British Columbia

In the Summer of 2016 I took my first big trip by myself to visit the West Coast so I could dip my toes in the Pacific waters. To say that I was scared in the days leading up to the trip is an understatement. I had been used to camping and hiking adventures with my best friend Heather, but I had never really done any big hikes by myself so far from home. What if something happened where I needed help and there was no one else around? All of the warnings I came across on the internet about the dangers of hiking solo certainly didn’t help my fears of twisting an ankle, breaking bones, falling off of cliffs, being attacked by bears/wolves/cougars/wild BC animals that I hadn’t even heard of, and/or being kidnapped by strangers. I had debated a lot about bringing along bear spray, but in the end I had decided against it, which only strengthened my fears. People took solo trips all the time, right? This was going to be an educational experience for me. I was going to leave with a newer understanding of myself… right? The whole stronger-probability-of-dying-by-myself-in-the-West-Coast-of-Canada thing was really freaking me out though. The morning of my flight out of Halifax, I hugged my parents extra tight when I said goodbye.