As the helicopter swoops over the landing site, the clouds part to reveal a bluebird day.
当直升机在降落点上空盘旋时，云开雾散，露出了晴日朗朗的景象。
From the distance, it's all jagged peaks, crackling ice and snow-covered glacial fields as far as the eye can see.
从远处看，放眼望去都是参差不齐的山峰，碎裂的冰和冰雪覆盖的冰原。
But then after the 30-minute flight over dense forests and canyons draped with waterfalls, the showstopper appears: a brilliantly blue crescent-shaped lake.
但在30分钟的飞行之后，在茂密的森林和瀑布密布的峡谷上空，最精彩的一幕出现了:一个蔚蓝色的新月形湖泊。
This remote section of British Columbia's backcountry would be the group's playground for the next four hours.
不列颠哥伦比亚省的偏远地区将成为这群人接下来四个小时的游乐场。
A dreamy scene, indeed, and exactly what Virginia-based Ryan George and his five buddies, from Virginia and California, had been anticipating for the past 14 months.
这真是梦幻般的场景，这也是住在弗吉尼亚州的瑞安·乔治和他来自弗吉尼亚州和加利福尼亚州的五个伙伴在过去14个月里所一直期待的。
That's how far ahead they planned the dream excursion with Compass Heli Tours, an adventure outfitter based in Abbotsford, near Vancouver.
这就是他们与罗盘直升机旅行社的梦想之旅一起规划的梦想之旅，罗盘直升机旅行社位于温哥华附近的阿伯茨福德。
Now that it's finally a reality, George feels a bit like James Bond arriving at a secret base camp to prep for a clandestine mission.
现在这一切终于成为现实，乔治感觉自己有点像詹姆斯·邦德来到一个秘密大本营，准备执行一项秘密任务。
"You can't help but swagger when you get out of a helicopter in a place so epic," he says.
他说:“当你在一个如此壮观的地方从直升飞机上下来时，你会不由自主地感觉非常激动。
This area is so remote, in fact, that most of the lakes don't have names.
这个地区太偏远了，事实上，大部分的湖泊都还没有名字。
Nick Drader, CEO of Compass Heli Tours, simply calls it paradise.
罗盘直升机旅行社的首席执行官尼克·德雷德就把它简称为天堂！
And it's easy to see why.
原因不言而喻。
There's astounding beauty in all directions and not a soul in sight.
四面八方都有令人惊叹的美，却看不到一个人。
The nearest road is miles away.
最近的路也在几英里开外。
Soon after arriving (George and three friends in one chopper and two more friends in another chopper), Drader unloads the gear and gives a quick safety briefing.
到达后不久(乔治和三个朋友在一架直升机上，另外两个朋友在另一架直升机上)，德拉德卸下装备并做了一个快速的安全介绍。
With that, the kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding begins.
之后，他们就开始玩起了皮划艇和站立冲浪板项目。
The six friends immediately set out to explore the lake, captivated by the floating ice.
六个朋友立即出发去探索这个湖，同时陶醉在浮冰的美景中。
For a while they delight in batting practice, using their paddles to hit snowballs onto the riverbank.
有一段时间，他们很喜欢练习击球，用球拍把雪球打到河岸上。
"The texture of the submerged ice reminded me of submerged portions of Antarctic icebergs, only with clearer, brighter water," George says.
“浮冰的质地让我想起南极冰山的浮冰部分，只是这里的水面更清澈、更明亮，”乔治说。
"The bottom of the lake looms midnight blue in cracks, and the gradients of blue in between make irreproducible art."
“湖底隐约可见深蓝色的裂缝，其间蓝色的渐变构成了不可复制的艺术。”
The water is about seven feet deep in most sections, but where the ice presses up from the deeper part of the glacier it is about 40 feet deep.
大多数地方的水大约有7英尺深，但从冰川深处挤压上来的冰所在处大约有40英尺深。
So as their glacier kayaking wraps up, several of them strip down to their undies and plunge into the frigid water.
因此，当他们的冰川皮划艇运动结束时，他们中的几个人脱下内衣，跳入冰冷的水中。
Because, why not?
干嘛不试试呢？
Transformed into five-year-olds, the 40-somethings are soaking up every facet surrounding them.
40多岁的人变成了5岁的孩子，他们对周围的方方面面都想一探究竟。
"One of my buddies said this was more epic than any of the days his kids were born," George recalls.
乔治回忆道:“我的一个朋友说，今天的体验比他的孩子出生的任何一天都更富激情。”
Post-kayaking, they chopper over to another lake at a lower elevation.
划完皮艇后，他们将船开到了另一个海拔较低的湖上。
Here, they lunch at a sandbar, guarded on three sides by vertical mountains, and swap adventure stories.
在这里，他们在三面被垂直山脉环绕的沙洲上吃了午餐，并交流了彼此的冒险故事。
It's all thanks to Drader, the brains behind Compass Heli Tours.
这都要归功于德莱德，罗盘直升机之旅的幕后智囊。
Besides being the CEO, he also serves as the pilot, chief photographer and lead guide.
除了担任首席执行官，他还兼任了直升机飞行员，首席摄影师和向导。
"Most of my career has been spent in the mountains, and it's where I feel most at home flying," he says.
他说:“我的大部分职业生涯都是在山里度过的，那里是我飞行起来最自在的地方。”
Prior to launching this company, Drader worked solely on supporting sustainable forest practices and wildfire suppression for nine years.
在成立这家公司之前，德雷德在长达九年的时间里一直致力于支持可持续森林和扑灭野火的实践中。
When the reforestation budget was cut, though, he was forced to leave the industry.
