Why is it that when you settle down somewhere, you start taking things for granted? Why is it that when you stop moving, you stop completely and fall into a routine? Why do I never explore my own neighborhood? It’s like staying somewhere for too long is the recipe for disaster, boredom and laziness. I want to stay here, but I need to get out of this rut. The snow is slowly melting and the temperatures are rising well into the twenty degrees. Summer is on its way. I don’t feel like skiing anymore. So after over five months in Whistler, I finally made it to the north part of town.
Whistler has an amazing network of walking paths, hiking trails and mountainbike routes. But Whistler is pretty stretched out, from Cheakamus in the South to Alpine in the North. If you have no reason to go that far, you won’t. There is a sports center in Alpine that I’ve been thinking about going to, and yet I never made it out there, because it’s ‘so far away’. So last week I found the energy to explore. Better late than never. It was a strange day with a mix of rain and sunshine, the perfect time to break in my new walking boots.
I started from the village, making my way to Lost Lake. In winter this is where they prepare a whole lot of cross country ski trails and in summer there is a nice park with a small beach and you can jump in the lake. You can loop around the lake for a short walk, or explore some of the other trails in the area. I decided to go all the way along the Valley trail, a network of walking and cycling paths that takes you almost anywhere in Whistler. It led me past mountainbike trails and the frisbee golf course to Green lake. There I could cross the highway and make my way back to the village from Meadow Park.
On my way I saw many crossroads leading to other trails, so there is plenty left to explore this summer. It’s beautiful to see the landscape changing, flowers blooming and people getting out into the sunshine. Summer’s on its way.