Last Days of Summer

Joffre Lakes

Today we’re hiking the three Joffre Lakes located just north of Pemberton. Gorgeous views make this a well-traveled trail during the summer. The view from Lower Joffre Lake gives us a good vantage point of our end goal: the spectacular Matier Glacier that looms high in the distance.

From the lower lake the trail is a 5.5km upward climb through old growth forest, over a boulder field, and Joffre Creek.

We arrive at Middle Joffre Lake at an elevation of 1540m. At this point we’ve already covered most of the elevation gain and the final push to Upper Joffre Lake is fairly short. We’re only sorry we didn’t bring swimwear to take a dip in the inviting lake.

We arrive at Upper Joffre Lake just in time for lunch.

The trail guides us around the south tip of the lake for a close up of Matier Glacier.

Having worked up hearty appetites we end another spectacular summer day in Whistler at another of our favourite restaurants, Alta Bistro. The good folks here work with local organic farms, Oceanwise seafood and hormone and antibiotic-free meat.

Ghost Busting in Parkhurst

Another tempting place to visit in Whistler Village is Purebread Bakery. After much deliberation Sandi chooses the Buckwheat Sour Cherry Scone and Tim the Apple Galette and Lemon Basil Blueberry Scone. Well-sustained, we’re off to do a little ghost busting.

Decades ago, starting in the 1920s, logging was Whistler’s supporting industry. Eventually the logging industry slowed down and in the 1950s the busy community of Parkhurst, perched on the far shore of Green Lake, was abandoned. As recent as the late 90s a few houses remained standing but the merciless winters with crushing snow has collapsed all but one. For the most part the town has disintegrated and now lies as a ghost town. To get there we follow the Sea-to-Sky trail, a few kilometers north of Whistler Village.

Once on the Parkhurst Trail the mossy, picturesque forest takes on a surreal, spooky feel.

Has a ghost been nibbling here?

We come across several abandoned vehicles in town. An old, rusty car, an older truck and an ancient and enormous logging tractor perched as it was decades ago on the edge of the lake. It’s like a giant museum exhibit.

Abandoned in the 1950s the last remaining house of twenty houses is painted with a haunting apparition of a face.

A curious Stellar’s Jay, whose colour reflects the painting, stops by to see what we’re up to.

Old bottles still litter the town.

Sandi scouts the house for friendly ghosts.

We find ourselves trying to imagine what life was like here so many years ago.

Back in the land of the living we end our ghostly adventure on our favourite patio, The Den Restaurant, at Nicklaus North Golf Club.