Unaware of the once-a-month “civil long holiday” in British Columbia, my wife and good friends, John and Caity, loaded up for a backpack trip to Upper Joffre Lake north of Whistler, BC.

While the trailhead was a madhouse and the crowds were completely jam-packed all the way through middle Joffre Lake, we found some peace at our destination of Upper Joffre Lake.

Once past the middle lake, the crowds significantly thinned and gave way to the quiet backcountry experience we were looking for. We had two nights at Upper Joffre Lake, exploring the terrain above the lake and the base of the glaciers on the middle day.

The weather was glorious, and the glacier-fed lake system ice cold. It was perfect.