2015-05-30 Stawamus Chief

Distance: 3.7 mi.
Elevation Gain: 2800 ft.

We were in Squamish to do some climbing with friends, but decided we also wanted to check out this popular hike. We started at 2:10 PM. There were quite a few people on this weekend day, all very polite of course (Canadians). The trail was wide and well-maintained. As we reached the slabs below the summit, the hike became borderline technical but, keeping the audience for this hike in mind, Canada decided to put ropes and chains along this section for people to hold onto rather than attempting to scramble it unaided.

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Virginia ascending the slabby ‘chain assisted’ area
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Slabby areas near the top

So we went through this section one-by-one and then enjoyed the views from the granite top! We skipped First Peak, but hiked from Second Peak to Third Peak (the true summit), where we could see some highliners doing their thing over the North Gully which was really cool!

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View down to Squamish
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Highliners in front of Mt. Garibaldi

We went down a slightly different way. We retraced our steps about halfway from Third Peak to Second Peak until we reached a trail split, then went left, which took us down a different trail along Olesen Creek. This met back up with the main trail in due time and then we headed back out to do some evening bouldering. We finished at 5:30 PM.

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Recommended brew: Howe Sound Devil’s Elbow IPA

Gear Used:

  • Trail runners
  • Our best attempts at Canadian politeness

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