DeBeck's Trail

Or "Shwa" Girl goes for a Mountain Hike.

This summer we took the kids camping and our first camping trip was to Alice Lake campgrounds in Squamish, BC.  We had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back next year, the campground facilities were well maintained and the hiking trails were wonderful with lots of varying levels of difficulty.  Here is my experience attempting to hike DeBeck's Trail one evening after dinner.

This is what's written in the brochure:
    "The DeBeck's Hill Trail is approximately 3 km round trip. This is a fairly strenuous hike as it climbs 274 metres from the trailhead. The trail access is from the parking lot at the south beach area. Walk past the yellow gate and there is a small sign at the beginning of the trail. Go to the right and follow the old logging road up the hill. This road will take you to the high point above and outside of Alice Lake Park.
    As you hike up the hill you will come across an old steam donkey once used for yarding logs. At the top of DeBeck's Hill you will find a spectacular view of the ice-capped Tantalus Range to the west and Mount Garibaldi to the east. The Squamish River also winds its way down the valley floor."

I was stoked, I wanted to see that Tantalus Range and take lots of pictures to show everyone.  We had just finished dinner and everything was cleaned up so I told Bryn I was going for a walk and headed out.  It was a lovely 10 min walk on the trail that wraps around Alice Lake then I found the start of the DeBeck's trail and began my ascent up the old logging road toward the Tantalus Range.  As I'm making my way up I'm taking notice of all the wonderful scenery around me, the trees and rock walls...I'm also noticing all the old logs and stumps that look strangely like wild animals lurking in the shadows.  Lions, tigers & bears...oh my!  I'm telling myself to put that out of my head, don't be silly. 
"Did you just hear that?" my conscious asks
"Yes, it was the trees creaking in the wind."
"Are you sure, it sounded like rustling I think it's a bear!" my conscience is starting to spook me now!
"No, no, I'm sure it was the wind.  Look up at the trees, they're swaying in the wind.  SEE!  It's just the trees."
     So I start trying to think realistically and rationally here.  What's the worst that could happen?  But unfortunately paranoia had already set in.  Every noise I hear is a bear wanting to eat me for their dinner, after all I must taste delicious because I've already eaten mine!  I fight the inner voices and continue my way up the logging road.  Then I realize I didn't tell Bryn where I was going and thought if something was to happen to me he would have no idea where I was and I would have no way of contacting him either.  I knew that his phone was off or the battery had died (because we were camping after all).  Maybe I should call someone else, just in case, to let them know where I am but who do you call?  How would that conversation go without sounding paranoid.  So I have a fake conversation in my head just to see how it sounds and make sure I don't sound nuts.  I decided not to make the phone call.  Right, Sandi?  My fake conversation in my head was so convincing that I kept making my way up the hill because fake Sandi was now telling me how ridiculous I'm being.
"What, you're not going up to the top because of fake animal sounds?" asks fake Sandi
"But Sandi it's so scary, I see shadows and they look like lurking bears!" is my weak reply.
"That's ridiculous, what are you going to do?  Go back down to the bottom without seeing your view or get your butt up to the top!" fake Sandi says in her stern Mom voice.
     See even fake Sandi thinks I'm being ridiculous.  So I keep going and it just gets scarier as I go and at the next corner I tell myself that if there's nothing around that corner but more road I'm turning around!  So I do that for 3 more corners then decided I had enough as the trees swaying was starting to make a bigger and louder noises.  I start my decent back down the logging road and quickly pick up the pace.  I pretty much run my way down to the bottom because I'm still completely spooked.  Then I turn my next corner and BAM!  I nearly have a heart attack as I run into a man and his bike!  I had spooked myself so much that I jumped and screamed a little when I ran into that guy.  He was very apologetic and said he didn't mean to frighten me (oh, damn, was it that obvious).  Then he asked if I had seen a cougar?  What, you got to be kidding me, now I have to worry about cougars too?

For the rest of the camping trip I regretted not making it all the way to the top and didn't get my pictures!  I vow that next year when we go camping there, I will make it to the top of DeBeck's trail...even if it kills me.