One day stands out in my brain as one of the most spectacular days of 2018. A little back story here:
Last summer was beautiful, then September hit like a Mack truck and along with it came a lot of rain. I remember it clearly because we had just moved into our "tiny home" trailer in late August and were getting acquainted with "small" living with two boys and a dog. For those of you who don't know, we are in the process of building a home in Pemberton, and while we do that we are living in a trailer in Whistler for the year. September was a rude awakening from the lazy warm days of summer (FYI rain on a trailer roof is not the comforting pitter patter of rain on a metal roof, it's a deafening barrage that drove us bonkers, it made it hard to sleep and even hard to talk on the phone!) So when the cool, crisp but blazing sunny days emerged after a soggy start to September, everyone's spirit's lifted.
My good friends Arran and I committed to getting as many hikes in as possible to take advantage of this incredible fall weather. This particular day we decided to hike up to Garibaldi Lake. We met in the shaded chilly parking lot early in the day, and set off up the fairly steep switchback trail in the heavy dark woods.
Eventually we emerged into a little more sunshine and a flatter path that leads you to the glittering aqua jewel that is Garibaldi Lake. We found a quiet little beach and peeled off our layers, laying likelizards in the full sun, enjoying our lunch. Across the lake you can see the glaciers coming down to almost touch the shore. It's breathtaking.
After lunch we decided to head up a little higher to the alpine and wove our way into Black Tusk Meadows along a beautiful trail, among vibrant golds, reds, and oranges under an electric blue sky. This is where I stopped to take the photo that I painted this painting from. What I remember most is the smell of the autumn alpine air, crisp and bright. I wish I could bottle it. But I guess what makes it so special is that you can't. You have to go there to smell it, and it's always worth the hike. We couldn't go much higher that day as I had to get back to pick up the kids from school. But that just leaves something else for us to explore next year.
XO Heidi
