17th Birthday Trip: A Squawesome Time!

- March 25^th -

Pat, my Mom, and I woke up pretty early on Friday the 25th to head up to Squamish, BC for about 36 hours of climbing to celebrate my 17^th birthday.

In previous years I spent the day of my birthday, March 22^nd, up in Squamish itself, but this year work and school conflicted with that 3-year running tradition. For my actual birthday, we simply went hiking and ate good food which was a fun change of pace and setting for me.

Now back to the 25^th, I woke up early and had my gear ready to load into the car. We wanted to maximize our climb time and the day was forecasted to be bluebird, so we wanted to beat the crowds while hitting the Smoke Bluffs and boulders when they would become dry. We blasted out of Oak Harbor at about 6:50 AM bound for the border crossing at Lynden, WA. The crossing was uneventful and we sped north along the Trans-Canada Highway, through Vancouver, and onto the Sea to Sky Highway. Pat was beyond stoked to see mountains and snow within a few miles of saltwater, and I was happy to see the low-level clouds begin to disperse. We finally got to Squamish at about 9:00 AM and we stopped at the Adventure Centre to do three essential things: 1) Bathroom 2) Coffee 3) Wi-Fi.

The clouds were still hanging around the valley and the Chief was still blocking the sun from drying the Bluffs, and since they were still soggy from the previous day’s rain, so we decided to hike and screw about in the dark abyss of the Grand Wall forest. We checked out Superfly, a classic V4, and the climber carving at the start of the Grand Wall trail. Then, we moved south and deeper into the forest, with Pat playing the role of the Squamish newbie perfectly; essentially acting like a puppy dog in a field of food. In order to avoid a swampy area that was apparently crawling with mosquitoes, we traversed uphill and to the north for a ways until we hit the bottom of the Western Dihedrals, specifically the old free route that was renamed from the Crap Crags to Europa. We traversed the base of the wall for a while, passing multiple badass route on the way such as the Black Dyke, and seeing neat moderate looking routes that I could climb such as the 15 metre 5.8 named Turnip. As we were hiking to actual base of the Grand Wall, two base jumpers (?) popped their chutes and let out some big whoops of excitement. It was pretty kick ass to see that happen just a few hundred feet above our heads. After that and some more gawking at the Grand Wall, we hiked down the Grand Wall trail until we saw the Cacodemon Boulder and Permanent Waves, a 5.13d, through the trees. We marveled at the size of the boulder and saw some manufactured routes to the right. I had seen manufactured routes before in Squamish and Bellingham’s boulders, but this was the first time Mom and Pat had seen them. While they cool, I do not agree with the practice. Pat wandered around and found a tunnel between two boulders that led to Squamish’s most famous and hardest route: Dreamcatcher, a 5.14d. It was intimidating to say the least but the atmosphere and area surrounding it was awesome. The boulder that you can spectate on looked like a huge part of a clam’s shell that holds the pearl called Dreamcatcher inside it. I saw the route Young Blood, 5.13b, to the right of Dreamcatcher and remembered the video of the one and only Sarah Hart climbing it over the winter. After that, we headed for the Apron Boulders and The Cutting Edge area, a classic and probably sandbagged V4. Everything was still soggy and seeping, so upon seeing the Bluffs finally coming into sunlight we resolved to eat lunch, head to the Adventure Centre, and start climbing in the Bluffs.

