i keep a diary

August 13, 2013

Whistler IV: Camping at Joffre Lakes



See also:
Whistler - March, 2010
Summer Visit to British Columbia - August, 2010
Whistler & Pecha Kucha - April, 2011

Thursday, August 15th

maddy, me
On Thursday morning I grabbed Maddy, hopped in a cab up FDR...
best ˆ taxi ˆ maddy ˆ me
...dropped her off with Leigh and Randy...
driving ˆ east river ˆ nyc
...and then headed on to JFK...
church ˆ driving ˆ nyc
...to fly to Vancouver!
clouds ˆ driving
On the tarmac, the sun was dropping behind the skyline as it set.
airplane ˆ clouds ˆ skyline ˆ sunset ˆ wing
See you in a week, NY!
airplane ˆ clouds ˆ skyline ˆ sunset ˆ wing
grant
Five-and-a-half hours later, I arrived in Vancouver to find Grant awaiting me with an unfurled Canadian flag and a box of TimBits, Tim Horton's answer to the Munchkin.
airport ˆ best ˆ donut ˆ flag ˆ laugh ˆ treats ˆ grant
grant
Not only is Grant the kind of friend that drives to the airport at midnight to pick you up, unfurl a flag and feed you Canadian donuts, he also stocks the car with exoctic local delicacies like ketchup-flavored potato chips!
best ˆ car ˆ point ˆ treats ˆ weird foreign food ˆ grant
We drove through Vancouver and kept on heading north for another 90 minutes or so until we hit Whistler.
driving ˆ vancouver

Friday, August 16th

Woke up at 930am with a cloudy view of the mountain.
whistler ˆ window
grant
This guy hustled to keep me on track with his activity schedule.
grant
grant
Went into Whistler Village for an AMAZING breakfast.
breakfast ˆ food ˆ french toast ˆ grant
grant
Back at the apartment, we started packing our backpacks for our overnight camping trip at Joffrey Lakes.
packing ˆ grant
I hadn't brought a hat, so decided to check out Grant's collection. Hmmmm, not really a camping vibe here.
hat
Kind of slim pickins'.
duck ˆ hat
me
OK, READY FOR THE WILDERNESS!
duck ˆ hat ˆ wtf ˆ me
me
All set for the mountain.
backpack ˆ mirror ˆ packing ˆ me
On our way up, we stopped off at a farm in Pemberton...
farm
grant
...walked through the garage out back to the fields with an incredible view of the mountains...
farm ˆ mountain ˆ tractor ˆ grant
grant
...and did some blueberry picking!
blueberries ˆ farm ˆ grant
So satisfying to pick them...
blueberries ˆ farm
...right off the bush.
blueberries ˆ farm
Great Dane puppy!
dogs ˆ puppy
We hit the road and about 45 minutes outside of Pemberton...
driving
...we made it to the park!
driving
matt walker
Our friend Matt Walker met us up there!
hiking ˆ matt walker
grant
Got our packs situated...
backpack ˆ hiking ˆ grant
...took a quick photo of the map in the (hopefully unlikely event) that we'd need to consult it...
hiking ˆ sign
...and set off!
hiking
Twenty minutes into our hike, we made it to the first of three glacial lakes.
hiking ˆ lake
grant, matt walker
We wanted to be able to make camp before dark, so we pressed on.
hiking ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
Followed this river for a while...
hiking ˆ river
grant
...until we came to the bridge.
bridge ˆ hiking ˆ grant
About 90 minutes into our hike, we reached to second glacial lake.
lake
We stopped for a snack and a rest and to enjoy the cerulean-blue water...
lake ˆ mountain
...and the imposing glacier-face in the distance.
mountain
me
Photo to prove to future generations that I saw a real glacier.
best ˆ camping ˆ hiking ˆ me
matt walker
We stopped for a snack...
hiking ˆ lake ˆ matt walker
grant
...and a beer and discussed whether or not we'd be able to...
beer ˆ hiking ˆ grant
...walk out onto this log without falling in.
hiking ˆ lake ˆ mountain
matt walker
Not necessarily the hardest feat, but one with icy-cold, hiking-with-water-sodden-clothes consequences!
lake ˆ matt walker
matt walker
Matt made it out safely without problem!
lake ˆ matt walker
me
I made it out there, JUST barely! Realizing that Matt had made something tricky look easy.
lake ˆ me
grant, matt walker
On with the hike! Still lots of ground to cover to reach the third lake at the foot of the glacier!
best ˆ hiking ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
grant
Another rushing river.
hiking ˆ river ˆ grant
We followed the trail up to...
hiking ˆ river
...where it flattened out a bit for another bridge, this one marked by a chainsaw-carved bear.
bear ˆ bridge ˆ hiking ˆ river ˆ statue
grant, matt walker
Don't look down!
best ˆ bridge ˆ hiking ˆ river ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
Two and a half hours after setting off, we rounded a corner of the trail...
hiking
...and were stopped dead in our tracks by the view!
hiking ˆ mountain
We'd reached the top lake, but we still had a ways to go to reach the campsite...
hiking
...and we needed to hustled up because there was a big rain storm rolling in over the mountain!
hiking
grant
Grant had told me in advance that we were going to go camping in an awesome location, but this was beyond all of my expectations!
hiking ˆ lake ˆ grant
Walked down to the water's edge, which was difficult to find due to the clarity of the water!
glacier ˆ lake
We ditched the trail and made our own way around the lake.
hiking ˆ lake
View of the glacier melt feeding the lake.
glacier ˆ lake
grant, me
With the campsite almost in our sight, the pouring rain finally overtook us. We had to scramble up really steep hillside to find a tree large enough to provide any shelter.
hiking ˆ grant ˆ me
Somehow we'd gotten separated from Matt, who was the only person who knew where the campsite was! We waited out the rain for ten minutes nervously laughing about not being able to find Matt!

