Descending Monmouth Canyon, Squamish
Last year we started to see more and more mentions in our news feeds and social channels of Canyoneering in Southwest BC. It was enough for me to investigate it further to see who was doing it and where. When I discovered that these Canyoneers were coming to Squamish and descending Monmouth Canyon (known locally as “Jump for Joy Falls”) I was shocked. I’d past by some of the waterfalls of Monmouth before on a previous adventure and I remembered them being not only large, but powerful. I couldn’t imagine people trying to rappel anywhere near those things. We’d never really Canyoneered before. On a past holiday in Scotland we’d experienced “Gorge Walking” which, I’m not going to lie, felt a little contrived. We basically just walked around in shallow pools in wet suits and did a few short jumps into the water. I was always aware that I could just step out of the river onto the banks. It lacked the feeling of commitment that I imagined rappelling waterfalls in a tight canyon would provide. I contacted one of the BC Canyoneers and gave them my best elevator pitch to see if they’d allow us to join them on their next trip. I wasn’t hopeful but they accepted! We rented swimsuits, figured out what waterproof gear we’d need, and, slightly nervous about stepping into an unknown activity in an unknown environment, met up with them to cross over the Squamish river and explore Monmouth Canyon. I’ll let the photos below do the rest of the talking, and check out the video at the bottom, made from the plethora of GoPro footage I recorded on this adventure. For more information about this Canyon check out this website: BC Canyoneers Photo Credit for some of the pictures in this set goes to the awesome Kevin Swanson. The 30ft jump after rappel 6 Touchdown! Video from this...
Climbing Rambles and Banana Peel in Squamish
Recently myself and Spring got to climb a fun multi-pitch route in Squamish. We linked two climbs together, the first called “Rambles” and the second called “Banana Peel” making for 11 pitches in total. It goes at a relaxed 5.7 but it’s pretty run-out in spots. There are also a lot of pitches which only nose into Class 5 in difficulty. This would be our first multi-pitch climb together so we wanted to focus on our climbing systems, protecting while lead climbing and moving efficiently. We also got to get some “Alpine climbing” conditions for the last few pitches when it started raining on us. You really learn to place protection only when you need to when you are climbing against the rain you see approaching on the horizon. Thankfully the rock wasn’t fully slick by the time we topped out and we escaped without any falls. We’re looking forward to many more rock climbing adventures in the future… with hopefully less rain....
Girls’ Night Out: Part 2
< Girls’ Night Out: Part 1 The words that follow are by Kelly Fowler: We made camp in an outcropping of two huge granite boulders sitting ninety degrees to each other, nudging the base of a pine tree. One boulder had a curious indent in its shadow, enough for three wanderers to sleep like sardines. Solid to our left and backs, the path ran from above, down to the right and onwards through the rocks and scrub. It felt safe to stop. We ate some trail mix, drank some water. Nobody was all that hungry. Our little area received minimal coverage from the pine tree, and the rain still fell. I collected the food and hung it several metres away, as high as I could string it in the tree. That bottle of wine looked very lonely. We spread out Marwa’s sleeping bag on the bottom of the indent and prepared for the night. Everyone was surprisingly calm. I wanted someone to lose their cool, to cry or shout. Then the other two would have a purpose to console, to rally. Instead, each of us was mature, practical and almost serene. The plan was to rest until daybreak, and we would gain our bearings and make a decision to move on or go home. The darkness thickened and we could barely see past our hastily assembled camp. The two of them settled, and I was the last to get in, pulling the three packs in close to my right. After all, I was the one out in the open with Jill practically gone under the rock and Marwa snug in the middle. That wall of synthetic backpack material and extra wool socks was my pseudo protection from evil leprechauns, prancing ponies or other mythical forest creatures that dispersed from Fairy Meadow when the sun went down. I covered us with my sleeping bag and then a garbage bag. Fully clothed. Boots still laced. Glasses on my face. Wine unopened, hanging far away in a tree. And it rained. Not exactly your dream weekend, but the potential for an amusing story around the water cooler should we survive. There’s nothing quite like the sweet sound of rain on the roof of a tent when you’re snug inside. The tippity-tap-tap of water soothes and comforts. For us, the rhythm was a hazy, sleep-deprived version under a dark green Glad garbage bag. Our makeshift plastic bag duvet cover was, at least, keeping us dry. The sounds of the forest had long stilled. Until I heard it. It was heavy and low to the ground. It moved with purpose and it was coming...
Review: Run or Die by Kilian Jornet
In Run or Die, Kilian Jornet tells the story of how his passion for competitive running and wild places blossomed from being a child running in the hills around his home to a world-class record-setting ultra runner. In it he tells the stories of some of his most notable and personally rewarding feats. He tells it like it is, the ups and downs, the struggle and the pain. Despite the fact that he is performing seemingly superhuman feats you can feel a human connection to him through his passion and love for what he does. He describes in detail the search within himself for the age-old question of why? Why does he run? The overall tone of the book is one of inspiration. Just through describing his physical & mental ups and downs he captures the absolute essence of pushing the human body to its limit. He is trying to tell his personal journey and through it inspire others. I personally enjoyed this book for its honesty. As a person determined to try to push my own limits in running, I found the unwavering devotion to the the sport extremely inspiring. He never lost touch with his love for nature or the beauty of the mountains. It made me contemplate how fortunate I am to be able to move my body and be able to enjoy beautiful places along the way. If you are someone interested in feats of endurance or in getting inspired to push your own limits, then I would definitely recommend reading this book. It’s written by someone who just loves to run. It doesn’t contain a definite story line or the words of an experienced writer, but what it does contain is passion, dedication, suffering and a great love for running which surpasses the need to compete and rises into something much greater than just sport. “You don’t need to compete to be able to feel the intense emotion of finishing, the excitement of crashing through the finish tape. It is a happiness you alone feel as you experience that strength powering you to succeed.” ~Kilian Jornet~...
Get scared.
“Do one thing everyday that scares you.” Eleanor Roosevelt Last week I decided to accept this challenge. I chose to go trail running at night… solo. Now I love running trails solo, but have never ventured out into the night on the trails. I have journeyed out into early morning darkness, but that was based on the knowledge that the darkness would quickly turn to the lovely golden light that brings with it feelings of safety and confidence. This run was going to be very different, it was going to start in darkness and end in darkness. There would be no warming glow of safe sunshine, just the bubble of light cast from my headlamp. I tried to keep my focus within this little bubble of light, not thinking so much of what might be happening outside of it, what might be scurrying in the depths of the forest or peering at me from the darkness with vision more accustomed to nightlife. I left the house that night, reached the car and turned right back towards the front door, but just before I reached it, I forced myself to stop, turn the other direction and head right back to the car. “Just go!” When I actually got to the start of the trail and started running the first section, which runs parallel to the highway, the presence and light cast from passing cars gave me a sense of security. Somehow I convinced myself to just run to the top of the section, before it spit me into the forest. “Just cut it short it’s okay” I told myself. But the closer I got to top I couldn’t let myself be that easily persuaded, I knew I would regret not following through. So into the dark forest I went. Shouting and clapping as I went, I refused to look behind me, which I often do on trail runs during the day to make sure I am not in the way of oncoming bikers or faster runners. But this time I knew if I looked behind I would see only a few feet of light cast by my headlamp and then darkness. In all honesty the only fear I had that night was of large animals that may be roaming looking for a night-time snack, and I did not want to surprise anything that was out on the trails looking for food. My mind mostly turned to cougars which frequent this particular area of town. I had to keep telling myself that the only difference on the trails at night is the absence of light; there was nothing out to get...
