Olympian Clara Hughes Finishes West Coast Trail in One Hiking Shoe and One Croc After Losing Footwear

The West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island is notorious for testing even the most seasoned hikers with its ladders, mud, tides and slippery rocks. But for Olympian Clara Hughes, the challenge became even steeper when she lost one of her shoes to a creek crossing.

Hughes, 52, who has hiked thousands of miles on long-distance trails across North America, was three days into the 75-kilometre journey when she slipped on a rock and watched the current sweep one of her trail runners out to sea. “All I was thinking was, how am I going to get out of here with one shoe?” she said.

After briefly considering abandoning the hike, Hughes encountered a fellow camper named Steve, who rallied his family and others in camp to help. His teenage son Marley offered her a tattered Croc that was a size too small, but it was enough for Hughes to press on.

Determined not to quit, she hiked 21 kilometres that day in one shoe and one Croc before reuniting with her hiking partner. Over the next two days, she covered the remaining distance — including a 28-kilometre day — without serious injury.

“The Croc is going to have a special place in my home,” Hughes said, adding she plans to send Marley a new pair to replace the one that saved her hike.

For Hughes, the experience highlighted the generosity of strangers and her own resilience. “If I bail here, I’ll have to come back to finish,” she recalled thinking. “If I can do 21 kilometres in a Croc, I can keep going.”