British Columbia: Garibaldi

Here it is folks. Lake Garibaldi. And real live glaciers. Glaciers! The calendar was ready to be turned to June and we encountered a lot of snow from 1100 meters up. The melt was on and we had packs on our backs. I was a little nervous about footing and the possibility of sinking into icey water.







Luckily, there was a shelter at the lake. We pitched our tent inside and from our protected vantage point enjoyed the sleet, snow, rain, and ephemeral sun. Weather.










This is the barrier. You might read this and not know how to pronounce it correctly. It is pronounced barrier, like you were in a monster truck rally radio commercial. You got it. The barrier. Ancient volcanoes and glaciers, battles between fire and ice. Fucking sweet. The barrier.

British Columbia: Juan de Fuca

We stopped for lunch at the Smoking Tuna restaurant in Sooke, in the midst of a fishermen's trailer park. We watched the sea lions follow the fishers, ready to dispose of the waste from cleaning fish. Then we hiked along the coast trail of the East Sooke Provincial Park. The clouds were low, fog was drifting in and out, the found horn was sounding. the air was heavy with moisture, the sitka spruce and the succelents were friendly, the sea blended into the sky, and it was nice.




We spent Monday night at the Sol Harbor Lodge in Port Renfrew. The lodge is owned by the Cash brothers, gourmet cooks who practice permaculture. I would have liked to talk more with them about their lifestyle. After reacquanting ourselves with the wonders of plumbing and dry shelter, we ate dinner at the Coastal Kitchen Cafe, which reminded us of the Mazama General Store. It was the place to be. I had Halibut and beers.




On Tuesday we hiked the Botanical Beach portion of the 47 kilometer Juan de Fuca trail. I took a sweet fall. Ask me about it. We camped on the ocean's edge at Sombrio Beach and watched the surfing channel. Yo, thirty surfers were in the water. Good times.








On Wednesday, we hiked from Sombrio Beach north on the Juan de Fuca trail. The trail was rugged, up and down, slimy, moist, rainy, refreshing, muddy, sluggish, soggy, slippery, rocky, mossy, and very alive.

At the end of the afternoon we drove to Jordan River and ate at Shakies; the ravens waited politely. Then we drove to Goldstream Provincial Park and spent the night before taking the ferry back to Tsawwassen.

British Columbia: Strathcona

Marye and I flew into Vancouver on Thursday May 18. The next day we took the ferry from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and drove to the Ralph River campground at Strathcona Provincial Park. Our campsite, nestled among western red cedar, western hemlock, and douglas fir, abutted Buttle Lake, which rises rapidly in late spring when the snow melts. (Left: the meadow next to the campground).




On Saturday we decided to hike the Flower Ridge Trail, a strenuous climb and quad-pounding descent. Unfortunately, turned back before we reached the alpine meadows promised by the hike description. We were impeded by snow at higher altitudes, not so much because it was impassable but because we were extremely wary of losing the trail. Next, we progressed to Lower Myra Falls (pictured left), a spectacular site created by an earthquake and fed by melting snow. After enthralling beauty of the intensely chaotic falls, we sat and read in a meadow. I was reading Walden. I observed several emerald-backed swallows, and I was waiting hopefully to see Roosevelt Elk, unique to the island. To cap the evening, we hiked the Wild Ginger Trail.

On Sunday we hiked Upper Myra Falls, checked out the Westmin zinc and copper mine, lunched at Lower Myra Falls, and lounged next to the clear, ice-cold water of the Ralph River. In the evening we hiked the Shephard Creek trail.
We awoke Monday morning to a rain shower, a good day to drive but also a chance to experience weather. Goodbye Strathcona.

Commencement

Germany 4 - Costa Rica 2
The first match of the World Cup is complete.
I watched it at the Longfellow Grill, two blocks away from our house.
I called to inquire if the LG would be showing the World Cup and the woman I talked to said they didn't have TVs. God damn it. Why do you tell me such things. Did they take down the TVs above the bar. She put me on hold so she could discover they had TVs above the bar. Also, she didn't know whether they had Summit Scandia on tap. Maybe she was new. Anyway, I treated myself to a breakfast burrito and a few Maibocks. Germany's fourth goal was nasty and I started laughing because the keeper didn't have a chance. Two ladies sitting next to me thought I was crazy, but were reassured once they deduced I was having interactions with the TV. We talked a little about the World Cup. They thought Costa Rica was the favorite. Oh, Amerika.

Time Well Spent

Four big things since the last post:
1. Bathroom renovation phase I
2. Chillin with Aaron and Jennifer
3. Trip to British Columbia
4. Peeps in town for reunion

My dad drove up to Minnesota with a minivan full of tools and spent over a week helping us create a bigger bathroom. In summary, we tore the old drywall down, poured a little concrete, framed new walls, moved the sink, put up drywall, taped, and installed a drop-ceiling. During phase II, we will remove the old shower, finish the wall, install the new shower, put up a ceiling, and lay floor tiles. Lessons learned: tools are sweet and sanding joint compound deposits a fine powder everywhere.

Aaron and Jennifer were in town because they had siblings graduating from Macalester. As always, it was good to see them and be joined by others anxious to see the east coasters.

Marye and I spent twelve days exploring British Columbia provincial parks: Strathcona, Juan de Fuca, and Garibaldi. More later...

Tonight marks an omnium-gatherum of personalities for the class of 2001 Macalester College reunion. 63 Mac and honorary members have demonstrated stellar attendance: Jose, Sebas, Simon, Soren, Kofi, Ziyad, and Klinker. Superb.