Whistler

We first spend a few quiet days in Whistler. The place reminds us a bit of the mountain vacation destinations we like so much in Switzerland.

It is pleasant to stroll around the mostly car-free village center. We enjoy the cafes and thoroughly test the local breweries.

With sunny weather and high temperatures in mid-August, a refreshing swim in Lost Lake is more than welcome, and we finally treat ourselves to a wellness break at the Scandinave Spa.

Garibaldi Provincial Park

The Panorama Ridge hike in Garibaldi Provincial Park is without a doubt the absolute highlight of our stay in the Whistler area. A while ago, Marion had seen the pictures of this hike and had made it her goal to reach the top. What she didn’t know was that this trail is almost 30 kilometers long and has a elevation gain of more than 1500 meters. No reason to be discouraged, we prepared ourselves for a long and hard day.

Already at the beginning of the hike, we met Tom, a hiker in his sixties from Vernon in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. He joins us for the first part of the hike. Tom masters the art of small-talk and our pleasant conversations make the first two and a half hours of hard climbing in the forest pass in a flash. We have to say goodbye to Tom at a fork in the trail.

We continue our way to the Taylor Meadows campground. The night before, it looks like a black bear had sought out the company of the campers, stealing their provisions and terrorizing them. We didn’t run into him though, that day we needed our bug spray way more than our bear spray.

The real pleasure of this hike begins at the campsite. We hike along beautiful meadows, have a first sight of the Black Tusk, a stratovolcano and a pinnacle of volcanic rocks, and pass the lower Garibaldi Lake. In the distance we see the summit of Panorama Ridge. Before we get there, there is however still a steep and difficult climb through a large rock field. At the top, the batteries are empty, but what a fantastic panoramic view. In front of us lies Garibaldi Lake with its bright turquoise water, surrounded by mountains rising out of the water, and behind us, the sharp side of Black Tusk.

We are unanimous: this hike made it to our top 5, if not top 3, of our best hikes of all time