Muddy hiking boots and more will be on display at The Maritime Museum of BC's latest exhibit opening this week.
"No Walk in the Woods: The History of the West Coast Trail" begins Thursday and continues til October 26 at the museum in downtown Victoria.
The 75-kilometre stretch of unforgiving coastline along the southwestern edge of Vancouver Island runs from Bamfield to Port Renfrew.
In less than a century, the trail has evolved from a narrow telegraph track carved into the woods to one of the most popular hiking destinations.
The exhibit follows the rain-soaked path's dark beginning: The tragic wreck of the S.S. Valencia in January 1906, when 136 crew and passengers perished; 37 survived.
That maritime tragedy dubbed the region the Graveyard of the Pacific.
It sparked the creation of the lifesaving trail, to the stories of adventurers who brave the modern-day West Coast Trail to claim their unofficial backcountry badge of honour.
Click HERE to learn more about the "No Walk in the Woods" exhibit.
Click HERE to learn more about Vancouver Island's West Coast Trail.