A Race to Paradise — Panorama Ridge
A hike of record-breaking proportions
My alarm rang at 5:55 am and I grabbed my phone to connect to the British Columbia parks website to book day passes to Garibaldi Provincial Park. I was finally going to trek to the Black Tusk, an almost mythical destination in my mind. When I unlocked my phone to make the reservation, to my horror the screen froze and it was almost 6 am, the time at which the bookings opened just for the day. Despite my best efforts, it didn’t work and I saw the hike slip away from me. And then I woke up. It was just a bad dream!
When my alarm did actually go off, I managed to connect to the site and although I didn’t get passes to Rubble Creek Trailhead, the traditional route to Black Tusk, I booked for Cheakamus Lake Trailhead. Some quick research showed that it was possible to get there on this trail as well but it would mean a longer hike. I was ready at 6:30, our scheduled departure time but I still hadn’t received the confirmation email from BC Parks. This delayed us by around 10 minutes but finally we were off. My friend was waiting for me in her car and when I joined her she was not amused by all the changes that had to be made. It was our first time using this day pass system which was introduced by BC Parks so there were a number of things we were ignorant about. First, they all got taken within a minute and second, the confirmation email took nearly an hour to arrive.
We drove along the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway and as we turned into the road to the parking lot, a black bear was roaming the edge of the forest. It was around 9 am when we started walking through the forest on the Helm Creek Trail. The first 5 or 6 kilometres are an endless climb through a forest. The advantage of this trail was that there was virtually no one else. After an hour or so, we encountered campers returning to the parking lot. Once outside the forest, the terrain flattened and I crossed a couple of streams lined with colourful flowers.
Then, when we were completely out of the forest, a big black hunk of rock appeared, towering above everything else. This was my destination, but the more I looked at it, the more I questioned my ability to reach it within the deadline. I remained determined. We reached Helm Lake campground which was a flat piece of land with 12 platforms for tents that were spread out quite well. A food storage area with ropes allowed for food to be hung high above the ground out of reach from bears.
My friend announced that she wanted to turn back no later than 1 pm but that I could go on if I wanted to and she would wait for me. This put me in a bit of an awkward situation for I really wanted to go all the way having made the effort to get passes early in the morning, drive all the way and trek more than 30 km. I asked if she would really be okay if I went ahead and when she said that she didn’t care but wouldn’t wait indefinitely, which was understandable, I increased my pace.
From here the landscape turned otherworldly. I was walking on a straight flat, grey line that cut through a terrain littered with small black rocks as far as the eye could see. It looked like the surface of another planet littered as it was with volcanic rock. Black Tusk still stood tall like a guiding light drawing me towards. It powered me and gave me all the energy I needed to motor on.
The sky was deep blue on this mid-August day. I approached a clear, shallow lake. The pristine green water perfectly reflected Black Tusk and the grey stratovolcanic slopes around it. Signs asked hikers to stay on the trail in order to prevent movement of the rocks and erosion.
Despite my tight deadline, I lingered for a moment because the view was stunning. I tried to tell myself that even if I didn’t make it, I would have still seen some amazing beauty.
I raced on along Helm Creek and reached a greyish lake fed by glacial melt from the mountain on the right. The path turned 90 degrees to the left with a makeshift bridge. It then looped back to the straight line leading up a low ridge which I climbed across. The ground was slightly humid and marshy here and once again there was shrub vegetation.
A marmot was busy grazing on the grass. I changed my lens to take a few pictures and carried on until a sign indicating Panorama Ridge 3 km to the left and Black Tusk 4.5 km to the right. Since it was already past 11 am, I called my friend to see whether it made more sense to go to Panorama Ridge instead. Since there was no network and we had agreed on Black Tusk, I kept going. The trail was now a narrow strip on slope covered with flowers of all hues. I was surrounded by red, yellow, purple and white flowers.
From the trail, I caught a glimpse of Garibaldi Lake, shimmering in the summer sun. I hesitated. This was a perfect day to visit Panorama Ridge and with the time limit looming it seemed more realistic than Black Tusk. But at the same time, I had planned to go to Panorama Ridge with another friend.
The quandary I was facing cost me time and by now my friend had caught up with me. It was 12:40 and we decided to turn back. I was still determined to go to Panorama Ridge. I could not waste all the effort I had made by not doing at least one of the highlights of this trek.
With a decision made, we turned around and I rushed ahead since I wanted to get to Panorama Ridge as soon as possible. I returned to the fork and descended towards Helm Lake and just as I reached it turned around to see my friend make her way back towards the ridge before Helm Creek. I was less than 3 kilometres from my new destination and asked someone on his way down how long it would take to get up there. I was flabbergasted when he said 2–2.5 hours! This surely couldn’t be right since I was probably less than 2 kilometres away.
I continued up and asked a couple who seemed fit and they said I was probably 1.2 km away and that it shouldn’t take more than half an hour. This certainly made a lot more sense and infused fresh energy into me. I took out an energy bar, the first thing I would eat during this hike. A steep rocky slope covered in chunks of volcanic rock awaited me. It was a fantastic day. Black Tusk stood majestically behind me like a charcoal canine, blue Helm Lake and another green lake at its base. Patches of snow contrasted beautifully on gentle black slopes.
I raced up passing a lot of people. There was a sheet of slippery ice that I had to cross but it wasn’t too bad. I just kept thinking of how little time I had and rushed up the mountain stopping for a breath every now and then to enjoy the view. The higher I went, the more the landscape beneath me became visible. I could see Helm Creek and the lunar scenery to my right and Helm Lake on the left with might Black Tusk in the middle. Even though I couldn’t go there I was glad I was making it up to Panorama Ridge.
The very end of the slope was very steep but I just kept going and after twenty odd minutes of climbing I was on the ridge and was immediately rewarded with a view that blew my mind. The entire expanse of turquoise Garibaldi Lake sparkled under the blue sky. Snowcapped mountains lined this jewel on the opposite side and little pools of glacial melt fed it. I was so glad I made it to the top. Even though I had to hurry back in order to not make my friend wait too long, I stayed for around 10 minutes to take in this spectacular vista. The ridge continued a long way and there were hikers scattered all along it.
It was time for me to turn back. I almost ran down the rocky slope avoiding the jagged stones all over the terrain. People moved out of my way when they saw how quickly I was going. I stopped to take a few pictures because the views with the explosion of summer flowers were irresistible.
Once at the bottom, I quickly splashed some of the cool water from Helm Lake on my face. I felt refreshed and rushed across the little ridge back towards Helm Creek. This time I didn’t bother going around but instead hopped across from rock to rock and got to the other side faster. It was just past 3 pm when I passed the campground.
I was soon back in the forest and since I was all alone and I had seen a bear in the morning, I played some music on my phone and sang along until I reached the steeper section at the end where there were other hikers. I almost ran down the trail and was at the bridge across the river at the bottom at around 3:30.
From here, it was 1.5 kilometres back to the parking lot and I made it by 3:50 pm. I was absolutely knackered and calculated that I had accomplished quite a feat. I did the whole thing in barely 7 hours whereas the Vancouver trails website says it takes 9–11 hours. I was too exhausted to celebrate this but was stoked at having completed it on such a fine day. Panorama Ridge lives up to its name and despite its more than 30 kilometres, Helm Creek trail was absolutely worth it.
Hi, I am Prajwal Madhav. I hope you enjoy my posts.
