Wilderness, waterfalls and wonderful weather.

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Geo: 51.6509, -120.035

At 5.30 am, we were awoken by the sunshine filtering through the pine trees into our tent. Unzipping the door, we were greeted by glimpses of the lake, its surface reflecting the early light. As the only ones awake, Stacey and I had this paradise all to ourselves and we enjoyed ambling along the lakeshore in the pinky hues of the sunset, watching the chipmunks hopping lightly from log to rock to branch, searching for food. The water was impossibly calm, reflecting the vast scenery in its glassy surface - the early clouds illuminated by the rising sun. The mirror-effect only broken by a family of geese who sailed silently across its surface. It was pure tranquility, and we felt incredible privileged to be the only ones awake to experience such a magical morning.

After packing up, it was a two-hour canoe back to the launch site, and en route, we were able to enjoy more of the scenery with clearer skies than we had experienced the day before. We paddled past Eagles Rest and were amazed to see how high it was - the rocks we had scrambled over the previous evening were peeking out of the top of the pine forest far above our heads. Smug pants firmly on, we continued paddling up the lake. About an hour in, we heard a splash and a snort, and watched ecstatically as a pair of otters slipped intol the lake, droplets of water hanging off their whiskers as they played and swam in the clear water.

Back at the dock, we unloaded and then drove along a pine-tree-lined road which skirted the river, until we reached Helmcken Falls, a gargantuan column of water that plunged down from a height of 141m, the mist from the falls having created a vast bowl of rock behind it. At the base of the falls, white rapids thundered around, tossing huge trees in their wake as though they were matchsticks. We drove back along a stunning road, pine trees bunched together as far as the eye could see, with mountains in the distance.

Arriving back at camp, we set up a group of tents, despite the offer to stay in the cabins once more. Any snorers were banished to the cabins to keep each other company, while the rest of us pitched up together. While some of the rest of the group either horse rode or just kicked back at camp, I headed out for a hike with Chantelle, one of the Australian girls. We drove down to The Mouls Fall trail and a short walk took us through thick forest, sunlight shafts filtering through the branches and dappling the floor. As we crossed a wooden bridge, we thought we had arrived at the falls, seeing a vast body of water rushing beneath us. However, we saw people walking towards us from out of the forest and realised the trail continued. So we pushed on, down a set of steep steps hewn in the rock and then we saw the falls tumbling down in front of us. On our guide's advice, we clambered along the slippery rocks to the side of the falls, which led us to a passageway that ran behind the falls. Standing behind the awesome power of the water as it plummeted over the edge high above our heads, we were soaked with the freezing drops and fine spray, a welcome relief from the heat of the day. Chantelle was braver than me and fully submerged herself in the cold water at the base of the falls, whereas I merely paddled and soaked my tired feet.

After an uphill walk back to the camp, we enjoyed hot showers, a luxury after the basic facilities of the lake camp (even with the lack of privacy) and then followed up the lap of luxury with a full steak dinner, the steak barbecued to a rare perfection and washed down with beer.

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