elements in motion: lost in pemberton

Overnight Sensation rock roller with Pemberton in the background.

Anyone who has ever been to Pemberton will know that it has probably never been referred to as paradise. But the town itself wasn't what pulled us there…

Driving out of Whistler, we were filled with anticipation: Whistler is one of those 'must see' places with insane biking, but a somewhat plastic and superficial feel to the town. So leaving felt like the true beginning of our trip. We had equipped our camper and pretty much had the freedom to stop wherever we liked.

Camped out at Nairn Falls, not too shabby.

Whistler at our back, fresh coffee (we went for the dark side) and the open road.

It was our first rest day, and we didn't have much on our minds more than hanging out in the sun and maybe going for a swim. Half an hour down the road we rolled into Pemberton. A visit to the tourist info and the local bike store topped up our activity list.

Welcome to the jungle: way to many mosquitos made for high speed photography.

That afternoon we hiked up to Joffre Lakes. On our way up, 2 hikers passed us walking in shorts, ski boots, and carrying skies and full glacier gear. It seemed bizarre with temperatures in the not so mild 30C range. Arriving at the second lake I knew that I had to swim, the water was too perfect and serene only to take a photo before walking back down. So I threw myself in. The water was so cold that it felt like my flesh was being flayed off my bones! But when in Canada…

Swim anyone?

So much for our day of rest, we arrived back after 4hrs riddled with Mosquito bites.

The following day, feeling somewhat stiff from our hike the day before, we headed out early to beat the heat. Pemberton has no lift access for the huge trail network. So if you wanna ride, you gotta pedal. Our mission: Overnight Sensation down to Mosquito Lake for a swim finishing with Cream Puff. Heading up the logging road, often too steep to pedal, we were grateful for what shade the trees offered. But eventually we made it to the trail head and then the fun began.

Lost, daydreaming and shredding dirt on Overnight Sensation, worth the pedal!

So 4 days after leaving Whistler, we have driven less than 200km. Yesterday, not even half way into our 5hr drive to Kamloops, we drove past a lake that looked like Mauritius: turquoise water and (later we found out) corral heads. We jumped in to wash off the dust from the dry heat. Finding a campsite just down the road on the same lake put an end to our day of driving and we called it home for the night. We shared our camp with many friends: snakes, woodpeckers, chipmunks and even a few beers with some bikers from Bern.