On our climb down, I let my backpack slip down the steep hill and one of the huge pint-sized beer cans that was stored in my backpack exploded because it got punctured by a rock! (Luckily, the malty beer-soakage to our tent was minimal!)
knee ˆ lake
grant, matt walker
Luckily, we managed to catch up to him a few minutes later and then it was only another ten minutes hike over to the camp site. We got to work on the tents because it looked like the break in the rain...
tent ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
...was only temporary!
fog ˆ mountain ˆ rain
Not a bad campsite view!
lake
grant, matt walker
Hurry, the cloud approaches!
best ˆ camping ˆ cloud ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
grant, me
We got our tents up and managed to get inside shortly before the pouring rain started.
tent ˆ grant ˆ me
Time to kick back and relax with the surviving AC/DC branded-beers that didn't explode in my backpack.
acdc ˆ beer
We were treated to a brief respite from the rain shortly before sunset...
grant, matt walker, me
...before it started again and kept up all night. We hung out for a bit in the evening...
camping ˆ tent ˆ grant ˆ matt walker ˆ me
...enjoyed some hot chocolate with whiskey!
flask ˆ hot chocolate ˆ whiskey
And decided to call it a night around 9pm!

Saturday, August 17th

me
Woke up before 7am, excited to be the middle of the nature with no more rain!
camping ˆ excited ˆ tent ˆ me
I sneaked out of the tent and set out up the mountainside to explore the area around our campsite.
mountain ˆ tent
Walked a little bit further and our tents disappeared from sight.
camping
By the time I got back to camp...
camping
grant, matt walker
...everyone was awake!
camping ˆ tent ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
grant
Grant put on...
tent ˆ grant
grant
...a morning dance show!
dance ˆ point ˆ tent ˆ grant
Busted out the camping stove and made breakfast.
breakfast ˆ camping ˆ cooking
matt walker
Camper Matt chowing down in front of the glacier.
breakfast ˆ camping ˆ matt walker
After breakfast, we set off to explore the area and lucked out...
camping ˆ glacier
...by finding a small amount of burnable wood above the treeline!
fire
grant, matt walker
No fires allowed, but a bunch of our clothes were still cold and damp from getting caught in the rain. So we built a really small fire to dry some stuff out before leaving.
camping ˆ fire ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
matt walker
Matt roasted a few dogs before we cleared the embers.
fire ˆ hot dog ˆ matt walker
I really liked these two-tone blue and green pine trees that dotted the lake.
lake ˆ tree
Before breaking down our camp, we put out some granola and hid in the tent to see if any critters would be bold enough for a closer look.
camping ˆ tent
We also had to lighten our packs for the hike back. Mmm, delicious lightening.
beer
Before we'd gotten through the first beer, this little chipmunk arrived to get some granola.
chipmunk
Very cool nine-striped pattern on his back!
chipmunk
grant
By 11am we'd broken camp and gotten everything packed away.
camping ˆ grant
matt walker
Matt bet us that he could get the chipmunk to eat out of his had. We were totally skeptical, but within minutes...
best ˆ camping ˆ chipmunk ˆ matt walker
matt walker
...he had that adorable little guy perched on his hand!
matt walker
Before heading out, we hung out and just admired the scenery for a while.
Here's a close-up of the blue and grey layered ice.
glacier
As I zoomed in closer, I discovered...
...what is clearly the entrance to a sasquatch cave!
grant
Why not enjoy some fresh...
action shot ˆ jump ˆ grant
matt walker
