Whistler and Winding Down
As of yesterday, I have one week left in Vancouver... how the heck has the time gone by so fast?! It feels like just last week I was getting off a plane from Montreal to start my summer internship with the BC LNG Alliance and now I am wrapping up all final projects before starting my journey home to Ontario. As my time out west has started winding down I have made sure to take advantage of this beautiful province and the city that I have called home for the past 3 months.
Last Friday (again sorry that I haven't been better at this blogging thing) I had the opportunity to go to a Vancouver Canadians baseball game! The Canadians are a minor league baseball team that serve as an affiliate team to the Toronto Bluejays. Unfortunately the Canadians did not bring their "A game" and got smoked by the Hillsboro Hops, but regardless I had a half day at work and got to sit in the sun watching baseball with my colleagues! After my glorious afternoon in the sun (that further worsened my watch tan) I went back to my apartment to pack for my big solo trip to Whistler, BC!
I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to see more of BC before I headed back to the ON. Although I have explored a ton of Vancouver and Victoria, other than my trip to Squamish with Matt, I had not seen a lot of Northern BC. So with the need for more mountains and outdoors running through my mind, I booked a trip to Whistler! This was the first solo trip that I had ever planned in my life, but I knew I needed to do so, mainly because next summer I will be living and working alone in a different country! Luckily, one of my co-workers lives in Whistler and she was able to give me the low-down on what I needed to see!
On Saturday morning I rolled (serious rolled) out of bed at 6am to prepare for my 7:30am bus to Whistler! After getting all ready and walking to my first bus stop I called my Dad as it was his birthday! We chatted for quite a while before I boarded my second bus that would take me from downtown Vancouver to Whistler in a mere 2 hours. I had been told by everyone that I work with (and by everyone I mean the 4 people who work for the Alliance) that the drive up to Whistler was extremely beautiful and that I could not miss it. As hard as I tried to keep my eyes open, after approximately 15 minutes of driving I was out cold against the window. I woke up a few times to the BMX man sitting beside me falling asleep on my shoulder, but alas "stranger danger" has no impact on the tired mind. When we arrived in Whistler, the first thing that I did as a first time traveller was hit up the information building for a map and human interaction (being alone is lonely okay)! For anyone who isn't a Whistler expert, there are 3 lakes in the area; Lost Lake, Alta Lake and Green Lake. The other main sights to see are the Whistler Village and of course Whistler Blackcomb, the renowned ski mountain. After crawling my way to the first coffee shop I could find I started by first hike to Lost Lake. Once arriving at Lost Lake Park, I was faced with the option of taking the "paved path" or the "gravel path" and in the spirit of adventure I took the vacant appearing gravel path! After 15 minutes of pure fear of getting lost in the woods, I was rewarded by my decision to take the path less travelled when I stumbled upon a nature trail that allowed you to walk alongside the lake opposed to in the forest. The lake was absolutely stunning and the sights of Whistler Blackcomb reflecting off of the water added to the beauty! I completed the entire hike around the lake in a few hours and then decided to head back to the Village for lunch. This was the very first time that I had ever eaten alone at a sit down restaurant, and it was very interesting. Although people weren't actually starring at me, I self-consciously assumed that they were and ate as quickly as possible. When I finished my meal it was around 1pm, and I wasn't able to check into the hotel until 4. I ended up commencing my second hike of the journey and wandered my way to Alta Lake. This lake was also breathtaking, as most thing in BC are, and I ended up sitting on a very secluded beach with my feet in the lake for quite a while. It was a pretty warm day so I decided to take a dip in the lake, but this definitely surprised the locals who were all fully clothed and sitting around hot plates at picnic tables. Little did they know that lakes in Ontario are 2 times as cold and 4 times as dirty! After a quick swim in a lake surrounded by massive mountains, I headed back to the Village to check-in to my hotel. At the hotel I was greeted by a gigantic bathtub that lured me in for a few hours before dinner! As I was no longer an "eat alone" rookie, I again ventured to a restaurant where I asked for a table for one on the patio. After a beautiful pizza, which will resurface later in this story, I decided to attend a free concert in the Olympic Village that my co-worker had told me about. On my walk to the village, I bumped into an old friend from school James! I was not expecting to run into him at all, but it was lovely to catch up and talk to someone who wasn't being paid to bring me food! After a very interesting "brass-house" (brass instruments mixed with EDM) concert, I headed back to my hotel for a big snooze!