然而，当植树造林的预算被削减后，他被迫离开了这个行业。
In 2017, he launched Compass Heli Tours so he could show people the grand sights he'd been treated to for so many years.
2017年时，他建立了罗盘直升机旅行社，这样就可以将自己多年来看到的美景也分享给人们。
His work days are now spent kayaking on pristine lakes straight out of a tourism brochure, photographing people having the time of their lives and flying by waterfalls, which appear to flow directly from the clouds thanks to the dramatic weather conditions.
如今，他每天的工作都是在原始的湖泊上划皮艇，拍摄那些享受生活的人们，以及在瀑布旁飞行，由于极端的天气条件，瀑布似乎是直接从云层中流过一般。
Drader even arranges elopements where the bride chooses the destination on a map, ensuring no two ceremony locations are the same.
德拉德甚至也安排私奔，让新娘在地图上选择好目的地，确保没有两个婚礼地点是相同的。
Add to that the chance of spotting mountain goats, bears and wolverines, and you have a pretty epic work life on your hands.
再加上你有机会看到野山羊、熊和狼獾，你就有了一个如诗如画的工作生活。
"It's quite possible I have the greatest job in the world," he says.
“我很有可能拥有世界上最好的工作，”他说。
"These remote locations have only been visited by a handful of adventure enthusiasts."
“只有少数探险爱好者去过这些偏远的地方。”
The exclusivity is a huge part of the appeal.
这份工作的魅力之一就是它的独特性。
"It's so quiet up there," says George.
“上面太安静了，”乔治说。
"You can feel stress melt off you. Your heart returns to a primal quietness."
“你会感到压力从你身上消失了。你的心会回归最原始的平静。”
For Brisbane-based Lisa Michele Burns, who took the tour in late May 2018, the main draw was being able to capture the beauty on camera.
住在布里斯班的丽莎·米歇尔·伯恩斯于2018年5月下旬参加了这次旅行，对她来说，最吸引她的是能够用相机捕捉到美景。
As photographer and editor of "The Wandering Lens" blog, it was a long-time dream to document meltwater lakes, which are created when temperatures start to rise and the ice thaws.
作为“漫游镜头”博客的摄影师和编辑，记录冰川融水湖是一个长久以来的梦想，当温度开始上升，冰开始融化时，融水湖就形成了。
"The colors up there are so stare-worthy, it's really hard to take your eyes away from the brilliant blue streams that wind their way around the lake," she says.
说:“那里的色彩是如此引人注目，你很难把眼睛从湖上蜿蜒流淌的湛蓝溪流上移开。”
"Nick also took our group on a short snowy hike, allowing us to see it from up higher while also having spectacular views across to surrounding peaks."
“尼克还带着我们的团队进行了一次短暂的雪地徒步旅行，让我们可以从更高的地方看到它，同时也能看到周围山峰的壮观景色。”
With no man-made noises around, the sound of crackling ice was music to her ears.
周围没有人为的噪音，冰碎裂的噼啪声对她来说就是音乐。
Paddling at her own pace, peering down into the frozen depths below, she floated slowly over bubbles and pockets.
她以自己的速度划着水，凝视着下面结冰的深处，慢慢地漂过泡沫和裂谷。
Much of her time was spent leaning over the kayak with her underwater camera snapping split shots with blue skies above, as well as the otherworldly shapes below.
大部分时间里，她都是靠在皮艇上，用水下相机抓拍蔚蓝天空的分割镜头，以及下面超凡脱俗的景象。
"It's definitely an expensive day trip, but it is, without a doubt, one of the best days I've ever spent in the outdoors," she says.
“这绝对是一次昂贵的一日游，但毫无疑问，这是我在户外度过的最好的一天，”她说。
Planning ahead for this trip is key.
对于这次旅行来说最关键的就是要提前策划。
Each year, as the snow starts to melt from late May to early July, is when the lake turns a lovely shade of aquamarine.
每年5月底到7月初，当雪开始融化时，湖水就变成了可爱的海蓝宝石。
The ice begins to break up around that time.
大约在这个时候，冰就会开始破裂。
And come August, icebergs fill the river-like crescent.
到了八月，冰山已经布满了河流般的新月形图案。
By September, the lake is mostly ice-free, and it freezes over again at the end of the month.
到了9月，湖面几乎没有冰了，但等到了月底就又结冰了。
"August is my favorite time at this lake because you can actually see the glacier," Drader says.
“八月是我在这个湖最喜欢的时光，因为你可以看到冰川，”德雷德说。
"In June there's still three meters of snow covering the glacier, so guests have no idea it's there. August is also wildflower season, and there's plenty of those hiding in the harsh rocky environment exposed by the receding ice."
“6月份的时候，冰川上仍然覆盖着3米高的积雪，所以游客们并不知道冰川就在那里。八月也是野花盛开的季节，有很多野花躲在冰雪消融后的坚硬岩石环境中。”
"I couldn't inhale the wonder and beauty and good fortune enough," George says.
乔治说:“我简直看不够这些奇幻、美丽和幸运的景象。”
"It's not necessarily what you're doing as much as where you're doing it and how you got there. Throughout the millennia of human existence and the billions of people on the planet, we represented a pinprick of humanity to stand and walk and float where we were."
“你在做什么并不重要，重要的是你在哪里，以及你是怎样到这里的。在人类几千年的历史中，在这个星球上的数十亿人口中，我们仅仅是站在原地、行走、待在我们所在之处，我们只是人类的一小部分。”
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