I love camping. My favorite thing is crawling into my tent at night, and my second favorite thing is waking up in my tent in the morning. I love how you go to bed so completely tired out each night, and wake up to the sun streaming into your tent. I love cooking outside and eating outside. Oh ok - so you get that I love camping.
Up and around and around some more and then up some more, I finally saw a sign that announced Nairn Falls Campground a few kilometres ahead. Moments later I arrived at the campground, and drove through to see what the availability was. There were loads of vacant campsites. Most of the best spots along the river were taken, but I found a great site close to water, bathrooms and just across from the trail that took you all the way down to the river.
I set up camp in no time, and headed out to go find One Mile Lake and eat my lunch there. The tale of my epic failure would be very long and boring, but let's just say I didn't find the lake, pushed my bike far more than I rode it on the trail and then ate my lunch in the woods batting at the mosquitoes. Back at the campsite I dumped the panier and just went to ride some loops around the campground. My legs were still recovering from our weekend backpacking trip up to Eagle Bluffs, and my goal was just to keep them moving.
After dinner I headed down to the river to take some pictures and simply marvel at the sights around me. The milky green water crashed by me in great haste and above me trees towered. Beyond the tree line, mountainous giants stared down at me, with their tops partially covered in snow. It was just so magical and I thought about how I was barely 2 hours drive away from Vancouver, and here I was enjoying a little piece of outdoor heaven.
The next morning after breakfast, I packed my lunch and headed down to Pemberton on my bike. It's an easy 3km ride into town, and my destination was a tourist information centre to go find out about Joffre Lakes. I wanted to know how far away it was and if I could ride my bike there. The answer to the latter question was a flat no. The nice young man said it was ony 30km but the road averaged between 12 & 14% incline most of the way without a shoulder. The decision to drive there was an easy one. Before I went back for my car I meandered along the dike of the Lillooet River, and around One Mile Lake, which I had failed to find the day before. There were many breaks to take pictures, to refuel to just love every minute of being out there with only the mountains and the trees for company.
After an early lunch I headed back up the hill to the campground. With no time to waste I parked the bike, jumped into the car and headed back towards Pemberton where I had just come from. This time I continued along Highway 99 to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. The road would have been impossible to ride. The climbing was relentless and only a single lane in either direction with treacherous drops off the edge. At Joffre Lakes I packed the camera bag with the balance of my lunch and snacks, filled the water bottle and headed off to explore.
There are 3 lakes, a lower lake just 5 minutes walk away; a middle lake 3.5k away and then an upper lake 1.5km beyond the middle lake. Each lake offered stunning views of the Matier Glacier the notice board promised. I headed up, skipping the access point to the lower lake, planning to go only has far as the middle lake. The trail was long and steep. There were a few sections of talus. That's a clever new word I learned that basically means a boulder field. So you scramble over these huge rocks - skipping from one to another. They're large enough that they don't move under your weight, so they're actually loads of fun. All along the trail you could hear the water rushing down behind the trees somewhere. The trail crossed the water twice and got really steep in a few spots. You're plodding along and come around a corner and all of a sudden, there before you, lies the most stunningly beautiful blue lake. I stopped to refuel and took off my shoes and socks to dip my feet into the water. The water was frigid and after only a few minutes I had to take my feet out and allow the blood to start flowing again. Along the trail someone had told me that most of the elevation gain was up to the middle lake, so at this point it seemed like I might as well keep climbing.
I headed around the lake, over some tree trunk bridges that traversed the gushing water and then up some more talus. I looked over my shoulder one last time to take in the magnificence of the middle lake and then pressed on. Without a watch on I had no idea how long it was, but it felt like only 1/2 hour or so before I saw the sparkle of the upper lake ahead. My feet hastened forward as the lake twinkled at me between the trees. The path continued to climb as I went all the way around the lake: across more gushing creeks, across some more talus and then I saw the glacier. The glacier seems close enough to touch! There are some backcountry campsites at the south end of the upper lake, and the glacier sits just above those campsites. Again, I just stood there in awe of this stunning natural beauty so easily accessible from my urban lifestyle. The melt off from the glacier flowed into the lake in a number of little waterfalls, each more stunning than the next. Further south is Tszil Glacier - thank goodness I only need to know how to spell it and not how to say it - and there's a torrent of water rushing down into the upper lake from the west side, which I guessed could be from Tszil Glacier.
The view was spellbinding!! The glacier, the lake, the mountains, the trees - I just gawked in every direction, and took a long time to just enjoy it and appreciate this stunning place we live in.
The walk back seemed long; down is always harder for me than up. When I got back to the bottom, I did go over to the lower lake. The view of the glacier was still great, but I was so happy that I had made the trek to the top where the view was 1,000 times more breathtaking.
By the time I got back to camp, it was pretty much time for dinner. After dinner I had to keep moving around so I wouldn't fall asleep before sunset. As soon as darkness started to tiptoe into the campground, I crawled into my tent and pretty much passed out from exhaustion.
On the last day of my camping trip I packed up early and headed to Pemberton to catch the end of that day's stage of the Tour de France. They were on the home stretch and the Contador-Schleck battle was raging on, so I found a coffee shop with wireless internet to watch the tour online. Of course I had my lap top with me, silly. After a delicious breakfast and a great coffee, I headed towards home. First I stopped back at the campground, because I couldn't really camp at Nairn Falls for two nights without seeing the falls. From the parking lot, its a quick 2km or so walk to the viewing area. The falls were beautiful. What it is about rushing water, that seems really really angry, that is so captivating?
