HOW TO HIKE THE HIGH RIM TRAIL; Two Girls' Epic Journey of Bagels, Layering Their Clothes and Not Showering... Oh, And Amazing Views.

DAY ONE
Sunday October 3rd
1:30 p.m. - Start hiking at Philpott Road in Kelowna. Spend a very steep km + sweating it up "Cardiac Hill". Meander through the forest; up, down and around. Around km 5 hike up "Cardiac Hill" (Surprise, that first one wasn't actually Cardiac Hill!); it feels like "Heart Attack Hill". Admire the forest, then wonder when you're going to get a good view. Get well acquainted with a certain man's face whose picture has been affixed to several trees aroud km 7 (that was a nice kilometre). Wonder whether you will be able to get to "the Grand View" to camp before dark and camp there.

5:30 - Keep going even when Orissa is clearly ready to stop. Fail to control the inexpressible need to "Just see what's around that bend." Miss a turn and walk about 1 km off-course. Realise it and take some lovely sunset-y pictures as you get your bearings and turn around. Keep pushing, hoping to make it to "the Grand View" to camp.

6:30 p.m. - Call it quits at an open dirt road-type-area. Sit down immediately and pull off your hiking boots. Feel your body start to freeze as soon as you stop moving; change into every piece of clothing you have apart from those sweaty things you were hiking in. Set up the tent. Light the camp stove. Watch as your pot of water is engulfed in foot-and-a-half high flames for about 3 minutes. Wait for stove to cool. Cook a very large amount of rice and then broccoli, burning some onto the pot. Garnish with cheddar and seasoning salt and enjoy. Nearly choke to death on a mouthful of rice when Orissa makes you laugh too hard and you can't stop laughing, even as your life flashes before your eyes (You'd think that would dull the humour...). Spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to throw a rope over a high branch some distance down the road. Break rope while hoisting food into tree. Repeat step 1. Finally manage to suspend food from tree branch... about 4.5 feet in the air. Oh well. Dispose of your uneaten half of a salmon sandwich under a heavy rock.  Back at camp, present Orissa with one of the brownie cakes you bought at Safeway during the Vipers' game on Saturday night as her Chocolate Surprise. Watch her be unimpressed. Enjoy your own brownie cake anyways.

9:00p.m.- Snuggle into your warm and cozy sleeping bag for the night. :)