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.