E.C. Manning Provincial Park, BC
Taken in 2019, my friends and I had decided to take our annual multi-day hiking/camping trip to E.C. Manning Park, just two hours away from Vancouver, BC. This was a re-discovery for myself of the joys in car camping after having quickly dived into the backpacking life.
There are times when the backcountry and primitive living are greatly enjoyed and are valuable teachers, but there are other times when all you need is good friends with nature, even if just outside the city. You can pat yourself on the back for the times when you can relax without electricity and running water, but this doesn't mean you are any less of an outdoors enthusiast when you're also thrilled to fill up your friend's truck with way too much food, and use an actual flushing toilet and hot showers instead.
A hot meal is cooked over the fire pit, you sit at a table to eat together, and you still stare up at the stars while it's all quiet except for the fire cracking in front of you. The next day you hike up a mountain and come back to shower before doing that again. And the day after, you take a canoe for a lazy paddle down the lake. I don't know about you, but that sounds just alright with me.
