This is such a beautiful place, but you add friends, and it’s like cranking the dial up to 11.
We’re at Muncho Lake Provincial Park in British Columbia, camped right next to Doug and Melanie. You know them: we met a couple of years ago in Anza Borrego (California) back when they had their Airstream. They visited us on Mars (Arizona/Calif.), then in Brownsville (Texas), at the Mothership (Ohio), and even for a quick lunch in Edmonton a few weeks ago. Thank goodness we can’t shake them.
That trailer/tent combo up top is theirs, and it’s glorious. They live a little differently than we do, but we’re all on the road, and right now we’re all on the same road. Man, are we glad. Only to other travelers you can yell out from your home to theirs, “Do you need a box of wipes? I’ll trade for a humane mouse trap!”
It’s funny: there are indeed big differences in our rigs, but we have the same traveling styles.
They live outside all the time (their bed is under canvas but they’ve got hammocks, too). Their fridge is a series of coolers, so they plan their meals expertly. They don’t have running water (except for cleverly rigged buckets and hoses). They make us look like lightweight glampers.
But, we both prefer boondocking over having hookups. We both prefer to have flexible (or no) travel plans instead of a string of reservations. And good grief we both avoid crowded campgrounds and private RV parks. Sing with me from Green Acres, “Give me that countryside.”
Boulder Canyon Hike
One of the things we’ve done together is a relatively short hike near here. They’re serious hikers and we’re not, so I was a little reluctant to even go with them, especially since the published description of this hike mentioned lots of bouldering and loose gravel on inclines. My least favorite hiking conditions. My goodness am I glad I went, though.
That’s Boulder Canyon, with Tracy hiking along what trail we could find, first in the dry creek bed, then up along the ridge where the sheep walk.
Melanie is pointing to where we think the trail goes. It was a lot steeper in person, believe me.
And here she and Doug are climbing over running water to get up in a slot, to see what’s on the other side. Doug has great photos of the rock outcroppings they found. I’ve mentioned before how hard-core they are, right?
The shape of the canyon was lovely. And we got back to the trucks right before the smoke rolled in from a neighboring wildfire.
We’ve agreed that if our Alaska trips had to end right now, we’d be happy with what we’ve seen and who we’ve hung out with. Knock on wood, though, our trips are just beginning.
Doug and Melanie, see you next in Dawson City (dead-toe drinks?) and then Denali!
Post script: for gorgeous photos from Doug and his informative take on Muncho, click here.
DO NOT SWALLOW THE TOE is the only advice, as a semi-local, I can give you here.
Did you really drink that drink? And did you SWALLOW the toe?
(We continued on text. If you’re concerned for Jacqui, she has not eaten the toe!)