In 2023, I did my first BCMC family-friendly summer camp at Cathedral Lakes, organized by Greg. Last year, I organized the camp at Wedgemount Lake. Given the positive response and interest among the BCMC community, I wanted to organize another camp this year.
Earlier in the year, I asked Kavya to review the various options outlined in Taryn Eyton’s excellent book, Backpacking in Southwestern BC. Russet Lake was one of the places Kavya suggested. The nearby Kees & Claire (K&C) Hut piqued my interest, and I started reading more about it.
I had heard about the hut mainly in the context of backcountry skiing, but had never been there. I reached out to Marie, a BCMC member and the Head Custodian of the hut, and she provided additional information about the hut, access, hiking options and booking process. Considering the effort (12-15 km hike in) and things to do in the area, a 4-day/3-night trip felt right.
In March, I posted the K&C Hut trip on BCMC for Aug 1-4, 2025, and was excited to see families sign up for the trip. Not just BCMC members with kids, but partners/spouses of BCMC members also joined. At 30 people, this would be the largest group for a BCMC trip, with an age range of 2-77.
Singing Pass / Gondola + Musical Bumps Trail
Some of us planned to hike up the Singing Pass Trail. The rest of the group took the Whistler Gondola ($105 plus tax) to the Roundhouse Lodge, then rode the chairlift to Whistler Peak, and followed the Musical Bumps trail.
The Singing Pass trail was mostly in the shade, with a couple of creek crossings and had a gradual elevation gain. Musical Bumps trail was in the alpine with no shade or water, but it offered stunning mountain and Cheakamus lake views.
Both trails converge at Singing Pass. From this junction, it is another 3 km to the Russet Lake. Early August, the wildflowers were in full bloom, and the area around Singing Pass made for some great shots.
The Russet Lake trail from Singing Pass was relatively steep and definitely tested the patience of the kids in our group. We took several breaks and it took much longer than expected. So when we finally had a partial view of the hut, it was a big relief.
Kees & Claire Memorial Hut
The group that started hiking from Whistler around 11 am arrived at the hut in about five and a half hours. Marie had already hiked past us earlier in the day and probably did the hike in half the time. She was there to welcome the group and gave us a quick tour of the hut.
We had already sorted the room/bunk bed allocation for the group, and Marie had the list printed out. The hut was unlike anything I had experienced in the backcountry, and it was a luxury to have such a nice facility with all the amenities. The hut even had crocs for guests to use inside.
The kitchen and the common area are on the upper level, and all the rooms are on the lower level. A propane generator charges the batteries, which in turn power the lights and the USB ports.
The kitchen has four cooking stations with two-burner propane cooktops at each station. The kitchen is well stocked with all the utensils you need to cook and enjoy a gourmet meal. The lounge area has a fireplace and several board games, books, yoga mats, a foam roller, etc. Everything you need as an individual or a group to enjoy your time in the hut.
The unique part was the water carry from the lake. There is no running water at the hut, and all water needed for drinking, washing dishes, and cooking has to be carried up from the lake. For the duration of our stay (four days), every guest had to get at least 20L of water from the lake.
There were 20L blue jugs, which we would typically fill halfway and haul up from the lake. On the third day, I was able to fit the 20L jug in my 70L pack, fill it to capacity and then carry it up. The hut also has two external frame packs to carry the jugs and pumps for filling water from the lake.
Cold Plunge
During our orientation, Marie mentioned that there is an unofficial competition to see who can stay in the freezing lake water the longest. The (recent?) record was five minutes.
On our second day, Abhi, Neha, and I went to the lake to take a dip in the stream flowing out from it and haul some water back to the hut. Aloke and a few other BCMC members were also around.
We all took turns getting into the stream and taking some pictures. Although the water was cold, it felt okay after a few minutes. It was not as bad as it was at Wedgemount Lake, where ice sheets were literally floating by the shore. So, Neha and I found a comfortable spot in the stream and sat down. First, we celebrated after five minutes, then ten and about fifteen minutes in, Neha was done with this pointless endeavour.
Maybe it was the cold, and I had lost my ability to think, but I continued to stay put and surprised myself with a time of 30 minutes. I got up from the stream to applause from Abhi and Neha. I think I was shivering the entire walk up to the hut and then some more.
On the second day, more people got into the stream. Kavya and Chloe sat in for 31 minutes to just beat my record. Suhrud probably stayed in for 35 minutes, but Rajni was the winner at 45 minutes.
Marie later clarified that the five-minute record was in the lake (and not the stream), and it was much earlier in the season when ice sheets were floating on the lake. So Rajni, if you are reading this, you need to go back to the lake early in the season. I am sure you can beat the 5-minute record.
Whirlwind Peak (2429 m)
On Day 3, late in the morning, thirteen of us set off to do Whirlwind Peak. Gloria, Lorena and her son Joaquin had done Whirlwind Peak the previous day and said its doable with the kids.
The trail goes up from the other side of Russet Lake and traverses the base of Fissile Peak on the east side of the mountain, connecting to the ridge that leads up to Whirlwind Peak.
Higher up on the ridge, we had to cross a section of snow. A few members were not comfortable, so they stayed back. The rest of us continued and reached the Whirlwind Peak summit at 1 pm, precisely the time Neha had predicted lower down on the ridge.
The clouds had rolled in, so we didn’t have a clear panoramic view, but it was still stunning. We could see the trail to Overlord Peak, and later even saw a few people on the trail.
It was tiring, but the girls did a fantastic job, and it was good to see them on the summit. We walked along the ridge, took some photos and then made our way down.
Overlord Peak
On our way down, Melanie, Gloria, Suhrud and Simha caught up to us. They had just successfully summited Overlord Peak.
Paul and James had done Overlord Peak the previous day. Paul and Melanie had hiked up the lake with their two-year-old son. It was inspiring to hear about all the races they were participating in and how they were balancing their responsibilities while still managing to have some fun adventures.
Adit Lakes
Suhrud and Rahul explored the Adit Lakes area on the other side of Cowboy Ridge. Here are some shots from the area –
Night Sky
The night sky was clear and beautiful, and a few of the members took some great shots.
Aloke had set up his camera for a time-lapse and here is his video –
One of my favourite parts was the moonset around 11:30 pm.
Descent
On our last day, everybody, including the kids, pitched in for cleanup. We also ensured that there were at least five water jugs (same as when we arrived) filled with water in the kitchen. The majority of the group took the Singing Pass trail for the descent, and everyone was down safely by late afternoon.
Overall, it was a really fun trip with a diverse group of BCMC members at a fantastic location and hut. I hope we continue to offer these family-friendly camps every year and receive good participation from our members. If you are a BCMC member and have any ideas for future family-friendly camps, please post them in the comments.
Kavya and I went back the following weekend and did a day trip. It took us about six hours for the 30 km round trip with a 1260 m elevation gain/drop.
Territory Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge that this trip took place on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the St’át’imc (Stat-lee-um), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Líl̓wat Nations. I commit to learning about Indigenous peoples and issues and making reconciliation an ongoing effort.
Source: Native-Land Pronunciation Guide: First-Nations.info
Resources:
First Nations: Squamish | Líl̓wat | St’át’imc
Garibaldi Provincial Park: BC Parks Website
Kees and Claire Memorial Hut: Spearhead Huts Society
BC Mountaineering Club: BCMC Website
Whistler-Blackcomb: Resort Website
Disclosure: The links I have shared in the post and under the Resources section are not affiliated links.
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