A 3-day hiking trip with the Ferguson’s took us into the Valhalla region west of Slocan. The first day saw us driving from Kelowna to Fauquier, stopping in for a beer with our friends Bud and Roberta, then continuing on to the Lemon Creek Lodge south of Slocan. A quiet and idyllic piece of this province, and the food is excellent! The lodge was our base for the following 2 days. On Friday, we drove 40km on gravel roads to the trailhead for the Gwillim Lakes hike. 15+km in about 5:30 hrs … that’s what it took to make about 1000m elevation gain to the gorgeous meadow at Gwillim Lakes (past Drinnon and Wicca Lakes). Only slightly delayed by a dog incident (Kootenai got too close to a porcupine, and I had to pull out the quills that were stuck in his nose and mouth one by one … with much crying and bleeding!), we had mostly sunshine (well, one short snow storm!) and really enjoyed this beautiful piece of the mountains.
The following day was a lazier one, with coffee stops in New Denver and Nakusp, and a trip to natural hot springs north of Nakusp. It was actually a much-needed rest day for the loooong day that is Ironman Canada the next day (Sunday). After watching the swim start and finish, Valentina and I manned the penalty tent at Yellow Lake. We were busy so the time flew by. Back in town, we saw some of our friends finish and others already enjoying the post-race bliss! Congratulations to everybody who finished the race!