#camping

Went on my second backcountry camping trip to Garibaldi Provincial Park this past weekend – this time to Elfin Lakes. We were fortunate that the smoke had cleared off the other week so the views were unobstructed.  Left a bit later than pl anned but the traffic was pretty quiet so we made good time to Squamish.  Made the turn off at the Canadian Tire and headed up the gravel road to the parking lot.  Shortly before the lot there was a ranger checking to ensure campers had permits.  Was a bit of a wait but we had no issues since we had the appropriate permit and were prepared.  Got to the parking lot and it was pretty full but, fortunately, there was a space for us at the end.

Took advantage of the toilet at the parking lot and got our gear together.  Headed up the trail to the Red Heather Hut, which was about 5 km from the parking lot.

The trail was consistently uphill but a much gentler slope than the Garibaldi Lake trail.  The hike up to the Red Heather Hut went by faster than expected.   Arrived at the red Heather Hut and went inside to make lunch. The hut is fairly small and has two tables, a wood-burning stove and a sink to drain dirty water. I made some beef and mushroom noodles on the jetboil for lunch. Was a bit of a hassle as I had to unpack most of my bag but luckily the Hut was fairly quiet when we arrived.

After lunch we packed up our bags and headed back onto the trail. The next part of the trail split into two – one path for hikers and one path for cyclists. This was only a short one km section before the paths rejoined. We carried on gradually heading uphill until we were at the top of a ridge. We walked along the ridge for a short bit with views of the mountains all around and then the trail began to descend.

Thought we were a bit further away but when we came around a corner we saw the two Elfin Lakes, about a kilometre sooner than we expected.

There were some dark clouds but and they ended up being non-threatening and soon dissipated. We headed down the hill towards the lake, the first one being for swimming, where there were a couple of rafts and a number people enjoying the cool water. The second leak which was slightly smaller is reserved for drinking and is right beside the camp. This campsite, unlike the one at Taylor Meadows, is quite open with a number of tent pads overlooking the mountains and descending down a  small hill. The views were really quite spectacular and we were excited to set up our tents. There appeared to be a number of day hikers sunning themselves and having lunch on the various tent pads so it took us a few minutes to actually find some tent pads that were free.

 Managed to set up the tent up relatively easy but ended up putting the fly on backwards and had to redo it. Didn’t have an issue finding enough rocks to hold my tent down as the tent pad I had chosen seemed to have half the rocks in the campsite including a number of very large rocks. Once the tent was set up and secured the clouds pretty much vanished and it was a nice sunny afternoon with it almost near blue sky. Enjoyed some vodka lemonade on the tent pad while sunning ourselves and enjoying the view. Unlike Taylor Meadows, the bugs didn’t seem to be very present here and it was actually quite enjoyable just lying on the tent pad.

After a few hours of relaxing in the sun we decided to head to the dinner hut to make dinner. Made some pasta primavera and we had hot dogs roasted over the jetboil, which surprisingly turned out very well. Had some red wine, which I probably didn’t need given the Vodka lemonades I had earlier. For dessert, we had a chocolate mudslide dessert topped off for some Bailey’s, again which was probably not necessary given the vodka and wine. Felt fine though so lapped up the Bailey’s topped dessert. After a leisurely dinner it was time to head to bed and I suspected that I should sleep pretty well considering the hike and the amount of alcohol I had consumed.

 Managed to sleep very well through the night and it was actually considerably warmer than it was at Taylor Meadows – not sure if that was the alcohol or the actual temperature outside! Slept in pretty late and was feeling a little bit hungover but managed to get up and get ready for breakfast. Wasn’t that hungry though and didn’t really enjoy the egg and bacon scramble that I bought – definitely preferred the other egg mix and the oatmeal. Didn’t end up eating much of the eggs but had a piece of toast for some peanut butter which seem to fill me up.

After breakfast we started to disassemble our tents and pack everything up to prepare for the hike back to the car. The weather seemed slightly more cloudy than it was yesterday afternoon but I suspect that it would probably clear up later in the day. Manage to fit everything in my bag and actually noticed a little bit of extra room this time. We headed back, this time with an uphill start until we reach the Ridge and then it was to be all downhill afterwards. Took us a little while to get back into the hike and the first few hills seem to be very challenging. Once we warmed up though it wasn’t too bad in the uphill areas were broken up with sections of flat.

The hike on the way back seem to go quicker than on the way in and in no time, we reached the Red Heather Hut. Stop for only a short lunch and had a sandwich and then headed back down the last stretch to the car. This downhill was definitely much easier than the Garibaldi Lake stretch and was actually enjoyable. Although my feet did start to get slightly tired by the end it was definitely a lot better than the last hike, partly due to me wearing the thicker hiking boots. Got to the car changed our shoes and headed out after another great overnight trip to Garibaldi Provincial Park!

