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Thursday, May 16, 2024
Stawamus Chief Mountain - Backside Trail, May 2023
Back up the iconic Stawamus Chief for a quick stretching of the legs with Pepper. Last up here in October 2020, tagging both the middle and main summits enroute. Changed things up a bit this time around by going for all three, in the order of Middle, Main, and South. The fixed cables and pegs up middle are a hoot as always to climb up (and down), especially with Pepper in-arm. Didn't realize until the saddle between Middle and South that there's also a peg ladder up the mostly vertical north side of South. How fun! Not something I can do with just one arm, so Pepper will have to stay at home the next time I come up this way. Anyway, up South the normal way for the trifecta to wrap up a fine and sunny Spring day!
Located in the community of Yale about 24 kilometers north on Hwy 1 from Hope stands Mount Lincoln. It is a prominent bump in the middle of the Fraser Canyon where the river makes a large bend. There are outstanding views from a couple lookouts near the treed summit looking south down the canyon, particularly of Wells Peak, Hope Mountain, Silver Peak, and Isollilock Peak. A ~1.3 km long trail climbs some 1800 feet to its summit, making it a suitably short objective for those having just returned from a hike up nearby American Mountain for instance. At least that was the case for me, huffing up the steep hillside on a relatively hot afternoon in early May. The views, as promised did not disappoint, but don't bother searching for a viewpoint that looks north up the canyon as it simply doesn't exist. Do however beware the ticks, as I managed to acquire one on my "Huftgold" at some point on the hike back down. Didn't think too much of the mild stinging back there on my drive home, probably just a spot where the pack had rubbed me raw, I assumed. Au contraire mon frere, the little bloodsucker had indeed hitched a ride back with me! My first and hopefully the last time!
Second go at this one, following a previous attempt in November 2022. At the time, I duped myself into thinking this would be a good late season objective and that the "crux" waterfall section would be "in". Turns out there was just enough snow to be annoying, providing little in the way of relief from all the brush that is present on this route when free of snow. Nevertheless, Kevin and I made it to the infamous waterfall, and upon seeing that it was impassible, proceeded upwards to bypass it. Alas, I quickly tired of the steep unconsolidated powder snow and decided to call it, unbeknownst to me at the time that we were so very close to the top. Headed back to the truck and made our way over to the Hunter Lookout near Mission to salvage the day.
Fast forward to May 2023, and I pulled myself back together to give American another try, this time with more resolve and significantly improved snow conditions. Up to the waterfall once more, only to find it out of shape once again. Water was running with undercut snow, moats etc. Bit early in the season for this, but no matter and off for the bypass I go. Back into the gully directly above the waterfall section in short order and then onto the summit area with the abandoned tram station and the ubiquitous BC summit dildos. Just west of Hope, BC and flanking the north bank of the Faser River, the view from American is impressive. Cheam Range and company looking south, Fraser Valley towards Chilliwack to the southwest, Old Settler and others to the north with Outram and friends to the east - good stuff! Back down for a much shorter than anticipated hike, with enough time to tag nearby Mount Lincoln for another minor peak with great views to complete a satisfying day up the Fraser Canyon!
With the sudden onset of warm Spring weather starting in April, we hung up the boards for the season and traded-in our snow boots for hiking kicks. Nobody was in the mood for a long drive, big vert or suffering up something obscure out in the back of beyond just yet, and Pepper was coming, so I had to dig deep for a venue suitable for all. Slhanay Peak in Squamish fit the bill perfectly with a pleasant loop hike, great views of Stawamus Chief and Squamish Valley, and low enough to remain below the isothermal snow line. It is considerably lesser traveled than the Chief with its three summits, so if you desire some solitude on your hike, this be the one. That said, I find the Chief to be much more interesting, both in terms of variety (i.e. via ferrata) and views, but if you've already been up it a number of times as I have then Slhanay makes for a good alternative.
We parked at a small pullout on the Mamquam FSR about 1.5 km from where we turned off Hwy 99. The trail is easy to follow, albeit steep at times, requiring one to clamber up boulders and roots. We gained the forested ridge in short order and followed a pretty moss-lined trail to the NE towards our peak, making a short detour to a bluff with a fantastic view overlooking the Squamish Valley. Backtracked to the main Slhanay Trail and followed that on up to the summit proper. Note that there are multiple trails through here, so an offline map or GPX would be useful. The summit is somewhat treed with partially obstructed views, but what more can you ask for from a summit barely over 2000 feet? We followed a different trail for a portion of our return to make another viewpoint, this time with a bench and up-close views of the Olesen Creek Valley on the Chief's backside. Cold refreshments were calling, so hurried back down to the car and off to our usual Squamish watering hole to complete the day!
Back out to the Musical Bumbs, this time for some Cowboy Ridge action. Up n' over Flute, taking a direct descent to the next saddle this time, before ascending Oboe. Down again now to the Oboe-Cowboy Ridge (CR) saddle before the final ascent to CR. All this is a very well traveled area in the Whistler slackcountry with a mix of groups ranging from day-trippers to those travelling to and from the Kees & Claire Hut out by Russet Lake. Great views from CR "summit" towards Fissile Peak with several parties making their way up towards the various chutes on its N - NW Face. I've ridden down from CR several times previously to and from other adventures in the area, but never via the steeper and more interesting slopes at skiers right. I've eyed this zone a number of times over the years from Flute and such and have long desired to leave my own tracks down it! The choicest pitch there is a "known producer" so stable conditions are must. That said, it does get skied all winter long. Anyway, a fine steep run with great snow when I did it and a perfect closeout to the ski season for me, the only bummer being the longish commute back to the lifts!
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