noise disappears. Adventure has a way of transforming you, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. For me, it’s not just recreation; it’s a reset button for life and leadership.
And that’s why I believe so deeply in weaving adventure into the work I do with business leaders and teams. Because creativity increases, lessons stick, clarity sharpens and transformation becomes real.
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Lessons That Last
The North Coast Trail gave us more than sore muscles and great memories. It reminded me that the principles of adventure are the same principles of leadership:
- Everyone has a role.
- Risk demands responsibility.
- Pauses create momentum.
- Humility keeps you learning.
- Challenge fuels reward.
- Momentum drives growth.
- Transformation happens when you step away from comfort.
Whether you’re building a business, leading a team, or simply striving to live fully, these truths hold. The trail may be different, but the lessons are the same.
Because in the end, the real adventure isn’t the mud, the ropes, or even the summit. The real adventure is who you become along the way.
Want to join my next adventure? Contact me today, I guarantee you’ll come back with stories, leadership lessons, and memories that last a lifetime.
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