Joffre Lakes Hike
I had been bugging C to go with me to Joffre Lakes for the longest time, so I was so excited to finally be able to visit this beautiful place! My friend RV was visiting town and she wanted to go hiking as well, and I said, by hook or by crook we HAVE to see Joffre Lakes. So glad that we were able to make it happen, in spite of the rainy couple days and my piles of work and emails, haha! Honestly, being an entrepreneur, weekends (and especially holidays) can be hard to come by, it takes so much more work to prepare for holidays to happen. I do my best to allot time for rest, such on Sundays, but with C's health lately we haven't been able to go on little adventures like these, so please still keep him in your prayers as we would probably need to switch medication soon as he hasn't gotten any better.
What usually keeps people to heading to Joffre Lakes honestly has been the long drive heading there. Coming from Richmond, it takes about 3 hours without traffic. We left 6AM today, so there really wasn't a ton of cars on the road. There was quite a bit of activity and slowness when you pass by Whistler, but right after that, it's quite smooth sailing as you head up north past Pemberton.
Once we arrived, it was only just past 9, so there weren't a ton of cars in the parking lot just yet! There's also two pit toilets right at the entrance to the park. In about 100 meters, you would see the Lower Joffre Lake. So gorgeous, seriously! It was still quite foggy and cloudy at this time, but just beautiful.
Then, we hiked to the Middle Joffre Lake. There's a little bit of an uphill climb throughout this portion, around 2.5-3 km. The path was really quite nice during this part, not a ton of rocks or muddy areas at all.
Loved weaving in and out of the trees and just seeing the beauty of this place! So breathtaking.
Once did a couple of the uphill climbs, the sun started to peak through the clouds - so incredibly gorgeous! Look at that view! Later on, on our way down we actually was able to see the Lower lake.
We encountered a little section where we could taste some of the clear mountain water, and as expected it was incredibly refreshing. Whoever set this up... thumbs up to you ;)
Ah, it was just so incredible seeing the sun shine through the trees and the fog slowly dissipating... all my worries and struggles just melting away in the midst of the beauty of God's creation.
Finally, we reach the second lake! This lake, like the first was absolutely stunning with its clear turquoise waters. If you know me you know I love this color so much. Those tall trees just left me awestruck. This little portrait section here was probably my absolute favorite.
Here you can get a little peek of the snow-capped mountains as well.
From this point, it's only about 1 km left. I am guessing it rained yesterday or perhaps through the night, so it was really muddy. There's a ton of rocks as well, but I love varied terrain when I hike, so this was really fun for me.
On our way to the Upper Lake, we found this amazing falls. It really looked like a ladder with tons of water thundering down the slopes.
Here's my friend RV saying hello!
And finally, we reach the third and final lake... the Upper Joffre Lake! So absolutely breathtaking. The glaciers / snow-capped mountains, the turquoise waters and the beautiful green trees. Could not help but praise God and thank Him for the perfect weather.
We arrived around 10:40 PM here, so that meant our hike in only took about an hour and 20 minutes, and we really weren't rushing through it at all. When we headed back, it was a little faster so we finished around 2.5 hours in total. Way far from the 4-5 hour hike that was stated! I promise you, we stopped so many times to take photos.. the drive took longer to get here. On our way down, there was definitely a ton more people on a seemingly quiet Tuesday morning, so I can totally imagine that it would take longer on a busy day.
Here's a snap of me and RV at the third lake. I've known RV since I was 3, and it was so nice to catch up with her since I hadn't seen her for almost 2 years. It's always such a blessing to pray and worship with a fellow Christian friend, and enjoy little adventures like these together. These friendships are so scarce and hard to find, so I really praise God for her.
All in all it was such an amazing trip, so beautiful, and so blessed to be able to do it. I really need more breaks like these, seriously! My heart is so full.
Love,
K