Herbert Glacier bike ride

Mr. X and I had been taking Fridays off work to enjoy the spring weather. We'd been spoiled for choice.

There was one final thing I wanted...and Mr. X just didn't. So I borrowed a bike and took a solo cycle to Herbert Glacier. This is a trail designed for riding and I was thrilled to check it out...it's true that you never forget how to ride a bike. The last time I'd ridden was years ago in Washington DC of all places.

I quickly ate up the trail passing several families on foot and finally ditched the bike for the last half mile of the trail. I was rewarded with the blue glacier, mountain peaks and Herbert river. And a few wildflowers.

A great, easy ride, and I still had a whole day left for important things like a movie.

Windfall Lake Cabin

Yellow Circle: Windfall Lake cabin

We took Friday off work, and for some reason Mr. X thought that meant we should hike all day. It was his kind of hiking too, with lots of bushwacking through blueberries, ferns and devil's club. The scree fields and slippery planking were just a bonus. We could see Grandchild peak over our right shoulders as we hiked through the "meadows". I say they were "meadows" 'cause that's what the book said, but they sure looked like muskeg to me.

We stopped at the Windfall Lake cabin for lunch and to dry our shoes. I did take a fall on the blanking planking down to the cabin, but I'll spare you the details.

Mining car at Herbert Glacier Trail

After lunch (still carrying packs) we hiked the Windfall Lake trail, Herbert River Road, dodged gravel trucks on the highway, and took a short jaunt on the Herbert Glacier Trail and back to the cabin. About a mile back in to the Windfall Lake trail a bicyclist passed us, forcing us off the trail. When I just about fell over he started laughing...he's lucky my trekking pole didn't end up in his spokes; I was at mile 20, not mile 1.

As we were approaching the cabin we were worried about water. The Herbert River was silty, the lake water is like heavily steeped tea, the canoe paddle to a spring is considerable and there was only one paddle. Mr. X found a reasonable solution - a fast flowing stream of clear water in the middle of a mucky, usually stagnant pond. We hustled to filter the water as the mosquitos ate us for supper.

Once back at the cabin we stretched, dried our shoes, made our Mountain House dinner and went to bed.

Miles: 22
Elevation: 700 feet
Wildlife: porcupine, winter wren, stellars jay, raven, eagle, mallard+ducklings, merganzer