...mountain air?
action shot ˆ jump ˆ matt walker
me
I tried to do my best impression of Grant's toe-touching DLR kick and came-up short.
action shot ˆ dlr kick ˆ jump ˆ me
Moving out.
hiking ˆ lake
Hiking back around the lake.
hiking
Without the rain chasing us, were were able to stop and admire a lot of the little plants and flowers growing in the rocky soil.
flower ˆ lichen
Across the other side of the lake.
best ˆ lake
One last snap of the bright blue water...
glacier ˆ lake
grant, matt walker
...before we got back on the trail and started our descent.
hiking ˆ sign ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
Rushing river.
river
grant, matt walker
Right after we left camp, we ran into another group of campers who were stopped because one of them had badly sprained or broken their ankle. About two hours later, we were stopped for a rest...
hiking ˆ thumbs up ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
...and we saw the rescue helicopter flying by with a meatwagon stretcher attached!
helicopter
grant, matt walker
Only two hours left!
hiking ˆ grant ˆ matt walker
grant, me
We made it back to our cars in around four hours (walking downhill is much easier) and then drove into Pemberton for a late lunch.
grant ˆ me
Afterwards, Grant and I went to the incredible Scandinave Spa to soak our sore legs.
sign
Back in Whistler later that evening, Grant and I were eating dinner outside when we watched a stumbly drunk dude briefly slow down and and artfully pee his name in excellent cursive before lurching onward. Nicely done, Brett!
best ˆ pee ˆ strangers ˆ wtf

Sunday, August 18th

grant
On Sunday afternoon we drove back down to Vancouver...
grant
...and on Sunday evening Grant and Hannah cooked dinner!

Monday, August 19th

grant
Blueberry pancakes!
breakfast ˆ pancakes ˆ grant
We spent the day wandering around downtown Vancouver.
vancouver
I found a store that had all the entire TokyoMilk perfume collection and spent a half-an-hour sniffing.
perfume ˆ shopping
grant
Had a balcony beer back at the apartment...
mountain ˆ grant
aki, grant
...and then went out to dinner with Aki!
driving ˆ aki ˆ grant
aki, grant
Thanks for having me!
best ˆ aki ˆ grant

Tuesday, August 20th

me
Tuesday was my last day in town. We got up early and rented bikes!
bike ˆ tv ˆ me
grant, me
Stopped at some huge indoor market and got snacks and freshly baked donuts...
thumbs up ˆ grant ˆ me
...then biked out into the surrounding neighborhoods.
vancouver
Parked our bikes and walked along the beach for a while.
beach ˆ vancouver
Biked back downtown and dropped off the bikes a little after 3pm.
vancouver
grant
Before taking me to the airport, Grant drove into Richmond, BC to check out a tiny fishing community called Finn Slough.
bridge ˆ grant
We followed the plank walkway above the marshy land...
path
...and found ourselves in the midst of Finn Slough, a community of thirty houses, floating houses, house boats and stilt-houses right on ,or in some cases, IN the river.
house ˆ river
It was like being in the Canadian version of the Mississippi delta bayou!
house ˆ river
While we were walking around, a few residents came out to chat with us.
house ˆ river
Very cool little community!
house ˆ river
Full moon rising at the airport.
airplane ˆ moon
Red-eye home.
flying
Did this instead of sleep.
book
Suddenly, a city!
flying
Got to see the sunrise from the air before landing! Thanks again for having me, Grant & Aki! I had an amazing trip!
flying ˆ sunrise

2 comments

  • kimberly hearddecember 14, 2015

    Even the chipmunks are nice in Canada!
    Those glacial lakes are insanely beautiful.

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