Category: Road Trip 2007
Day 15
Day 15
(adapted from Climbing log)
We’ve booked time with Squamish Rock Guides for the a.m. and meet Colin Moorhead at 0800 at the Starbucks. Colin was the guide that Tom recommended as a friend and mentor so we lucked out. I got lost trying to find the Starbucks because there were two and I hadn’t noticed the one right across the street from the hostel. Found it eventually…After a short drive to Murin Park we walked a short approach to the Sugar Loaf. Colin set up a rope so he could jumar along side while Zak and I simulated a multipitch trad climb. We set up at the base of Magnet, a 5.4 trad and Zak belayed me to the 1/2 way point. I built a trad anchor and then belayed Zak up using an atc guide.
Then Zak lead the 2nd half and built his anchor at the top. He belayed me up and I cleaned and then we rapped down–successfully completing our first ever trad climb–and a multipitch at that!
We called it a day and headed to Shannon Falls for a bit and then ran into Colin again at the gear shop where I picked up a few cams, runners and biners.
Hanging and hiking at Shannon falls
After that we headed out to explore some more and eventually found the spit that all the kiteboarders worked off of. It’s a pretty cool place and Squamish is supposed to have some of the best windsurfing adn kiteboarding in the world.
That night Zak and I opted for some more male bonding and watched the 40 year old Virgin. Funny, often inappropriate, but funny…
Day 16 & 17
Well it’s March now and the next climbing season is approaching. I’m also thinking about this year’s trip already so I think I am going to scoot through the remaining bits of the trip just to get it done. Next year it will really have to be more of an ongoing effort.
Day 16
Vancouver, Leslie; The aquarium; Comfort Inn
Saturday found Zak and I awaiting Leslie on Granville Island, Vancouver
[Image lost in the big crash :-(]
After a quick visit we decided on Lunch at Feenies (Chef Rob Feenie’s lunch spot beside Luminiare) and then headed to the Aquarium as we always do.
After a great afternoon we headed off to find a place to stay for the night. Unfortunately this took us all the way out to the airport to the Comfort Inn (and it tweren’t too comfie…).
Day 17, Sunday August 5
The Naughty Doc, a Beneteau 393 chartered from Blue Pacific Yacht Charters
0900 Blue Pacific
1200 Fuel Dock: a few quick basics with Captain John Fairweather, our instructor, and we are off (as a omen we we lucky enough to see a Kingfisher alight momentarily on our boat before we left the bay)
The Passage:sailing @ 10.9 knots
1600 Poirler Pass and seals
1700 Fishing for rock cod and ling cod and we passed baby seal waiting patiently for mom on a log.
2000 anchor outside Montague Bay. We dropped our crab trap, got a quick lesson in anchoring and called it a night.
Days 18, 19 and 20
Day 18
Mooring bouy practice
Illegal fishing & fisheries officers
Tacking against wind
1800 Ganges Harbour
Crab trap down
Moor at the marina
Supper at Oyster Cove
Day 19
Docking practice, search for crab trap
Docking practice, search for crab trap (find it at dock)
An American boat hit it and the trap wrapped around its shaft
Steak on bbq
Day 20
Docking practice/anchoring practice
Les’ thumb gets accidentally caught in the windlass: a quick trip to the hospital
Anchoring practice/docking practice
Charts with John; beer and we wave goodbye to John as he takes off in a seaplane;
There is a fire on 32′ Bayliner and it burns to the waterline
Days 21 and 22
Day 21
0915 Left Ganges motoring
1015 Active Pass; Miner’s Bay: Queen of Vancouver (to Vic.); Queen of Saanich (to Van.)
Winds SE 1-2 kts
1300 Tumbo Island: mooring bouy
Quick shore trip
Day 22
Tumbo Island
Explore
1045 off bouy
1145 dolphins in Haro Strait
1615 Montague Bay; accidentally grounded (Z); anchor for the night
Days 22 and 23
Day 23
0845 up anchor
Cell call re: grounding from John and Michael so we decide to head back to Vancouver
1030 Porlier Pass
1100 Under Sail across Georgia Strait
1320 Drop sails off of Point Grey
1530 Granville Island
Day 24
We wait for the diver’s ok
1210 undock Granville
Burrard Inlet
Gas Dock
Granville Island and last goodbye
Drive to Squamish
Traffic Jam
Days 24, 25 and 26
See climbing log!
Day 24 August 13
Sugar Loaf
• a day spent trad climbing 5.4s and 5.5s
• and some bouldering at Shannon falls
• finished of with sushi!
Day 25
Cheakamous
• Leslie chillaxes and Zak and I take on some sport multipitches
Day 26
Jetskiing and Smoke Bluffs
• We redo the Howe Sound Adventure with Leslie and she learns that wild is good!
We finish the day on the Smoke Bluffs climbing trad on a Squamish classic: Burgers and Fries, where Zak and I get our first 5.7 under our belts
Days 27, 28, 29 and 30
Day 27
Drive to Penticton
Orchards and fruit
Day 28
Wineries
Drive to w of Craigellachie
Day 29
Craigellachie
Takkakwa Falls
…and wolves
Drive to Calgary
Day 30 August 17
Drop Zak off at the Greyhound and home to Edmonton
Thus ends the grand trip of ’07. I enjoyed it so much I want to try again in ’08… any suggestions for new adventures?
Summer 07 postscript and image gallery
Summer 2007 Road Trip
St Albert–> Canmore–> Lake Louise–> Nanton–> Waterton–> Frank–> Fort Steele–> Cranbrook–> Castlegar–> Oosoyoos–> Hedley–> Hope–> Vancouver–> Squamish–> Granville Island–> Gulf Islands–> Ganges Harbour–> Tumbo Island–> Granville Island–> Burrard Inlet–> Squamish–> Penticton–> Sicamous–> Roger’s Pass–> Calgary–> St Albert
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