An airline lost his gear, dashing his dream of hiking the West Coast Trail. Then strangers stepped in to help
Utah man stuck on Vancouver Island without gear receives 'outpouring of support' from Facebook group members
Cragun Foulger had long dreamed of hiking the West Coast Trail, the rugged 75-kilometre hike along the west coast of Vancouver Island that is considered a bucket-list trip for hikers and adventurers.
"It was so enticing," Foulger told CBC's On the Coast from Salt Lake City. "It just embodied everything that I really enjoy about hiking."
Foulger's trip to B.C. earlier this month was almost ruined, he said, after his airline lost all of his hiking gear, but he managed to complete the hike between Port Renfrew and Bamfield thanks to the kindness of strangers.
Foulger says he spent a lot of time preparing for the hike, ensuring he was in the proper physical condition and had all the proper gear.
He also joined a Facebook group dedicated to the West Coast Trail. Facebook groups can quickly descend into bickering, he said, but this one was different, offering guidance and encouragement as he set out on his dream trip.
Foulger flew from Salt Lake City to Victoria. When he got off the plane, he waited at the luggage carousel but there was no sign of his gear.
"I kind of went through all the cycles of grief in about 15 minutes," he said.
He had reached the acceptance stage, he said, and made his way into town from the airport with the clothes and hiking boots he was wearing, his ID, and toothbrush and toothpaste.
On June 3, Foulger posted a message to the Facebook group to explain what happened and to thank everyone for their support in planning the trip.
The purpose of the message wasn't to ask for help, he says, but to provide an update to group members.
He wrote that he planned to spend some time in Victoria before heading back to Utah.
"There was a huge outpouring, just a deluge of people saying, 'No, you can't do that,'" Foulger said.
Michael Anderson, the owner of the West Coast Trail Express, which offers shuttle service to the trail, offered to pick him up and outfit him with a backpack, tent, poles, sleeping bag and other equipment.
Foulger had a ticket for the West Coast Trail Express, so Anderson drove him to the trailhead at Port Renfrew.
Anderson says he was happy to offer his help.
"I don't know why I wouldn't," he said. "I didn't think there was another option. I was so happy that we could get him set up."
Wayne Aitken, the co-author of Blisters and Bliss, a trail guide now in its 10th edition, offered items that Anderson couldn't supply.
All told, Foulger thanked 19 people in his Facebook post.
'Beyond what I could have imagined'
Foulger says he completed the trek, making friends with fellow hikers along the way.
The experience was "beyond what I could have imagined," he said.
When he arrived back in Salt Lake City, the airline had found his gear and returned it to him. It would have been easy to be frustrated, but he said the trip served as a lesson about gratitude.
"I'm just extremely aware of trying to be a kinder, gentler person and try and lead with service and patience and compassion because that's what all of these people gave me."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
