Whistler Peak Adventure

I'm not going to lie, the morning was a bit rough. We had a slight lie-in (by previous train standards), called in a later pick-up time with the car rental place, and re-shuffled our luggage to make sense. My mother said I looked like I had been hit by a truck. It was an accurate assessment really, but I like to think I made a bit of a Rock & Roll comeback by the time we left for the day.

Car rental people were lovely and we were on the road (in a sporty grey Mazda 3), stocked with extremely large coffees, some yummy banana bread, and excellent directions by late morning.

The drive to Whistler is beautiful. There is a tonne of pre-Olympic construction underway, but the drive was smooth and the weather was beautiful.

Once in Whistler, we bought our tickets for the gondola and headed straight up the mountain. It's a beautiful view and was my first chance to see a big bear trekking along the mountain. I swear he had a big collar on, but no one here seems to think the people in Whistler do this...? Up at the top, we sat out on the patio and took in the surrounding mountain tops, while enjoying a cold beer and a yummy burger at the Roundhouse Restaurant.

What followed was a tricky trek to the Peak chair lifts. Though marked "easy" according to the Whistler people's sporty assessment, it is a bit of an understatement for those less sporty or mobility impaired. Consider closed footwear and a walking stick if any of these issues apply. Mom was determined and a super trooper, so we took our time and made it down. Go figure, you have to go down to go back up!

Once on the chair lift, I can't even explain how amazing the view was. Two years ago, Laura and I had made it as far as the Roundhouse, but missed the last chair lift. I was busy trying to make good from a bad situation and didn't really think too much about how different things can be after just a short ride up a mountain. It really is just breathtaking. I think it ranks in my top ten Zen Happy Places. I went on a couple extremely short trails to check things out and sat briefly on a rock facing the surrounding mountain ranges. A guy passed by and said it was a shame the rock wasn't flatter for some yoga. Strangely, I had just been thinking the same thing. Then he said, "never mind, just stay there and the zen will come to you." B. C. is frickin' lovely :)

We picked up a pizza for the ride home and made a quick stop at Porteau Cove fora peak at one of my favourite pit-stop places along the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Then, straight home for another face-plant.