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Stein Valley is like one big church full of rich history, huge untouched trees, lakes and rivers.
It was quite the spiritual journey hearing all the voices at night…one day they’d be singing, another
day they’d be arguing or just talking. Throughout the hike, I always felt very safe; secure ….in fact
I felt like I really needed to be here…. City life sometimes puts pressure on your thoughts, brain and
body. Hiking in Stein was like a great getaway from all the city toxins around me. It cured me from
all my stress and my body got into great lean shape. Even though some of my journal below sounds a
bit negative, please note that I was not exactly in “shape” and the weather did surprise me quite
a bit. I would do it all again all over the same way. In fact, I want to go back and spend some more
time at Long Lake and hike to Elton Lake and perhaps do the alpine trail if weather permits.
I thank all the people that preserved this land for thousands of years so I could enjoy the beautiful
scenery. A big thanks to the natives and all the environmentalists who keep preserving this land!
Day 1 Stein Valley Trail to Lizzie Lake (SAT)
Martin and I got a ride from the B&B to the Stein Valley trailhead, which said, “CLOSED” and “WARNING”.
This sign did not matter to us…we were determined to hike this trail no matter what! At first we looked
at crossing the creek but it seemed difficult. Martin said that there was an easier way but we have to
climb. As we turned back and started to climb this passage…it got steeper and steeper and my clothes got
dirtier and dirtier. Crossing the creek did not seem so bad after all! We descended and went back only to
find 2 fishermen that were more than willing to help us out. One of them said to me that this is better
than watching T.V. The first fisherman tried to cross the creek by himself and managed to do it with his
rubber boots. He then helped Martin and myself cross the creek and it was a success. I was thinking that
this hike would definitely be challenging. After about five minutes of hiking, Martin and I had to cross
another creek and there was a LOG so we sat on the log and managed to cross. After that, the hike was
simple but of course our legs were hurting because you are never in shape for these things. When we
reached Lizzie Lake, I was relieved to see nice camping spots and a beautiful lake. We saw some other
campers but didn’t really talk to them. Martin hung up the food in his “fancy way” and I chilled out
looking at the beautiful views. When you are in a place like this, life is so simple. You no longer think
of any problems or daily routine life. You think of …”where am I going to the bathroom? “ ….is Martin
going to make some tea ?” Another problem we had was “where are we going to get water ?” so Martin had
this fabulous (being sarcastic) idea of looking for water because he sees a creek on the map. We decide
to start looking for it but ended up nowhere. Also, there were many ribbons everywhere and we didn’t know
what they meant…..is it a trail ?? is it a path to somewhere ? It started to get dark and I wanted to get
to the tent and relax a bit. At the end we started to head back and we found a small stream near our tent
where we filled up water and we were very happy at this time. We went to bed when it got dark and I slept
well. Martin started getting a sore throat.
Day 2 Lizzie lake to Long Lake (SUN)
This day started all wrong. Martin and I woke up early and we thought that we have a “great head start”
(we were on Montreal time). Anyhow….normally we are good hikers, but we went against our rules. We
“assumed” the trail was where we started. Martin kept saying that “not many people go on this trail”
so it’s kinda bushy. I believed him and went along with his strategy. I began to wonder “what did I get
myself into ?” …this does not look like a trail, however it was the beginning of my vacation so I was
willing to take some beatings in the bushes. The trail started to get more rugged and we were officially
lost but we had the compass and GPS so we were headed the right direction but the bushy conditions were
getting to be quite depressing. At many points, we were stopping to check where we were and realizing that
this trip could be a long journey. Martin almost stepped into a wasp nest and I started to trip on the rocks.
We were tired and a little fed up so we took another break. At one point I start to hear voices and told Martin
(maybe I was just dreaming ?). Martin started yelling “hellloooooooo….are you on the TRAIL ???” and we kept
on screaming and 3 Hungarian guys responded. We slowly followed their voices (bushwhacked through some
devil’s club) and met up with them and they told us that there is a TRAIL and it is very well marked.
