Living in the East Kootenay’s definitely has it’s drawbacks (uh, nowhere to shop!), but at the ripe old age of 32, I will finally admit that it also has incredible bonuses . . . the wilderness, the mountains, the trails, the lakes, the peaks!
I did not own a pair of hiking boots, cross country skis, a backpack, hiking poles, bear spray or gaiters until I met Paul. Pause and think about how romantic that all sounds. I had never seen a tick, a bear, a wolf, the peak of a mountain or an alpine lake.
I can truly say I had not seen true natural beauty until . . . . I went out and explored. I bet you thought I was going to say Paul, eh?
We have been to some incredible places together . . . some that I can’t wait to go back to, and some that I NEVER want to see again!
One of my favourite easy day hikes to do is located at Silver Springs Lake, near Elko, British Columbia. Silver Springs is a chain of three deep lakes, which is populated with cliff jumpers throughout the summer.
Dramatic cliffs line each of the lakes, and the scenery alone is worth the hike . . . not to mention the caloric burn!
Lining the lakes on one side is the path that winds along the shore of all three lakes. Talus lines the trail on many parts, and the trail is well travelled . . . but can sometimes be hard to find when you’re scrambling over exposed bedrock. Look for the trail inukshuks to guide you at certain points.
We went out on this hike with another couple and their dog, Buddy. It was nice to have some company as P and I are usually out traipsing around the country side alone with Ruby . . . our bear bait! I’m just kidding, it’s really Paul. I can run faster than him. I hope.
Along the path is some beautiful vegetation . . . I have NO IDEA what any of these plants and flowers were, but I thought they looked pretty. Maybe someone does?
Pretty green leaves
Pretty purple flowers
Pretty white flowers
Weird red fungusy thing
Pretty wildflowers
Our day was overcast, as you can tell, on the way out to the third lake. We briefly stopped to take a break, turned around, and the sky opened up. It DUMPED on us the entire way back, and I unfortunately had to put the camera underneath the rain cover in my backpack. If it hadn’t of been such an ugly day, I definitely would have cliff jumped from the third lake! It’s my favourite spot to do it. The cliffs are lower, and there is never as many people as there is at the first lake.
The hike is the perfect one for a day half day hike to get your legs going. It is flat, with the exception of the beginning of the trail, where it is straight up a creek bed! But don’t be turned off by that, it’s worth the climb.
Perhaps I should have encouraged him to JUMP (or P to push him) after ruining my picture like this!
This is the view from the top of the cliffs at the first lake, and is the most popular spot for cliff jumping. You can’t really tell how high it is, but when you look over the side, it’s HIGH!