My Sunday started with an early morning 8am wakeup so that I could begin my journey up Whistler Blackcomb! By 9am I was on the gondola up with mountain with two lovely families, one from Scotland and one from Germany (both of my parents backgrounds, #consipracy??) They asked several questions about Canada and I was just happy to be talking to extremely kind people! At the top of the mountain I immediately jumped on another gondola the "Peak to Peak" which as the name implies took me from one peak... to the other! At the first peak I went for a big hike that revealed amazing views of Whistler and the mountainside! I even saw a marmot peaking out between the rocks! I was extremely surprised at how vacant the trails were as it was a beautiful day, but the lack of people allowed for some beautiful photographs. After my first peak I headed back to the second via the gondola and decided to go further up into the mountains. Recently, Whistler Blackcomb installed a brand new suspension bridge that is only accessible from an open ski lift. Instantly as the lift made its way up the mountain, the temperature dropped and I could see my breath! There were large sheets of snow covering the mountain face, which added to the overwhelming beauty! After completing the stunning, but extremely touristy suspension bridge, I decided to go for another big hike. This hike, again was void of people, and brought me to some of the most astonishing views I have ever seen in my life. Again I saw another marmot (which is apparently extremely lucky as they hibernate for 9-10 months out of the year) and walked among 8 foot tall walls of snow! Halfway through this hike, my hunger struck and I pulled out my left over pizza from the night before. I sat and ate my food looking down at the "Sun Bowl" which honestly might have been the prettiest view I have ever seen in my life. After finishing this hike and making my way partway down the mountain, I commenced one last big walk before taking the gondola back down to the village. I decided that I really needed some more lake time, so I hopped on a free bus to Green Lake, which as the name implies was a beautiful crystal green lake! I went for another swim and soaked up some sun before heading back to the village for my last meal of the trip. Luckily on the bus home I didn't fall asleep and was able to watch the sunset over the mountains before making my way back into downtown Vancouver.
My trip to Whistler was definitely one of the highlights of my summer. Although travelling alone was nerve-racking at first, being able to explore the beautiful outdoors on my own and having the opportunity for self reflection was lovely and much needed. For anyone who has not had the chance to visit Whistler, I would 110% recommend it. After this trip, I feel somewhat prepared for next summer (kinda... maybe... ahh)!
My next week in Vancouver is filled with lots of fun too! Tonight I am getting my 3rd tattoo (pics will be posted ASAP)! Also, my family arrives in Vancouver on Tuesday and then we start our big out west trip before flying out of Calgary back to Hamilton! I am super excited to get to see my family again and travel with them too!
Overall, my time in BC is winding down and I have loved every minute of it. I am super lucky to have had a challenging and educational job with amazing co-workers and a supportive boss! The fact that a few of my close pals were out west didn't hurt either!
A BC lovin,
BC
Last Friday (again sorry that I haven't been better at this blogging thing) I had the opportunity to go to a Vancouver Canadians baseball game! The Canadians are a minor league baseball team that serve as an affiliate team to the Toronto Bluejays. Unfortunately the Canadians did not bring their "A game" and got smoked by the Hillsboro Hops, but regardless I had a half day at work and got to sit in the sun watching baseball with my colleagues! After my glorious afternoon in the sun (that further worsened my watch tan) I went back to my apartment to pack for my big solo trip to Whistler, BC!
I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to see more of BC before I headed back to the ON. Although I have explored a ton of Vancouver and Victoria, other than my trip to Squamish with Matt, I had not seen a lot of Northern BC. So with the need for more mountains and outdoors running through my mind, I booked a trip to Whistler! This was the first solo trip that I had ever planned in my life, but I knew I needed to do so, mainly because next summer I will be living and working alone in a different country! Luckily, one of my co-workers lives in Whistler and she was able to give me the low-down on what I needed to see!
On Saturday morning I rolled (serious rolled) out of bed at 6am to prepare for my 7:30am bus to Whistler! After getting all ready and walking to my first bus stop I called my Dad as it was his birthday! We chatted for quite a while before I boarded my second bus that would take me from downtown Vancouver to Whistler in a mere 2 hours. I had been told by everyone that I work with (and by everyone I mean the 4 people who work for the Alliance) that the drive up to Whistler was extremely beautiful and that I could not miss it. As hard as I tried to keep my eyes open, after approximately 15 minutes of driving I was out cold against the window. I woke up a few times to the BMX man sitting beside me falling asleep on my shoulder, but alas "stranger danger" has no impact on the tired mind. When we arrived in Whistler, the first thing that I did as a first time traveller was hit up the information building for a map and human interaction (being alone is lonely okay)! For anyone who isn't a Whistler expert, there are 3 lakes in the area; Lost Lake, Alta Lake and Green Lake. The other main sights to see are the Whistler Village and of course Whistler Blackcomb, the renowned ski mountain. After crawling my way to the first coffee shop I could find I started by first hike to Lost Lake. Once arriving at Lost Lake Park, I was faced with the option of taking the "paved path" or the "gravel path" and in the spirit of adventure I took the vacant appearing gravel path! After 15 minutes of pure fear of getting lost in the woods, I was rewarded by my decision to take the path less travelled when I stumbled upon a nature trail that allowed you to walk alongside the lake opposed to in the forest. The lake was absolutely stunning and the sights of Whistler Blackcomb reflecting off of the water added to the beauty! I completed the entire hike around the lake in a few hours and then decided to head back to the Village for lunch. This was the very first time that I had ever eaten alone at a sit down restaurant, and it was very interesting. Although people weren't actually starring at me, I self-consciously assumed that they were and ate as quickly as possible. When I finished my meal it was around 1pm, and I wasn't able to check into the hotel until 4. I ended up commencing my second hike of the journey and wandered my way to Alta Lake. This lake was also breathtaking, as most thing in BC are, and I ended up sitting on a very secluded beach with my feet in the lake for quite a while. It was a pretty warm day so I decided to take a dip in the lake, but this definitely surprised the locals who were all fully clothed and sitting around hot plates at picnic tables. Little did they know that lakes in Ontario are 2 times as cold and 4 times as dirty! After a quick swim in a lake surrounded by massive mountains, I headed back to the Village to check-in to my hotel. At the hotel I was greeted by a gigantic bathtub that lured me in for a few hours before dinner! As I was no longer an "eat alone" rookie, I again ventured to a restaurant where I asked for a table for one on the patio. After a beautiful pizza, which will resurface later in this story, I decided to attend a free concert in the Olympic Village that my co-worker had told me about. On my walk to the village, I bumped into an old friend from school James! I was not expecting to run into him at all, but it was lovely to catch up and talk to someone who wasn't being paid to bring me food! After a very interesting "brass-house" (brass instruments mixed with EDM) concert, I headed back to my hotel for a big snooze!
