It was 8am Sunday morning... in a way i was glad i hadnt gone out on the Saturday night because i was struggling to beat the clock for my 9am pickup for the Moose Tour. Ashley and Susanna were still sleeping whilst i tiptoed around the hostel room trying to gather all my stuff together in the dark. I wish I'd been able to say goodbye to them, and wish them luck on their own fresh starts in vancouver but I will get in touch with them soon. I sorted out my check out, handed back my key then quickly ate some jam on toast, and by the time i had managed to drag, haul and kick my 40kilos of luggage along the hallway and down the two flights of stairs to the ground floor my tour guide Nolan was ready and waiting to help me.
So it was Bye Bye bed bugs and Helloooo back seat of a mini van with 7 other travellers- four of whom were Australian! That said, I didnt last long in the back seat- those of you who took me to the airport would know that being in the back seat of a car, with no windows and hot air does not work for me *wink wink*. As a side note, i really must aplogise to Patrick, a fellow Australian from Perth, from whom i took the front seat of the van to avoid being sick, sorry!! We headed out of the city and up to the Cypress Provincial Park viewpoint that gave us a fantastic panoramic view of the city of Vancouver. There we made our first stop and Nolan gave us our pep talk.
What a GREAT bunch of people my Mooskateers were! To break the ice we all had to introduce ourselves, a little like the name game in any new camp group back in school. Hi my name is Victoria, I arrived afew days ago from Australia and Im moving to Whistler, I wanted to do a Moose Tour so i could see some sites along the way and OH MY GOSH there is a DEER!!! It may not have happened exactly like that, but either way I couldnt help but interupt because right there, in the grassy area behind those on the opposite side of our little circle was a Deer! A wild deer, just grazing. Isn't that cool? Introductions continued, followed by jumping photos and random videoing (im pretty sure everyone in the group thought i was a crazy girl with too many cameras) and Nolan's explaination of our Sea to Sky journey, before we piled back into the bus and hit the road!
A quick stop for coffee and to buy food for our picnic, thenwe were on the Sea to Sky! What a drive!! Everywhere you looked you could see mountains rising, some already snow capped in the early fall, a gorgeous icy blue lake expanding below and all around thick green pine trees. SIGHH... picture of perfection. We drove and drove, my window wide open letting in the crisp air, but the sun was shining so it was just right. I haven't introduced you to my other tour mates yet! Nolan was our tour guide, a young Canadian guy based in Vancouver. There was Jocelyn, Jade, Sarah and Patrick- the four other Australians on the tour. Jade had already been away from home for over three months, but the others were just travelling. There was a scotsman called Pete who was quite the character, never dull and a good soul. Andy was from England and Alexandra was from Switzerland, both beautiful and friendly. I became good friends with Alex by the end of our time in Whistler. And finally there was me, I think i was the youngest in the group by a couple of years, but certainly not the most quiet of the bunch.
Our second stop was at the Stawamus Chief, one of the largest granite monoliths in the world! Nolan told us that some movies have been filmed there, Mission Impossible or something of the kind. And the granite rock really was HUGE! Here is where i learnt Photographer lesson 101- ALWAYS bring spare batery packs! Both my cameras died right as we walked onto the hiking trail, a lesson i wont soon be forgetting! The trail was amazing! Nothing like a midday hike in canvas slip ons haha, but it was worth it. We scampered up jagged rocks, and climbed the steepest flight on narrow wooden stairs Ive ever seen up the side of the mountain till we reached the first lot of falls. Though huffing and puffing there was a stunning view of the valley bellow that we enjoyed before continuing down into "twilight country". The sun was soon blocked out by the shade of pine trees, collosal reddy brown trunks loomed out of the lush earth, and old mans beard coated the branches of overhanging trees. (Old Man's Beard is that whispy green moss like plant that clings to branches and drapes down like spider webs) We made jokes about seeing a bear as i walked along beside Alexandra, though i was secretly hoping we wouldnt. The forest is so quiet though, and I felt like we really were in no mans land, except for presence of the weathered dirt path we were following. The falls were lovely, apparently 355m high! Time for a group shot... raise those antler hands to your heads and say Mooooose!! =D
We waited till we got to Whistler to stop for lunch, where we found a nice place for a picnic by Alta Lake. The lake was beautiful, just like everything else i have seen so far in Canada- still water with the picturesque mountain backdrop. It was sunny and hot, and Im not sure who suggested it, but by the time we had stopped the car four of us had agreed to jump into the lake! Pete, Andy, Alex and I. So after eating we donned our swimming attire and prepared ourselves for the worst. The cameras were rolling, the cameras on standby... Noln shouted GO and the four of us ran up the little wooden wharf.... oh my gosh getting closer what am i thinking??? one... two... three... AHHH!!
SPLASHHH!! If you have ever jumped into a cold lake in the middle of Fall off a little wooden wharf in your clothes before you will know the feeling... it was liberating!! The water was freezing, but not as cold as i had prepared myself for, and midst the screams of shock and joy, i found myself having the time of my life. We got out and jumped back in, got out again and jumped back in, each time reinventing our diving styles or as we attempted, our bring in on Spirit Fingers! I touched the slime on the bottom of the lake on impact and shivered at the icky feel of it, meanwhile reassuring myself that though the street nearby was name Lake Placid, a giant ancient Crockodile was not about to come eat me. It was so much FUN! I was buzzing for hours afterwards, despite having saturated my under garments.
After the group settled into their chalet, Andy, Patrick, Pete, Alex and myself headed into Whistler Village. Whistler village is adorable. It has a definite holiday heir about it, as well as an essence of the Swiss Alps. Alex commented that it feels a lot like home when she first entered the main square. Its quaint, and neat with rustic buildings, paved walkways and little cafes with flower boxes and umbrellas everywhere. Again, it was sunny and we could clearly see the tops of the mountains overlooking the village. Playing tourist, we decided to ride the GONDOLA up to the top of Whsitler Blackcomb!
22minutes to the top, and 12 minutes across the Peak to Peak each way... the view was Spectacular!! We kept an eye out for bears but didnt see any... I'll see a bear one day haha. We posed with the cougar statue, Jumped on the mountain tops, and enjoyed the view before heading back down the mountain. When we were in town we also tried Poutine- the Canadian dish of hot chips, cheese and gravy, and Beaver Tails which are a flat doughy kind of pastry with Cinnamon and Sugar mmmmmm so good! Like a softer, fatter, flatter version of a Churro haha.
We had dinner back at the chalet, Nolan made amazing burgers, and that meant the end of my Moose Tour. I was lucky enough to get a lift back to Nicole's house in Bayshores, where i have been staying since, but the fun wasn't over yet. The next day we went out on Green Lake.
I will write again later..... its difficult catching up on the blog because so much has happened since the Moose tour. Ill fill you in the the Green Lake Escapade soon. Till then, adios.
Victoria.
p.s. Missing you all very much! Enjoy the beach for me! I am missing the sound of the waves and the sand in my toes.
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