Climbing the Chief: Calculus Crack to Squamish Butt Face (Butt Lite)

The alarm buzzed and I pretended not to hear it. "Lets get a move on" Kyle urged. We were trying to beat the Saturday rush to the bottom of Calculus Crack (5.8, 7 pitches) and I was really glad we had pulled the plug on the little campground party that had been happening outside our trailer the night before at 10:30, evicting the boulder pad sitting beer drinkers into the night to find another campsite to occupy while swapping stories, meeting climbing partners and planning adventures for the days ahead. The Chief Campground is a temporary home for climbers from all over the world who have descended on Squamish with one thing on their minds, climbing the amazing granite and world-class cracks. Some are only there briefly, others manage to avoid the park wardens and stay well beyond the maximum 14 day limit, which occasionally means having to pack up and leave for a day or two before returning for a new 14 day stretch. Everyone dreams of showers and seems to talk about them incessantly, but nobody seems to have time (or money) to spare on this highly praised commodity. The days blur, scraped up hands turn to callous and the tick list never seems to get any shorter despite climbing something new every day.

My interpretation of our route up the Chief - do not use for beta! Calculus Crack - Broomstick Crack - Squamish Buttress - Butt Lite

Europa! 5.8 A0

Europa - 5.8 A0, Trad 

7 pitches, 260 metres

Topo for Europa from the VOC Wiki

The Birth Canal - A Squamish Rite of Passage

Upon my arrival in Squamish, Tyler took us into the boulders for a night-time wander. It was fun checking out the area in the dark, but the purpose of the mission was to show us the Birth Canal, a tiny squeeze between two boulders that is apparently a Squamish rite of passage. One of Tylers friends showed us how it was done and slithered through with what seemed to be no effort at all. Angela went next. It took her a few more minutes but she wiggled her way through in no time.

Angela making it look easy

Mt Abbott Hike - Rogers Pass

Mt Abbott via Abbott Ridge Trail

Distance: 14 km round trip

Elevation: 1200m

Trailhead: Illecillewaet Campground

Summit of Mt. Abbott. Looking back down the ridge towards the trail

When I started looking up hikes in Roger's Pass, Abbott Ridge was by far the most highly recommended because of its spectacular vistas. I met Patrick and Rebecca in Revelstoke for the weekend and wanted to show them the beauty of the pass, and to convince them that they need to come back and visit me more often! Abbott Ridge was the obvious choice. The hike starts at the day use area of the Illecillewaet Campground, along with a number of other hikes. The trailhead has a great map with trail descriptions that was much more useful than the hiking guide pamphlet I had picked up at the visitor centre the day before. There was a bear warning for the area, but Abbott Ridge was the only hiking trail that didn't require traveling in groups of 4. I had the bear spray close at hand anyway. For people wanting to hike the other trails, a check point was available where you could wait and join up with other groups to ensure everyone was in a big enough group. 

Baynes Lake Relaxation

Jenn invited us to her parent's little slice of heaven on Baynes Lake for a weekend in mid July. Our climbing plans had fallen through due to the forecast and it was a rare treat to get away for some R&R. Upon arrival, Kyle and I went for a swim and Kyle promptly lost his wedding ring in the lake. What a disaster! We tried to look for it with headlamps but there was no way we were finding it in the dark. The next morning, Kyle was out on a paddleboard hunting for it without success. He was going to require some additional tools to help him in his hunt. 

Beautiful Baynes Lake as seen from the cabin porch

Revelstoke Long Weekend

When I think of Revelstoke, I usually think of skiing, but as I found out last August Long Weekend, there are plenty of summer activities also! For our second annual Revelstoke Long Weekend, we met up with David, KD and Tristan for a few days of biking and climbing. This was my first time riding in Revi and the trails were all time. We spent Saturday morning and Monday afternoon shuttling Boulder Mountain, and did a really long shuttle up Sale Mountain to ride the legendary Martha's Creek Trail on Sunday afternoon. Thanks to the unstable weather, we did a lot more biking than we had anticipated, because after all, who really wants to climb in the rain? The theme of the weekend was getting caught in thunderstorms and trying to squeeze activities in between monsoons.

Stoked to drop in at the top of Martha's Creek - Kyle Duran Photo