By Vanessa Brazeau
If you’re looking for new spots to camp this summer, Joffre Lakes is worth considering for a true wilderness adventure. There is something about boiling your own water, peeing into a hole and eating dehydrated food that no other vacation can can give a girl. Cell phones become useful only for telling time and locating bear spray in the dark. Days without mirrors liberate us from society’s expectations of beauty and reveal how ridiculous they really are.

About a half hour north of Pemberton, the parking lot marks the beginning of the trail that extends just over 5km to the base of the Glacier. The hike is steep and intense- about 80% Grouse Grind and 20% Awkward Boulder Fields. That being said it’s probably in your interest to pack light (I made the mistake of taking two bottles of wine, a guitar, and textbooks). But when you get to the top you’ll soon forget about your burning thighs because the views make it more than worth the trek. The colour of the water is a surreal blue and the enormity of the glacier is stunning.

Stick to the essentials for your overnight stay, and keep in mind that there are no fires allowed when packing your food. We brought up a propane operated burner and to make our classics- maple baked beans, bread, trail mix, oatmeal. We also tried a made-for-camping meal; a Mexican Casserole with an expiry of 2019. It was the best thing I have ever eaten out of a bag. They can be purchased at MEC or Canadian Tire with a slew of other camping basics. You will want to bring a water filter, to save any weight you can.

The best advice I can give about Joffre is to bring warm, multiple layers and a decent sleeping bag. It gets REALLY cold at night. Marta and I overlooked that weather at 9000 feet is not as warm as at sea level, but we improvised by climbing into the same sleeping bag to share body heat. It proved successful and also quite romantic as we were put to sleep by sounds of the Glacier crashing above us and the downpour of surrounding waterfalls.

If you aren’t the camping type, Joffre is also a great day trip, the hike would take about 2 hours each way without any gear. I do recommend you tough it out and go for the overnight experience. Waking up to the view is pretty damn profound and humbling. You will never hate Monday mornings in the city the same way again.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/joffre_lks/