Whistler Summit

The Blackcomb gondola.

Crazy mountain bikers riding down the mountain.

John showing off his fancy leg.

The Cloudraker Sky Bridge

The Raven's Eye viewpoint.

Spectacular views.

Friday, August 4^th.

John picked me up at 8 and we drove north along the incredibly scenic Hwy 99 to Squamish, where we had breakfast at a White Spot restaurant, before proceeding north to Whistler. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm, cloudless day. When we talked before I came west I had suggested going to Whistler and John was amenable because he had not been there for years, but we didn’t really know what we’d do there other than walk around the village. But when we visited the information centre we learned about the four gondola circuit encompassing two mountain peaks and numerous amazing vistas. We took the first long ride up to the summit of the Mount Blackcomb (1866 metre) and then we took the Peak to Peak gondola over to Whistler Mountain, a distance of 4.4 kms. It is the world’s longest unsupported span for a lift of this kind in the world and the world’s highest lift of this kind. From there we had a bit of a hike to reach the Peak Express, the third gondola, up to the summit. The views all along were stunning, but the best were at the summit. There were hundreds of adventurous mountain bikers riding down the mountain on dirt paths. There was a suspended cable walkway called the Cloudraker Sky Bridge, that took us to the Raven’s Eye viewpoint. Both were spectacular and not for people with height issues. Although the sky above was a beautiful blue, we could see smoke haze in the distance over the mountain range. Then we hiked back to the fourth gondola which returned us to Whistler village where we found a pub to have lunch. We both had a salad and I had a non-alcoholic Corona which was pretty good. All the while we were talking and continuing to catch up and reminisce. During the day we also talked to numerous tourists from around the world who were enjoying the views as much as us. It was a pretty challenging day for John who lost a leg to a blood cot a few years ago and was walking all day on very uneven ground on a prosthetic without his walking stick, which got left in the car. Kudos to him! Then we retraced our route from Whistler along the gorgeous highway 99 to Lynn Valley in North Vancouver where I am staying. We stopped again at the Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub for dinner where we talked more about our careers and lives. I was back at my Airbnb by 8:30 and spent the evening writing and sorting photos.