well - i made it - and just in time too. it's been another long day. but more from my choice than anything else. as it stands - i set up my tent in record time and who knows - maybe nothing more than a little thunder, spit and wind will come of this storm, but i am glad my tent is up just the same.
yesterday i made it to invermere. i did the internet thing, stocked up on supplies and still had energy to burn. so i walked. i got a few kilometers away from panorama when i found it - the perfect camping spot. there was no way i was going to push myself all the way to panorama village when they would only charge me an arm and a leg to stay there overnight.
so - like i said - i found it. tucked off the side of the road, away from the view of cars there was a cleared area among the tall trees. a perfect size for my tent. so i set it up as quickly as i could - i was dying to go wash myself off in the river nearby (toby creek to be specific). so i changed into my bathing suit and tip-toed my way down the path (yup - there was even a path) to the river's shoreline. IT WAS FREEZING!! i was super glad no rafting crew happened by me as i was doing this as i am sure i looked ridiculous all hunched over tried to scrub the grease and grim out of my hair. haha!
anyay - after that i promptly laid in my tent until i fell asleep.
today i got up and figured id make the short walk up to the next campsite. but when i got there i didn't feel like stopping so i continued on - to a lodge/cabin on this long lodging road. i didnt make it. it had been a segment off the main path - one of which only seemed to go up with no end in sight. i figured id backtrack today what id have to do tomorrow and here i am - back at the fork in the path. i set up my tent just as the black clouds rolled in. its now almost 4 pm and im beat.
july 10/09 (DAY 10)
i made it to jumbo pass cabin. one problem - people had already booked it. fortunately it wasnt just me who came up unexpectantly to spend the night. there is a couple here who have come as well and weve all been getting along super.
back to my hike here - i saw my first black bear today. it started with the viewing of some VERY fresh scat. that of which immediately boosted my singing volume a level or 2. i rounded a corner and there he was - playing in the rivers edge. i immediately thought that i should shrug my way out of my pack and grab my camera to capture the moment - then my survival instinct kicked in and i figured ideas like that would be how people get attacked by wild animals in the first place. so i talked calmly to the bear and slowly backed away. he noticed me and bounded into the bush.
by this point i managed to be armed with my bear spray, knife and hiking poles. i was ready for anything.
i waited about 10 minutes, singing loudly so the bear still knew i was around and then very slowly made my way along the trail. oh - and fyi: the song of the day was "she'll be coming around the mountain."
july 11/09 (DAY 11)
well - i survived the night. it was a little sketchy there as this (jumbo creek pass) is the highest elevation (1700 ft) i have been to so far in my journey and i aint exactly packing winter gear right now. as it happens theres mounds of snow all around me up on top of this mountain - but the view is worth it.
fortunately, i also got to hang out with that couple all last evening and today - paul and his wife (i am sorry but i completely forget what your name is) are freaking awesome and id love to be able to see them again.
then theres the death family. the family that kills all the fun associated iwth a backcountry adventure. theyre unsociable. competitive (how do you make backcountry camping competitive?). whining. showing off and pretending to have clue what theyre doing when they obviously do not. a royal pain in the ass without actually being royal - and theyre the ones that booked the cabin here. joy.
our meeting of them starting off rough as me, paul and his wife greeted them and they bearly even looked at us. we got a grunt in reply. then came the comments. them bragging of how theyve been up to this hut every year for 4 years now and if WE happen to have any questions, to ask them. thing is - they didnt know where the trail was to the ridge. they had only scrambled up. WE had found the trail as soon as we got to the mountain. today they made a competition out of going to that ridge - scoffing at me who decided not to join (i HAD just walked 30 km the day before and wanted to enjoy the solitude), commenting that id "rather watch my laundry dry." they were no help when paul and his wife lost track of their dog pepper on the ridge. in the morning they asked how we slept and we said "fine." we returned the question and all they could reply was that "it's WARMER in the cabin than outside." DUH.
the worst was the night time. as we were in our tents (uninvited to the bonfire they had going nearby) the daughter of the family spent hours WHINING. whining about cutting logs. whining about wanting to cut logs. whining about how good she could cut logs. whining about how cutting logs sucks. whining. whining. whining.
all the while im crossing my fingers that these mosquitoes leave me alone. yeah right.
