Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

© Ken L Howard | Alamy
backcountry skiers on Bugaboo Glacier
As we hike higher on the ridge and across a field of snow, the clouds drop like a
curtain around us, until it feels as if we could reach up and hold the heavy grey
mist. The wind comes up, too, and we pause to pull on hats and gloves. We walk a
little further, before Paul turns his face to the wind and scans the sky. He tells us
it’s time to get off this ridge before the weather worsens. He radios for the
helicopter, and after we snap a few quick photos with our feet in the summer snow,
we hike down to a more sheltered spot, where the craft can land. When we pull up
into the clouds, fat raindrops begin splattering the windshield.
We’re back at the lodge in time for ‘tea goodies’, when everyone gathers in the
lounge (or hot tub) for cocktails and snacks, swapping stories about their day’s
adventures. Dinner is served family-style, and we dig into Caesar salads, baked
salmon and lemon tarts.
The next morning, the sun peeks through the clouds during my pre-breakfast
stroll outside the lodge. White and yellow wildflowers surround a nearby pond, a
perfect foreground for photos of the pointed peaks. One group sets off early,
boarding the helicopter to tackle a via ferrata, a climbing route with iron rings fixed
into the rock. I opt for ‘regular’ hiking, and the helicopter zips our group to a ridge,
where we set out for a lagoon at the base of the Vowell Glacier. In less than an
hour, we reach the blue-green pool below the glacier-topped mountains. Right on
schedule, the clouds lift, and the sun glimmers off the water.