At this time ..Martin and I realized that we were on the wrong path and that we MISSED the trail all
together from the very beginning. We broke one of our rules “ don’t make assumptions…know where you are…
find the correct trail”. Anyhow I was thrilled to see that there was a perfect walking trail and we eventually
made it to Lizzie Cabin. I was tired and wanted to camp at Lizzie cabin, but Martin insisted that “time”
is tight and we should make it to Heart Lake. Grumpy as I was after this day, I went along and again Martin
and I were looking for the trail to get to Heart Lake. We thought we finally got it ! We ended up at a
beautiful lake with magnificent views. I loved it there. The sun came out for a few minutes and I managed
to defrost a little. We saw one more tent in the distance and waved to the person. Being in the alpine
area was gorgeous. I felt like I was truly in heaven. The water was super clear and all the colors were
breathtaking. It started to get quite cold so we put on all our warm clothes. I slept with everything on
including my down jacket. It was one of the coldest nights in Stein Valley.
Day 3 Long Lake to Caltha Lake (MON)
In the morning, we took our sweet time getting out of the tent because it was very cold, frosty on our
tent and no sun. We thought we were right on target, at Heart Lake and that we have plenty of time to
reach Caltha lake but “surprise surprise”. According to the GPS, we were at “Long Lake”. Martin and I
started to look at the map and examine where did we go wrong? How could this be ? Martin started thinking
that we should cut across and that we should end up at Heart lake but I said “no way”….let’s go back to
Lizzie cabin and back track where we are and where we’re supposed to go. After a couple of minutes, we
descended to Lizzie Cabin and tried to find different routes/trails from the cabin….there was none.
Finally Martin found some copies of Gordon’s book at the cabin. We realized that we were going the right
direction but at the meadows, we’re supposed to turn left. We started on this trail again and then once at
the meadows, we saw a cairn and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I started to feel better again
and was happy we were headed towards the right direction. It seemed like everyday has been a challenge and
all the trails were difficult to find. I was a little worried about the rest of the journey but tried to
be optimistic. Martin’s cold was getting worse because he looked at bit weak and wasn’t enjoying the hike
as much as I was. We saw Caltha Lake from a distance and according to the GPS and map, it was Caltha Lake
so we were exited because it looked so close….but it still very far away. I saw some campers at distance
and I wasn’t sure whether they were campers or animals. As we kept getting closer, I realized they were
campers after all. We were rock hopping two hours before we got to Caltha Lake and we ate ½ hour before we
got to Caltha Lake. I think we ate pasta with sun dried tomatoes and cheese. I was angry at Martin because
it was raining and I was cold. I wanted to eat at the campsite but Martin insisted that we eat further
away from the campsite because of the grizzlies. It started raining and I was very cold. When we pitched
out tent, we decided to sleep with the food because there was no place to hang it up. Martin was worried
about this and didn’t sleep well and his cold started getting worse. I said “Hi” to the campers nearby and
they invited us for a campfire later on (I don’t know how they would start it since it was very wet).
Anyhow, once Martin and I hit the sleeping bag, we were dead tired and not going anywhere. We fell asleep
(at least I did).
Day 4 Caltha Lake to Tundra Lake (TUES)
We woke up this morning and Martin was not well. His throat was pretty bad and we were discussing
whether we should go back. He insisted he’s fine and that he wants to continue. I listened to the
weather forecast (we had a small weather radio) and it said that Wednesday should rain and that
Thursday/Friday should be cloudy with some sunny periods. I thought I would communicate the news
to the other campers. I went to fill up some water and Martin was packing up the tent. According to
the map, the hike to Tundra should be short and we should get at our camp spot early. Martin and I
were looking for a good break! We started our hike with great expectations. We were officially
entering the Stein Valley today and boy was I exited. When we first saw Tundra Lake, both our mouths
dropped. It was just spectacular. The color of the blue lake was paradise and the scenery looked almost
fake (like a postcard). When you see such beautiful scenery, all the hardships of hiking are ALL worth
it. We saw our campsite from far and thought that this will be an easy hike (although on the map,
it says “difficult”) I thought it couldn’t be that difficult …..but again, this hike started all
wrong. Martin started walking on the snow and it was very slippery. He slid with his backpack and
then told me to do the same. Martin was in complete control when he slid but when I tried to slide
down, I completely panicked. I could not dig my heels into the snow and I was sliding so fast that
I couldn’t stop myself. I was screaming all the way down and Martin caught me. I had a very bad vibe
about this so called path or trail ? We started to hike and as usual, there was no set trail so we
made up our own trail. We started rock hopping…only that it got steeper and the rocks started getting
BIGGER. I felt like I was rock climbing and the rocks were not stable at all. There were many rocks
that were jiggling and if you lose your footing, you could easily sprain your angle or break a leg.
