Manning Park, BC, Canada
This weekend’s adventures brought us to Manning Park, a beautiful provincial park just past Hope, BC. Although we barely saw a cloud all weekend, and enjoyed 30 degree weather for most of our two days there, perhaps the only detractor were the bugs, abundant in and around the park. But not even they could put a dent in our awe of all the natural beauty and the glorious, cloudless skies.
Saturday
The drive up to Manning Park served as an appropriate appetizer for the natural beauty to come. Winding along the Hope-Princton connector was a treat unto itself, with views of snow-capped peaks serving as a backdrop to the drive. Gorgeous, forested hills rolled in the distance, beyond small streams and various wooded regions. Although pine beetles and wildfires have damaged small swathes of land in the region, the views from our drive remained relatively untouched.
We arrived at the site early that afternoon, and after setting up camp and preparing some food, our first adventure began. Our plan was to circumnavigate the lakes, a 3–4 hour walk with views of Lightning, Flash, and Strike lakes.
As is the norm for our adventures, we happened upon a paddling rental structure, and suddenly our plans took us out onto the lake for a casual paddle. We travelled to the end of the lake, where we drifted in our canoes for half an hour, just soaking up the sunshine and the amazing views of Frosty Mountain and the surrounding area. One of our most beloved traditions, “mountain beers,” became “out-on-the-lake beers” before paddling back to the booming baritone of our travel companion, regaling us with Canadian folk songs, to finish our hike around the lake.
As we rounded the narrowest part of the lake, we came across a small footbridge in the shadow of Frosty Mountain, just begging to be jumped off. Plunging into the still-icy waters of Lightning Lake, I began to realize that this was shaping up to be one of our best adventures yet.
By the time we got back to our site, the sun was well on its way behind the horizon. A fire, some good company, a lack of cell reception, and an evening in the sweet mountain air was followed by a good night’s sleep under the stars, brilliant and unmitigated by the lights of the big city.
Sunday
We rose to the sounds of the forest in our ears, and after some breakfast and some coffee, we geared up for our long hike to Poland Lake.
Poland Lake is a 16km round trip hike to scenic, secluded Poland Lake, a moderately sized body of water with beautiful blue waters and multiple rec sites spaced around the edges. It was a hike unlike any others we’ve been on — ominpresent fir trees loomed overhead, hiding the sunshine for only moments at a time to grant a brief respite from the otherwise uncovered path. For the majority of the hike, luminous fields of just-blooming wildflowers and strawberries sprang up from thick green fields of long grass, and the remainder of the path took us through wild, wind-ravaged forests. In the wintertime, much of the land we trekked doubles as a ski hill, and a number of times we happened across barren ski runs, eerily abandoned lift infrastructure, and signs indicating where skiiers of seasons past had been tearing down the slopes.
At the end of the hike, we followed a stream (where we stopped to purify some water for the return trip. The first time either of us had needed to resupply on the trail) to Poland Lake. After hiking around to the back side of the lake, and through some patches of snow clinging to the last bits of cool mountain air, we came across a recently-evacuated camp site complete with makeshift benches and a fire pit. Although it was still far too hot for a fire, we stopped and prepared the customary bagel sandwiches, and took some time to dip our feet in the lake with a mountain beer in hand. It was a perfect way to end the perfect weekend trip to Manning Park.
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