THE 100 DOLLAR WEEKEND // BEN GIESBRECHT           

Ben Giesbrecht is a travelling photographer based out of Vancouver, Canada.

Thinking back to when I was 5 years old, one-hundred dollars seemed like an un-realistic amount of coin. I felt like I could make a Loonie last a month! These days, $100 barely pays for a trip to the movies, and if your date wants popcorn… you’re out of luck. So how can you turn 100 bucks into a memorable weekend? We decided to keep it simple- escape the city and try our best to build a makeshift beach sauna.

We left Vancouver late Friday night and were welcomed to our destination by a bright moon and a handful of stars. It got a little chilly the first night, so we kept ourselves warm by the fire and gazed at the stars for a few hours before retreating to the comfort of our tents. Except Jordan and Samji, they couldn’t resist sleeping inside one of the shanty beach shelters we found. There’s no better experience than arriving at a new destination at night, only to wake up in the morning and see everything with fresh eyes in day light.

The first morning we awoke surrounded by a thick wall of fog, making it difficult to see the lake or even the tent next to you. After exploring the beach for a while and dislodging an abandoned raft, we got to starting the fire.

We would need the fire to burn for a few hours, creating a nice layer of red hot coals to throw a couple big rocks into.

For the sauna structure, we decided to try out an A-frame shape, thinking it would be the easiest to build with nothing but a length of rope and washed up driftwood we found on the beach. After our sketchy structure came to life, we draped it in tarps, sealing off any holes with sand and duct tape and insulating it with whatever else we could find in hopes of keeping the most heat in.

By nightfall, we were ready to go. The rocks were hot, the stars were out and the wine was flowing. Surprisingly enough the sauna worked decently well. It at least made jumping into the ice cold lake tolerable. $100 might not be able to stretch too far these days, but it sure provided us with a great experience and a handful of memories that will last a lifetime!

Budget Breakdown: