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August 15-19: Youth Hiking Expedition – Garibaldi Provincial Park

CIM Youth Backpacking Adventure: Garibaldi Provincial Park
2010 Summer Expedition
August 15-19 2010

Points West Adventures Ltd. and Connected in Motion

Garibaldi Provincial Park, nestled in the Coast Mountain Range, offers breathtaking views, scenic mountain ridges and endless glaciers. Outstanding natural attractions such as the Black Tusk, Panorama Ridge, the Barrier, Helms Glacier, Checkamus Lake, Garibaldi Lake, Guard Mountain, Mt. Clinker, and Mt. Price all lie within a small radius. This spectacular region offers a variety of terrain suitable for all levels of hiking and mountaineering.

Trip Outline:

Our group will meet at 10am at the Rubble Creek parking lot.  From there we will split up gear and food to make sure everyone has equal weight in their back packs.  From the trailhead at Rubble Creek we will hike the switchbacks for 9.4 km to Garibaldi Lake.  Suggested time is 3.5 -4.5 hrs.  The trail total elevation gain is 810 meters and winds through old growth Douglas fir and Red cedars.  It starts to level out again at the Barrier. We will set up camp at Garibaldi Lake. Members of the group will take turns preparing and cooking meals throughout the expedition.  Two youth and one guide will be responsible for each meal.

Day 2:

Wake up time will be 7am.   Two Youth and one guide will prepare breakfast. After breakfast is finished, lunch is packed and our campsite is cleaned up, we will leave for our day-hike from Garibaldi Lake to summit Panorama Ridge. Along the way we will view wildlife, rivers, and spectacular glaciers.  We will reach the summit around 1pm.  There, we will have lunch, take in the breathtaking view and snap some fantastic pictures.  Total elevation gain for our hike will be 635 meters. Once leaving Panorama Ridge, we will hike back down to Garibaldi Lake.  The day’s travel will be approx 7 hrs total.

Day 3:

Day three will be a longer day.  Wake up will be at 6:45 am. We will hike 3.2 km to the Cinder Flats and have breakfast there (taking blood sugars into account!). Today, we will work with compass and map in a hands-on orienteering workshop. We will also focus on the flora and fauna of the region. From the Cinder Flats we will hike up the Black Tusk to the viewing area where we will eat our lunch, take photos and enjoy the view at an elevation of more than 7,400 feet! From here we will see Tantalus Range to West and Spear Head Range to the East.  We will hike back down to the base and then another 5.0 km to Helms Creek. Our day’s travel will be approx. 8.0 hrs and our total elevation gain 980metres.

Day 4:

Wake up will be at 8am.  Two youth and one guide will prepare breakfast. After breakfast is finished, lunch is packed and our campsite is secured, we will leave our gear at Helms Creek and hike down the switchbacks to Checkamus Lake for the day.  We will have lunch at Helms River and then spend some time exploring the lake.  Mid-afternoon we will head back to Helms Creek and prepare dinner. Total elevation gain today will be 1210 meters and distance travelled will be18 km round-trip. Weather dependent, we might venture on a short night hike and have the option to sleep under the stars (optional).

Day 5:

This will be our last day in the mountains!  We will rise early to watch the sunrise rise over Spinx Glacier and Panorama Ridge.  We will cook breakfast and clear camp in preparation for our hike back down to the Rubble Creek parking lot.  We will eat lunch at the Barrier of smaller Garibaldi Lake and continue travelling another 7.9 km to Rubble Creek.   We will reach the parking lot at 2:30 pm.  A total of 14 km, however most of this day will be down hill. We will close our expedition with group reflections and sharing highlights of our adventure.  Pick-up time for participants will be 4pm at Rubble Creek Parking Lot.  If you are traveling with us back to Vancouver Island, we will leave to catch the 6 pm ferry on August 19.  Island Participants will be home in Victoria by 8:00 pm.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

Email info@connectedinmotion.ca for more information or with questions.