About Us
In Spring 2013, Coastal Trek Resort celebrates its 10 Year Birthday! Ten years ago, the Stuchbery and McLeod family started work on a wild piece of land in the mountains of Forbidden Plateau. From the ground up, they built the beautiful timber-frame lodge that we enjoy now, with its fabulous views and stunning location. Today, we remain committed to our original goal: “Offering a fitness retreat that inspires healthy living”. We invite you to join us here on Vancouver Island, and escape contemporary pressures, connect with nature and embrace a bright future that includes fitness, balance and nutritional awareness.
Our Roots
James McLeod has always been ‘Big Jim,’ to his friends. Not because he’s a heavy fellow but because the man stands at 6 feet, 2 inches tall. Although, in recent years, McLeod did gain some weight and his nickname seemed befitting in an unwanted way. His desk-bound lifestyle was unhealthy, with bad food choices and inactivity. The hard-working man didn’t even know when his constant overworking became his health risk. However, with a little help from his family and doctor, McLeod realized that he needed to change his life. He dedicated himself to healthy and active living. Having good business sense, his own lifestyle change also gave way to the vision of Coastal Trek Health & Fitness Resort.
Even as a young man of 19, McLeod was a dedicated and proficient man; After all, he had a young family to support. He undertook a variety of jobs that saw him crew icebreakers in the Beaufort Sea, drive trucks for Coca Cola, at the height of the cola wars, and still keep an eye out for niche markets. Slowly, gaining work experience in all types of trades, McLeod honed his business sense and took a chance that paid off. Success came in the form of his opening a business: selling commercial supermarket refrigeration units and fixtures. The new and growing venture, which made McLeod the go-to person for Safeway throughout the Northwest of the United States and Canada, kept McLeod chained to his desk and putting out fires one at a time, as he is apt to say at his busiest. This is the crucial point where McLeod lost his life’s balance and wellbeing. The stress of work had him putting on pounds and health became a pressing issue.
With the discovery of the active vacation McLeod put stability back into his life. He got out of the office and into the wilderness. The pounds came off with exercise and a nutritious and controlled diet and he developed a routine of healthy living. In keeping with his entrepreneurial spirit, while improving his life, he became interested in a new niche business in active vacations. However Big Jim’s goal with this business is different from other ones. With his motto of ‘if you want something done right, you had best do it yourself,’ he runs Coastal Trek Health & Fitness resort as the healthy-vacation resort that McLeod, himself, enjoys and participates in. With a caring and astute businessman behind the resort, Coastal Trek is fast cementing its reputation as a premier health and fitness resort for Canada and the world.
Even as a young man of 19, McLeod was a dedicated and proficient man; After all, he had a young family to support. He undertook a variety of jobs that saw him crew icebreakers in the Beaufort Sea, drive trucks for Coca Cola, at the height of the cola wars, and still keep an eye out for niche markets. Slowly, gaining work experience in all types of trades, McLeod honed his business sense and took a chance that paid off. Success came in the form of his opening a business: selling commercial supermarket refrigeration units and fixtures. The new and growing venture, which made McLeod the go-to person for Safeway throughout the Northwest of the United States and Canada, kept McLeod chained to his desk and putting out fires one at a time, as he is apt to say at his busiest. This is the crucial point where McLeod lost his life’s balance and wellbeing. The stress of work had him putting on pounds and health became a pressing issue.
With the discovery of the active vacation McLeod put stability back into his life. He got out of the office and into the wilderness. The pounds came off with exercise and a nutritious and controlled diet and he developed a routine of healthy living. In keeping with his entrepreneurial spirit, while improving his life, he became interested in a new niche business in active vacations. However Big Jim’s goal with this business is different from other ones. With his motto of ‘if you want something done right, you had best do it yourself,’ he runs Coastal Trek Health & Fitness resort as the healthy-vacation resort that McLeod, himself, enjoys and participates in. With a caring and astute businessman behind the resort, Coastal Trek is fast cementing its reputation as a premier health and fitness resort for Canada and the world.