EDIT/UPDATE: It has come to my attention that I have joined the ranks of planners torpedoed by the whistler gran fondo. Saturday departure will be early enough (5am) to avoid the worst of it.

This trip is intended as my dipping a toe into off trail alpine navigation. This route aims to allow for safety and learning by using a general route laid out by John. This is a loop trip. The digital route provided by John is explicitly described as a general guidance and will not be used as an exact GPX routing. We will not be summiting rainbow mtn, the circumnavigation and route finding is the goal.

Day 1 will hike the established Rainbow lake trail to Beverly lake. Beverly lake is outside the whistler watershed. 13km, 1000m.
Day 2 will circle around the north side of rainbow mountain to a lake on the north east, exact lake yet to be determined. We may even get to the skywalk trail network.
Day 3 will use the skywalk trail network to return to the original trail head.

Stats and terrain:
-approx 30km with 2300m elevation change
-limited bushwhacking
-light scrambling

Navigation:
-I want to navigate as much as possible by map and compass. I will have topographic maps of the area in 1:50,000 and 1:20,000. Primarily on day 2 I intend to resort to map and compass first, before using phones and GPS. However, I will also not hesitate to pull out the modern devices if there is uncertainty or time constraints.
-I will have GPX trails loaded on my phone, and the entire area downloaded for offline use. I expect all members of this trip to at least contribute to navigation via basic map reading and comparing surrounding terrain, but I do not expect compass use.
-I will carry a battery bank and expect all members to either minimize phone use or carry a battery bank for navigation backup purposes, and have caltopo or equivalent preloaded on their phone.
- I will have a garmin inreach that will be able to provide both current coordinates and emergency communication.

Bears:
-Bear activity is high, bear spray is mandatory and diligent food control expected. Preference will be given to people who will be using bear canisters.

Weather:
-This trip is weather dependent, but light rain on 1, maybe 2 of the days forecasted will not cancel the trip. Rain gear and being prepared for cold and wet is expected.

Planning:
-It would be nice to meet before hand and go over routes and familiarize the group with the route beforehand. Preference given to people who commit to meeting before. Phone/video calls or active chats are also ok. Please come into this trip as an active member. I am not a guide and expect everyone to be responsible and understand this will have off trail backcountry.

Logistics:
-I have confirmed that while Rainbow lake trail is labeled as closed, we will be allowed to use it to access the backcountry (emailed RESORT MUNICIPALITY OF WHISTLER)
-72hrs overnight parking at the rainbow lake trailhead has been confirmed to be allowed.
-I can fit 4 total people in my hatchback, but 4 people and 4 fully packed bags may not be possible.


Other:

-If navigation on day 2 goes badly, backtracking to beverly lake is an option. Discussion on cutoff time and distance will happen at the start of day 2.