From the Top of the World

My friend Sara and I decided to take a trip to Whistler. "What do you want to go to Whistler for?" everybody was asking us. "It's just a ski town with no snow."

ya, but it's a ski lodge with no snow where the 2010 Olympics are going to be held. If nothing else, going there will mean we can say nonchalantly "oh yes, the last time I was in Whistler .."

So we went. The ski village is just that. A ski village. Pleasant enough, lots of restaurants. Had lunch. It was nice.

And then we figured that since we've come all this way, we had to go up the mountain. And up we went. Twenty-five minute ride in a covered gondola, and then up another ten minutes on an open ski lift.

And I've got to say I am so glad we did this. To be up there, close to the clouds, to the snowy mountain peaks was a sense of the eternal in one quick little trip. I didn't want to come back down.

Next time I do this, I am going to spend the whole day up there, 7100 feet in the clouds. There is a trail down to the next set of chairlifts that takes an hour and a half to walk down. And trails on the summit so you can walk around.

There is snow up there, little rivulets of water that are probably huge rivers in spring, little alpine flowers, no trees, lots of rock of all shades of grey and brown. Cold? You bet, considering I was wearing shorts and a skimpy top. The cold was energizing, and brisk and just made me feel totally alive.

What a trip. I'm so glad we did it. (travel tip -- if you go there and want to have lunch, don't eat in the village. Take the covered gondolas up to the first level and have lunch looking at one of the most spectacular views you'll see anywhere).

Makes me even more excited about my upcoming trip into the Himalayas.