Wednesday, September 4
Tuesday night we stayed in an unusual hostel called “The Cube”. It was a cross between a boutique hotel and a hostel. The rooms were more like a small motel without a shower. There were several private showers in a central area that the guests shared and a “living room”, kitchen and large eating area. Like a hostel, you could keep your own food in the refrigerator and cook when you liked. But, like a hotel, they provided waffles, juice etc for breakfast. This however, was the first time on our trip that I was not completely comfortable with the level of cleanliness of our room and for those of you who know me, you can bet that I will not be staying in a “Cube” again.
We woke up Wednesday morning eager to explore and hike the mountains surrounding the tiny town of Revelstoke. Another glorious day in Canada! We drove 30 minutes along switchbacks to reach the parking lot where we would hike to the summit.
Even after more that a week in Canada, the altitudes were still taxing while hiking. We were on high alert for bears as we had been given sufficient warnings over and over by the park rangers.
I wish I could say that this was a carefree day ~ the truth is that while my eyes were wide open to the raw, untouched beauty of the landscape, the fact that we were so secluded and in the company of very few other people, only heightened my senses to the presence of predators in the area. Anna and I sang and talked and clapped as we hiked, making sure the probability of coming face to face with a Grizzly was very low. We met a family from Germany and enjoyed discussing the places we had been and hearing more about their country.
I was hoping.to see more wild flowers than we actually observed. It should have been the peak season for them, but they were few and far between. We reached the summit and found several ponds and lakes to explore. We found trees that had long since lost their life, but still stood as the growing/decaying processes have very little time between the frigid cold that occupies much of the seasons. We enjoyed reading about the native tribal inhabitants of the area and how they came to settle the Kootenay region of Canada.
Our new friends from Germany invited us to have “a coffee” with them at an overlook, but we had plans in Nelson for the night and a long drive ahead of us. How is it that when you are on an adventure without a timetable that you don’t have time to sit and talk with new friends? It didn’t seem right. I found myself wishing I had a do-over. I won’t make that mistake again.
Living All In 