The Grand Wall. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Permanent Waves, 5.13d. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Dreamcatcher, 5.14d. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The view from Dreamcatcher's cave. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Young Blood, 5.13b. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

We hit up Burgers and Fries first, specifically Jammer’s Delight, as it was fairly dry and warm. I led it in my approach shoes and on nuts only, then I top-roped the bolted slab routes to the left of the anchor. Pat and I switched roles and he climbed the routes two or three times each while we waited for some of the crack routes a little ways to the right to become open. Eventually I climbed up, cleaned the route, and transferred our gear over to below the 5.8 named Bilbo Baggins. I led off up soggy cracks until I hit the crux roughly 10 foot from the anchor. It was my first pure crack of the trip and the first since August so it through me off a bit and I had to “nuke” the move. I topped out and top-roped the route a couple time via different starts. Then Pat top-roped it a couple times and cleaned it. We moved over further right to Frodo’s First Step, or the climb I tried to trad lead two years prior way before I was ready to try and trad lead. I led that and Mom followed me up it, climbing the first route she jammed for the third or fourth time. I cleaned the anchor and tossed the rope down with Pat telling after that there was still gear in the crack from my lead. He decided to solo the 5.6 route, while retrieving the gear, and walk off the way I did. After that we decided to check out Clean Starts on Neat and Cool. It was occupied so we tried Pixie Corner which was also occupied, so we headed further up the Loop Trail to the Octopus Garden while passing Lumberland and 2^nd Avenue. Only after getting to the Octopus Garden did I realize that most of the routes required a much larger rack than the one I had, so Pat and I decided to back track to 2^nd Avenue to climb a quick bone-dry 5.8 mixed route. We rushed to the second tier of 2^nd Avenue and roped up for Espanol, a mixed 5.8 with a hard start to a nice slab. The first move is definitely the crux, and I had to “back-place” some gear as a result. I high stepped and pulled myself onto the slab part of the climb, then I relaxed and danced my way up the next 30 feet to the anchor. I belayed Pat up and we rapped down to our packs. We then sprinted back to the car to get Wi-Fi at the Adventure Centre so I could contact a dude I met on Instagram.

Me leading Jammer's Delight, 5.7. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Me climbing a slab route to the right of Jammer's Delight, 5.7.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Pat climbing a slab route to the right of Jammer's Delight, 5.7.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Check out his shadow! Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Pat following a mixed-pro slab route called Espanol, 5.8. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Pat following a mixed-pro slab route called Espanol, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Pat and I at the top of a mixed-pro slab route called Espanol, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The view from the top of Espanol, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Pat and I rapping down Espanol, 5.8. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

I found Alex Ratson through my friend Amanda and her Instagram account. I followed him on Instagram and eventually friended him on Facebook. We had talked a few time on Instagram and Facebook but we had never met each other despite the fact that I saw him at Mags in August (I wasn’t sure if it was him and I am super shy and what not). On my birthday he contacted me wishing a happy birthday and I told him that I was heading to Squamish later that week. We decided to meet up for some climbing and I suggested Slot Machine, a two pitch 5.8 that is on the Chief itself at the Bulletheads, specifically because he both recommended it and filled my feeds with epic photos from ascents of it. Most importantly, it would be my first time climbing on the Chief proper and not someplace like Murrin Park or the Smoke Bluffs. He suggested an Apron climb called Calculus Crack, a 6 pitch 5.8 on the far left side of the feature, but it still looked pretty soggy and I wanted to be safe and attempt the route I knew I could do. He and I agreed to do Slot Machine and an interesting 5.8 route named Sunshine Chimney that is more caving than climbing. So for my first climb on the Chief, I would be inside it! That’s pretty legit, eh?

