Okay so what's next?  What's in store for Peppermill Fest 2010?

It will take place from August 13th to the 15th, here...

 

 

The Shangri-La Basin, near Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia.

 

It's a bit out of the way, but very much worth the journey, as normally a place like this would be a major tourist destination however it's only a few adventurous sorts that make the effort.  Some details:

- we'll be meeting in Radium Hot Springs on the evening of the 12th.

- early on the 13th (Friday) we'll caravan west into the mountains, the logging road we'll be taking maybe be a bit bumpy in sections but is drivable with any low-clearance 2-wheel drive.  The drive will take around 1 1/2 hours.

- once we get to the Tiger Pass trail, people in high-clearance 4x4's can drive up to the meadows... everyone else will park at the bottom and walk up the zig-zagging road, I've read groups doing it in an hour but more likely it'll take people double that.  The higher you get though, the nicer the views.  Also we'll be providing some snacks for the hike, and people can take breaks there's plenty of time.

- at the meadows is where the trail begins for real, and the first little section is quite steep but there's good footing.  Then it mellows out once you get to the rock, until the last section of the Pass, which is more work but some will run right through it, depending on your conditioning.  There's no cliffs or anything to fall off just lots of small rocks so watch your footing.

- the top of the pass is at 2550m, which from the meadows should take people between 1-2 hours.  in can be windy and chilly up there, but no worries you can't get blown off of anything, it's a gentle curve over to the other side, where the glacier begins.  The glacier will still be covered with a layer of snow which makes it easier to walk down on.  Just follow the people and the tracks and you won't go anywhere near a crevice, our route is very safe (plus we'll put down some bright flagging along the path).

- the hike down to the lakes will take another hour for most people, some might do it faster or a bit slower but that's average.

- there's lots of great tenting spots and we'll have things marked out so set up or first come meet us and have a bite to eat, you'll probably be drained after the total 4-6 hour hike to Shangri-La.  You'll be up there for two nights, and your time is your own but between music and delicious meals we'll have another hike to do the second day for those that want to partake, looking for the large waterfall at the end of the basin that falls down into the valley.  Also there's Ethelbert to hike up (over 3000m at the peak) which some may dare to scramble.  Or people can just chill by the lakes.  Either way we promise you'll be happy you came, we just went and scouted it and here's some photos...

 

 

That's Skookumchuk, who you'll see if you're arriving at Radium from the South... he's been known to curse passerby's so make sure you wave back.

 

See the bearded man carved into the rock by forces of nature?  He seems to be the guardian of this place.

 

 

Courtney our brewmeister being dwarfed.

 

 

A member of our scouting party relaxes halfway up the hike.

 

 

Getting close to the top...

 

 

Made it!  2550m, at the top of one glacier and looking upon another.  Time for a short rest.

 

 

Our first glimpse of the basin, just the edge of it.

 

 

Monte, our resident expert, with Captain Dog, making sure the route is safe for everybody.

 

 

 

There's 5 lakes in total inside this basin, of varying shapes and colours.  We'll be festivaling it up on the left of this particular one, near the bottom of what you can see, it's even got a mini amphitheatre in which to have our campfire stage.

 

 

Pretty nice camping spot.

 

 

Lake #3.

 

 

 

We happened upon Shangri-la on a rare but welcoming rainy weekend, and still despite the clouds this place is quite bright and colourful.

 

 

 

That's the path over to the festival area, right between the first two lakes, which we must hop over however we'll add a few more rocks for firmer footing.

 

 

Now on our way back up the glacier, we passed some locals taking advantage of the August snow.

 

 

Moss Campion.

 

 

On our way back down.

 

 

Soooo many cool rocks on the way.  This one is part of a cairn (rocks piled up as trail markers).

 

 

Here's some Monte found that he carried all the way home.

 

 

The view from some upper meadows.

 

 

You can see a bit of the huge jagged peaks on the top right, they're impressive.

 

 

And down the short steep section to the truck and back home to tell people of this place.  Next time the food and drinks will be flown up so the hike will be easy in comparison, a lot less weight, that's one bonus about going to a place like this in a festival environment.  Plus a lot of people to chat with on the way up and down. 

 

As for the music, here's our fantastic lineup

Ghostkeeper
Gratitillium
Ora Cogan
Rafter
The Oars
Fabi Reyna
Heartstrings
Tarran the Tailor
Dandelion and the Ditchweeds

 

Tickets for '10 should be purchased well in advance, more info here. 

 

Wondering what to pack?  Here's a list.

 

RSVP as soon as you know for sure you're coming.

 

There's still a few spots left so join us!