|Wanderung|Joffre Lakes & Blowdown Pass August 11-12

zuan

|Wanderung|  Hike call-out: Joffre Lakes and Blowdown Pass weekend,August 11-12

ORGANIZER: Su-Laine, syeo@lightspeed.ca

INTRO and DESCRIPTION: I'm basing this trip on an earlier one from Andy G., with gratitude. Here was his writeup after-the-fact:

> Andy at Blowdown, Gott Peak, and Joffre Lakes: "In no time at all we  
> had a full complement of 8 - the hike filled up within 40 minutes!  
> Two fantastic hikes, great weather and excellent company.
> From Nairn  Falls campground, Blowdown Pass is easy to get to (dirt
> road is 2WD  to the trailhead), and short enough to get in a steep
> scramble up the  slope towards Gott Peak (although we stopped at the
> first summit, too  hungry to carry on). The views were without end in
> all directions.  Coming down was a bit quicker thanks to the snow
> banks. Lots of  spring alpine flowers (and hungry mosquitoes) up there
> too. Then  dinner, campfire, conversation, stars... Sunday morning we
> visited  Nairn Falls in full flow, then went on to Joffre Lakes. This
> hike now  ranks as one of my all-time favourites. The trail is great,
> lots of  variety through wonderful forest, and not too steep either.
> Then  there's the lakes themselves, and the peaks and glaciers at the
> end.  Just awesome.
> The only downside was the voracious bug population.  Despite the long
> drive home, we couldn't bear to leave the upper  lake.
> Eventually we dragged ourselves away and reconvened at the  Shady Tree
> (after a near-miss with a bear in Whistler) for some well- deserved
> beer! Photos will be posted on Flickr, probably lots of them!"


The itinerary is:

Saturday
- Drive to Nairn Falls campground, pitch tents
- Hike Blowdown Pass
- Dinner at campground
Sunday
- Hike Joffre Lakes
- Return to Vancouver, evening meal along the way

In addition, we'll want to take in Nairn Falls themselves, but that will be easy since we'll be camped there.

Steve's description of the Joffre Lakes hike is here: http://
www.wanderung.ca/article_menu/index.php?action=listingview&listingID=63
Club Tread wiki entry: http://www.clubtread.com/routes/Route.aspx?
Route=102

There's no trail article for Blowdown Pass as yet, but I know others have rated it highly and some folks at Club Tread did it about a month
ago: http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22003
And about this time last year: http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/
topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17233

This is car camping so no backpacking experience necessary, but please note the length and elevation gain of the hikes.

DISTANCE: 7.5 (10.5) + 11  km
ELEVATION GAIN: 580 (915) + 365 m
TIME NEEDED: 5 (7) + 6 hours
BOOK RATING: Moderate-Strenuous
MEETING TIME AND LOCATION: 7:00 a.m. in Vancouver, exact location TBD LATEST RETURN TIME: Sunday evening, depending on traffic AFTER HIKE PLANS: Probably dinner en route.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIKERS: 8
STRICT SIGN-UP DEADLINE: Friday August 10 at noon
ORGANIZER: Su-Laine, syeo@lightspeed.ca
ORGANIZER CONTACT SCHEDULE IF OPTING OUT: Email before Friday August 10 at 6:00 pm.

BRING: boots, quick-dry clothing, rain gear, ALL camping equipment that you will need, insect repellent, sun screen, the 10 essentials, food for 2 days. Please note alcohol is not officially permitted in Provincial Park campgrounds. Vehicle costs will probably  be approximately $20 per passenger ($60 per car) and camping costs are
$14 per party (party = 1 car + 4 people).

The 10 essentials (always bring at least these plus enough warm layers) 1. Flashlight/headlamp, spare batteries and bulb 2. Firemaking kit – waterproof matches/lighter, firestater/candle 3. Signalling device – whistle or mirror to signal searchers if you become lost 4. Extra food and water – 1 litre/person 5. Extra clothing (rain, wind, water protection and toque) 6. Navigational/ Communication Aids (maps, compass, GPS, charts, cellular phone, satellite phone, hand held radio – fully charged
battery) – know how to use them
7. First Aid kit – know how to use it
8. Emergency shelter – orange tarp or large orange garbage bag. These can also be used as signalling devices 9. Pocket knife.
10. Sun protection (glasses, sunscreen, hat)

WANDERUNG PLEASE READ DISCLAIMER:
-Organizers are not in any way responsible for you on the hike -Non-members are NOT invited, all attendees must have signed up through the website with a valid e-mail address and be actively receiving Wanderung updates -Do NOT show up to the meeting spot unannounced -Carpool leaves at latest 10 minutes after meet time -Please do not impose any time ceiling on a hike, if you need to be somewhere after the hike, please be patient, nature knows no schedules and rushing a hike can defeat the purpose _______________________________________________
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