Walking In Whistler
23 Jan 2023
Whistler, north of Vancouver, certainly has its fancy side; with its upscale resorts, chic ski gear and the latest in mountain-wear fashion. But there’s also something about crisp blue skies, taking in lungfuls of clean, clear air and experiencing the general joy of people sliding down the slopes and right into an Irish pub afterwards for a pint of Guinness.
In winter, hiking is naturally not on the top of the list of things to do in winter, but sunny days below zero offer a chance to walk along cleared paths and appreciate the quiet network of narrow roads that skirt the environs of the town centre.
Going on a rambling walk that began by skirting the circumference of the Whistler Golf Course, now covered by a blanket of snow, we made our way along well sign posted paths to Rainbow Park, which sits beside Alta Lake. Obviously, the outdoor benches don’t get much love in wintertime, but thankfully, the bears are all fast asleep.
We saw some young men headed out to the lake to do an experiment (frat boys, perhaps), but the lake was not frozen over enough to entertain their shenanigans.
Even in winter, Alta Lake is magnificent, with Mt Sproatt rising in the near distance. Reading up a bit more about the history of the lake, we unearthed an unsolved mystery from the annals of the Whistler Museum.
In the winter of 1938, George Trites went to visit Ernie Archibald, who lived on the eastern shore of the lake. They planned to cross the lake to catch a train to Vancouver, but George was injured and needed Ernie to drag him over the lake on a sleigh. They left a lamp burning in the window to light the way for their return. But the two men never made it across the lake, and friends who visited the cabin after a few days found it empty. They found George days later in the lake with a large wound on his forehead. But the sleigh was sat on top of the ice AND Ernie was nowhere to be found. Some people believe Ernie is still somewhere in the lake and on winter nights when the lake freezes over, locals report seeing figures and lights on Alta Lake.
We were not built for extended rambles in winter, though, nor did we want to hang around until night fell, so we made our way back to a hot meal and ski-watching in Whistler Village.
