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Canada: Day 6 - Garibaldi Provincial Park and Mount Price

Rok and me were spending our vacation in BC, Canada. Our main plan in British Columbia was to go camping and hiking for a couple of days. Because of the weather we shortened our hike & camp trip to 2 days.

In the morning we used the carpool app Poparide and a Polish guy took us from Chilliwack to Vancouver. From there we took the train to a bus station, that should take us to the start of our hike. Our only request was, if the driver can stop for a second on the exit, so we could get out of the bus at 3/4 of the way. Well, an annoying female conductor immediately canceled our request, so we started considering our options. New plan was to get the bus near the Highway and then we wanted to hitchhike toward the Garibaldi Provincial Park. After half an hour of thumbing we started considering new options, but finally someone stopped and we got a ride to Squamish, half way to our destination. The guy who gave us a ride was recently on vacation in Slovenia, so we had many topics to talk about. He told us about some climbing spots, fishing and how Sea to Sky Gondola was sabotaged. In Squamish he dropped us of near the visitor's centre, where we had a cup of tea, before we continued searching for a ride. It was easier here and the next guy took us straight to the parking lot, where our hike began. A short detour spared us an hour of walking.

We were back on our timeline and we started hiking. The track was long and not steep at all, so it suit us and our heavy backpacks. On the way we overtook many scholars, who obviously had a plan to spent a few days outside. The trail run through a dense forest, but from time to time it was interrupted with a small lake, creek or the Barrier. After a few hours we finally arrived to our destination, Garibaldi Lake. Amazing turquoise colors made our cameras busy. We found the campsite and we quickly ate something. Since we didn't have the spot reservation, we left our things in the main building and we decided to pick them up later, after the hike to Mount Price, 2052 m. The view opened in all directions and some breath taking photos were recorded. The clock was ticking, sun was going down, so we had to return back to the campsite. We cooked the dinner and then we searched for a free spot. We found a good one and we set our tent. Sore muscles and cold evening convinced us, that it is time to move to our sleeping bags, hopefully without being spotted by the park guards, who control the permits for staying in the park overnight, as we didn't have it. Good night.

Previous days of our trip to Canada: Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1.

Our first ride was to Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), where they even speak their own Squamish language.

Nearby the visitors centre we saw also the Stawamus Chief, a huge cliff-faced granite massif.

Thumbing on the Sea to Sky Highway

 

Nice and not too steep trail through the forest with some geocaching

View of The Barrier, which was declared unstable in 1981 and resulted in the evacuation of the village of Garibaldi.

Sight from Barrier viewpoint

Barrier Lake was on our way

 

We also crossed some creeks on the way

 

Rubble Creek is the main outflow from Garibaldi Lake. It flows into the Cheakamus River near the abandoned settlement of Garibaldi.

And we arrived to the famous Garibaldi Lake.

Garibaldi Lake lies in a deep subalpine basin, with its surface at nearly 1,500 m above sea level and a depth exceeding 250 m. It is almost entirely surrounded by mountains except at its northwestern tip, with volcanoes along the north, west, and south sides and non-volcanic peaks along the northeast and eastern shores.

Garibaldi Lake is a turquoise-coloured alpine lake in British Columbia, located 37 km north of Squamish and 19 km south of Whistler. The lake lies within Garibaldi Provincial Park, which features mountains, glaciers, trails, forests, flowers, meadows, waterfalls. The park is a wildlife protected area.

Mount Price is the peak in the middle

A series of lava outcrops along the shore of the lake form the numerous tiny Battleship Islands, several of which have been connected to the shore by simple man-made stone causeways.

Conquering one of the islands

Photographer Rok

View to the shore with some campground facilities

Camera was busy all the time

Sphinx Glacier in the distance and the volcanoes of Mount Price and Clinker Peak at right.

The tip of Black Tusk became visible

Time to move on, towards Mount Price. Luckily without heavy backpacks.

While we gained height, the Black Tusk revealed itself

Black Tusk, 2319 m, Panorama Ridge, 2133 m, Gentian Peak, 2197 m and Garibaldi Lake

 

Whenever the view opened, we had a great view

Above the tree line

Same old scenery

Ascending on the ridge between Clinker Peak, 1992 m and Mount Price.

View from an unknown peak between Clinker Peak and Mount Price.

Beautiful day

View to the South from the saddle. We can see The Table, 2021 m, and Mount Garibaldi, 2678 m.

Table Mountain is a high flow-dominated andesite tuya. The Table is almost impossible to climb because sections of the volcano have collapsed, creating steep and exceptionally rotten rock walls on all sides.

 

Over some fresh snow patches I finally conquered the top of Mount Price, 2052 m.

Our campsite is on the left side of the lake

Tuši and Black Tusk

Amazing vew to the North

Time to return back. I used a little different route.

Goodbye stratovolcano Mount Price.

Blueberries, food for bears and also for me.

Mount Price, unknown peak and Clinker Peak, considered  a volcanic vent of Mount Price, that produced two large lava flows approximately 9000 years ago, that ponded against the retreating continental ice sheet and formed The Barrier, containing Garibaldi Lake.

Pure nature

Sphinx Glacier on the other side of the lake.

Lake as a mirror

Back in Garibaldi Lake Campground, that has around 50 tent sites. Our peak for tomorrow, Panorama Ridge, is in the middle.

Last photo, before we moved back into the forest.

 

Time for dinner. Afterwards we "hid" our belongings in the safe storage.

Garibaldi Provincial Park and Mount Price - Garmin Connect

6th day in Canada - From Chilliwack to Garibaldi Park

GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Travelduck / Cestokačka", TB5RB16 and "Gallotia Mystery", TB7372G, until one was dropped off):
- Rufous Hummingbird @ Rose Park, GC493C4
- 2.5 Mile Mark, GC4HE64, where I retrieved a trackable item "Travel Bug VALENTIN", TB6RV75 and it stayed with me for the rest of the day
- The Barrier Earthcache, EarthCache, GCMGD5
- Lakeside outpost, GCPJVV
- Traversing the Highlands of Garibaldi, GC5Y5F6, where I dropped off trackable item "Travelduck / Cestokačka", TB5RB16
- The Great Garibaldi Tour: Garibaldi Lake, GC5XKRX, where I retrieved a trackable item "Travel Fish Geocoin Rainbow Trout", TB59XCZ