We have our friend Gary to thank for hosting Jan and I on this spectacular backpacking trip. We hiked to Garibaldi Lake 1.5 hrs north of Vancouver BC last weekend and camped for two nights. The drive to the trailhead alone reveals sites that would have made the trip worthwhile. The hike is 9km in to the lake which is fed by a glacier that dominates the opposite side. The color of the water is almost beyond description and made me feel that I should desaturate the photo so I wouldn't be accused of color-tampering.

The turquoise color of the lake's water is due to glacier flour suspended in the meltwater from the Sphinx Glacier to the east and the Sentinel Glacier to the south

To make the scene even more magical, the full moon rose over the glacier each night. That seemed a bit over-the-top, but I guess that's how they do things up north...

Full moon rising over the Sphinx Glacier

Black Tusk is what remains of a 200,000 yr old volcano just north of the lake. It makes the perfect day-hike from the camping sites. The basalt scree that has crumbled from the mountain over the millenia is tricky to climb, as is the tusk itself. From the vantage point in the photo below, you head up and to the left of the tusk before finding a narrow crack in the rock with finger/toe holds serving as the way up to the top.