Rock climbing in Squamish

Sep 172011
Granite in Squamish vs. Basalt on Vancouver Island

Rock climbing is all about strategy  and is what makes it so challenging. As a new rock climber I have to say I really love it. The climbing on Crescent Craigs on Vancouver Island was basalt, a rock that is more “sticky” than the granite in Squamish where we climbed for a week. I had to curtail my climbing to give my sprained knee a rest so climbed half days as I could. The instruction was superb, the slab climbing was very much different from what we did on the Island and interesting. There really is nothing to hold onto for your fingers so you have to depend on your feet, I like the crack climbing as the climbs are very different each time and you have to use your fingers, hands, arms and legs different ways for leverage to complete the climbs successfully. I look forward to making many more climbs.

Mt. Myra Mountaineering Trip

Sep 172011

The beauty of the earth, sky and water never cease to inspire me. The trip to Mt. Myra was an extreme mountaineering trip that required strong team work. Reading contour lines on a map to aid in navigation doesn’t account for anything less than 39 metres, so when you follow the height of land and think that you are on track it doesn’t account for coming to a 30 plus metre bluff or water levels that are impassable. This scenario requires that you go back and find another way to your destination which involves bush-wacking with no trail many times. Navigation includes reading maps, using a compass and  learning how to gauge the lay of the land visually. The trip was difficult, I injured my knee in a slide down a steep bit of brush,  the company was excellent and the alpine views including the view from the summit of Mt. Myra made it all worthwhile.

Rock climbing, canoeing and kayaking

Aug 302011

BC’s wild spaces are incredibly wonderful to experience. This week I have been able to share adventures with my Canadian Outdoor Leadership team in rock climbing, canoeing, rope work and kayaking as well as just getting to know each other and having a really great time.  If someone had told me a year ago that I would take 3 months to committ to this outdoors challenge I don’t think I would have believed it. Yet today was our fourth day of rock climbing and when I completed a difficult climb and looked down over the very beautiful and scenic Strathcona Park from this hard won climb I was truly  exhilarated. I am very much looking forward to the next 12 weeks and to being able to combine my experience in leadership and education, my love of the outdoors and years of outdoors of experience with my newly acquired outdoors skills for L-Attitude clients. Wednesday we leave for a 4 day mountaineering trip and then straight to Squamish for seven days of rock climbing. I am writing this blog outside from Stratchcona Lodge looking over Strathcona Lake.

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