A mountain-cable-car tour

Howe Sound

The morning was a bit challenging. I wanted to get some advantages from getting up early and to clean our clothes! But we didn't have some $ dollar coins yet, there was no exchange machine, although large described, nor a reception! Ok, so of course there was a reception, but it was closed, and nobody knew when it would open.

I felt like grazing the entire campground if anyone could change me. Of course, only a few were awake - not everyone here had jetlag. .

When I finally found someone who changed me, someone else had snatched the cheaper washing machine from under my nose. Now I had again 1 $ for the dryer to less. Fortunately, I was finally able to change $-Coins at the now open reception after 10 o'clock and thus dry the laundry.

It was late as we finally could depart, but luckily, we only had a short tour to drive today. The waterfall #5 Brandywine Falls was already reached after 45 km following the Sea-to-Sky-Highway. And the name says it all: the landscape rises very quickly from sea level to Alpine.

Brandywine Falls Brandywine welcomed us directly with a rainbow. For something, the delay in the morning had to be good.

But unfortunately, there was no way down, as described in our travel guide. Everything was cordoned off with high fences and large warning signs drew attention to the steep slope.

Brandywine Bridge

The Brandywine Bridge is certainly known to one or the other Tolkien fan. Of course, the hobbits do not cross this bridge on their adventure. After all, the bridge was not called "Bridge of Stonebows" for nothing. But it was still funny, and so a few pictures were sent to the appropriate groups.

The next stop we did in Whistler. In 2010, the Winter Olympics took place here. I liked the town very much. The houses and grounds were laid out between trees and not massive buildings, as in many other Olympic locations. It still seemed like a small idyllic place.
Idyllic, however, only until we came to the central area, because on this day a mountain bike event took place. And many sales and advice stands around topic of mountain biking were set up.

In the fantastic weather we made a mountain cable car tour: With the Blackcomb cable car up, with the peak-to-peak cable car to the Whistler peak, with the Peak-Express up to the suspension bridge and the raven's nest. It was amazing! All around further mountains and Whistler in the valley in between. We enjoyed the view and the lush green of the trees.

The suspension bridge should only be walked in one direction: it was quite narrow and wobbled properly. But, of course, there were enough who seemed not to be able to read. And not only did they run in the opposite direction, but they also jostled ruthlessly. Such behavior bothers me a lot meanwhile.

Whistler Panorama

But otherwise, it was not as crowdy than I expected. And the waiting time at Inukshuk, as well as on the Whistler Mountain Railway back down, was acceptable.

This is the Whistler Mountain Inukshuk, created for Whistler as a symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in British Columbia. An inukshuk (the plural term is inuksuit) is a stone landmark used by the Inuit and other peoples of the North American arctic regions. There are several theories about why inukshuks were created, but most likely it was used as a reference point and navigation marker for travel routes. The tall stone structure could be seen from far away to provide direction to people traveling long distances. The inukshuk has long roots in Inuit culture. The word inukshuk can be translated to mean, "something which acts for or performs the function of a person."

The inukshuk has become an unofficial symbol of Canada, and it has also become a symbol of hope and friendship across the country. Today, inuksuit have been erected all across Canada, and the Canadian government has donated several inuksuit to countries around the world. This particular inukshuk, photographed on the Whistler Summit on Oct 26, 2012, as well as the inukshuk that greets people when they first drive into Whistler, are some of the most photographed features in Whistler. It's a great spot for a photo opportunity, and it's always a dramatic shot!

Quelle: Whistler Mountain Inukshuk | Blackcomb Peaks Blog

Back in Whistler we finally bought a mosquito spray in a drugstore. I would have liked to squeeze myself into a café and watch the hustle and bustle, but it was too crowded for my men. So, we tackled the last ~30km for today and drove to Nairn Falls Provincial Park.

Directly at the entrance we were made aware of the sighting of a bear three days before. I had hope...

After we had settled into our site, we of course looked at the Nairn Falls. We had to follow the Soo River for about 1.5km, which had an impressive current. Nobody wanted to go swimming in the river voluntarily. And the falls were equally impressive. A lot of water was flushed here over the two drop stages.