It is drizzling when we wake under Mount Robson. Pit pat pit pat. I love the sound the rain makes on the tent. It always sounds like it is pouring when in fact it is hardly raining at all. I emerge from our cocoon bum first and when my head is exposed I feel a few drops of very light rain. The weather in the mountains can change, for the worse or for the better in an instant and it does. The rain stops almost immediately. As I lug the breakfast fixings to the shelter the clouds begin to thin and soon the sun is peaking out. The day looks like it will be another good one.
We get up early so we are not in any kind of a rush. It takes us ½ hr. longer to pack up than our usual slow selves but we start out before 9. We are told by the ranger the route across the river delta is no longer flooded and we choose to stay on the level. As we walk along the rocky riverbed we look up and realize how much up and down on the forest trail we have bypassed. When passable this ‘shortcut’ saves a lot of effort and it is a different view of the world.
Re-entering the forest at the end of the bike trail we are soon at the Kinney Lake campground. We have not stopped even once yet, we still feel good and the draw of a cold Coke is causing me to pick up speed with every step. Debbie doesn’t complain at all as I think she is too busy trying to keep up knowing it is useless to complain when I have a Coke in my sights.
The 3 km to the ‘highway’ trail goes by quick, as we get closer to the parking lot the trail gets smoother and wider. At the south end of Kinney Lake we cross a bridge and our feet hit the 4 km road to the bottom. The road has a negative elevation gain and we travel fast. Not stopping for even one rest the entire trek out we cross the bridge at the base in the opposite direction we crossed 5 days ago. It takes 2 hrs and 30 mins. from the time we started this morning. Certainly no West Coast Trail pace!
Beep, Beep, Click, Thump, Thump, Pop, Ssssss, Aaaaah. Ouch that fizz is hard on the throat after 5 whole days without.
The drive home is not too crowded. A stop at Safeway for a few essentials, A & W for a quick supper and we are at home in time to utilize the remaining sunlight to dry out our damp gear. The sun that peaked out in the morning at Mount Robson is still following all the way home again.