Hiking Update from British Columbia

It's Wednesday - halfway through my hiking trip and only 3 more days until I fly home - yippee!  The hiking has been tough, but it's great to be outdoors.  Luckily the weather has been nice - some sun, some clouds, a few raindrops and hail for a few minutes, but mostly sunny.  Good timing for this early in the hiking season in British Columbia.

Yesterday (Day 3) we hiked around Pilot Bay - we had to take a ferry to get to the trailhead.

The views from the trail were beautiful, and it sounded like the ocean with the waves crashing on the shore because it was so windy.

We stopped for lunch at TeePee Camp and enjoyed yummy mushroom barley soup and tea.  We had a nice view of the lake and mountains, but it was too windy for me.

On the way back, I twisted my ankle on a rock going downhill - bummer!  Luckily it wasn't too badly injured.  My guide Kirk put some tape to strengthen my ankle, and we continued on our way back to the cars.  We stopped for a few views of Pilot Bay along the way.

When we returned to the lodge, I sat in the steam room for 30 minutes and then we had a lecture on Sleep.  After dinner, we had another workout session in the gym and then a few of us went to the Ainsworth Hot Springs which is located down the hill from the lodge.  The hot springs were wild - it is a natural hot spring where the water coming out of the ground was 104 degrees!  We swam into the cave to see where the water coming out and it was very hot; there were also a few waterfalls in the cave, so when you stood underneath, it felt like a shoulder massage with hot water.  My aching, tired legs appreciated the hot soak after a tough hike. 

Today (Day 4), we hiked at Pulpit Rock - it was a tough day!  It was ALL UPHILL - it reminded me of a hike in Seattle that Daddy and I used to do that was all uphill too (at the top of that hike in Seattle, there was a swarm of horseflies and no view to admire!  I still remember how miserable Daddy was on that particular hike.)

At the top, we hit the snowline and had to turn back because the trail was completely covered with snow and there were too many fallen trees and branches covering the trail too.  The walk down was way easier, but it was also tough on our knees since it was quite steep most of the way down.  Those hiking poles came in handy to prevent slips and fall going downhill and provided a bit of lift on the way up the hill too.

When we arrived back at the lodge, I went into the sauna for 30 minutes for a good sweat and then we had another lecture on Nutrition.  After dinner, we had another workout session in the gym, and then I went into the steam room for 30 minutes before my night massage.   What a great way to end the day with a massage!

When you guys are a bit older, maybe we will return to Nelson or somewhere else in the Pacific Northwest to go hiking.  I miss you guys!  Hugs and kisses.  Be good to Daddy and Myra - 3 more days until Mommy comes home.