2009 October « Adventure. Travel. Life.

On this lazy Thanksgiving long weekend, Neil and I decided to visit somewhere we’ve never been before: Brandywine Falls, a Provincial Park just 20 minutes south of Whistler.

Brandywine falls, originally uploaded by amber turnau.

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Who knew this spectacular waterfall was a short drive from my home? Even with these frigid temperatures, the waterfall was flowing steadily into a pool of crystal blue water. The rock face is an incredible canvas for the brilliant autumn colours: splashes of reds, yellows, oranges and a palette of greens.

The Brandywine Falls viewpoint is only about 300m from the parking area, so don’t expect to get your cardio on. But, if you want a more vigorous hike, there are also a few longer trails designed for hike-in camping and cross country skiing.

Neil and I decided to get a little adventurous and wandered off the small trail and into the bushes to take some “artistic” photos of ourselves jumping off rocks. It all went horribly wrong when he landed and rolled his ankle. Note to self: always make sure you’re landing on solid ground when embarking on a jumping photo shoot.

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At least we’re still a month out from snowboarding season so the poor guy can heal.

Nevertheless, it was a pretty incredible sight pre-ankle debacle. I’m not sure if Neil would say it was worth a twisted ankle, but I can definitely say we will hopefully visit again soon – perhaps by bike next time.

Brandywine can also be accessed via the brand new Sea to Sky Trail, which, once complete, will link Squamish to D’Arcy. The Sea to Sky Trail, is a wide gravel track designed for distance, rather than adrenaline.The Whistler to Brandywine leg begins at Function Junction near the Olympic Athlete’s Village and runs for about 20km.

But, then again, that’s an another adventure altogether.

As we wait for the snow to fly in Whistler, everyone is trying to find ways to stay entertained. Such activities include trampolining off a cliff into a lake a la Dan Carr‘s latest video.

Some people are spending the fleeting days of autumn looking for eternal summer by slaying the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

And then, there are the movie premieres. TGR, MSP, Absinthe, Voleurz, Sandbox, the list goes on and on! And the closer we get to opening day, the more stoked the people of Whistler are getting! But, there are about six weeks until the mountains open on November 26. What’s a town to do?

There is only so much conditioning one can do. When not doing squats, circuit training and yoga to bulk up for the snow season, there’s always time to sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits – and veggies – of our labour. That’s what autumn in Whistler is all about. Locals come out to play in shoulder season when Whistler restaurants break out their dinner specials.

I’m enjoying the fall’s culinary delights, from next week’s Hell’s Kitchen finale party at Araxi to November’s Cornucopia.

There’s nothing to make you more thankful this October than heading out to a real live farm and gaining a better appreciation for where your food comes from. I’ll admit, while I live in the mountains now, I did grow up in the city so when we headed to Pemberton’s North Arm Farm last weekend, I was blown away.

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This farm, set in the lush valley with amazing views of Mount Currie, provides fresh produce to many of Whistler’s restaurants. We took advantage of the “U-Pick” and spent some time roaming through rows of crops and captured their transition from summer to fall. One bucket of raspberries and two photos of giant pumpkins later, we emerged from the farm. And now, what to do with all those berries?

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