We have had our moment at the top of the world and it is time to move on. The walk today is to Whitehorn campground on the same trail we traveled to get here. We awake to another sunny day, Robson’s peak is again clear, three in a row. As we exit the valley we turn for one last look at the beautiful bright white Berg and Mist Blaciers and the majestic Mount Robson, it is not likely we will return so we try to impress a permanent image in our minds.
The trail is crowded. Many people pass by on their way up to Berg Lake, it is Friday and the weekend crowd has arrived. The Alpine Club of Canada is having a celebration this weekend to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Mount Robson Provincial Park. They have lectures set for Friday and Saturday evening and there are several people going to try to climb the mountain to the top. This only adds to the number of people heading to Berg Lake today.
Our hike is reasonably easy, it is mostly downhill. Debbie is cautious and the going is slower on the really steep sections but we still make good time, traveling 8 km in 2 hrs 20mins and arriving at Whitehorn camp before noon. We have our choice of sites and end up at the same site we occupied on the up trip. Today seems to be the rest day we missed out on yesterday. Sitting in the campground shelter we make a few blog notes, do a crossword or two, read a few pages of the books we brought along and talk with hikers; both those heading up and those heading down. At about 3pm a few campers arrive and the tent sites begin to fill up.
Suspension Bridge at Whitehorn
The clouds have started to move in and with the intermittent sun it is cool in the bottom of the valley. Our tent is set a few meters up the slope and it is amazing how much warmer it is up there. I could not say what the difference is in degrees but it is noticeable. That being the case we move up soon after we have our supper.
Even with the clouds moving in we decide to camp the night. If it is raining in the morning we have an easy 11km hike to the car and will not have to figure out how to dry out. We will just stash the wet gear in the back of the Rav 4 and dry it out in our basement.
It is easy to get used to the simple life when backpacking. All of the worldly possessions are on our backs and the choices to be made are relatively few. I’m quite sure that after a few months the simple things would cause stress but for now it is very relaxing. Again here, as on the West Coast Trail, the people we meet are of like mind and we enjoy our many conversations. We retire early so we can get on the road and home to Edmonton before dark. Already the busy world has a wedge into our serenity of Mount Robson.