This is Part 2 of summer activities in and around Vancouver that I shared with Deborah Moore this morning on AM1470.
Continuing on with Part 1 of summer activities in Vancouver where I talked about the different places to stand up paddle board in and around Vancouver, the last one on the list was Alta Lake. It's 1.5 hours away from downtown Vancouver and 12 min. away from Whistler Village.
It's coincidentally the first place where we had our first SUP experience a few years ago. We rented the boards from Backroads Whistler and quickly fell in love with the sport to where we eventually bought our own boards that season. Although we've returned to Whistler many times after that, we never had an opportunity to bring our boards with us until two weeks ago. We had originally planned to take our first camping (tbh, "vanping") trip together. We really wanted to take advantage of the wonderful summer weather and be in nature but due to the forest fires in the interior, the only road to the campsite where we booked was blocked. We quickly re-routed our trip to Whistler because of the allure of using our boards on Alta Lake. It's a relatively calm body of water for SUP and the water on the beach edge is shallow for wading and swimming.
On another day, hubby "surprised" me with a hike in Nairn Falls. Okay, so it's not like he had champagne and roses prepared for me there, nothing of that sort (but it would be nice right? ...hubby, if you're reading this lol). On a whim, we decided to go on a hike instead of heading out on the water again so I suggested we do a hike at Brandy Wine - a beautiful trail with a nice view of a waterfall that we've done before. Hubby started looking up places to hike around Whistler and he told me to get into the car and he'd surprise me with the location. Fine with me, I like surprises 🙂
We drove about half and hour to arrive at a park called Nairn Falls Park. As soon as I arrived at the entrance , I started to take photos. It was truly beautiful. We were up high looking down at the most beautiful seafoam green water that was gushing down the river. I took some time to capture this perfect scene - vibrant green water, snow capped mountain and evergreen trees. What more could you ask for? Really! While I was greedily snapping away, hubby said, '"C'mon, keep moving. I promise you. It gets better." It does? Really? He must know something I don't.
We kept walking along the trail which is compact earth and rocks. It's not too hard or steep. I even saw young children walk by themselves while holding onto the hands of even younger siblings, and more impressively, a mother with a baby on her back. You'll still need the proper footwear though. We only had on running shoes and could navigate the trail with no problems. It was only when we veered off the main trail and tried to climb down the sides of the mountain in the makeshift paths down towards the water's edge did we encounter some slippery situations, literally. Well worth it though, here is the view once you get down.
We sat on the rocks cooling off with the mist from the gushing waters that was so clear and so green. What a dream it was! It was very spa-like, except it was real and we got to experience it for free. It really reminded me to be cognizant in my daily life to preserve the limited natural resources we have on this planet. After a brief rest and a fast and furious photo shoot, we headed back on the trail. I had no idea what I was walking towards. Was there supposed to be more on this trail?
We kept walking along the trail and after a total of about 40 minutes (approx. 1.5 hours round trip), we reached a viewing platform where we could view the most beautiful waterfall. What sets this waterfall apart is how it has created a perfect puzzle-like appearance in the big rocks in it's path. Just so spectacular! I was in awe. No wonder why hubby said he chose this hike for me. He said he knew I would want to take pictures for my blog and that I did. I hope you enjoyed them and if you get a chance next time you're in the Whistler area, make a visit!
And if you don't have a chance to head up to Whistler, here is the last summer activity that you can do on a rainy day in Vancouver. Read Part 3 of my talk with Deborah Moore here.
XOXO,
Mimi
[srp post_limit='5' post_random='yes' category_include= 131 widget_title = 'Other Vancouver Life Moments']
Leave a Reply