After meeting at the Adventure Centre, talking, and introducing my Mom and Pat, I packed my bag and we set off for the Chief climber’s parking lot. At the parking lot we racked up and set off for the Campground Wall and the Sunshine Chimney. We roped up and Alex led off into the wet and dark belly of the Chief. After some grunting and jangling gear noises, accented by me trying to deal with a twisting rope, Alex called off belay and I got ready to follow him. I started climbing up and into the chimney. It was pretty surreal to be literally climbing through feeling alone and it was wet, very wet. I grunted and muscled my way up a wet slab and crack to Alex’s first piece of gear, roughly 50 feet above my belay spot (he climbed it before haha). I grunted some more and struggled past a few more pieces of gear to his anchor in a small alcove sandwiched between massive blocks. I climbed out of his perch and into another ledge, and he climbed up to me, and together we headed up and out onto the Bulletheads Ledge. The sun was blinding to say the least. We traversed right along the ledge until we hit the base of Slot Machine. I let my rock shoes dry out from the walk and I racked up for the long pitch ahead. The first pitch of Slot Machine is 5.8 with the crux being right off the deck. It then turns into a crack climb accented with some flake climbing and a nice ledge about 2/3 of the way up. The whole pitch is like 30 metres long and it ends on a sloping ledge with a bolted anchor. I tied in and started the pitch. I placed an Alien for the first time in a horizontal crack and I fired the start with some old-fashioned Erie trickery of stemming and moving my body weight around. I placed my second piece and followed the right crack of a twin pair of cracks upwards. I hit a section that was a huge flake and I topped out that onto a nice ledge to rest. Next, I put my piece high and tried to jam straight up the crack, but that was too hard for me so I backed off and moved right along a dyke of crystals and got two solid handholds that enabled me to power up to a jug and better footholds. I moved further up and got to a spot that needed a Number 1 Camalot, but I didn’t have one because I placed my two earlier in the pitch. I tried to get a smaller cam and a stopper in but that didn’t work, so I finessed a Number 2 Camalot into a small pocket. This piece, my last of the pitch, was more psychological protection than anything because I was roughly 20 or so feet above my last piece in a horizontal crack. I was pretty pumped out in my hands and legs by the time that I pulled onto the anchor’s ledge. My endurance is pretty piss-poor these days due to my lack of training. I made a Sliding-X anchor out of my 120 cm sling, tied in, and called off belay. I pulled rope up and put Alex on belay. He followed quickly and soon he was at my anchor. We clipped the top bolt, I put Alex on belay and he sped up the next pitch, a slabbier and easier pitch. He led the pitch with four pieces (he had free soloed the route previously). He made an anchor and put me on belay. I followed the mellow pitch that ends with a kick ass arête with some fun exposure. We sat on the top and talked for a while about how Alex got his start and what I planned to do in the future. We also talked about teaching and learning by simply analyzing what one did, whether it was good or bad. Alex reminded me of my friend Jason and they both share some of the same philosophies in climbing and the outdoor in general. Eventually we decided to head down as it was getting darker by the minute. We headed north and under the 5.10c named Mãnana. Then, we traversed across and down an exposed ramp to the Bullethead Ledge. We hiked back to the base of Slot Machine and where the approach trail comes up. We descended the two fixed ropes to the trail and followed that down to the Chief Summit Trail. Then we hiked to the car and we headed to Mags for dinner with Mom and Pat.

The view from the base of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The first pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8, from its base . Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

My anchor atop the first pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The view atop the first pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Alex leading off on the second pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The second pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Alex getting untied atop the second pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The view from the second pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Alex getting ready to relax atop the second pitch of Slot Machine, 5.8. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Not sure what I was looking at, but SELFIE! Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Pat and Alex hit it off immediately on the topic of split-boarding. As we ate we talked gear and climbing, eventually not getting “kicked out” as Mags was closing. We parted ways with Alex, and we headed to our hotel room at Hotel Squamish. I took a shower and found out that Uncle Fischer, Hancock, and Berger were coming up the next day on Saturday. I tried to take some night photos of the Chief from the room, but the focusing was off either due to the thickness of the window pane or my failure at infinity focusing. Eventually I got tired and went to bed.

The Chief at night from indoors. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

- March 26^th –

I woke up at 7:30 AM and we packed up for another day of climbing at the Bluffs, the North Wall Boulders, and Murrin Park after meeting the dudes at 9:30 in the parking lot of the Adventure Centre. After Mom and Pat got food, we headed further north along the Sea to Sky Highway in order to get some dope ass photos of the Tantalus Range at the appropriately named Tantalus Lookout. I got some nice photos on my Nikon, then we made our way back to Squamish and the Adventure Centre to meet the dudes. We met up with them, got food, and headed out for some climbing in the Bluffs.

