Warmish In Squamish
We packed up early and checked out of our hotel and after a quick brekky of eggs on toast, bundled ourselves and our bags into our cute rental car and headed for the hills. Ross’ brain clicked into gear and into right-hand-side-driving mode quicker than ever and we began the picturesque drive along the aptly named Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler. The views, literally ALL the way, were incredible. The autumn colours were so vibrant and vivid – it looked like someone had gone around with a red spray can and given them all a touch up. It was insanely beautiful. Not only were the trees showing off for us but the mountains going down to the bright, pale blue sea were drop-dead gorgeous too.
We took everyone’s advice and followed the turnoff to Shannon Falls at Squamish. There’s just something about the mountains, no matter where you are in the world, that puts a spring in your step. The air is fresher, the grass is greener, everyone is eating nuts and muesli bars and protein drinks. All you have to do is strap on a backpack and you feel healthier than you did five minutes before…with an overwhelming desire to hike. It’s a great feeling. Apart from that, it’s always so humbling to look up at a vast mass of land, rising out of the earth and into the clouds, dwarfing all in its shadow.
We could see the snowy peaks peeking through the trees as we parked our car, and joining a thousand campervans in the car park, set off on foot, up the path towards the waterfall. With a very different look and feel to the Aussie bush we were used to the forest was dense with dark green pines, mossy logs with damp, gnarly tree roots underfoot. We wouldn’t have been surprised if Yogi Bear had stepped out from behind a tree. (He would’ve loved the clearing at the foot of the trail with pic-a-nic tables too.) Cobweb-like hanging moss dripped from the tree branches in wisps, giving the forest, what Maisy described as an “enchanted” feel.
A Chinese tour bus had pipped us to the post and when we reached the viewing platform for the magnificent falls, we had to queue to get photos. They were standing on rocks, balancing on fences and thrusting their selfie sticks aloft in an effort to capture the magnitude and beauty of the waterfall. It really was incredible and our photos certainly didn’t do it justice.
After the crowd had subsided and we’d been able to appreciate Shannon Falls in all her full blown glory, we made our way up to the Sea to Sky Gondola. The temperature today was an unseasonable 26 degrees and we weren’t complaining. Everyone was shedding layers left, right and centre as we waited to board the cabin. The gondola rose quite steeply and the 7 occupants of our cabin let out a collective “WOW!” as soon as we began to rise. What a view! The water below was shimmering and you could see for miles. Checking out the map for a good route to take, we ‘hiked’ (always sounds more impressive than ‘walked’, though walking was essentially what we were doing) up the Panorama Trail, taking the Lookback track that went in a big loop. There was no looking back once we’d started. The view from the top was totally breathtaking, surrounded by mountains, the water way below. It was stunning.
We were served lunch by an Australian girl and a Kiwi guy and thought it was a bit of a novelty to hear their accents since the Canadian drawl we’d been hearing had become so familiar now. Little did we know…
Entering Whistler, we realised there were two hotels with virtually the same name. When we pulled into the carpark, the doorman, who was incidentally Australian, told us about the two hotels and wanted to clarify we were at the right one. “Yes, yes, yes”, I said confidently as he loaded every single one of our bags onto the trolley. “No, no, no”, said the girl at the check-in counter, (who also happened to hail from the land downunder) “You are at the other one… and the poor guy had to cart all the bags back to the car and reload them into the boot. He took it surprisingly in his stride and then told us his mum had lived in Narrabeen, just up the road from us. He welcomed us to “Whistralia” and said he wasn’t the last Aussie we’d come across that day. He wasn’t wrong. In fact, we’re not sure if there are any Canadians living or working in Whistler at all. They are all Australian.
Making conversation about our day, the doorman at our hotel asked us what we’d been up to that morning. Ross piped up to tell him that we’d been to Shannon Falls and had loved it. He asked if Ross had tried Brandy Wine yet and Ross said, “oh no, I’ll have to give it a taste, is it nice?”. Slapping his thigh, the guy burst into jubilant laughter and said in all 8 years he’d had that job, he’d never had that response before. Brandy Wine Falls. It’s a waterfall.
Whistler village is absolutely gorgeous, with its cobbled streets closed to cars, little stone walls and bridges and its big fairytale chalets with gables and turrets everywhere. There are rows of cute shops and boutiques lining the streets and restaurants with sprawling outdoor eating areas under umbrellas and maple trees with the brightest of bright red foliage amongst the green. The mountainside, a playground for snowboarders and skiers in winter, was transformed, with mounds and jumps, crawling with a multitude of mountain bikes. There are bikes everywhere!
We had a quiet drink in an Irish beer garden as we warmed in the afternoon sun and watched all the action on the hill, and dinner in a great restaurant where we met some more Sydney-siders and a waitress that went to Ross’ school. What are the chances?
Just near the huge sign that warned people to be ‘Bear Smart’ and not go taking selfies with bears (do they really need a sign?), was Cow’s Icecream, with the bold claim: Canada’s Best Icecream emblazoned across its window. It would have been a crime not to test their claim. Now is a good time to draw attention to the Canadians’ undying love for maple…maple syrup, maple cookies, maple caramel, maple trees, maple jam, maple leaves, maple bacon (for goodness’ sake!), maple everything. There had been two whole aisles in the supermarket devoted solely to maple syrup. They can’t get enough of the stuff. Back in Cow’s Ice creamery, I reckon at least half the Icecream flavours were somehow maple related. Having said that, I had maple cookie flavour and Ross had maple cream (and they were pretty damn delicious!).
