Day 3 - Joffre Lakes

Hiked the 6.8 mile trail that connects Lower Joffre, Middle Joffre and Upper Joffre Lakes.  The trail was brutal leading up root staircases and having to navigate boulder fields. Climbed over 1200 ft to reach the upper lake.  All are glacial lakes and exhibited a rich turquoise color.  The upper lake was surrounded by Joffre Peak and glaciers that melted into waterfalls cascading down the ridges. Amazing scenery!  Camped along a creek and soaked my tired achy feet in the cold water while enjoying some red wine.  Perfect ending to a long, hard, but rewarding day!

Day 2 - Hiking at Whistler

Climbed to the summit of Whistler Mountain via gondola and chairlift.  Hiked along the High Note Trail which looped around Whistler Mountain for approximately 6 miles. Had amazing views of surrounding mountain peaks throughout the hike. Took a lunch break at the "Flute" point overlooking the turquoise Cheakamus Lake down below Mt Garibaldi.  The second half of hike was much more challenging traveling up and down several steep ridges, but the views along the way made it worth it.

Day 1- Garibaldi from the Air

Flew into Vancouver on Wednesday and will be spending next 9 days exploring the mountain regions of British Columbia.  Started adventure with a scenic flight over Garibaldi Provincial Park to get an up close view of some amazing mountain peaks such as Mt Garibaldi, Black Tusk, Whistler and Blackcomb.  Flew over glaciers and turquoise glacial lakes.  It was breathtaking!  Toured Whistler Village and went ziplining which included a 20 story drop on the final line which I managed to do upside down.  Scary but an awesome rush!  Greeted by a large black bear when arriving at campground that night.  Regardless, had a safe and good nights rest.

Italy/Alps Trip Route 2012

Mont Blanc/Italian Alps

Mont Blanc

  

Of course we saved the best (& biggest) for last.  The grand finale of our trip was a visit to Chamonix, France which is home to the massive Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps at 15,772 ft.   We took a cable car up to Auguille du Midi which is over 12,000 ft elevation.  We were fortunate to have great weather so enjoyed clear views of Mont Blanc and surrounding peaks including the Matterhorn in the far distance.  Also watched climbers and skiers work their way down the steep terrain.  Spent a full day on the mountain and it was amazing!  A great ending to an unforgettable trip!

We are back in Italy now and headed out for our last Italian dinner before we fly home tomorrow.  It has been an amazing adventure touring Italy and the Alps with my good friend Lori.  But now its time to say "Arrivederci"to Europe...

  

On Top of the Alps

We couldn't pass on the chance to see the alps from the air.  We booked a private charter on a Cessna high wing plane.  Our flight began in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland to view prominent peaks including the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau ranging from 13,000 ft to 13,642 ft elevation.  Then the pilot headed south to the Matterhorn which is located on the Swiss/Italian border in the Pennine Alps and rises 14,692 ft elevation.  The pilot approached the pyramid shaped peak and then circled it up close which was really cool!  Our final destination was Mont Blanc which lies on the Italian/French border in the Savoy Alps and is the highest peak in the alps rising 15,772 ft elevation.  It looks alot like Mt McKinley in Alaska towering over all the surrounding peaks and valleys below.  The flight lasted about 1.5 hrs and we were fortunate to have clear weather and a great pilot to give us an up close and personal tour of the snow- capped alps!!!

Jungfrau

Matterhorn

Mont Blanc

Jungfrau Region

We left Italy on Tues and drove into Switzerland traveling over St Gotthard Pass.  We arrived in Lauterbrunnen which is the known as the valley of the waterfalls.  It looks similar to Yosemite Valley with waterfalls cascading over the cliffsides of surrounding mountains, just beautiful.  We had a great view from our balcony looking up at Staubbach Falls and the Lauterbrunnen valley surrounded by snow capped mountains.  We rode a cable car lift up the western side of valley to the Schilthorn which is around 9700 ft elevation and provides 360 degree views of the Jungrau region and mountain peaks.  Stopped off at a little high alpine village called Murren on the way down.  Then we explored eastern rim visiting another alpine village, Wengen and then took gondola up to Mannlichen.  Great panoramic views, but we had low cloud cover so visibility was limited.  This area is amazing with beautiful scenery in every direction.  Will definitely have to return...

Lake Como

We spent a few days on Lake Como in Northern Italy visiting Varenna and Bellagio.  The lake is surrounded by mountains rising as high as 8500 ft elevation.  We toured Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello, both incredible!  

 

The Dolomiti

After leaving Venice, we drove along the Grande Strada delle Dolomiti which begins in Belluno and travels thru The Dolomite Mountains.  We visited Cortina d’ Ampezzo then traveled over Passo Pordoi and Passo Sella both offering breathtaking views.  We stayed in a little village called Selva Val Gardena which is framed by the peaks of the Sella Group.  We headed out early the next morning to catch sunrise and then did a short hike in the Alpe di Siusi, Europe’s largest high alpine meadow, located between Val di Fassa and Val Gardena.