“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find that going to the mountains is going home; that wild-ness is a necessity”

We camped overnight at Sayers Lake near Mission, BC. Craving some time in nature, we packed our Toyota 4Runner and left Vancouver at 8am due East to the town of Mission then North following a 12km forested dirt road. Sayers Lake is an 1 hour and a half from our home and is part of the Stave Lake Reservoir . We scored a site right next to the lake. We sleep in the truck which makes spur of the moment trips really easy.

As soon as the city starts to disappear and the trees and mountains get bigger, a deep sense of peace envelops me; it’s like I’ve come home.

It was nice to feel the warmth of the sun and we sat for a while after arriving listening to the birds and watching the chipmunks scurry. They were very curious of their new human neighbours and without any fear climbed into our camp kitchen bag to see what we’d brought them.

I decided to keep it simple for this trip, as it was only 1 night so I packed snacks and food we could enjoy without cooking. I made Cinnamon Rolls the night before at home to have for breakfast.

I’ve been interested in learning Homesteading Skills and asked my husband to teach me to tie and bait a fishing hook. I got my first lesson then we went out on the lake to see if we could catch anything. I could see what looked like rainclouds moving over the mountains and sure enough the rain started to fall while in the middle of the lake. With no catch, we quickly headed back to shore and started a fire just in time for a thunderstorm to roll over our camp.

The storm lasted over an hour. I put together a Charcuterie Board for dinner. Under the shelter of the hatch, we sat out the back of the truck and enjoyed Prosecco, fruit, cheese, hummus and meats with rain and thunder as our soundtrack. My husband caught an awesome video of our dinner with the campfire and rolling thunder (watch HERE)

A mist moved over the lake after the storm passed. We went to the shore and the ozone and earthy scent was heavy in the air. The temperature cooled down as the sun set. No more rain for the rest of our stay. We spent the evening around the fire telling stories and enjoying a beer. That’s what you do when you’re camping right?

The frogs were singing a loud chorus late into the night and we drifted off to sleep in the comfort of the truck bed . I know it seems short to camp for 1 night but that’s the magic about the Pacific Northwest. You can be in nature pretty quickly and feel like your far away from civilization. Our plan is to do simple trips like this throughout the Summer. The truck gives us the freedom to take the backroads, park next to a lake or river and spend a day or 2 camping. I hope you’ll enjoy this entry. Here are more of the photos I took.

Until next time.

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“It should not be denied… that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led West.”

Love,

Jennifer