We were slow and took our time. After a couple of hours, we ate some lunch…we had tuna, celery and
some mayo. on good bread to give us some energy. After we ate, we continued to rock hop. After a
couple of hours, there were some areas that didn’t have any rocks at all…they had some trees so we
had to bushwhack a bit but managed to cross the terrain because it looked like there was a fire at
one point which gave us some clearing. When we finished the bushwhack, there were more rocks to hop
and the area was getting steeper and steeper. I started to freak out (I’m a hiker afraid of heights…
so Tundra was a big mental battle for me). At one point, I couldn’t take it anymore…I was tired…I
was scared and I saw that we still have a good amount to hike. Time was passing fast and we seemed
to be getting nowhere. I felt like a little inch worm in a big puddle of mud. After a couple of
hours of difficult breathing and steep hiking, we finally reached our camping site at around
7:00-7:30. I had a sick feeling in my stomach but I was glad to be alive. I felt like I was on
“survival mode” rather that “hiking mode”. That night, we ate some Lipton pasta and had some tea
(in the dark). It was cold and I felt sick…I think it was the start of me getting Martin’s cold.
We hung up our food and it started to get very windy but we felt secluded in our camp spot since
trees surrounded us. It was raining all night and our tent and just about everything else started
to get damp. I had nightmares about Tundra and the big rocks.
Day 5 Tundra Camp-Day Off (WED)
Since the Weather was rainy, windy and cold…. we were very tired…Martin and I decided to take the
day off (I think we really needed it). We ate breakfast in the tent and munched on snacks. We ate
some hummus with some vegetables and I think this made us sick. We started going to the bathroom
quite often after this. The hummus was quite BLAH ! The only time I got out of the tent was to go
to the bathroom and to eat supper. Martin and I kept debating whether we should do the alpine trail
or hike to Puppet Lake and descend from there (weather was really windy at this time). The decent
looked quite steep on the map (which got me worried). The descent is just about 3000 feet. I hoped
there was a path !! The weather for the next day didn’t seem like it was improving. I felt the sore
throat and I was not looking forward to the hike the next day. I kept thinking that it’s day 5 and
we are only in the beginning of Stein. We have like 65 km to go and I think we will never get out
of here! Stein is very spectacular but comes at a price…you have to be well prepared for the alpine
weather. I’m looking forward to the desert eco-system in Stein. I’m FREEZING. Four ptarmigans came
to visit us and I felt like this was some sort of sign (a good one). It was cute to see the mamma
bird with the young ones. I was thinking that I hope a grizzly won’t do the same. Toilet paper
started to become scarce. Martin was using it for his nose/cold and then we had to go sh…t a couple
of times thanks to the hummus. I fell asleep with no problem but I had my doubts about the hike tomorrow.
DAY 6 Tundra to Stein Lake (THUR)
When we woke up, the weather was still raining and it didn’t look like there are any signs of
improvement, however we had to start going because our days are limited and who knows how long it
will take us to hike the 65 km. We ate breakfast and started packing. I was very cold. I wore all
my clothes and jacket. It started raining at bit and my down jacket was getting flatter. As we
approached the alpine trail, the winds were getting stronger and the rain started to get heavier.
The clouds were everywhere so the visibility was not good. I was thinking maybe we should wait
go back and make camp and wait it out another day…Martin suggested a new route so we don’t have
to take the alpine route. He suggested that we hike to this “green area” he spotted that looks
very flat and it looks like we could get on the alpine trail easier and then we could hike to
Puppet Lake. This seemed like the only option because we were headed to a very steep and
slippery section. As we started to hike Martin’s route, it seemed perfectly fine…a little bit
of rock hopping and bushwhacking did the trick….the rocks were smaller and easier to hop on and
the bushwhack didn’t seem so difficult…hardly any steep sections. Finally we managed to get to
the alpine route …take a photo and then descend to Puppet Lake. We were hoping that there is a
“path” at Puppet Lake…..when we finally reached there ….the lake was spectacular…crystal clean
green/blue….beautiful !! We looked for a path but didn’t find one (what else is new here ??)
so we decided to hike down with the stream. We followed the stream and descended 3000 feet…it
was not horrible…I grabbed on to my friendly trees to help me and it was not overly bushy. I
was very content at this time because I could feel the weather improving as we got lower and
lower. My throat was killing me at this time, however I was determined to reach Stein Lake.
From time to time, we could see the lake from above which motivated us to descend faster. At
this time, the batteries for the GPS were dead so we were not using it anymore this day.
