VOC trips are organized by members like yourself, not professional guides. The trips go into wilderness areas where assistance is unavailable and unexpected events can occur. You could be seriously injured or die. You are responsible for your own actions. Please use caution.
[Beginner Friendly/Intro to Backpacking] Spot a downed Airplane (Tubal Cain Trail, WA, USA) · Fri. Sep. 12th, 2025 - Mon. Sep. 15th, 2025
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Start: Friday, Sep. 12th
End: Monday, Sep. 15th
Pre-trip meeting: Wednesday, Aug. 27th, 7:00 pm
Pre-trip meeting location: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/61224265924?pwd=UiLZ09saAG2s403jZbLWLlJamxMq6Q.1
Description:
Want to learn how to backpack? Interested in seeing a downed airplane? Tubal Cain Trail in Olympic National Park, USA has it both. It’s an easy trail, at 30km out and back, with 1300m of elevation total.
Irene will be teaching backcountry and backpacking basics, so no worries if you don't have experience. Some hiking experience and good physical fitness is required though - a good indicator of being in good fit is that you can comfortably hike up st-marks or to garibaldi lake. Note that hiking is much harder with a heavy pack!
Disclaimer: This is not a ""official"" voc trip like glacier school or steps to the neve. We are just two avid backpackers who would like to spread the joy of backpacking to others. Hence, "seats" are limited to at most 8 other people, excluding Irene and Me.
Gear list:
Mandatory:
Backcountry Travel
- Hiking pack with >50L of capacity*
- Hiking boots*/trail runners
- Water bottles and/or reservoir, at least 3L of water.
- Snacks and meals for at least two days (2 dinners, 1 lunch, 1 breakfast, lots of snacks)
- Utensils/bowls to eat your food
- Garbage bag (leave no trace!)
- Emergency/bivvy bag
- Headlamp
- Hand sanitizer
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, menstrual products, medication, other toiletries
- Poop trowel
- Sunscreen, bug spray
- Sunglasses
- Whistle (many bags come with one)
Ss
Sleeping
- Tent^
- Sleeping bag*
- Sleeping pad*
Clothing
- Moisture-wicking underwear
- Moisture-wicking T-shirt
- Quick-drying pants/shorts
- Long-sleeve shirt (for sun, bugs)
- Lightweight fleece or jacket
- Boots or shoes suited to terrain
- Socks (synthetic or wool)
- Extra clothes (beyond the minimum expectation)
- Rain jacket and rain pants
Nice to haves:
- Hiking poles
- Knife or multi-tool
- Water filters^
- Camp mug for tea or coffee
- Towel
Stuff we’d like at least 4 people to bring
- Bear spray
- Stove and fuel^
- Bear canister
* = you can borrow from VOC during gear hours
^ = we can try to borrow from the VOC as trip leaders, or we can lend you our own
Itinerary:
Friday (Sept 12th, 0km):
- We leave UBC at 3:00pm and drive down to the trailhead at Olympic National Park. This will take around 5-6 hours.
- We’ll camp out around the trailhead and have dinner, the sleep.
Saturday (Sept 13th, 15km):
- Quick Breakfast
- Hike along the Tubal Cain Trail and see the plane crash with a detour to another trail.
- Hike to the end of the trail near the ridge for a view, then to Camp Mystery on the nearby Big Quilcene Trail.
- Pitch our tents, have dinner, sleep.
Sunday (Sept 14th, 15km):
- Lazy morning to pack our gear.
- Head down and back to the trailhead
- Hang out in Seattle for brunch, or head straight back to Vancouver.
Travelling to the United States:
This trip involves crossing the US-Canada border. You must have a valid passport to cross the border. Non-Canadian citizens will need an ESTA or visa to cross the border.
- Canadian Citizens
o Your passport needs to be valid for at least the duration of the trip, preferably 6 months.
- US Citizens
o While you enter the United States by right, we would like you to have a valid passport to prevent delays.
- Everyone else
o You must have a passport valid for at least 6 months, and an ESTA or visitor visa.
Posted: 2025-06-22 11:14:41
Last modified: 2025-06-23 22:50:56