(Lasted updated in November 2023)
It's been awhile since I have picked up my laptop and started writing to you all. I've recently been on a trip that has fuelled my inspiration to write again. I would like to start out by saying I hope you all have been well and I'm excited to share this adventure with you all. For this blog - I will be sharing my experience and not the locations. I will let you hunt for them yourself, if you so desire and get some hints from this blog. The one area is closed until further notice and while I'm always into sharing, these adventures are just better kept on the down low. I have to respect that the reason I love these places - is simply due to the fact, they are not crowded with tons of people. I would like to do my part in keeping it that way for now. This is more for my loyal readers and if you are here aside from that, perhaps it will give you some insight to do some of your own research like I have. Thank you for understanding now where do I begin.
I've been wanting to go to these hot springs for a while, I've had them on my radar a very long time, seeing the odd Instagram photos here and there. These hot-springs are very unique, with a river nearby and 3 pools overlooking it. They are usually closed every year from April-November due to grizzly bears in the area. Which if you decided to go during these months could result in a pretty hefty fine. Not worth the risk, we must respect the wild life and do our part in cleaning up after ourselves. Given that they are open in November, this leaves a very small window before the area is covered in snow and gets quite dangerous to hike to the springs. I asked my two friends if they would be up for the adventure and they said let's plan it. So we booked an AirBNB over on the mainland for one night and I waited patiently for this adventure to come to life in November of 2023.
I was getting excited for the trip we had planned had finally come into view and after a week long of work - I certainly was looking forward to our soak. However I usually see a few posts about the area being finally open. It made me curious two days prior to leaving for this adventure why I wasn't seeing activity there. Murphys law, the hot springs are closed due to a forest fire that happened a while ago. Bummer! Doesn't stuff like this always happen before a trip? I felt disappointed to say the least, here I am starting back to re-planning since our AirBNB was non-refundable. It could be worse right? We still had two days to explore and adventure!
Back a year ago I had visited Squamish with a friend and we found a cedar barrel sauna in the middle of nowhere. Right beside a river with a waterfall and dense forests all around. I had been told then there was a second one in the area. So I asked a few friends for more details that live over there and knew my friends and I had something to look forward to again. We got on the earliest ferry from Nanaimo at 6:15AM and felt excited for our adventures once again. My friends know me well as they greeted me in Troy's FJ with coffee and food. We got over on the mainland just after 8:30AM and set straight for the sauna.
I knew from the last time these cedar saunas are definitely getting more well-known but still a best kept secret by locals. Hence why I am choosing not to share the location of them. The builders don't want any of these to be aired on social media. So I will share in a more discreet way. Getting there early was important to hopefully have it to ourselves. With great luck three boys were leaving once we got down, they were very friendly. I didn't have this same experience with the last one. The people last year were rude, unfriendly and "I got here first attitude" that never sits well with me. You might as well embrace other people and get to know them if I'm going to sweat with you for an hour. You do not own the forest in my opinion.
We sweated, chatted and really took in the whole place. The waterfall which Troy and I took a cold dip in and quickly ran back into the sauna once we were out lol. Allyssa, she is not much for cold water, she cheered us on however. We were here for what seemed like hours by ourselves until a lovely lady named Lara joined us. She is from Oregon and was instantly a vibe and super friendly. I just feel we got so lucky this day from the people we crossed paths with and getting it to ourselves. It really worked out even if the springs didn't. All about staying positive. No time was wasted in this beautiful setting.
I think a lot out in the forest, it calms me and relaxes me. I feel we could all agree we felt so relaxed and rejuvenated. I'm glad I took my friends here, it really does make me feel so connected to people who can appreciate it like I do.
