Burrito West Blog

Here is the rule. I will go backpack camping if it means I get to experience places and scenery I can't any other way. The Garibaldi trip from last year is an excellent example - that is the most beautiful place I have ever been to.

I've also discovered the fun of camping with other women and I've learned tricks from them on how to make back country camping more pleasant. So, I joined three friends on a trip to Manning Park to hike Heather Trail to Kicking Horse campsite.

The weather was supposed to be lovely the whole weekend. It wasn't.

We drove to manning Park Thursday night, having booked a car camping spot so we could hit the trail head earlier on Friday. We arrived and set up our tents in the dark and enjoyed a fire. Friday morning we packed our bags and headed to the trail head. Then drove back down to the lodge to get our back country permits. Then we drove to the trail head again. Bit of a late start. And instead of warm and sunny, it was overcast and had drizzled earlier. This was where I realized I did not have a pack cover. So I shoved a plastic bag over the top and hoped the rain held off.


The nice part of Heather trail is that you start at an elevation of 2000m and get to enjoy lovely scenery immediately and wildflowers show up pretty quickly. It's pretty amazing.

We were a bit worried about the arctic wind that kept blowing over us. No rain, but it was COLD. We layered on clothing and I was glad I packed a rain coat even though the forecast said sunny. At one point we discussed turning back, given the weather. We had seen the revised forecast of a low of 6deg down at the lodge and we're we up high enough to knock several degrees off that. We were all a bit worried but decided to press on and see how tomorrow looked. It was 13.5km to the campsite.



The last km went on forever but we made it to camp and found 1 spot empty so we crammed 3 tents on it and hastily made supper while trying not to freeze. At this point I was wearing a shirt, a fleece, a sweater, and a jacket. My feet and hands were getting the worst of it.

We had amazing chili made and dehydrated by one of the women on the trip. It was the best camping food I've ever had. We all agreed to skip dessert to facilitate getting into sleeping bags more quickly with the hope of being warm. I was glad to be sharing a tent, hopeful that would help with the cold. I tucked all of me into my bag with my kobo and reading light, with all of my clothes still on. I managed to get warmed up and get some sleep.

The next morning we woke up to overcast and cold weather. Maybe a bit warmer? We had a hot breakfast and I tried to look on the bright side - cold meant no bugs! We hiked to Nicomen Lake (15 km round-trip) to keep warm, since it was too chilly to relax at camp. It was a beautiful hike even with the cloud cover.

Everyone had a good sense of humour, so the weather couldn't really ruin the trip. And we never got rained on, so we were ok. We got back to camp and put on our bug hats. It had warmed up enough for the bugs to come out! We made another delicious dinner and the bugs had gone by the time we sat down to eat.


The next morning we woke up to sun! Amazing! 

We opted for a simple, quick breakfast so we could get going sooner. Broke camp and packed up, heaving packs on our backs and starting the walk to civilization. Early on one of us had a foot issue so we redistributed the weight from her pack to the 3 of us to try and avoid injury. She made it, in pain, but it didn't get worse, thank goodness. Can't say I loved the heavier pack, but it was nice teamwork and we all survived.

The hike back with clear skies was amazing - like a totally different route. Walking through sub-alpine meadows full of wildflowers with mountain peak backdrops never gets old.



We were slow partly because of heavy packs and foot issues and partly because it was so stunning. After 5 hours, I was super happy to see the parking lot. We threw our packs in the back, took off our hiking boots and we're deliriously happy. Then we went to the nearest pub for burgers. Post hike burgers are pretty awesome.


I've never camped in the cold before. I get cold so easily and it makes me pretty miserable, so I've avoided it. I will continue to do so, but the fact that I still chalk this trip up as a success says something about the fabulous company I was in. Good humour, good sports, supportive, etc. We had a great time. Good friends are good.

I do suspect I will be really over packed for my next camping trip. Long John's and down jackets, even for camping in August.

All the photos from this trip are here, including one of me in my very stylish bug hat:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/lisabrideau/albums/72157671611429325/with/28696406436/ 

Photo of  a back country camper!