After biking and beekeeping on the North Shore, Jen and I headed straight up to Squamish. I’m not actually sure how many times I’ve been here. Certainly more than eight. Maybe double digits. Either way, I love it every time. With each of us coming off long term injuries, we were not in shape to even attempt anything hard or big. Hell, the toughest thing I did the whole trip was only 5.11a, but Squamish is a place where you can spend weeks doing nothing but world class moderates and never get tired of it.
We bounced around a lot, climbing in different locations every day, if not multiple locations in the same day. It was hot enough that a morning and afternoon spot split by a mid-day siesta was pretty much mandatory. But with some climbs being tucked back into the deep forest and others right off the ocean water, it was very easy.
We even took an actual rest day, which is a first for us on this trip, but we needed it. So, we headed out to the windsurfing spit, watched the scene there for a while, waited a bit too long while the tide came in, and crossed a now thigh-deep stretch of ocean that was dry land the hour before to get back to the car.
Then, we went back to climbing some of the best rock on earth with regularly scheduled cool-off dips in the lake at Murrin Park or the pools on top of Shannon Falls.
We started this trip like we almost always do, with an afternoon lap on High Mountain Woody (5.9).Lumberyard below the Malamute.Jen on One Thumb Up (5.7) in Splitsville. Smile (5.9) had some really awesome movement. Jen on the struggle bus. Swims in Murrin lake were key. Jen swinging leads on Spirit of Squamish (5.8).In the wideness on pitch two. For real, it’s time for new gloves Jen. Jen leading out the crux slab. The pool above Shannon falls is awesome. And cold. Really cold. Drying off after cooling down. Hike down from Shannon Falls.Checking out the action on the spit. This was bone dry when we hiked out. We just made it. Jen on Thriller On The Pillar (5.10b).Cool moves by the arete. The Wire Tap belay is the best ever. The cut off stump makes a great chair. Jen on Wire Crack (5.10a).Looking down the 10a spiltter fingers up top. Witch Doctor’s Apprentice (5.9) to start off the next day. Jen leading Davey Jone’s Locker (5.7).Sole Mate (5.10b), at Seal Cove is excellent slabbing straight over the ocean. Heading out to the belays for another pitch above the water. A different kind of hanging belay. Jen on Seal Cove Traverse (5.9).Short coils for high tide. A week later we were biking in Squamish when we passed Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing (5.11a) on a trail only a few hundred yards from the van. I had to come back and do a TR solo lap. It was just too cool not to try. By the way, the last move is nails hard, especially if you’re short.
