Written by Kyla Schenk, Program Facilitator
What does ziplining, pizza, and train cars all have in common? They were all a part of an action-packed teen adventure program! This past July saw Power To Be travelling up to Whistler with BC Children’s Hospital, where we had an absolute blast exploring lots of wild spaces.
The adventure started when the tires hit the road; the back of our van was full of chatter as we took in the magnificent sights of the Sea to Sky highway. By the time we reached our first stop at Shannon Falls, the teens who had only met an hour before already felt like a group of old friends. We enjoyed the cool breeze coming off the creek as we ate our lunch and ventured up to check out the impressive falls before hitting the road again. Eventually, we found our way to Whistler, where we were greeted with panoramic views of the mountains that we would be exploring over the next couple of days. That first night flew by in a whirlwind of tacos, epic trivia battles, and lots of laughs.
Bright-eyed and bushy tailed the next morning, we found ourselves at the base of Blackcomb boarding a gondola to fly up the mountain. After an incredible ride up, we were greeted at the top by a curious marmot enjoying its breakfast and a 360-degree mountain view. A rousing debate was sparked in the lineup for the peak-to-peak gondola about the pros and cons of the glass bottom gondola but ultimately, the glass bottom won, and we got to experience the mountains from a new vantage point.
You may think that a glass-bottom gondola would be enough excitement for one day, but our adventure was just getting started! The rest of the afternoon was spent ziplining through the forest and across Fitzsimmons Creek with Ziptrek. We had a blast flying down the ziplines and I’m sure our hoots and hollers could be heard from miles away, especially when our Ziptrek guides taught us how to flip upside down! After such an action-packed day, there was only one logical option for dinner: Pizza!
Our final day took us to the Whistler train wreck hike to explore the train cars left behind after a train derailment in the 1950s. This hike was the perfect way to finish off our trip, with twisted train cars to climb around on and explore, and helpful interpretive signage for those of us with an interest in history.
While our time in Whistler was punctuated by moments of exhilaration, wonder, and adventure, the teens collectively agreed that their favourite part was the time spent with each other. As for complaints, they unanimously agreed that they wished the trip could be even longer!