Finally after a couple of hours and 3000 feet later, we were at the lake……only to end up in
the SWAMPY section. Both Martin and I were very tired and kinda freaking out. The grass was
very tall, damp and there were small streams in some sections (we couldn’t see them) and
our feet would plunge right into the streams. Also we saw some big bear tracks in the swamp…
this got me a little nervous since the grass was so tall…you couldn’t see what is in front
of you. At this point, we were very tired, cranky and wet. After the long swampy section,
we ended up bushwhacking and there was A LOT of blow downs. My legs were in pain and we had to
cross many logs, branches, shrubs and devil’s club. The needles of the devil’s club went right
through my pants and dug into my skin. I didn’t care about any of this…I just wanted to see some
dry land and when it was around 7:00 pm …we reached a small patch of trees and the land was
somewhat dry. I told Martin we are camping here and he actually wanted to go on …but I put my
foot down and told him I’m not going anywhere !! We finally made camp and I took off my wet
clothes (hung them on some branches) and had no more warm clothes left. My long underwear
was WET and the material was silk (I thought silk and polyester are the same…that they both
dry fast…I was very wrong) and it didn’t dry. I had to take them off too. So here I am stuck
in my shorts when I’m freezing !! Martin and I couldn’t cook supper that night and didn’t
make any tea. We had raw broccoli, apple and some nut bars for supper and tried to sleep.
I was so cold that I couldn’t sleep. My body couldn’t warm up at all !! I had to take off the
semi-damp down jacket and then Martin snuggled next to be….I was warm right away and fell
asleep instantly. I was glad we were out of the alpine weather.
DAY 7 Stein Lake to Island Campsite (FRI)
I woke up this morning knowing that my shoes/clothes are all soaking WET. BOY ! I was not
looking forward to putting on those hiking boots and wet pants. There was no sun, so everything
remained damp and wet. The sleeping bags started to get damp and the tent was slightly wet.
We had pasta for breakfast since we missed our real supper last night and I was hungry for
some carbs !! The pasta was great. We started packing up, took some photos and put on the wet
clothes and soaked hiking boots. We still had some bushwhacking to go ! My legs were not
functioning properly…I think the 3000 foot descent had something to do with it. I couldn’t go
over the logs and there was plenty of blowdowns everywhere. Some logs were huge and Martin had
to help me numerous times. I was getting tired of bushwhacking and then we heard some voices …
there was some natives across Stein lake and then were waving to us. I was happy to see some
people…because this meant that there could be some “trails” ahead. After a couple of hours
bushwhacking…we ended up at a clearing which was nice. We saw a big cable car and of course I
was a bit nervous because I’m afraid of heights. At this point I didn’t really care anymore…a
cable car looks better than bushwhacking …So we crossed the Stein river and five minutes later
there was a native young man standing there to greet us. He said “Hi” and that he is there to
clear the “trails”…and I said….”you mean a trail really exists ?? and it’s well marked ??” he
said “yes ….the trails are very well marked and there are few blowdowns”. I was happy to hear
this news (ready to hug the man)…it was like my dream come true at this point. We’ve had 7 and
½ days of hardship…now maybe we’ll get a break and walk on a trail”…wowowowow !! He told us
where the trail starts and I saw orange stickers for the very first time. I was clinging on
to them and making sure that I see the next sticker on each tree. I thought to myself that we
better start moving because we are day 7 and still have many km’s to go. Martin and I decided
to camp at the “Island campsite”. I was afraid as usual to go into this smaller cable car that
fits only one person and your backpack. However since it was late…I went into this cable car…
pulled myself into the other side and then we found our camping spot. Martin made supper and
tea…however I started to get very COLD. Once I stopped walking, my teeth were clattering and
I was COLD. I was shivering and my cold was kicking in. Martin had to hang up the food first
and was taking quite a longtime to do this. I couldn’t move…I was waiting for him to make the
tent so I could hop into my warm sleeping bag. I slept well….blew my nose a lot and was realizing
that we are slowly running out of toilet paper.
DAY 8 Island Campsite to Big Spruce Logjam Campsite
Martin and I decided to wake up early and put on the wet hiking shoes and aim for Big Spruce
Logjam campsite. It seemed quite a distance on the map, but looked like it could be done.
