After sitting here staring at my laptop for the last half an hour, I've decided our story of Rockwall will be a visual tour, with minimal explanation. There are enough great sites out there already explaining the 'how' for this trail (thoroughly recommend this one), so I'm hoping my pictures will show you the 'why'.
Day 1 - Paint Pots to Helmet Falls - 15km
We ran into some rain on this first day, so pictures were minimal; however the Paint Potts which the one trailhead gets its name for is a highlight of the day. This was also the muddiest section of trail we encountered for the entire hike.
Day 2 - Helmet Falls to Tumbling Creek - 15km
Not even 15 minutes out of the campsite, there is a small out and back (approx 1km each way) which provided some great views of Helmet Falls. From there, it's a bit of a haul out of the valley, but the reward is hiking along the rockwall, where the trail gets its name, for the rest of the day.
Day 3 - Tumbling Creek to Numa Creek - 8.5km
Most people push on to Floe Lake on Day 3, which is exactly the reason we didn't end up there ourselves: it was all booked up. Numa Creek ended up being a great alternative though. The shorter day allowed us to take our time, dry out all our gear in the morning sun, enjoy lunch to the sounds of a cracking glacier and refresh ourselves by Numa Creek.
Day 4 - Numa Creek through Floe Lake to Floe Creek - 20.6km
What we gave up in distance on day 3, we made up for on day 4. If you decide to push from Numa Creek all the way to the end, I can't recommend enough that you leave early. The late day sun seems to tack on extra kilometres during the back half of the day.
The hike from Numa to Floe Lake is extremely enjoyable, with their being no shortage of views along the way. After leaving Floe Lake and descending into the valley, the shade quickly disappears as this area was ravaged by a forest fire not too long ago. Top up for water when you get the chance as we only passed two creeks in the final 10km from Floe Lake to the trailhead.
Wild! Amazing photos! The picture of you guys laying in front of the glacier. Gives me chills - not cuz of the glacier - but the experience to do that in shorts and a T-shirt with the glacier right there. What a memory.