ESCAPE! DISCOVER! ENJOY!

ESCAPE!

One of the adventures on my to-do list was to go to the Elk Lakes Alpine of Canada Hut.  On my list I didn't get into when I wanted to go, for how long, how I was going to get there, with who, I only knew that I wanted to go!   Check Mark!  I went!  It didn't take long before I began to feel like I had escaped.  Sign after sign proved I was getting further and further away.

We were able to hike until this point but from here on in, it was snowshoe time!  Just one thing, from here on in, it wasn't from here on in.  It was back track then aim for the Hydroline Trail and from there it was from there on in. 

There was much more snow then anticipated and that slowed our pace when we had to break trail.  (Note: This sign was actually taken on the way out two days later in daylight hours.)  Back to on the way in! We had already snowshoed an hour in the dark by the time we reached this sign.  I had snowshoed in the dark before and felt a little wobbly, but with a 42 pound pack on, I felt like a drunken sailor. 

Finally, just over six hours later after leaving the trail head, we arrived at home sweet home!  

DISCOVER!

Discoveries can be good and bad!  The good ones far out weighed the bad ones for me this long weekend!  I love being in new places with child-like wide eyes discovering new mountains, new creeks, new lakes!

I discovered that winter hutting takes work!  On top of trekking in through the deep snow with a heavy pack, I lost count of how many buckets of snow we collected to make water.  I'm sure that if all the logs I brought in to keep home sweet home toasty, were put on top of each other, they would make one of those gigantic B.C. trees.  It was work but work that I didn't mind doing at all!

The discoveries that I did make that were bad were that I had lost my down jacket on the way in (never to be found on the way out) and that when I dropped my camera the last morning some insides broke off (never to be able to work again).  Those are just materialistic things but I still had to have one of those "behind my sunglasses moments" without sunglasses, then carry on with life!

ENJOY!

I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air, the exercise, the company, the scenery, the Hut!  There were so many reasons to smile and to laugh.  My most favourite moment was on Saturday morning when I got up before the rest and I was sitting on the deck by myself, sipping on my coffee, watching the stars disappear, the sky begin to light and the alpenglow put on a show.

photo by Adventure Designer

An enjoyable part of this adventure was spending looooonnnngg hours in front of the fire.

photo by Adventure Designer
I ESCAPED!
I DISCOVERED!
I ENJOYED!

One of the things on my to-do list is to go to the Elk Lakes Alpine of Canada Hut.  I don't know when I want to go, for how long, how I'm going to get there, or who with, I only know that I want to go back!