We had a really nice day after that, saw some waterfalls and headed into Whistler to our AirBNB, at this point I was wondering why we didn't just spend the extra money for a private hot tub since we weren't soaking in springs. However again we got really lucky and had the hot-tub and outdoor pool all to ourselves. Before that we had lunch at one of my favourite breweries in Squamish Backcountry Brewery. The widow maker IPA is so good. The pool was fantastic, it was borderline snowing in Whistler and I just floated with the rain hitting my face. This was pure bliss, just letting go of everything and feeling so alive.
That night I had a few too many drinks and started being the DJ for my friends and started karaoke, I think they got a kick out of it lol. We found out that the gate was actually open for the springs that night - a fellow Instagrammer Marika had DM'd me after I had seen some recent photos from the springs. (Yes I know I wasn't letting go of the springs god damnit.) She had said this girl had been over on the weekend and there was 17 people. I guess by-law officers were checking to see if people had weapons due to hunting reasons. When they found out that they were heading to the springs, they just said "Well it's closed so just be careful." That's quite a-lot of people for it being closed, so we all decided to send it and make our way there the next day to see what happens.
I've been to many springs and these were an absolute trek to get to, from it being over two hours of driving one way and about a 45 minute hike, not to mention we wasted 45 minutes trying to go to the upper portion of the trail which due to the fire did not exist anymore. Great - back to the lower trail we go, so much for that saving us time. The good part however was the gate was open and we got to the trailhead and after all of that we ended up going to the hot springs that I so longed to go to.
I can see why these are closed it's not exactly the nicest trail, lots of deadfall, bridges washed out and several other hazards that could happen when the weather starts getting crazy in the area. Hence why I am choosing not the share the location, if you go digging that is on you. I can't control what people take from this but if I can control it in some way then I will. You're probably thinking then why would I post this when I'm clearly not following the rules. My motto in life is "It's better to be forgiven than denied" and I had enough intel that it was going to be forgiven IF we got caught. Should you learn from me? Am I the best example, probably not. But what the hell, you only live once.
These springs were everything I had imagined and then some. We finally got there after what seemed like hours given that I had taken us on a minor detour the hour before, whoops. I seen Marika and her friend Crystal relaxing in one of the pools and instantly made the connection we had talked the night before. That was really neat, it was such a warm welcome and they were so friendly and inviting. Thank you for that, it's not always you get that when you show up feeling like you've just invaded someone's space.
We got into the pools which were definitely too hot for Troy and Allyssa, so they soaked near the river which was perfect for them. I like my baths scalding hot so one of the hotter pools was perfect for me. The sun was out and it was just absolutely breath-taking. I flew my drone out and had some fun with it. I'm still pretty new at flying this thing, so I was a little nervous given the landscape. I actually had my first crash here but she's fine and fixed now.
We all made our rounds in the different pools which was so nice and we all just soaked for a couple hours. Marika and Crystal left a bit earlier than we did, so we all got to have it to ourselves for a bit which was a neat experience. Again felt really lucky, everything has a way of working out, and I just kept saying that this whole trip. I truly felt grateful for the people around me, mother nature allowing us to be here and walk on the paths even when they are closed lol. We actually saw some wolves forgot to mention on the drive out, a huge black one and another beige looking one. Troy said that made the drive for sure and I agree.
I really didn't want to leave, I just knew I would be reminiscing the next day about this place and it all felt surreal we were there. I will be back one day for sure but for now I will enjoy the incredible experience we had and foster in it.
The beauty that exists in the world make your problems in life seem so small, like everything that is not going right or perhaps doesn't make sense - disappears when you are out here. You do not worry and as someone who thinks a mile a minute in her brain, it was really nice to be out of my head for two days. Being surrounded with good people and beautiful places that I will cherish for the rest of my life. These experiences are priceless to me and something I will talk about for the rest of my life.
I hope this inspired you to get outdoors, fuel your wild side and never loose your sense of adventure. We only have a short time in this crazy life. There really is so much beauty in this world, you just have to chase it. See you soon and get out there friends.
Watch the VLOG (video) version here. (The link will go to my YouTube Channel)
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