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The Red Lobster Journal for 1972
Mt. Cheam, Mt. Wedge, Nearly Weart, Mt. Truax, Overlord,
American Border Peak, Knucklehead, Battery Mountain
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Mt. Cheam - Fraser Valley
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Ken Willis and I set off during the spring for Mt. Cheam. We bivied just up the old road on the west side of Cheam and spent the night. Early the next morning we set off and higher up the snow was firm and made for fast going.
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There was a little gendarme up on the ridge which forced us out on the west side for some steep snow climbing for one pitch, but it was protected well.
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From there to the summit we just weaved our way through little gulleys sculpted by the force of the wind. A great trip and view! |
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Wedge Mountain - Garibaldi Park - Coast Range
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Alan and I headed off for the west ridge
of Wedge soon after I got back from my first year of teaching
in Powell River. We drove my parents old 55 Pontiac station wagon
up the logging roads as high as I dared, and then struck off
into the timber and the wooded crest of the west ridge.
We made camp with great weather in our forecast but even though it was July, it was very chilly when the sun went down.
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Never eat yellow snow. |
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| To reach the summit via the west ridge, you have to go up this incredible pile of scree and talus. Even though we didn't have to come up the whole slope in the picture, it still seemed like a long way to me. The view from the summit made it all worth while.
We reached the top in brilliant sunshine to discover a couple of guys coming up the north ridge. One of them was wearing a Mao button. Were they on a political climb? :-) They said that they had gone up a trail to Wedgemont Lake and stayed in a nearby hut! A real trail! A hut! New plans formed in our heads!
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Nearly Weart - Weart-Wedge Area of Garibaldi Park
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Lanny Martiniuk and I made a trip up to the hut at Wedgemount Lake just north of Whistler early in the summer.
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We ended up going up the southern slopes of Weart's sub peak to the south and when we got to the top, only then did we realize that Weart was still to the north.
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We had a glorious glissade down slopes to the west and did a bit of exploring of a huge crevasse on the upper edge of the Armchair Glacier. A good time even if we didn't climb Weart!
Wedgemount Lake is just to the right of Lanny, with Green Lake in the valley bottom.
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Mt. Truax - Bendor Range -Bralorne Area
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Mt. Truax, at 9450 ft (2880 m), is north-east of Bralorne in B.C.'s coast range. I went to visit my friends Wayne and Maggie Hansen up at Gun Lake and we soon plotted a minor adventure. We took a Volkswagon Bug up the Truax Creek road and drove as far as we dared. We then hiked up the south slopes to the top. Looking west, Downton Lake is in the background of the picture. Wayne is on the right in the picture.
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| It was a great viewpoint and nothing more than a hike, but it was in a seldom visited area by the looks of it, it was great weather, and great company. I will always be grateful to the Hansens for their hospitality. |
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Overlord with Alan and Paula
Alan Lizee and Paula Panek had hiked up to the Himmelsbach hut before me so I hiked up on my own and met them there. We scrambled up Refuse Pinnacle and went over to Overlord to enjoy the view.
I seem to remember a crowded hut, an empty bottle of Kummel on the table and a very enjoyable time in the hills with two good friends.
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The view from Overlord to the north.
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The summit of Fissile is between Paula and Alan
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American
Border Peak - Chilliwack River Area
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Ken Willis and I tried for the American Border Peak by camping at Twin Lakes in Washington state and then hiking north towards it over the High Pass Trail. The picture to the left shows the Canadian Border Peak on the left and the American on the right.
We gained the ridge between it and Mt. Larabee to find that we should have gained the ridge at the very base of the mountain. The fact that the rock was rubble-like might have had something to do with our lack of enthusiasm to go any further.
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I the picture above, Ken sits on the ridge between the American Border Peak and Larrabee. The picture is looking generally south.
One of the amazing things that happened while we were having our break on the ridge was an american fighter plane flying just below us to our west over Tamihi Lake!
We didn't climb any peak, but again, we got great exercise, a wonderful view from a spot few people ever visit, and we had a good time. Not bad eh?
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Knucklehead - Powell River
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Knucklehead is a rocky outcropping near Powell River and more specifically, very close to where Powell Riverites had their down hill skiing operation during the early '70s. Access was easy due to various logging roads. My friend and fellow teacher Wayne Hansen is in the picture above.
Now Knucklehead isn't a great climb or something really significant mountain wise, but it was an example of how anything can be significant if you make it so. We climbed safely and we had fun. We got a beautiful view and friendships were either made or reinforced. If that isn't significant, what is?
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Battery Mountain - Fraser Valley - Maple Ridge
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Battery Mountain got its name from the batteries that were carried to the top to power lights that were used in the mapping the lower Fraser Valley, or so I have been told. If you search carefully you can find metal markers in the rock that were used for it.
It is a long hike from Mike Lake to the top of Battery, but as there is a lot of gentle uphill, it is not overly taxing. I remember as a youngster coming up with my dad on a day hike, and not making the summit. A few years later we came up for an overnight hike with some young people from Calgary. When we got into the alpine and saw Needle Point, their flat land enthusiasm greatly diminished. I think they thought we were going to climb Needle Point. To get to the top of Battery though, you just follow a trail. There is no climbing.
Note that I was still wearing my Egyptian cotton anorak. We had not heard of goretex yet!
The cairn was originally built by a group of people many years ago and it contains a plastic cylinder. You can see the hole for it just to the left of my head. The cylinder contains paper so you can record your ascent. On a clear day, the view is great.
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