I posted my bucket list of hikes back in May of 2020 (To read that post: https://www.taylorstreks.com/post/top-10-hikes-on-my-bucket-list). I decided to review my list to see how much progress I have made in the past 3 years. Unfortunately, the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to check any hikes off my bucket list in the summer of 2020. Even though a few of the hikes on my bucket list are local, which means I was not blocked by travel bans, permits for local hikes were not available due to concerns of shared facilities at campsites. With the slow lifting of restrictions since the height of the pandemic, I had the opportunity to hike both locally and abroad in 2021 and 2022.
1. West Coast Trail [✓]
Distance: 75 km (47miles)
Location: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
I completed the West Coast Trail in the summer of 2021 with 3 of my friends! I thought the West Coast Trail was really fun because of all the features along the way, including ladders, bridges, and cable cars, which almost made the trail feel more like an obstacle course than a hike. We were extremely lucky with the weather and did not get a single day of rain! Overall, it was a nearly perfect trip, tainted only by my bear spray debacle. For all the details of my trip, check out my West Coast Trail page: https://www.taylorstreks.com/west-coast-trail
2. Sunshine Coast Trail [X]
Distance: 180 km (112 miles)
Location: Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
I had been hoping to attempt the Sunshine Coast Trail this summer when I had 2 weeks of vacation scheduled for the beginning of August; however, I ended up taking a different position at work, which resulted in me having to change my vacation dates and unfortunately no longer having enough time for the Sunshine Coast Trail.
3. Kilimanjaro [X]
Distance: 64 km (40 miles)
Location: Tanzania, Africa
One of my favourite YouTube thru hiking content creators, Dixie, posted a video on her channel "Homemade Wanderlust" a few months back of her 2022 summit of Kilimanjaro (To watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYu7L08GV0k), which served more to intimidate me than inspire me because she is an extremely experienced hiker and Kilimanjaro really challenged her.
4. Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) [X]
Distance: 4,270 km (2,653 miles)
Location: California, Oregon, & Washington, United States
The PCT is a huge commitment, both financial and time, and I am not yet in a place in my life where I feel it would be feasible for me to seriously consider the PCT. I will be turning 30 in 2025, which is a milestone birthday, and marking the occasion with an endeavour like the PCT seems fitting. Over the next couple years, I want to start doing hikes that span a few weeks in order to get a better sense of it a long distance hike is really something I would want to undertake.
5. Inca Trail [X]
Distance: 42 km (26 miles)
Location: Peru
After a disastrous trip to Alaska in September 2022, I have a credit with a travel company that I need to use before November 2024. The company offers trips all around the globe and my credit is not restricted to Alaska or even to the United States, so this feels like an opportunity to finally travel to Peru to hike the Inca Trail!
6. Chilkoot Trail [X]
Distance: 53 km (33 miles)
Location: Alaska, United States & Yukon Territory, Canada
While the Chilkoot Trail would surely be an incredible experience, I have no plans on returning to Alaska anytime soon because I harbour too many negative feelings about that place from my aforementioned disastrous trip in September 2022.
7. Kalalau Trail [X]
Distance: 35km (22 miles)
Location: Kauai, Hawaii, United States
This past winter, I had an invitation to meet up with family in Kona who were renting a home for the month of February. I looked into the possibility of spending a few days on Kona before hopping over to Kauai with my cousin to hike the Kalalau Trail, but I ended up passing on the trip for a couple reasons. Ultimately, I think waiting to plan my own trip to Kauai is the better option rather than trying to make piggybacking on a family trip to Kona fit into what I want to do.
8. El Camino de Costa Rica [X]
Distance: 280 km (174 miles)
Location: Costa Rica
The El Camino de Costa Rica has never really been on my radar over the past few years, likely because I was not feeling ready to travel to Costa Rica. I have never been to a developing country and I had never travelled to somewhere I don't speak the native language until I went to Switzerland in the summer of 2022, so travelling to Costa Rica and leaving the main tourist areas to hike is a tad intimidating.
9. East Coast Trail [X]
Distance: 336km (209 miles)
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
My friend Jordy and I wanted to meet up to do a hike in the Summer of 2022, and I thought that the east coast of Canada would be perfect, since it is in the middle of me travelling from the west coast of Canada and Jordy travelling from Germany. I had 3 weeks off, which would be enough time to do the East Coast Trail but not to also explore the Atlantic provinces, and I would want to do both if I were going to make a trip to the East Coast. I then looked into a shorter hike in Newfoundland, the Long Range Traverse in Gros Morne National Park, and went so far as to reserve dates; however, a critical shortage of rental vehicles in eastern Canada following the pandemic meant it would be practically impossible to get to Gros Morne National Park and to travel around eastern Canada afterwards. Summer 2022 was not the right time for the East Coast Trail, but I hope to make time soon!
10. Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) [✓]
Distance: 167 km (105 miles)
Location: France, Italy, & Switzerland
My friend Jordy and I completed the Tour du Mont Blanc in the summer of 2022! The trip started out a bit rocky with not making it to our reserved accommodation the first night because of a detrimental combination of no training, lingering jet lag, extreme heat, and accidentally taking a more challenging alternate route. After the first day, the hike was much more enjoyable, though still difficult because of gaining ~1500m elevation each day. The epic glacier views were absolutely worth the struggle! For all the details of my trip, check out my Tour du Mont Blanc page: https://www.taylorstreks.com/tourdumontblanc
I have completed 2 hikes on my bucket list in the past 3 years, including the top hike on my list! If I keep up the pace of 1 hike per year, I will complete my original bucket list in 2030. The list of hikes I want to do is ever growing, so I would like to add a couple more hikes to my top 10 to replace the hikes I have done since creating my original top 10. In reviewing my original bucket list, I would also like to make revisions to the order. Here is my new bucket list!
1. Sunshine Coast Trail [↑]
Now that I have completed the number one hike on my bucket list, the Sunshine coast Trail is moving up from number 2 to number 1!
2. El Camino de Costa Rica [↑]
The El Camino de Costa Rica is moving up from number eight to number two on the list. As beautiful as the hiking has been in Canada and in Europe, I am finding myself wanting to explore a different climate. The El Camino de Costa Rica might be a nice precursor to the Inca Trail since Costa Rica and Peru have fairly similar climates. On the El Camino de Costa Rica, altitude is not such an issue, since the highest point is only 2180m versus 3380m on the Inca Trail. Costa Rica is also a safer place to travel than Peru, so would be a lower-risk introduction to Latin America.
3. Laugavegurinn trail
Distance: 55km (34miles)
Location: Iceland
I am adding the Laugavegurinn trail to my bucket list. I have been recommended by so many people to travel to Iceland and I would, of course, want to hike while I am there because my preferred style of travel includes seeing a combination of the urban areas for the iconic tourist attractions and the remote areas that are only accessible on foot. After watching a Youtube video from the previously mentioned Dixie of "Homemade Wanderlust" about her 2022 trip to Iceland and trek of the Laugavegurinn trail (To watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf1pEsoMYIU), I was sold on hiking the trail for myself.
4. W Trek
Distance: 80km (50 miles)
Location: Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia
I am adding the W Trek to my bucket list. The W Trek seems like a hike with high reward to effort ratio, as it offers stunning views of granite monolith towers and turquoise glacial lakes while reaching only 850m above sea level. The W trek is similar to the TMB in that the hiking is refuge to refuge, which is a style of hiking I am a big fan of because the need for less gear makes for a lighter backpack and thus easier going.
5. East Coast Trail [↑]
The East Coast Trail is moving up from number 9 to number 5. When I was considering hiking the trail with my friend Jordy in the summer of 2022 and so was doing more research into the trail to plan our trip, I started to get really excited about seeing the East Coast of Canada on foot!
6. Kilimanjaro [↓]
Mount Kilimanjaro is dropping from number 3 to number 6. After hiking in the Alps and starting to experience effects of altitude at only a little over 2500m, I'm not sure my body could tolerate going to over double that altitude in order to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. I have not completely ruled out ever attempting Mount Kilimanjaro, but I certainly now have a better appreciation for the challenge it poses.
7. Kalalau Trail
The Kalalau Trail is remaining at number 7. From trips I have done in the past, I know firsthand that Hawaii is rife with natural beauty, and I would like to get away from the tourist centres to explore more of what Hawaii has to offer; however, I am more interested in going somewhere new than returning somewhere I have already been.
8. Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) [↓]
The PCT is dropping from number 4 to number 8. When I'm out on a weekend hiking trip and am getting annoyed by bugs constantly buzzing around my face; feeling tired and sore after a poor sleep on pad that got a hole; or having to put on wet boots on in the morning, I think about having to endure these unpleasantries for months rather than just a few days and wonder whether I would really enjoy the PCT.
9. Inca Trail [↓]
The Inca Trail is dropping from number 5 to number 9. They say, "Its not the destination; it's the journey", but I'm not sure it is worth suffering altitude sickness to get to a view that any traveller could see because there is a bus right to the summit. I think I would be more inclined to also take the bus to Machu Picchu and then hike elsewhere in Peru.
10. Chilkoot Trail [↓]
The Chilkoot Trail is dropping from number 6 down to the bottom of the list purely because I am not sure I ever want to go back to Alaska.
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