Elona's Birthday

Megs Typing

Plans - Snow Shoeing in the Callaghan Forrest on the Medicine Trail.  Dinner with Micahla at the Dublin with live music for Elona's birthday.

My mission to find a cupcake and have a candle (just one) in the top...

We woke at a leisurely pace (not like us I know), wished Elona a Happy B'day, got ready and went for breakfast.  The plans were in place though my mission was proving a little more difficult than expected.  I scoped out the necessary resources in the preceeding week - now I did not expect to find it impossible to locate a cupcake and one candle in a shopping mecca like Whistler.  There was a cupcake shop next to the visitors information centre (saw that on the first day and thought excellent), I went to take a closer look and found that it was a lot of false advertising.  The window art and signage was there but the shop space was an empty shell.  No other shops seemed to have caught the cupcake craze - not to worry there was some lovely Rosiland Desserts that I could purchase from Cheeky's cafe (located in the hostel).  My aim was to try and surprise the birthday girl - not easy when we are together all the time.  Next resource I need to source was a candle.  I asked the girls who worked behind the counter at Cheeky's if they had candles - sorry none.  I asked the staff behind the reception of the hostel - sorry no candles.  Micahla was to ask at her work if they had a candle - strike three...... The IGA should sell candles - No luck ????  The Dublin was my last hope..

Back to the Plan - Snow Shoeing we arrived at the booking centre to check in and sign the indemnities (yes even for snow shoeing) and we were told that we were the only ones on the trail for today.  Yeahhhhhh!!!!!!!!

We went to the meeting place to meet our guide - Luke who informed us that we will be trekking through fresh snow fall (24cm +++) fantastic.  We hopped into the jeep and travelled the 15 mins outside of Whistler to the Callaghan Forrest.

Elona Typing

Luke; our guide was a delightful Canadian (YES not australian amazingly enough!) He is a country boy born and bred here and was incredibly knowledgable about trees and the forrest's medicinal properties etc. On arrival we stepped out of the jeep into knee deep snow - hysterical. We waded our way to a little hut but on the way were shown the party area and old train that broke down up here after a crash and the company now own it - they painted it a brilliant red and turned the inside into a bar. It was amazing as was the party area outside that Luke had to describe as it was under a few metres of snow at the moment!!!! We proceeded to the hut where we were able to put on traditional Inuit jackets and the snow shoes and off we set with Luke informing us that this was definitely going to be an adventure as the snow is 'awesomely' deep and with a bit of luck he would be able to find the trail......memories of Patrick saying a similar thing and doing the whole meerkat thing!!!

I won't go into bit by bit detail but check out the pictures and there will be extra information there but the highlights were the absolute difference in us snow shoeing on a set trail and this trail being so completely different sinking up to our knees in places with snow shoes on!!!! Meg's had some great falls; which of course don't hurt because it is sooo cushioned JUST very funny - again check out the pics. My moment of stupidity on my birthday was walking about 5 metres AND THEN realising one of my snow shoes had escaped me!!! Seriously the only reason I realised it was gone was because I was up to my thigh in snow on my right leg and could NOT move - again hysterical!! Poor Luke had to trek back and find it and commented on my lack of observation skills at not realising sooner!!! He said it was a first - great...hhhmmm not.

Our very brave part of the trail was standing on a Bear Den. Luke had found a dead but large tree that had been hollowed out and plugged and in a VERY loud voice told us it was a Bear's den which after all Patrick's stories of waking of bears - I'm like....ssshhh you might wake him up - very funny....well it was to Luke! We shared a lovely Hemlock Tea - yes made from the leaves of one of the trees - really nice.

Now we are both a full bottle of knowledge on real firs and  faux firs and lots of other very interesting stuff...like which trees you can pull out sap and coat it on a particular bark and it becomes a candle...quite cool really. The day was over too soon and he actually gave us about 40mins more as he had no night tour planned. We finished the day off with playing with the sledding dogs which actually head out from the same area. Meg's was in heaven....NOT...wet dogs...hey dogs really are not her thing!
First comment back in the jeep - "eeewwwuu I smell like dog!!" very funny.

Back to the hostel to pack - unfortunately this day is the day we get guests in our dorm - there's not much space to begin with but we had to pack so so be it - we did and then headed out for dinner with Micahla to The Dublin Pub in Whistler Village. Just perfect with a guitarist and a fiddler playing some fab ol' tunes like Come on Eileen etc. Really good food, good music, good friends what more can a girl ask for.....well actually a bloody cup cake with a candle - how hard could that be!!!!!!!! Well bless their cotton socks I got a fabulous choc fudge dessert with ice cream with a sparkler - JUST PERFECT!!! Thank you girls for a great evening and a huge thank you to Micahla who had us in stitches with all her travel stories - an absolutely beautiful lady with a soul of gold! Plus an extra thanks to Micahla for introducing me to a Caesar which is a Bloody Mary with a kick - YUM!

Photos

On the way to Callaghan Forrest

Party Area (under snow)

Party Train

how cool!!

Megs and Luke

Lots of snow

Inuit Coats

even for little people

Elona and Luke (just about to start out)

Bear Zip

Our Trail

Just a little bit of snow kick-up

Lichen

Different type of Lichen

Lettuce Lichen

Magic Sap

Makes a bush candle possilbe

Whoooops

Male Totem 

Female Totem (always seen in balanced pairs)

Totems were placed either side of this sign

And this tree........

These holes are made by the woodpecker.

The woodpecker starts at the bottom of the tree and works up the tree punching these holes as it goes.

When it reaches the top the woodpecker returns to the bottom of the row to collect the sap from the tree.

Zen moment

Whooops again (someone has to fall to make sure there are photos other than trees)

Nasty Toxic Poison

Mushrooms (edible but since every other mushroom is toxic might err on the side of caution)

Careful now. Don't knock the tree....that snow ball weighs about 200lbs

Happy Moment

Birthday Girl

Birthday Surprise (not a cupcake) - smoked salmon stick - HMMMM???????

There's a bear in there.....

more gifts

Brave girls - sipping Hemlock tea above bear den

Mr Bear is underneath the tree

Let's see if we can wake him up?

Puppies!!!!!!

01 Sledding office

Birthday wish

hugs from puppies

So cute

Birthday Bash - The Dublin Pub Whistler

Better than a Cupcake

Tastes good too

Pretty Bird

Farewell Whistler