I had my doubts because somehow we never ended up where we plan to end up on this trip …so I
decided to mentally stimulate my brain by saying ….we’ll take this one step at a time. The
hike started out just fine… Martin and I seemed like we were going fast. I thought this is too
good to be true. We had no obstacles and were going at a fast pace. We ended up at our campsite
early (like 6:00-30) and it was mild enough for us to clean up, take off our clothes, wash up
some stuff and hang up all the damp stuff. I walked in my sandals for the first time in comfort.
I was so happy to be at this campsite and it was warmer…nicer and we seemed to make some effort
today to get somewhere. I finally felt like my vacation is beginning. I wished we had good
weather in the alpine area but you can’t have it all. We discussed the destination for tomorrow’s
hike and decided to hike to Ponderosa. I slept well but was still sniffling. Toilet paper was
really running out.
DAY 9 Big Spruce Logjam Campsite To Ponderosa Shelter
This morning, we both felt more confident and left the campsite around 11:00am. The trails
were looking easier and easier…very flat ..almost effortless. The more we hiked, the drier
the weather got. There were hardly anymore shrubs…it looks like a lot a sand everywhere and
patches of green here and there. I was very happy about this warm desert condition. We took
a small break at Cottonwood section and we got lost a little on the trail but slowly found
our way! In the middle of our hike, we got surprised by a group of natives rediscovering
their roots. The group was around 16 people…there was a teacher, herbalist, hunter and James
(he carried all the medical supplies) and some students from a high school. We hiked with
James for a bit and he’s from the Okanogan and was telling us some stories about the Stein
valley….explaining to us about the voices we hear every night and how the Stein is a very
sacred place to the natives. He gave us some hints on where to find the pictographs and
overall was a really nice guy. The feeling of being in a remote place was gone. Now we are
with a bunch of people…which I didn’t find so bad (since they seemed like a friendly bunch).
I felt safe, secure and was happy hiking in these easy conditions. My legs were slowly
recovering and my cold was getting better. Some of the young natives didn’t really know
how to hike…they were practically “running” on the trail and then they would take these
long breaks because they were so tired. Martin and I walked at a normal pace and always
managed to catch up to them. We were discussing whether to camp at Ponderosa or “wrong turn”
campsite. We didn’t really feel like being around 16 people although the natives were very well
behaved and seemed like extremely interesting people….so at the end we decided to take the chance
and hike to Ponderosa Shelter. When we ended up at the Ponderosa shelter, I was very happy
because it was a gorgeous campsite…incredibly nice !! The natives were actually sleeping at a
“Hut” nearby (which is not indicated anywhere…so I think this hut is specifically for them)…
so here we had this beautiful shelter to ourselves. I had some time to absorb the sun and Martin
made us some supper. I felt totally satisfied with this campsite. You can’t ask for anything
more. The water is close, the sun is here…the view is spectacular ….this is what life is all
about. Now if only I had guts to swim in the cold water so I could feel like I’ve had a shower…
that would be good !!! But that is not important…the moment of feeling you’re one with nature is
so sweet ! I don’t think many people know this feeling since not many hike this long in the
mountains. You are in peace with yourself and the world. It’ll be hard going back to the city routine.
Day 10 Ponderosa To Tee Pee
We woke up very relaxed and satisfied with Ponderosa shelter camp. We ate breakfast and enjoyed
the last couple of moments at the campsite. I was debating whether I should engrave our initials on
the shelter but then thought this was similar to polluting. As usual, there was no sun but it sure
felt good to feel dry and safe. One more day and we are at Lytton. It seemed to pass very quickly.
I took some last photos of our site and then we were off to Tee Pee. We heard from James that Earl’s
cabin (we originally wanted to camp there) was kinda creepy…so we decided to hike as far as Tee Pee.
Martin thought we should try to catch up to the natives so we could get a lift to Lytton, otherwise
we would have to walk a couple of kilometers and I think both of us got our “camping fix” at this
point. I was very smelly because it was hard to wash yourself with the cold weather. I couldn’t
wait to take a shower ! We started hiking a little late but it was very easy. We saw many dead
trees due to the fire and we also saw some pictographs which were very cool. We took some breaks
here and there…when we reached Earl’s cabin…it was nothing special and the area wasn’t that nice…
so we took some pictures and kept walking. At teepee campsite, it was really nice but I didn’t
sleep very well because of the heavy water fall and my cough got worse somehow. At night I was
coughing A LOT ! The campsite was really nice…great view…beautiful water and again…I felt very
very SAFE. I was looking forward to a nice shower…Martin was scaring me a little about “devil’s
staircase”…he said it’s REALLY HARD and it took some person 12 hours to hike it. Maybe this is
why I didn’t sleep well…I cannot go through another “Tundra”….although James said it was easy
and the map didn’t indicate any type of difficulty.
