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Published: August 27th 2007
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The Chief
The second peak is our destination for the day Day 3 - Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Hike up to the Second Peak of The Chief:
Up until today, my body was feeling great and all those hours in the gym (thanks Joel, Joe, Linda, and Jean-Paul), all the miles on my bike and on trails, and all my ice time in the rink was paying off. Ha...I spoke too soon. The Stawamus Chief, or The Chief as it's referred to by the locals, is the landmark typically associated with Squamish. The Chief is a destination for rock climbing enthusiasts and rates up there with Yosemite. Today, we weren't going to climb the rock, but rather take it on via the backside and hike up to the second peak. Piece of cake...not! Total trip was only going to be 9k but the elevation gain was 2007'. Eeek! To those familiar with the hike to the Upper Falls of Yosemite Falls...this is what we were facing. But, I stuck to the motto of the week "Climb on!" Besides, I had a few too many martinis followed by a couple of straight shots the night before so this was a great way to detox (LOL).
Oh, which reminds me, I forgot
At the top!
Our hike to Elfin Lakes on the previous day is behind us up on the ridgeline by the peak you see in the background to put in my last entry that we went to The Burrow the night before for dinner. It's a fairly new restaurant that opened in Squamish and it serves dee-lish-us tapas and fabulous concoctions from the bar. I felt like I was in San Francisco but without the crowd and the noise volume that can make it so challenging to enjoy a night out with friends. And, the price was reasonable! I think we paid $40 a person for all the food and drinks...I think SF prices would've been double that. So, if you find yourself stuck in traffic on your way up to or down from Whistler, go to The Burrow. Yum, yum, yum! Better yet, stay in Squamish because there is so much to do there...climb, hike, bike, golf, paddle, kiteboard or windsurf, etc.
OK, back to the "stairmaster from hell." The Chief got it's name because it looks like a profile of a chief laying on his back. The first peak resembles a face and the second peak, our destination for the day, would be his belly. So, up we went. We clambored over rocks, tree roots, climbed up a ladder and then hung on to
some chains while we scrambled up the last bit to the very top. After the trip, I realized that I didn't take that many pictures until we got to the top...it was because I was too busy trying to catch my breath (LOL). Phew...what an awesome workout! Jeremy, our rock guide, told us that the fastest anyone has ever ascended the Chief was 18 minutes (to the first peak). That guy must have had some serious quads, calves and titanium knees. Who needs a gym when you can do this regularly and be in great shape as Norm demonstrated when he nimbly worked his way up the trail (what a punk - ;-))...just kidding. He told us how he took his dog, Seana, up and had to carry her on some parts of the route. Let me point out that Seana is no chihuahua either...part rottweiler and part lab, I think? In any case, one big dawg. One thing for sure, I am NOT carrying my 22-lb. pug, Daisy, up no stinkin' ladder.
But, we made it and the view was awesome! As you can see in the pictures, the weather was fabulous! I hope I've convinced some of
you that it doesn't always rain in the northwest. So, come on up and explore with me!
After lunch (and a disco nap for me), we had to pick our way down the trail. Ha...and I thought coming up was a challenge. Kirsten, Elizabeth and I realized that it was good that we started the week rock climbing because some of the basic moves (manteling and stemming) came in handy on this hike and the next day (our heli-hiking trip). On the way down, we took a left to Shannon Falls and, oh, how I wanted to stand under the falls to cool off. By that time, it was happy hour and we quickly made our way to the parking lot, changed from our shoes to flip-flops and headed to the Howe Sound Brew Pub for a round of cold ones.
Again, the link to all the pictures from my trip if you're interested. You might have to cut and paste the URL below into your browser.
http://activechick415.smugmug.com/gallery/3351158/1/188106444
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