EXPLORE BC // JOFFRE LAKES (SNOWSHOE EDITION)
Although the summer season is the prime time to hike and explore new trails, I've fallen greatly in love with snowshoe hiking over the past two winters. Starting with our trip to Mount Hood National Park in Oregon last March and continued with our little trip to Pemberton this past March, I've developed a deep fascination with winter hiking-- whether it be trekking through the pristine snow, enjoying the gorgeous scenery of snow-capped trees and mountains, or drinking in the sight of the sunshine sparkling over untouched banks of snow. Yes, I know that I'm about two months late in posting about these hikes, but better late than never!
In mid-March of this year, the besties and I planned our now traditional spring hiking trip to the lovely mountain town of Pemberton. While the town itself is almost non-descript (it had but one good supermarket and coffee shop), the surrounding mountains and backcountry trails are incredible. Since we are far from being winter hiking experts, we decided to choose trails that were relatively safe and of intermediate-level difficulty. For our first hike, we drove three hours from home to Joffre Lakes-- a popular hike that I have already completed twice during the summertime. This particular trail boasts three gorgeously turquoise glacial lakes, has a round-trip length of 10 km with an elevation gain of 370 m, and usually is completed within 4 or less hours.
This time around, we were to discover that the wintertime experience was completely different-- the minimal amount of hikers we met along the way and the thick blanket of snow over the familiar landscape transformed it from an overly-crowded tourist hike into a magical escape from civilization.
Prior to reaching the second lake, we were absolutely confounded by how many would-be "hikers" we passed who were despicably underprepared for the elements. For instance, we saw a group of teenage girls wearing SHORTS and SNEAKERS. Considering that the parking lot was filled with snow and ice, I do not understand why they would think that it was okay to go hiking up the mountain in that kind of attire. While I'm sorry for ranting, this is one matter that I feel very strongly about-- especially since being in the backcountry can be dangerous and being properly prepared can be the difference between life and death/serious injury.
Anyways, when we reached the second lake, I realized that the body of water was frozen almost completely solid. As a result, I happily ran down and began taking photos on the glacial lake (something you definitely don't get to do everyday). My companions were slightly more apprehensive of the ice than I was and needed a little coaxing to walk down onto it. However, in a few minutes, we all were stomping around the lake and enjoying the spectacular lake-level views.
After we drank in our fill of the alpine views, we made our way a short distance further to the third lake. This particular area brings you wonderfully close to the Matier Glaicer; in fact, many lucky hikers can camp underneath the glacier for the night during the summertime. As it was, you could just walk straight across the lake during mid-March to get to the glacier (as we have visited the glacier before, we settled for looking at Matier from the opposite, much-closer side of the lake).
I took quite a few close-ups of the glacier as Tia, my artist bestie, requested them for her art studies. I was only too happy to accommodate when the views were this incredible! When we had taken enough photos to satisfy ourselves, we found a comfortable spot to sit down and proceeded to have a mini-picnic. While chomping away at our snacks, we watched other groups of hikers and their cute dogs enjoy walking across the lake; as well, we witnessed a few brave backcountry skiiers coming down the glacier!
After about forty minutes, we began to feel the wind chill and decided to hike back down to the parking lot. Happily, snowshoeing downhill is always the easiest part and we were back at our car in about half the time it took us to reach the top. Following that, we visited Pemberton for a hot cup of hot chocolate (and other assorted hot beverages) and to buy some groceries from the local supermarket. Finally, we returned to our room (which, while far from fancy, was spacious and provided us with a fully-equipped kitchenette) and enjoyed the rest of evening watching Thor: Rangarok and other fun movies (while bingeing on snacks galore).
Would you want to hike Joffre Lakes during the wintertime/late spring?
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