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The weather forecast for the week indicated a beautiful sunny week with warm temperatures- with one exception- Tuesday, the appointed day of the hike. The forecast was oscillating between 60-90% chance of rain with precipitations levels of 1-15mm depending on which report I was monitoring, and it seemed to change every few hours. Tuesday morning arrived and although it was raining locally, the forecast for the Joffre Lakes was 60 % and so I decided to chance it
I had only one willing participant for the trip, Sylvie Wallace, and she was brave enough to risk the weather along with me. We met at 6.15am and drove the almost 2-1/2 hours to the Joffre Lakes parking lot, where we were met by 3 park operators ensuring we has our hiking pass.
We walked to the first lake which was only about 5 minutes away. Sylvie set a good pace as we hiked to the second lake. The boulder field that many inexperienced hikers had difficulty within years gone by, now had a well-groomed trail straight through it, which probably contributes to the numbers of people attracted to the area. Once we reached the second lake, we proceeded along the shoreline, passed the famous “Instagram log” and on to a pleasant waterfall before we started the short ascent to the 3<sup>rd</sup> lake. Sylvie once again set a good pace to the lake. We walked along the shoreline to the Heli- pad where we enjoyed a short lunch before returning to the car.
We asked the park operator how many passes are issued in a day, and they indicated 500. I asked how people many were on the trail before the pass system, and they indicated 3000 PER DAY.
Overall, a short and sweet trip with great views and great company.
Weather: Quite windy at the upper lake
Temp: 10 Degrees in the morning 14 Degrees when we returned in early afternoon
Precipitation: Minimal- Occasional spitting rain but overall, a mix of sun and cloud
Distance: 9km
Elevation Gain: 426m
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