The Joffre Jewels and the Granny Effect
Middle Joffre Lake She moved gingerly across the log bridge, her silver hair dispersing flecks of sunshine into the air, tossing starlight in the shadowed realm of the trees. Her two grandchildren cheered as she came across to the side of the small creek that I was waiting at. A couple with humungous backpacks followed. "Planning to spend the night up there?" I said cheerfully, realizing that it was more a statement than a question. "Yes," the grandmother replied, with equal cheeriness. I smiled, wished them well, and hurried down the trail to the lowest of the three Joffre Lakes where my wife Margaret and our dog Baby waited. I had left them an hour earlier to quickly hike up to the Middle Lake. We had driven a long way from Richmond, stopping briefly at Shannon Falls near Squamish, and were absolutely blown away when we set eyes on Joffre Lake, barely five minutes' walk from the car park. Its blue-green beauty was enough to take one's breath away...