2012.8.4. Saturday. Wedgemont Lake has been on my todo list for a few years. It's absolutely worth the effort: 14km RT, 1200m elevation gain. Took me 3:05 hours to reach the ridge. Relentless steep grade. The first 2 hours are boring, except at the 2 short iron bridges close to the trail head, where a constant fresh breeze cools down my sweat. No view, no breeze, root ladders. Occasionally tiny stream by the trail to wash the sweat off. Even though most of the time you cannot see any water, you can hear it all the way. After 2 hours, a towering waterfall can be seen through the trees to the other side of the ravine. Never a full view, just a glimpse here and there for half an hour, until you emerge from the forest. The last half an hour is pretty: bright green corn lily, view to the south cliffs with hanging snow, to the west Tantalus Range. Some sub-alpine flowers. No shade, but has breeze. Lots of boulders. Sometime require hands. Once you climb up the avalanche chute, it's almost flat. 
A few minutes later, the powdery green glacier lake dazzles in front of you. Nice to rest here. But hard to stay put for long before the horseflies in the neighborhood find you. Soon, green shrubs and white heather give way to rocks. The view is better up here. But who wouldn't go down to the lake? Just 5-10 minutes on broken rocks, almost flat. Very refreshing to wash the sweat off. Too cold to jump in, at least for me. On the way down to the waterfront, I saw 2 guys sunning themselves next to a little pond completely naked. After some food by the lake, soaking up the view, returned to the car in ~2.5 hours. My legs were a bit wobbly towards the end.There's a very small hut (for 4 or 6 people?). A high toilet (clean, decent toilet paper, no smell). 3 excellent wood camping platforms on the rocky ridge, overlooking the stunning beauty of the surrounding granite and the tantalizing lake. Most campers had to find places around the rocky slope without the lake view, or down at the waterfront (less dramatic view). Not too many people on this sunny, a bit too hot (~32°C), Saturday. 5 bites, not too bad.
Direction: ~13km on Hwy 99 north of Wistler Gate Blvd. Clear BC provincial park sign (blue + white) for the lake. Turn right. Follow the sign to turn left. Total ~2km on the narrow gravel road. Bad but passable. Left Seattle downtown at 8:20am, arrived at the tail head at 14:20. Two 5 minute stops for gas and duty-free. 30 minutes at the border. Slow going at times on Hwy 99. Too many people for the Canadian long weekend.
Returned to Squamish for the night. It was already past 10pm. Everything was closed. Picked up a local visitor's guide at the hotel lobby. Only then did I realize that this might be some kind of long weekend in Canada.
8/5 Sunday
Canada Day parade in downtown Squamish. People lined up Cleveland Ave's east side (in the shade). Instead of watching the parade, we headed over to the spit to watch the Canadian kite board national championship, one of the few festivals in the visitor's guide. People were just filing in. The spit itself is very scenic, bordered on both side by water. One side is the marshy deposit typical of an estuary. Very green, lots of birds. Ahead is Howe Sound. Prevailing summer wind makes this area very pleasant on a hot summer day. Great view over Stawamus Chief and Shannon Falls, Diamond Head... Today, it's also extremely colorful. Some were just showing off, not participate the competition.
Direction: Hwy 99 north edge of Squamish town center. Take Centenial Way west or Commercial Way west - right on Queens way. Continue on Government Road curving south. Drive the wide gravel road all the way to the end, with water on both sides.
$15/day or $150/year. Anyone can play here. Free to watch. Gear rental and medical attention, kite boarding school. A small booth selling water and beer. Cash only.
