Tuesday, August 08, 2006

"Guys, I got bitten on my butt!": Garibaldi Backpacking Trip

Ah, a few days after coming back from New Mexico, Joash and I packed up our things again for a much anticipated backpacking trip up to Garibaldi Lake. I think the best part was Bowen, who had to clean himself in the creek immediately when we reached camp at Taylor meadows. "Guys, I need to wash up." "Guys, my bag is really heavy." haha. "Guys, a mosquito just bit me on the butt again."

The hike up was a strenuous 3 hour switchback and even more ennerving as the sun began to set. Joash and I had hiked the same path a few weeks before, so we knew the trail was going to be wide and easy to follow in the dark with headlamps on. No worries. We got to Taylor Meadows campground, and could still see Black Tusk in the dusky light. And of course, mosquitoes were everywhere.

The next day, we packed our daypacks and headed up to Panorama Ridge instead of Black Tusk because it was a super hot day and Black Tusk is much more of an exposed rocky mountain to scale than the backside of the ridge. We hiked through tons of wildflowers and through an open valley of glacier fed lakes and small waterfalls. Up the to the ridge, we began to tread on snow (yup, even in July) that was good and sticky. On the way up, my blisters began to get worse, so we decided to stop and have lunch. On the way back down, there were some people sliding down the huge snowfield to our left on their bums...so we began to slide down some snow patches ... it was cold but fun! hehe. wet bum.

Let's just say that we ate really well, we laughed hard and hiked a lot. My favourite kind of trip. Sher-Ping brought some pre-made Indian food so we had curry and rice for supper while Bowen gave us a play-by-play of every mosquito bite he got. "Guys, another one got me on my upper right lobe of the second fold of my ear!" hhaa.
Oh Bowen. HMBC!

So, I am sad I'm back in the city, but hey, I just bought a new North Face bag because I will have to go backpacking again soon.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

matthea,

can i interpret the last sentence of your post ("I will have to go backpacking again soon") as an indication that you'll be organizing another backpacking trip in the immanent future? i'd like to invite myself along, if i can be so presumptuous. i have seriously missed out on hiking/camping/mountaineering this summer and i'm not going to let this sept. slip by without venturing out to bc wilderness.

please oh please oh please let me join you!

dilys (who won't annoy you with tales about mosquito love bites)

matthea said...

Hey Dilys,
alas, I won't be going on another trip until after Sept 11...I'm going away to Ontario for a few weeks; and school will be busy in Sept, but we are hoping to organize something early Oct , but if we get something together, you are welcome to come!

Anonymous said...

I love your posts, they're funny. You crack me up. I wish you and Joash weren't so far away! Y'all come back now, ya hear!?