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| View from 2nd Peak - taken on a sunnier day! |
The Chief can be very busy as people flock to the area to test their fitness levels and take in the magnificent views from the three peaks. On a clear day, the summit offers panoramic views of Howe Sound, the Squamish town site and the adjacent mountains. We prefer to hike the Chief in low season to avoid the crowds, as during the summer you can sometimes feel that you are experiencing trail gridlock.
Today was a perfect day to hike. The weather was overcast and showers were in the forecast. We knew that the views up top would be limited because of low cloud, but we felt the trade-off was worth it - very few folk on the trail.
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| Falls are picture perfect! |
The trail begins climbing almost as soon as you leave the trail head. As your heart rate starts to rise, you begin to realize that this will not be a casual stroll in the park. The sound of the waterfall roars beside you and encourages you to keep going. Today I hoped that the roar of the falls would cover the sounds of my huffing and puffing.
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| Series of stairs at beginning of hike |
BC Parks does a fantastic job maintaining the park and trail. The route to the peaks is well marked, with stairs and bridges strategically placed to aid hikers on their trek up. It should be noted that the area is nesting habitat for Peregrine Falcons and often between April and June designated climbing routes will be closed to protect the nesting birds.
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| Chains assist climb on way to 2nd peak |
Today we chose to go past the turn for the 1st peak and head straight to the second peak for lunch. That is when the excitement began. It was raining quite heavily by the time we reached the trail to second peak. The rock was wet and slippery. As we crawled and clawed our way up the rock, clinging to the fixed chains we began to wonder if we should have waited for a drier day. The rock was really slippery. By the time we reached the fixed ladder we were debating the wisdom of continuing on. Truthfully, I was more worried about going back than pushing on. We rested for a few minutes, caught our breath and then continued the climb. We were not the most graceful looking pair as we clung to the rock. Thankfully, we soon reached the top of the second peak. The clouds briefly lifted and we took the opportunity to take in the view and shoot a few pictures.
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| Waiting for clouds to break for view of Howe Sound |
Feeling rested and thankful to have finished the ladder section, we began looking for the trail to the third peak. As we roamed about, three young guys approached. They were also in search of the route to the third peak and they were feeling exactly as we were....it was too slippery to go back the way we had come. There must be another way down! We began to search for the trail together.
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| Granite everywhere! |
We managed to find the trail markers leading to the third peak and enjoyed a breathtaking view while munching on our lunch.
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| Fragile beauty on 3rd peak |
Not wanting to revisit the ladder and chains we made the decision to return via the Slhanay trail. Although not as popular or as well marked, the Slhanay trail is amazing. Within minutes you feel as though you are back in prehistoric times. The trees are huge, the smells are fresh and the vegetation is lush. It is like a land before time.
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| Return trip on Slhanay Trail |
After descending for quite a distance, the Slhanay trail eventually joins back to the Chief trail. As we drew near to the series of stairs we encountered a school group. Thirty middle school students and two courageous teachers were on a geography field trip. We chuckled to ourselves as some things just don't seem to change and we were reminded of our glory days chaperoning school trips. There was a core group of kids at the front, literally racing up the mountain, a group in the middle more interested in chatting than looking at rocks or trails and the few stragglers who really didn't want to be anywhere near the mountain. We congratulated their teachers on their ambition and dedication and wished them luck.
Giggle of the day:
The weather broke for a few minutes, so we decided to lay out our foamie and enjoy lunch from the second peak. As we were peering out from the ledge and admiring the view, I began to think of the recent slide. Thankfully, there were no injuries or damage to property. However, a big hunk of that magnificent granite wall had simply fallen off. I am sure there are numerous geotechnical terms for the actual event, but at that moment all I could think of was a slab of mountain falling off. I inched a little further back from the edge, and sweetly asked Rob if it made him feel a little uneasy sitting on the edge of a mountain that a few days ago had "fallen off". Rob said and I quote, "I was feeling pretty good about our lunch spot, but thanks for sharing your thoughts." FYI - a few minutes later, I noticed he inched a little further back.
Map and Route tips:
There is a campsite at the base of the Chief, complete with slack lines. Vehicle and walk-in sites are available.
Stawamus Chief Provincial Park and Protected Area
Trail Map
Be sure to visit Shannon Falls if you are in the area!
This iss a great post thanks
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