DAY 11 Tee Pee To Lytton
Martin and I woke up early and decided to get out as fast as possible. I started packing and
Martin made food quickly and we headed off. I was a little tired but eager to finish hiking.
After 11 days, I want a good shower. Again, the views and trees were beautiful. I kept my eye
out for pictographs but I was admiring the nature much more. Many times we thought this is the
end, but we had to walk further. As for Devil’s staircase, it was a piece of cake…I kept waiting
for it to become difficult…but it was extremely easy. I don’t know who put it in Martin’s head
that it’s difficult ? At this point we started to meet more and more people…so we knew we are
towards the end. We met an older couple hiking for the day and many more people just kinda
hanging out. I wanted to take a small break when the sun came out…it felt SO good to be in the
sun…my long lasting friend !! Finally Martin and I bumped into the “asking rock”. I asked the
rock “….why I’m here ?? What is my purpose in life and to let me find the direction” I hope the
answer becomes clear to me soon. I left a piece of hair at this rock. I didn’t want to leave
something “material” because I don’t want to pollute the forest….I don’t care if people offer
tobacco or their material items…I just wanted to leave an “unpolluted” piece of myself. When
we reached the end, it was GREAT….I ran to the sign and then we bumped into the Natives….they
took a picture of me and Martin and then we took a picture of the native group. They didn’t
have enough room on their bus, but a couple that had their car managed to give us a lift to
Lytton. They all seemed like a great bunch of people ! I wish I could learn more about their
culture because it seems so interesting. We crossed the ferry and arrived at Lytton looking
for a place to stay. We went to the information/ tourist center and met a woman who recommended
some hotels etc…She introduced me to a new book on Stein Valley called Stein-the way of the
river…..she wouldn’t let the book out of her sight…so I wrote down the name/author hoping to
order it from Amazon (which I did and managed to get it for 38.00 CAD including shipping…they do
not publish this book anymore). Martin and I were debating whether we should stay one or two
nights in Lytton…we were tired so we decided to go shower and talk about it later. We arrived
at the hotel and the first thing we did it take off all our smelly clothes and shoes…I looked
in the mirror and it looked like I lost a couple of pounds and BOY !! was I ever bruised and my
rash didn’t look very good. I had these big pimples on my legs…I think it was from the devil’s
club. My legs looked like HELL…but I didn’t really care at this time…all I wanted was to get
clean….so I turned on the shower and took a LONGGGGG shower…I used a whole soap bar (it was a
small soap bar)…I washed my hair etc./…my skin/hair felt GREAT….I felt amazing !! My skin/hair
were really soft…after not washing my hair…I think it really improved. Society always wants us
to be extra clean…but I don’t think it’s so healthy to be so “clean” all the time. After the
shower…we went to the only restaurant in town and I ordered a pizza and Martin had a burger.
We drank some juice and it tasted SOOO GOOOD. I was very full after the pizza….then we were
debating whether we should do some laundry. We went back to the hotel…watched a bit of T.V.
and Martin decided to go ahead and pick up all the dirty clothes and we walked together from
the laundry place. We met a very nice woman with her child who happened to be in “town” and
she lent us some detergent. Martin wanted to pay her but she rejected any money. She told me
that once you move to the country…you could never live in the city anymore. She said that life
is slower and air is better….made me think a bit. Why do I live in Montreal for ? I’m
definitely not a city person Anyhow….we bought a bottle of wine…and opened it at the
hotel…..even though it was a good bottle….I couldn’t really drink it….I guess after eating
so healthy…it’s hard for my body to take alcohol. I didn’t finish the wine. I went to sleep
and it felt strange sleeping in a BED. The next day Martin and I woke up early (5:00AM) to take
the Greyhound back to Vancouver. It was raining in the morning. We put on our raincoats
and walked uphill for about 15 minutes to the gas station. The weather was windy and rainy.
We waited for about 5 minutes and the Greyhound appeared…the driver put our bags on the bus
and OFF we were. I said “good-bye” to Stein Valley and thanked the spirits for a safe journey.
I was a little sad leaving. I felt a lot of history at this place. Bye Bye Stein…I thank you
for wonderful memories and I hope you will be beautiful forever !
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