My role was to host the camp for 4 clients including prepping meals and cleaning up, but when their guide arrived I ended up tail guiding the hikes and taking out kayak and mountain bike trips too.
The place is amazing, so so remote and as such so so quiet, just the sound of wildlife and water and wind around us. I have never slept so well- loads of fresh air and super comfy beds. Even though the first 2 nights were a bit chilly and I had to hide under the bed covers!
I got up at 6:15 every morning and watched the sunride on the mountains by the lakeside before preparing some hot drinks on the lof fired stove for our guests. Breakfast was served at 8 and by 9:30/10 we were out hiking. I ended up in long non-stop conversations with a 13 year old girl all about Green Day or Emo's. skate chics and Goths, plus a full analysis of meez.com! Fascinating.
After our daily hikes we kayaked the length of the glassy lake, had a sauna (often burning my arm while stoking up the log fired stove) and then ran off the dock into the freezing lake to cool off and wash off- exhilarating! Then sprint back to the sauna to warm up and dry off.
In the evenings I prepped dinner ingredients and Stephan cooked some fabulous food for us all. Then we relaxed (no alcohol but who needed it) and ended up playing Monopoly most nights in the cabin before retiring to our comfy beds.
We hiked to Pond of Youth - a large sparkling blue pond almost a lake- we had to crawl in down logs to get in or else we sank into the mud to our calves- then just as the icy water was creeping up to your waist you had to dive in off the log- woooweeee that's cold! Shivering I asked for my photo to be taken quick so I could get out but Stormy decided we needed to swim to the other side- so we did! The numb'er my body got the easier it was to stay in!
Later I took the Bernies for a bike ride- their first ever on mountain bikes, as road riders they were fit but they struggled to handle the bike over the terrain at first. I gave some basic tips as they gradualy improved and we rode right around the lake until I came aroudn a cormer adn exclaimed Woooaahhh! They thought I had crashed and were worried how bad the terrain ahead must be if I had- but as they rounded the corner they saw the reason for my exclamation- an awesome thundering waterfall. From there we crossed the creek on a fallen tree- they said "Are you for real Claire?" as they shuffled across with petrified faces. It was a mini-adventure and they loved it - lots of tales to tell.
On the last night we kayaked to the end of the Lake at 9pm and had smores on the fire, and drank the only alcohol we had (as i was the only one to bring any so I saved it for a treat for the last night). We kayaked back at midnight, no moonlight just starlight to guide us home. It was a little scary as I did not want to capsize in a cold lake at midnight with no visibility, no life jacket, warm clothes on and my camera in my pocket! Anyway suffice to say I was relieved when the dock came into sight.
On Friday they all flew out at 10am and I had the camp to myself for the whole day! I quickly knocked off the chores to be done, stripping beds, cleaning up, chopping wood and closing down camp.
Then I had a sauna, Lake jump, Sauna session, went fora Kayak, hiked up the creek and generally laid around on the dock in complete quiet. It was serene and I went into a completely chilled out zoned out place- wow! - what a week, what a special place this is.
Terry arrived on the float plane with family in tow to shatter my peaceful existence and we stayed on for an hour or so before packing up the plane and heading back to Tyax.
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