After the falls I drove down to Whistler. Tried a coupla' times to find a spot to park along Green Lake, but the lake is developed all the way around and pretty much only accessible to homeowners. Oh well - maybe some things are just for the benefit of the wealthy. GRRRR. I stopped in Whistler for a great lunch at the Beetroot Cafe and then hit the highway again.
As a resident of Vancouver, we tend to race past all the view points between here and Whistler. This time I stopped at most of them. Partially because I'm a sleepy driver who needs to stop and stretch A LOT, and partially because each view point seemed more stunning than the last. Hours later I arrived home, happy and tired.
Have I mentioned that I love camping!!
My husband wasn't able to get the time off work, and my daughter ... well she was busy .. and I reeeeeeaaally wanted to go camping while I was on vacation. So I went camping alone. I know, you're thinking "weirdo" - but what are my options: don't go? drag someone along against their will? or go alone? I chose door no. 3 and went alone.
There's a certain delightful selfishness that comes with doing things on your own. I get to make all the decisions, I can change my mind on a whim, or I can choose to not make any decisions and just wing it. The bike went it, then the tub containing the tent and sleeping bag and blanket and pretty much the kitchen sink. The stove and BBQ got packed as did the water carrier, a supply of books, camera with tripod and just about everything I wanted. I was going car camping - I had the room.
I headed north towards Whistler because I'd never been further than Whistler before. I knew there were a few campgrounds that I could try for a vacant spot, and the worst case scenario would be that I would drive back home if I had to. Winding past Whistler I drove past Green Lake, these seemed to go on forever. Already I was scoping out the bike path around the lake, planning ahead for activities in the days to come.
Up and around and around some more and then up some more, I finally saw a sign that announced Nairn Falls Campground a few kilometres ahead. Moments later I arrived at the campground, and drove through to see what the availability was. There were loads of vacant campsites. Most of the best spots along the river were taken, but I found a great site close to water, bathrooms and just across from the trail that took you all the way down to the river.
I set up camp in no time, and headed out to go find One Mile Lake and eat my lunch there. The tale of my epic failure would be very long and boring, but let's just say I didn't find the lake, pushed my bike far more than I rode it on the trail and then ate my lunch in the woods batting at the mosquitoes. Back at the campsite I dumped the panier and just went to ride some loops around the campground. My legs were still recovering from our weekend backpacking trip up to Eagle Bluffs, and my goal was just to keep them moving.
After an early lunch I headed back up the hill to the campground. With no time to waste I parked the bike, jumped into the car and headed back towards Pemberton where I had just come from. This time I continued along Highway 99 to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. The road would have been impossible to ride. The climbing was relentless and only a single lane in either direction with treacherous drops off the edge. At Joffre Lakes I packed the camera bag with the balance of my lunch and snacks, filled the water bottle and headed off to explore.
There are 3 lakes, a lower lake just 5 minutes walk away; a middle lake 3.5k away and then an upper lake 1.5km beyond the middle lake. Each lake offered stunning views of the Matier Glacier the notice board promised. I headed up, skipping the access point to the lower lake, planning to go only has far as the middle lake. The trail was long and steep. There were a few sections of talus. That's a clever new word I learned that basically means a boulder field. So you scramble over these huge rocks - skipping from one to another. They're large enough that they don't move under your weight, so they're actually loads of fun. All along the trail you could hear the water rushing down behind the trees somewhere. The trail crossed the water twice and got really steep in a few spots. You're plodding along and come around a corner and all of a sudden, there before you, lies the most stunningly beautiful blue lake. I stopped to refuel and took off my shoes and socks to dip my feet into the water. The water was frigid and after only a few minutes I had to take my feet out and allow the blood to start flowing again. Along the trail someone had told me that most of the elevation gain was up to the middle lake, so at this point it seemed like I might as well keep climbing.
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| View from the Middle Lake |
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| Matier Glacier from the Upper Lake |
The walk back seemed long; down is always harder for me than up. When I got back to the bottom, I did go over to the lower lake. The view of the glacier was still great, but I was so happy that I had made the trek to the top where the view was 1,000 times more breathtaking.
By the time I got back to camp, it was pretty much time for dinner. After dinner I had to keep moving around so I wouldn't fall asleep before sunset. As soon as darkness started to tiptoe into the campground, I crawled into my tent and pretty much passed out from exhaustion.
On the last day of my camping trip I packed up early and headed to Pemberton to catch the end of that day's stage of the Tour de France. They were on the home stretch and the Contador-Schleck battle was raging on, so I found a coffee shop with wireless internet to watch the tour online. Of course I had my lap top with me, silly. After a delicious breakfast and a great coffee, I headed towards home. First I stopped back at the campground, because I couldn't really camp at Nairn Falls for two nights without seeing the falls. From the parking lot, its a quick 2km or so walk to the viewing area. The falls were beautiful. What it is about rushing water, that seems really really angry, that is so captivating?
After the falls I drove down to Whistler. Tried a coupla' times to find a spot to park along Green Lake, but the lake is developed all the way around and pretty much only accessible to homeowners. Oh well - maybe some things are just for the benefit of the wealthy. GRRRR. I stopped in Whistler for a great lunch at the Beetroot Cafe and then hit the highway again.
As a resident of Vancouver, we tend to race past all the view points between here and Whistler. This time I stopped at most of them. Partially because I'm a sleepy driver who needs to stop and stretch A LOT, and partially because each view point seemed more stunning than the last. Hours later I arrived home, happy and tired.
Have I mentioned that I love camping!!
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