Part of the Tantalus Range. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The Mamquam Area behind the Squamish Valley and above the Chief. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Part of the Tantalus Range with the lookout sign. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Part of the Tantalus Range. Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

There's snow in them there hills! Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The crags and parking lot were a lot more vacant this early in the day, so we headed to Neat and Cool to climb Clean Starts before we could be besieged by crowds. I led the left-most finger crack, which goes at 5.9, in a nice style. I didn’t Elvis-leg or shake for the most part and I felt solid the whole time. After that I top-roped the other two cracks and the 5.9 one again. Pat hopped on the rope and he fired all the cracks in quick succession. I wanted him to try a true slab route up there, so I convinced him to try a route on the arête near the right-most crack. As I belayed him from the top of the route, he grunted and danced his way up the route. He wasn’t convinced the feature was climbable, but I convinced him otherwise. He sent it in good style, and he did it a second time with it being much more fluid.

The Dudes! Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Meow-meow and the Guide. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Me leading Clean Starts, 5.9. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

My Mom us getting good at photography! Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Pat pulling over the top on one of the Clean Start cracks. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Me pulling over the top on one of the Clean Start cracks. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Pat pulling hard on an 5.11a (??) arete. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Pat pulling hard on an 5.11a (??) arête. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

We packed our gear to move to High Cliff, a less popular crag that is below Burgers and Fries. I was recommended The Gift at High Cliff, a fun 5.7. After some route-finding antics, I found the crag and the route. We roped up and I led the awesome route quickly and efficiently. I set a top-rope and we got my Mom and Uncle Fischer on the awesome route. The route has fun and varied climbing, and it would make an amazing first trad lead for new trad climbers. It is my new favorite single pitch climb in Squamish. I led it another time and I cleaned my trad gear on my rappel down. We headed back to the car and lunch.

Mom following The Gift, 5.6. Photo Credit: Pat Kapugia

Uncle Fischer following The Gift, 5.6. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Me leading The Gift, 5.6. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Me getting lowered down The Gift, 5.6. Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Everybody got food in downtown and then we headed out to the North Wall boulders to do some pebble wrestling. We hit up the Cleans first where Pat did a bunch of V0s and V1s. Everybody did some climbing there and before long we headed back down the road to The Farm boulders. There Pat and Hancock did a cool V1 called the Detached Flake, where you layback up a flake for about 20 feet. After they completed that climb, we hopped back in the cars and headed for Murrin Park and the Traverse Wall there. Pat and the dudes did a bunch of bouldering at Murrin while I tried to stay motivated to do a route on Sugarloaf.

Garibaldi! Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Pebble-wrestling! Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Pebble-wrestling! Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

Pebble-wrestling and nut-busting! Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

The Chief! Photo Credit: Jennifer Hocking

The Chief! Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

Mom pebble-wrestled! Photo Credit: Ezekiel Hocking

The clouds moved in and the temperature dropped fast, and a wind began whipping through the slot canyon that creates the main portion Murrin Park. The dudes left for some food in Vancouver while Mom, Pat, and I racked up for some climbing on Sugarloaf. I led a nice and easy 5.4 crack that could honestly be easily soloed by many. Pat noticed the face to the left of the crack and decided that he wanted to get a couple laps on that. It reminded him a lot of Mount Erie with nice featured faces and small pebbles as holds. I gave it a couple burns and thought it reminded me of Mount Erie as well. It would be a bold lead for anyone as there are few cracks on the face proper. All the gear for the route would have to go in the crack to the right, and be extended by slings a lot. I threw the rope down, walked off the top, and farther down to the parking lot. By then the day was waning and we decided to hit the road home. The drive home was pretty uneventful and we got pizza in Bellingham to round out the already stellar day.