Overnight Trip To Garibaldi Park

Went on my first backcountry camping trip to Garibaldi Provincial Park this weekend. Garibaldi is a large wilderness park located between Squamish and Whistler. There are a number of different trails and backcountry campsites in Garibaldi but we took the trail to the Taylor Meadows Campground. After an unsuccessful attempt at trying to sort an issue with my hydration pack in the parking, we set off. My pack weighed quite a bit but was surprisingly comfortable on. The trail to Taylor Meadows is a constant stream of switchbacks up a hill through a forest. Fortunately, the trail is wide and fairly smooth so the walking was pretty easy. It’s 7.5 km up to the Taylor Meadows Campground, about 9 km if you head to the campground at Garibaldi Lake. The first 3 km were very enjoyable but the next few seemed to drag on. There are 1 km markers along the way, apart from 5, which appeared to be missing. I thought I had read somewhere that after about 6 km the trail levelled of off so we rejoiced at 6 km. However, I must have been reading about the trail to Garibaldi Lake as the remaining 1.5 km to Taylor Meadows was more of the uphill switchbacks ?. We finally made it up though and set up or tents. Had some celebratory prosecco for making it up the hill with the packs! We then hung up our food (to keep bears and other critters from eating it) and made some lunch. The campsite was very nice and had a cabin for making food and eating. The outhouse even had toilet paper! No tap water but there was a nice stream beside the campground to gather water. Should treat the water though to avoid ‘beaver fever’. After lunch we headed down to Garibaldi Lake for a walk. The lake is glacier fed, amazingly clear and a beautiful turquoise blue. Returned to the camp to make some dinner and have some wine. Nice to lounge around in the dining hut and avoid the bugs! After dinner we went outside by the campsite and made some Smores on the cookstove, which worked surprisingly well. Went to sleep and managed to sleep reasonably well although was tired and ended up sleeping in until around 7:30 or so. It was cool in the tent in the morning! Woke up and had some breakfast before packing up the tent. Left the stuff in the other tent and went for a bit of a hike towards Panorama Ridge. Was a beautiful day and the hike was pleasant through meadows with nice views of Black Tusk and the surrounding mountains. We made it about 2/3 of the way to the ridge before turning back. Returned to the camp to pack up the rest of our stuff and turn headed down the mountain. Busy on the way down with lots of day hikers going up and down. The hill definitely seemed more steep going down – was shocked I kept going on the way up! Finally made it back to the trailhead and car. Was relieved to change my boots and get the pack off! A great trip and looking forward to the next one in a few weeks.

Weekend trip to Manning Park

Took a two night trip out to Manning Park, about 3 hours east of Vancouver to test out the new camping gear over the past weekend. Although we were staying at the drive in Hampton Campsite, there are a number of different trails with backcountry camping opportunities. Arrived Friday afternoon and set up camp fairly quickly – definitely impressed with the MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 person tent I bought – lightweight, compact and easy to set up. Had a few pre-dinner beers before testing out the Jetboil Minimo personal cook stove. Managed to put together a tasty sausage and vegetable Alfredo pasta dish with relative ease and even made some toast with a collapsible toaster device from MEC – impressive outdoor cooking skills ?. Got a bit spooked when the park ranger checking our reservation mentioned there’s a bear that’s been hanging around the campground that normally visits around 4 am. Was also impressed with the fact that the time was so precise! Went to bed but didn’t sleep as soundly as I kept waking up thinking I could hear a bear rustling around. Managed to make it though the night without being eaten by the bear and without having to wander to the bathroom, where I was sure I would encounter the bear. Made some bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast and then drove up to the Three Brothers trailhead, which is about 16 km up a windy road with the last bit past a lookout being a gravel road. Stopped briefly at the lookout for an overhead view of Lightning Lake and some squirrels. We carried on the gravel section to the trailhead and did a little hike through the alpine meadows to the Buckhorn Camp, which would be a nice place for future backcountry trip. The meadows were full of flowers, including the areas between the trees. It was difficult to not take photos every few steps. The hike was mostly downhill on the way to Buckhorn and the trail was well made. After a nice walk to Buckhorn and back we drove back to camp for some lunch and a brief rest. We then headed over to Lightning Lake for a 4.5 km pre-dinner walk around the lake via the Rainbow Bridge. Lots of people at the day use area but as we were arriving late in the day parking was no problem. Lots of ground squirrels around the picnic area – some obviously partaking in a few picnics given their size! Headed back to camp after the pleasant walk around the lake and made some dinner. After dinner enjoyed the quietness and disconnectedness of the campsite as there’s no cell signal. Slept okay for a bit but woke up a few times to go to the washroom. Was afraid the first time as it was about 3 and I wasn’t sure how punctual and regular the bear’s visits were! Didn’t see the bear and figured he probably rarely shows up. We got up and had some coffee and breakfast. I had some raspberry oatmeal, which was pretty good. After breakfast we sat at the table enjoying our coffee when there was a rustling in the trees. Looked over and sure enough it was the black bear, about 4 hours late! He appeared to be rummaging through a tree stump, eating something. He looked over and then wandered off into the bushes. Below is my friend, Kim’s photo as mine was pretty lame and the bear resembles a wild boar! After the bear excitement we dismantled the tents with ease and packed up the car to drive home. Made it back in about 2.5 hours. A great trip and definitely will head back to try some backcountry camping on one of the many trails.