My first backpacking trip was outstanding. The scenery and colours we saw on the two day trip were absolutely phenomenal. We drove to Colin's cabin, in Spur Valley, B.C., on the Friday night and spent the night there. The following morning we started the three hour, six kilometer hike to Diana Lake. I was completely unprepared for the intense weight of the backpack (probably around 80 pounds) and was in considerable discomfort ten minutes into the hike. We stopped often to rest our aching backs and shoulders. About halfway in a stunning view of a mountain, with red fireweed covering the lower portion, came into view. The colours were unbelievable and a stream with small waterfalls added to the magnificence of the scene. The remainder of the hike was fairly  interesting (just under 3 hours in total), but the reward definitely came at the end, when we arrived at Diana Lake. Our timing for the trip was great, as much of the flora had started to change colour, giving the landscape beautiful shades of green, yellow, and red. Combined with the blue sky, the greys and browns of the surrounding mountains, and even a little snow, the weekend provided for us a stunning feast of colour and beauty.

After setting up camp and resting for a while, Mark and I hiked past the Lake and up to a wonderful ridge with outstanding views of Spur Valley and the surrounding area. We explored the ridge for quite a while and eventually discovered that it circled all the way around the valley, in turn joining up with the ridge walk and scramble up The Judge. We could have completed the ridgewalk, but decided to returned to the camp site for dinner. After descending to the valley floor, a pleasant stream led us back to the lake and camp site.

The following day we left around 9 am to scramble up The Judge. I wanted to complete the ridgewalk Mark and I had started the day before and so while Mark, Keri, and Darryl headed for the pass to start the ascent, Colin and I went north to the back of the valley and headed up to the ridge. Again, it was a wonderful hike and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. From the ridge, the descent to the pass and scramble up the judge was easy and fun. Throughout, the colourful scenery was stunning. The huge white and grey boulders at the summit were especially beautiful.

For the descent, we took an alternate route back and it turned out to be one of the best and unbelievably gorgeous sections of the trip and of any hike I had ever done. In addition to the spectacular colours, the descent had some outstanding waterfalls that made the overall scene nothing short of miraculous. As luck would have it, I had run out of film and therefore didn't get one single shot of what was probably the most perfect scene I will ever witness.

The two hour hike back to the car was considerably easier than the hike in (downhill and less weight in our packs), and Darryl and I even saw a small black bear as we were driving back to Colin's cabin. Overall, an absolutely wonderful weekend - one that I will not soon forget.