***
i find it fascinating to think of the wilderness in all that it does and doesnt do for the people who explore it. above all, it will forever remain a place of non-judgment. the wild does not car if you are fit or unfit. it doesnt care if you have the namebrand gear or the best haircut. it doesnt care if you came to it find or lose yourself. it wont care if you break down crying before you reach a summit or if you laugh out loud at the knowledge that you "made it." the wilderness does not treat you differently besed on gender, race or how many (if any) people travel with you. it doesnt care how much money you make or what grades you get on the last exam. it is just there. use it, abuse it. love it, hate it. be in it or avoid it. the wild has been, is here and forever will be - long after weve all died to become part of it.
***
3 pants, 3 pairs of socks, 5 shirts, 1 jacket, i foot-warming towel, gloves and a toque and im ready for bed uptop this mountain. its 5:37 pm.
july 12/09 (DAY 12)
well i made it. all the way to the top portion of kootenay lake. its actually duncan lake which is realistically a dam... but it looks like a lake all the same. boy, it sure is windy out here. wasnt bad until about 30 min ago - in fact - its quite serene here. theres a beach, a lake and camping is FREE! :)
my day started out slightly rough when 2 deer decided to play outside my tent at 4 am. i kept hearing their footsteps and was worried it was a bear. i finally opened my tent door to have 2 pairs of eyes stare at me before they ran off to the bush. i figured i might as well get up. okay - i actually laid awak in my sleeping bag until 5:10 am rolled around, but it's all the same.
i made my way down the mountain pass fairly easily and was met with a swarm of mosquitoes to congratulate me with itchy red bumps on my bare skin. lovely.
down the long stretch of dirt road i went, confidently passing each KM marker as i walked. i met some lovely people along the way. one family going up for a day hike offered to give me a ride should they spot me on their way back down (they didnt). i also met this guy doug who is a professional photographer and environmentalist. he gave me this speech regarding how the bc government is currently trying to re-route a major kootenay river (the one i walked along side all day today) in order to use it as power and then sell it to the states. HORRIBLE. he offered to pick me up later to come to a shindig/rally against this motion. i agreed.
finally, when i made it to the campground here i met this other lovely couple who chatted with me a bit and then even gave me some of their fresh food. it didnt matter to me that i hated cottage cheese, plain yogurt and cauliflower. i ate it all quite happily!
july 13/09 (DAY 13)
here i am - in kaslo - this quaint little town along the coast of the kootenay lake. the couple from the campground last night (gail and gerod) gave me a ride here. as it turns out, everyone that ive been talking to highly suggested that i switch my route to go south towards neslon rather than north to revolstoke. made sense to me for 2 reasons. 1 - it cuts down on the distance im walking and 2 - nelson is WAY more my style in what i want to do and see than the route i was going to go (revolstoke, vernon, kelowna, penticton, etc). so here i am. i get to chill at the beach in this cool little town in the middle of bc. i aint complaining one bit.
as it turns out - last night was a blast. i got to meet all these really interested people at the rally-slash-water blessing. doug picked me up with this lady named eloise who just happened to have walked from victoria to ottawa some odd years ago for her fight for water. me and her connected instantly as we began advidly talking about feet with regards to long distance walking. i was impressed to know she had walked a majority of her distance wearing flipflops along highway 1. crazy.
so i met all these people - most of them were people who lived within the area. we blessed the water - did a smudge (in which sweetgrass is burned and the smoke is directed at the people in a type of blessing - or at least thats how i understand it - its a native american custom i believe). we sent out our prayers and best wishes over the river and then we ate. everyone was awesome and i found it really inspiring to meet eloise and know that she has walked SOOOO much farther than i have and has lived to tell about it. she walked for a reason. a purpose. a dream. i realized so am i. by the end of the night - me and her referred to ourselves as the "water-walkers."
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--> for those who are interested - the following is information links that will take you to find out more about the topic at hand that i participated in:
. FLOW myspace: http://www.myspace.com/485098931
. water on the table (the film crew that was present): http://wateronthetable.com
. doug pyper (photographer): http://www.dougpyperphoto.com
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also - i must say that i apologize to everyone for the photographs that are lacking. i know some of you are really hoping that i will post pictures asap - but the ONE thing i forgot to bring with me was the cord that connects my camera to the computer, and as it stands - i have yet to find a computer that is compatable with plugging the memory card directly into the computer. soon - very soon. and when that happens, i will post the pictures through facebook and then put links to the photo albums here on my blog to the right of the entries.
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