in whistler
So far, Whistler has racked up more bad points than good for me, but I’ll get to those later.
This morning Jeremy and I went to hike Joffre Lakes while my parents were at some time share sales pitch. The hike was nice at first and then it became steep and rocky and rooty and muddy and… The humidity was near 100% and it rained on and off (the rain wasn’t so bad, actually). It was warm for my tastes and incredibly buggy. We broke out some DEET and made our way up to the middle lake. It was the stunning aqua color of a glacier-fed alpine lake and the cool breeze coming off the glacier and the lake felt fantastic. This felt a lot like New Zealand – fun #2 with a lot of eye candy.
middle joffre lake
We continued on to Upper Joffre Lake and crossed several rushing streams. The runoff is quite high right now, so the streams were roaring, white, and gorgeous. We spent a short time at the upper lake and decided to head back before my mom called the CMP to come looking for us.
looking downstream toward the lake
the source glacier
the forest near the trailhead
innaugural british columbia mud on my new trail runners
After the hike, we took my parents to the farmers market in upper Whistler Village. Overrated and overpriced. But still, they had fun and the whole area had a festive feel to it because there were climbing walls, bungee bouncing, bouncy slides, and all sorts of fun things set up for kids near the lifts. We picked up a lovely gift for Erin and Caroline when we return to Seattle. I also treated my mom to some gelato.
at the whistler farmer’s market
mom digs into some coffee crunch and pistachio gelatos
My parents took us to dinner at Hy’s, which is supposed to be the best steakhouse in Whistler. Overrated and overpriced (big surprise). I was really underwhelmed here and Jeremy said I am Ego from Ratatouille, but he also agreed. It was okay, but for the price, it should have been pretty awesome. Oh well. I think Jeremy and I are not feeling the love for Whistler. It is after all, a resort town and what the hell do we want with a resort? I asked him why people like Whistler so much and he let a thoughtful moment pass before he replied, “I think it’s like Queenstown, except not nearly as good.” I don’t like the culture that exists in a destination resort town – it bleeds of money and lacks character. Whistler Village is just that, but at least QT had a little more to it.
