Blog 25
Thuesday 23 August till Thursday 25th

3-days trip Egypt Lake

Day 1:

Right after leaving Canmore I start feeling great. Going out just makes me feel good, every time again. I was a bit scared it was enough and I was getting homesick… bot NO WAY! Nature is too impressive here!

With little worries in my head because of the very late hour already, I left at 2pm. Hopefully enough hours before dark to accomplish the 1000 heightmeters in 12,7km.

Last week I had to buy new dehydrated food in a big outdoorshop in Banff. The food was all in the back of this store and the whole 100m till I reached it were stocked with Arc’teryx clothes, my favourite brand (véry popular in Canada, thought it was from Iceland but apparently from Canada), and Fjällraven, my second favourite. Not fair!!

I left the shop with no food but a new Fjällraven hikingtrouser :). I needed one because the other one is falling down my ars… not too bad he!

I had to rush to get the 1pm shuttlebus up to Sunshine Village again to start my hike so I was running to the buss and guess what!? This new one is also coming down by itself????? Nooooo..did I loose some fat there!!!??? That would be a huge possitive side-effect :)))

Day 1 went very easy, I reached campground Egypt Lake before I knew it. (Is dat Engels voor “voordat ik het wist”)

The weather has been perfect, no rain, bit cold wind but while walking in my Icebreaker longsleeve quite welcome. So weatherforecasts sucks! I am not gonna look again next time.

This Egypt Lake campground had a shelter, not one as there are on many other background campsites: where you can all cook your stuff and hang around to chat or just sits dry when it rains. No, this one had 4 bunkbeds in it, you have to reservate. A bed is a spot on one of the 4 big shelves they made in it and it was fully booked. In the middle were two big picknicksets and a big woodstove. Seems ideal, and the big fire wás for this very cold evening, but you are stucked in there with at least 10 strangers who are gonna sleep there also. Much worse then the huts in “our” mountains. I was so glad I didn’t book this. I love my private tent far away from the snorkings and smellings! And always a lack of fresh air in these huts because someone finds it cold with an open window…horrible.

Because I didn’t know this, I just came in with my pocketrocket and dehydrated ‘rize with chili beans’ to cook my water and chill out in the warmth of the fire. It was again freezing (i am never sure if it is freezing, but it surely felt like). Luckily they let me stay. It were two family’s and they not really closed me in so I left after trying to eat my disgusting food. This chili beans felt so bad in my stomach that I threw it away and had no dinners left for two nights). I experienced that you not always bump into people who makes you instantly happy. And I also experienced that I can deal with that! Just went to my basecamp and loved to be on my own.

Day2:

Extremely unexpected beautiful weather and a great hiking day!

It rained when I woke up, in fact the rain woke me. No gust at all to rise so stayed in my warm mummienest till the sun came out, and she did quite soon.

Ate, packed a light daypack and planned a Lakeday. A lot of Lakes I could hike to. I left for Egypt Lake. For the first time I get “lost”. Couldn’t find the trail back for a while. Reached the Lake and again lost the trail to the next Lake. I felt safe with my Garmin (the gps) and did some cross country. No problem at all, and a good feeling to notice I can find á way back. By accident I ended up at a totally different trail then I thought. Really no clue how that could happen, but oké…

I did this very special trial to Pharao, BlackStone and Sfinx Lake, hardly known because the path was untrodden (onbetreden). Saw nóbody! The silence you meet while sitting on these lakes is indescribable…..

It was around Black Stone Lake that this little pussycat jumped out of the tree next to me and startled me like hell. I tried to catch it on a video but terribly failed. No clue what is was… a baby cougar…a lynx..a dumped housecat? I put two stupid video’s here and maybe someone can tell what this is?!

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I was thrilled… whole day long… I felt strong with this daypack, I didn’t feel tired at all ..I did much more then planned…couldn’t get enough.

Whistler Pass was on my list for day 3 but it was still early in the evening and at the campground was nothing to go back for, so why not walk up there? And nó regrets!

After Whistler Pass I passed the exit Mummy Lake which was my original plan in the morning…so…I took a little risk by still going there at 7pm.

Mummy Lake was much further than I thought…and that became almost dangerous. Getting back was a challenge! Bút thanx to my mountaineer friend I had my Petzl in my rucksack and came safely back to my tent in total dark.

I didn’t remember or I took this light with me, I remembered I thought while packing “I will not need it this day and I want a light rucksack” …but I was só glad in the evening I had had the responsibily to put it in my back as I was taught!

A strange experience to be in the mountains and climb down this rocks in the dark. The headtorch really saved my ass!

I miscalculate a little. The urge to see all this lakes was too stronge. It ends all perfect, I walked 20 kms, reached my goals, was satisfied and slept perfect. I am not afraid in the dark but I talk to the big animals that if they didn’t dare to show up during daylight that it would be really cowardly doing that in the dark. They agreed!

Day 3:

It was a bit cold this night..rain woke me up again…no problem, I have been everywhere already, only have to walk back to my car today. And that is what I did. Rain stopped before I was out of my mummy, it is amazing how the weather shows up on me every day. Bear is with me!

I have an explanation why I am not afraid (till now) of bears: because of the stories “Grote beer, kleine beer” i used to read to my children!! These kind gentle big heartwarming bears…

I reached my car without any special stories, checked in in the International Hostel in Banff. Shared the evening with two youngsters and two bottles wine in the lounche..didn’t reach the restaurant any more..only my bunkbed!