Joffre Lakes

The moment I saw a photo online of Jeffre Lakes I knew I had to see them for myself. Located well past Pemberton, they're hardly local, but Whitney and I calculated the amount of daylight we would need to snowshoe all three lakes in one day and deemed it doable. So at daybreak we left downtown, with cappuccinos in hand, and drove three hours to the trailhead. 

The lakes were completely frozen over and topped with a layer of snow. The first of the three is right at the start of the trailhead and had wisps of low-lying clouds.

The bulk of the hike is the trail that links the first lake with the other two that lay just beneath the glacier. It's a steep climb, but not too long. We figure it took us less than two hours to reach the glacier despite plenty of stops along the way. 

We passed three other groups of snowshoers on the trail. Today we found out that three people who were rock climbing around the Joffre Lakes area went missing that same day. The news gave me the shivers. What a jarring reminder to stay safe, check conditions, and come prepared. 

On the way home we dropped in at Whistler village for dinner with attitudes of great achievement. I'm still in a bit of disbelief that we accomplished so much in one day! Also, I am extremely grateful to Whitney for being all in on this adventure.