Second Chief
A nice morning walk
Climbing the Chief is almost a Vancouver requirement
- you aren't an outdoor type if you don't have some story to tell about
climbing it. There is actually three different peaks - I climbed
the first peak years ago so today (with a bit of arm twisting) we chose
to go up the second.
Yes, it's a stair climb. Get
over it. This whole area has been logged perhaps 100 years ago so
the regrowth is large and strong. Much of the trail is in shade
so even on a warm day in Vancouver, it may be cool in the trees.
As you ascent, the rock dominates the environment.
The
biggest concern people have with
climbing the chief seems to be the few steep parts just as you get to
the rock faces at the top. The route is very well secured and the
chains are often there just for safety and extreme environments.
I wouldn't want to be up here in an ice rain storm, but even a moist
day would be safe as long as you go slowly and don't fool around.
Yes, the
views are amazing. The first time I walked up I saw a plane fly by at
eye height and wave it's wings when we waved at it. Today was
beautiful with mostly blue sky above us and snow on many of the local
peaks.
Pretty much all of Squamish is laid out at your feet and you can see
Woodfibre Mill
across Howe Sound from Britannia Beach. There is still a lot of
logging based industry here but the loading wharfs looked pretty empty
from up here.
Looking over to first peak you could see the crowd building.
Second peak was busy as well, but there was enough space we could find
our own outcropping without having to intrude on the view of other
groups. Looking East, Diamond Head loomed on the horizon -
perhaps inspiration for a longer summer hike.
Thanks for organizing Jin!
Tags: hiking(4), summit(4), rock(2), mountain(2), forest(1), Do Not Tag(1)
People: Jin(3), Jesse(2), Andrea(1)
From: John Harvey Photo > Second Chief
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Hiking > Second Chief
Last Modified Saturday, January 21st, 2023 at 23:41:47 Edit
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