The Big Hike

This summer I had an awesome opportunity to go on what is nicknamed, "The Death March". It's a 2 day hiking adventure covering 40+ miles, no trail, no tent, light backpack(not even deodorant..."it weighs too much") and lots of determination! It is led by a man who knows this area like the back of his hand and we are his little ducklings who rely on his navigation to get to our destination.

We left early in the morning, loaded up on a float plane, and headed out to be dropped off in, what felt like, the middle of nowhere. The plane ride took longer than expected due to cloudy weather and because of the weather we had to quickly change plans and get dropped off at a different location than the original plan. Once we landed, we ended up waiting the weather out until after noon before heading out. Thankfully there was a tiny little cabin we could take shelter in until the rain let up. Then, we headed out. Our new plan was very close to the original plan but we ended up cutting off a lot of the miles due to our new drop off location.

It was a great hike. The first day was pretty gray and cloudy, but it didn't hinder us one bit. We trekked along until around 8 pm. After quickly changing into dry socks, I set up my sleeping bag and bivy sack(wind, rain, bug protector that slips right over the sleeping bag) and hoped for some much needed rest. It didn't come, but I was thankful not to get eaten by mosquitoes or bears!

The second day we got up and headed out around 5 am. It was a cold and rainy morning. Not the best start after having had no sleep. After hiking for about 4 hours, we had to stop due to weather. We were completely fogged in. Our leader couldn't gather his bearings because the landscape was covered. So, we sat for what seemed like hours (40 minutes or so), and waited for the fog to lift. It was VERY cold, we changed out of wet socks, and even pulled out sleeping bags as we waited. We finally headed out even though the fog was still there. After hiking for awhile my toes were finally starting to thaw out and even the fog began to lift a little. I distinctly remember praying and asking the Lord to bring the sun. Literally moments later, we saw a huge peak before us, with the lower portions enveloped in fog and the sun illuminating the top. It was a pretty surreal moment!

As the day progressed we had the opportunity to trek over any and every kind of terrain. We hiked on tundra, rocks, gravel, dirt, mossy marshy stuff, mountainous ground, high and low, through creeks, over snow, through trees, over brush and the list goes on! We saw a fox, several ptarmigan, and even a bear and her 2 little cubs! The weather continued to cooperate and what was once a gloomy morning turned into an absolutely gorgeous afternoon!

We finally made it to our final destination at about 5pm. The sun had come out in full force and we were soaking it in! Despite our fatigue, we looked back at what we had just accomplished and felt it was well worth it. Our final destination was called Twin Lakes, and it took my breath away!

So, into the plane we climbed, sweaty, smelly and exhausted to head home. Upon arriving I was instructed to take a bath and then was treated to a steak dinner complete with fresh rhubarb pie. Life doesn't get any better than this!!

View The Hike in a larger map

The start of the hike, Snipe Lake.

Heading out in the rain.

Me and my girlfriends...we were "the young ones".

The rest of the group.

Takin' a rest.

A nice view.

A nice way to end day 1.

This is where we slept. Getting ready to start day 2.

The fog.

Seeing the hope...that beautiful peak.

Looking down at the Kijik river in the great valley.

Another view of the river.

A good rest stop.

Our first glimpse of the final destination.

There are bears somewhere in this picture...can you find them?

Should we really go down this way??

Yes, I think so.

Walking on the snow toward Twin Lakes!

Beautiful Twin Lakes.

Getting ready to head home!