My Sunday started with an early morning 8am wakeup so that I could begin my journey up Whistler Blackcomb! By 9am I was on the gondola up with mountain with two lovely families, one from Scotland and one from Germany (both of my parents backgrounds, #consipracy??) They asked several questions about Canada and I was just happy to be talking to extremely kind people! At the top of the mountain I immediately jumped on another gondola the "Peak to Peak" which as the name implies took me from one peak... to the other! At the first peak I went for a big hike that revealed amazing views of Whistler and the mountainside! I even saw a marmot peaking out between the rocks! I was extremely surprised at how vacant the trails were as it was a beautiful day, but the lack of people allowed for some beautiful photographs. After my first peak I headed back to the second via the gondola and decided to go further up into the mountains. Recently, Whistler Blackcomb installed a brand new suspension bridge that is only accessible from an open ski lift. Instantly as the lift made its way up the mountain, the temperature dropped and I could see my breath! There were large sheets of snow covering the mountain face, which added to the overwhelming beauty! After completing the stunning, but extremely touristy suspension bridge, I decided to go for another big hike. This hike, again was void of people, and brought me to some of the most astonishing views I have ever seen in my life. Again I saw another marmot (which is apparently extremely lucky as they hibernate for 9-10 months out of the year) and walked among 8 foot tall walls of snow! Halfway through this hike, my hunger struck and I pulled out my left over pizza from the night before. I sat and ate my food looking down at the "Sun Bowl" which honestly might have been the prettiest view I have ever seen in my life. After finishing this hike and making my way partway down the mountain, I commenced one last big walk before taking the gondola back down to the village. I decided that I really needed some more lake time, so I hopped on a free bus to Green Lake, which as the name implies was a beautiful crystal green lake! I went for another swim and soaked up some sun before heading back to the village for my last meal of the trip. Luckily on the bus home I didn't fall asleep and was able to watch the sunset over the mountains before making my way back into downtown Vancouver.
My trip to Whistler was definitely one of the highlights of my summer. Although travelling alone was nerve-racking at first, being able to explore the beautiful outdoors on my own and having the opportunity for self reflection was lovely and much needed. For anyone who has not had the chance to visit Whistler, I would 110% recommend it. After this trip, I feel somewhat prepared for next summer (kinda... maybe... ahh)!
My next week in Vancouver is filled with lots of fun too! Tonight I am getting my 3rd tattoo (pics will be posted ASAP)! Also, my family arrives in Vancouver on Tuesday and then we start our big out west trip before flying out of Calgary back to Hamilton! I am super excited to get to see my family again and travel with them too!
Overall, my time in BC is winding down and I have loved every minute of it. I am super lucky to have had a challenging and educational job with amazing co-workers and a supportive boss! The fact that a few of my close pals were out west didn't hurt either!
A BC lovin,
BC
Great seats at the Canadian's game!!
Lost Lake (but I found it??)
Whistler Blackcomb peakin from behind Lost Lake
Shoutout to the Swedish mom that took this photo for me!!
My very first solo dinner!
I saw a bluejay (I think) (it might just be a blue bird)
Alta Lake (where I was the crazy Ontario swimmer)
When you eat alone you need to drink for 2 (thats how it works right??)
That little yellow hiking mans is actually me
Fitz gave me quite a view!!
Somehow it kept getting more beautiful?
Like serious how??
I really don't understand this!!
This is where I started to be able to see my breath...
Although it was chilly it was insanely beautiful!
Someone recreated the mountain in the back out of rocks!
If you look closely you can see my friend the Marmot!
A fellow hiker told me that the snow appears reddish due to the algae... and I thought yellow snow was gross!
These are the beautiful snow walls! Not pictured is myself in shorts and a t-shirt...
Beautiful views and beautiful za
The Sun Bowl aka the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen in my life
Green Lake (seriously this is GREEN)
Only in Whistler!
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