Over the Hills and Far Away...

Hello All!

The attached photos are from our most recent weekend adventures - this time up to the peak of Mt Whistler in the beautiful Garibaldi National park. Nothing like visitors to stir up the motivation for good times and adventuring! All four of us jumped on the Greyhound bus early (too early) on Sunday morning with the blessing of clear skies and brilliant sunshine all the way up the Squamish Valley on the Sea to Sky highway.

Surely this is the most beautiful, the most scenic highway in all the world as the road curls around the various mountain ridges and passes through some of the highest and most rugged peaks in North America. Unfortunately the bus ride didn't make for too many photo opportunities so you will have to take my word about the breath-taking views of the Howe Sound and Horse-Shoe Bay, Mt Squamish and the Green Lake. Truly amazing.

We were also treated to the sight of frozen lakes, and I mean plural. Once we entered into the Garibaldi National park we passed dozens of frozen ponds and lakes and streams. I've never seen frozen lakes before so this was a real treat. There is something serene about a body of water of such size frozen over with logs and other debris trapped in the ice until Spring. Again a real highlight!

Once we arrived in Whistler village we wandered around gauping with all the other tourists until we arrived at the gondolas. In a spur of the moment decision that struck all of us like a flash of genius we decided to take the sight-seeing gondola all the way to the peak of the mountain. Well this was something else comrades! The peak rise to over 6000 feet (apparently a baby by local standards but still like trekking to the top of the world for we poor mountain deprived Australians). The gondola ride took about 20 mins to rise to the top of the peak as we slowly swung over conifer forests and cliff faces up the mountain. Spotting the most dare-devil snow boarders was also a popular treat though watching seven year olds cane down the mountain side was humbling for all of us. Some of these little ones looked as if they could slalom before they could walk such was their lithesome confidence.

A wonderful though exhausting day! The scenery was breath-taking and company magnificent. Happy days! I hope all is well!