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The West Coast Trail, originally called the Dominion Lifesaving Trail, is a long backpacking trail following the southwestern edge of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It was built in 1907 to facilitate the rescue of survivors of shipwrecks along the coast, part of the treacherous Graveyard of the Pacific. It is now part of Pacific Rim National Park and is often rated by hiking guides as one of the world’s top hiking trails. The West Coast Trail is open from May 1 until September 30. It is accessible to hikers outside this period but Parks Canada does not guarantee the accessibility of services (such as search and rescue) in the off season. ==History== The region now covered by the West Coast Trail passes through the traditional territory of the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht people, Nuu-chah-nulth peoples, who have inhabited the area for over 4000 years.〔(Vancouver Island Parks )〕 Native trails, used for trade and travel, existed in the area prior to European contact. European use of the trail area was originally for the construction and maintenance of a telegraph line between Victoria and Cape Beale. Because of the high number of shipwrecks along this stretch of coast in the late 1800s (see Graveyard of the Pacific), the Pachena Point Lighthouse and the Dominion Lifesaving Trail were constructed. The reefs and breakers off the west coast of Vancouver Island had long posed a serious danger to navigation, and at the start of the 20th century lifesaving infrastructure on the sparsely populated island was still primitive in spite of heavy coastal traffic that serviced the Pacific coast between San Francisco and Alaska. One source cites almost five hundred wrecks around Vancouver Island alone. Although some plans were already underway to improve the infrastructure, the public outcry which followed the wreck of the ''SS Valencia'' in January 1906 spurred the Canadian government to undertake a comprehensive plan for improvements. The resulting trail was called the "Dominion Lifesaving Trail", sometimes misidentified by modern sources as "The West Coast Lifesaving Trail". The list included: * The construction of a new lighthouse at Pachena Point ( south of Bamfield), near where the ''Valencia'' had run aground * The introduction of wireless telegraphy on the BC coast through the construction of five wireless stations at Pachena Point, Estevan Point (where a lighthouse was added in 1910), Cape Lazo (near Comox, on the eastern coast of the island), Point Grey (in Vancouver), and Gonzales Hill (in Victoria). Note that only Pachena Point is located on the Dominion Lifesaving Trail. Each station was initially expected to have a range of about , hence their spacing.〔Stratham, Frank, ('' West Coast Maritime Coast Station Centenary'' ) Canadian Coast Guard Association Newsletter, Winter 2008〕 The introduction of wireless service led to the rapid adoption of this technology by vessels plying the coastal trade. * The construction of shelters at intervals on the trail. Each shelter had a telegraph with instructions for use in several languages, survival provisions like blankets and rations, and directions on navigating the trail.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Graveyard of the Pacific: The Shipwrecks of Vancouver Island )〕 * Establishment of the Bamfield Lifeboat Station. In 1908, the station was equipped with a state of the art motor lifeboat (MLB) built to a United States Lifesaving Service specification by the Electric Launch Company (Elco) of Bayonne, New Jersey. The Elco was the world's first purpose built MLB and over the next half century hundreds of similar boats would be constructed for lifesaving stations in the US and Canada.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Bamfield Lifeboat Centenary: Celebrating 100 years of lifesaving at sea )〕 The trail allowed shipwreck survivors and rescuers to travel the forest making use of the telegraph line and cabins. In 1973, the trail became part of Pacific Rim National Park and has been continuously upgraded. The current trail passes through numerous Indian Reserves (Pacheedaht: Gordon River #2 & Cullite #3; Ditidaht: Carmanah #6, Claoose #4, Wyah #3 & Tsuquanah #2; Huu-ay-aht: Masit #13). In the 1970s, a lack of regulation resulted in hikers trespassing on culturally important and environmentally sensitive First Nations archaeological sites, such as villages and refuges on Reserve lands. As a result of this trespass on the traditional territory and cultural property of First Nations living in the area, hikers are now required to remain on the trail when passing through any Reserve areas. To accommodate the growing interest in off trail historical sites the Ditidaht First Nation now offers guided adventure tours through their traditional lands.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Hike the West Coast Trail in Pacific Rim National Park )〕 Canadian Coast Guard Station Bamfield is still in operation and now hosts the CCG's Rigid Hull Inflatable Operator Training School. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「West Coast Trail」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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