As I got everything packed the night before. We set out first thing around 5am to get going. It was easy to wake up knowing we had a grand adventure ahead, Graeson on the other hand is not a morning person just like his mom. Little did he know what journey we were about to embark on.
From Nanaimo we set out for the Elk River Trailhead based in the Strathcona Park outside of Campbell River, towards Gold River. The drive wasn’t bad, considering we took no breaks, we just made sure we all had snacks. We got to the trailhead just after 830 am, put on our heavy packs and set out for Landslide Lake. It was a beautiful morning and the fresh smell of rain filled the forest floor. The sun was peaking through the trees and the rivers were peaceful to listen to. We met a few people but not a ton heading to the trail, one girl from Toronto tagged along and kept our spirits high with encouragement. We parted ways once we hit the second campsite, which I was so happy to see. With a 45-50 pound pack, my shoulders couldn’t have been more relived. It took just over two and half hours to reach this point. We set up camp and our journey didn’t end there. We packed Graeson, some food and made our way to Landslide. This took just under an hour and we finally laid our eyes on our target. I’ve seen this lake twice before, Cody never had, which I always find memorable to feel that first time feeling all over again when someone hasn’t been. We let Graeson out, which he was frolicking through the trees and lakeshore. We made our hot meals and enjoyed a beer together. After spending quite some time admiring Conol Foster, we set back to camp.
There’s always something amazing about being out in the mountains, the way the sun glows on them, the feeling of being completely fulfilled just by nature and what you have around you. We spent the night talking once we put Graeson to bed, which didn’t take long for him to hit snooze. We went in to join him not long after, as we had a busy day ahead. The next morning we enjoyed cuddles, coffee, got our water together and packed up. The morning was a bit dewy and sprinkled a tad once we left, but soon we would be in the forest and it didn’t matter. It was an overcast day and we said goodbye to the towering mountains above us.
It felt like our packs got heavier with every step we took, it took about the same to get back which was 2 hours and 15 mins. We had never been happier to see my car parked. We slowly removed the straps that were digging into our shoulders, smiled and high fived at our accomplishment.
To break up our drive we stopped in Courtney and had lunch and a well deserved beer at Gladstone Brewery. Once we got back to Nanaimo, I had so much joy, fulfillment and hunger for the next one. Until then I say this with every ounce of my being. Get outside and experience it. It will teach you so many things.
PS. Don't leave any food in your car as we had a few mice have a party the night before with the odd crackers we had left behind.
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