Radium Lake and Beyond
I was tired...bone tired. Sweat poured off my brow with each forward leaning step that I took. With ice axe in hand I attempted to climb the trail above the river like an old man. I emitted the odour of a long dead carcass. My pruned feet were beginning to voice complaint for having to endure another 9 hour day in full grain leather boots. I wandered into the provincial park campground a sight for sore, teary eyes. I walked into one man's campsite. He looks up from the beer in his hand and asks where I had come from: "the river?" he wondered. "Nope! Ummm...a few mountains over." I replied. He swore under his breath. I chuckled, "yeah, it was quite a trip."
The first five minutes of the two day solo hike should have alerted me to the near epic I was about to experience. The bridge that crossed Chilliwack River linking the hiker to the trailhead was washed out (or torn down more likely). I walked along the river, searching and backtracking until i found a log that crossed its entire breadth. At one point I sat on the bank calculating the risk of crossing the river solo style without shoes. I thought my hike would not happen, but I am not one to easily give up. So as Scott Cooke sings, "gotta keep pushin forward;" I took him up on the advice and found the trailhead 1.5 hours after setting out.
I wish i had time to tell you about the journey, the thoughts and the beauty, but I am about to head out to Edmonton on a trip with my brother, Andrew. Needless to say, the pics should tell a little bit of the story. I'm hoping to have more stories from the upcoming trip.
It is truly a mesmerizing and challenging time to be alone in the outdoors. Even though it is enjoyable to be with friends up in the hills, solo tripping teaches you something about yourself that is hard to discover in the presence of others. Or maybe my friends are busy with other things and I couldn't convince them to come along.
Enjoy the view ~ Marcel
The first five minutes of the two day solo hike should have alerted me to the near epic I was about to experience. The bridge that crossed Chilliwack River linking the hiker to the trailhead was washed out (or torn down more likely). I walked along the river, searching and backtracking until i found a log that crossed its entire breadth. At one point I sat on the bank calculating the risk of crossing the river solo style without shoes. I thought my hike would not happen, but I am not one to easily give up. So as Scott Cooke sings, "gotta keep pushin forward;" I took him up on the advice and found the trailhead 1.5 hours after setting out.
I wish i had time to tell you about the journey, the thoughts and the beauty, but I am about to head out to Edmonton on a trip with my brother, Andrew. Needless to say, the pics should tell a little bit of the story. I'm hoping to have more stories from the upcoming trip.
It is truly a mesmerizing and challenging time to be alone in the outdoors. Even though it is enjoyable to be with friends up in the hills, solo tripping teaches you something about yourself that is hard to discover in the presence of others. Or maybe my friends are busy with other things and I couldn't convince them to come along.
Enjoy the view ~ Marcel
Comments
Well, I took a class called "Cultural Diversity in Literature" and now I'm writing part of a paper in which you invite me to backpack with you and 6 other dudes off the northern coast of British Columbia. Anyway, it made me want to check out your blog which I haven't done in forever.
I hope you know that I still esteem you as a great friend and I hope God will continue to use you in a mighty way.
Anyway, if not in this lifetime, then when God's Kingdom comes, we should plan a trip to go backpacking somewhere in the New Earth.