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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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 Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 10:24 AM
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Doug, Eryne and I climbed Northgraves yesterday as a 13.5 hour round trip from Cantelon Creek. We came up with the plan on Friday when it looked like Saturday would be the only good day. I had wanted to climb this peak for a long time.
Saturday morning we left Agassiz at 5 AM.
Pretty sunrise at Silver Lake
Cantelon Creek road was blocked at 580m elevation by rockfall from the road cut so we started hiking. We ran into a beautiful cinnamon-frosted black bear almost immediately and snowline a few hundred meters higher. The bears really like this road!
 
Hiking up the road was relatively slow. From the road end we hiked through old growth hemlock and balsam forest to below Northgraves. We put on crampons here and cramponned up the west couloir to gain the SW ridge about halfway to the summit.
      
As you climb higher on this peak the views just get better and better.
Welch and Foley through the Cantelon-Foley pass
Unnamed 1900m+ summit south of Ling
Ling
Hansen with Isolillock behind
From the junction with the SW ridge we followed goat tracks up the SW ridge with sections of heather, class 2 scrambling and short snow aretes to gain the west summit.
Looking up the SW ridge
 
Scrambling up the SW ridge.
Doug and Eryne sacked out on the west summit while I went on to the main summit (9 hrs up). There was a steep-sided snow arete to cross and some Class 3 scrambling to gain the main summit.
 
Doug and Eryne on the west summit with Cheam Range behind.
Great views in every direction!
      
I found the summit cairn with the original first ascent record:
And some other historic ascents noted:
Back to the west summit to rejoin my companions and after a quick snack we started back down. The glissading was excellent 
Back to the west summit
Williams and Goetz
Chilliwack smog
Glissading down
On the way down we saw this owl simulacra in the old growth:
The hike out was a slog but went much faster than the hike in. It was very nice to get off the snow finally! We ran into the same bear at more or less the same spot on the road, just before the car.
 
On the drive out, just at the junction with the Silver-Skagit road we ran into a pair of Barred Owls hunting mice.
  
We got to the Silver Chalice just at 9 to find the kitchen closed  so went across the street to Skinny's for burgers.
Overall it was a long day but a good one. The weather could not have been better and we saw deer, bear, goat tracks and owls. It was really nice to get up Northgraves, which is not climbed all that often and is a superb viewpoint. Next time I guess I will have to go back for the south pillar, which is steep solid rock and looked relatively clean. The pinnacled northeast side of Northgraves and the ridge connecting to Jeffrey also looked worthwhile. |
Edited by - Dru on 06/01/2008 11:01 AM
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Hope, BC
Canada
7093 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 10:46 AM
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Nice report,
Is this ever a cool bizarre shot:
I tried looking at it different ways, how'd you do that :)?!
Any bear photos? |
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bandana wearin', pole huckin', view lovin', dog herdin', 4x4 navigatin', lake huntin', butt-slidin' bridge crosser, who enjoys postholing with an overnighter pack
Surrey, BC
Canada
4646 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 10:56 AM
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Excellent trip in perfect conditions  ! Those summit logs are pretty cool  . |
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Fast hikin, carrot chompin, always grinnin, gear scatterin recipient of the Theta Lake manouver
Burnaby
2039 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 11:47 AM
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Nice long day. 
Great pictures Dru, like this one.
Clouds,blue and endless peaks...beautiful. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1116 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 11:51 AM
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| Good job on a peak that has always seemed somewhat mysterious.Dru,do you remember anything about a race up Northgraves a few years ago between two of the local clubs? I think it was northshore hikers and BCMC,but I could be wrong.Thanks. |
Edited by - tedoliver on 06/01/2008 12:44 PM |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 2:40 PM
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| At 13.5 hours you must have been exhausted! Great TR and pictures. |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
535 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 3:31 PM
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| I tried to get a photo of the bear but Dru and Eyrne kept scaring it away. |
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Maple Ridge, BC
Canada
489 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 3:44 PM
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Love it! Great photo effects!
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6768 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 4:32 PM
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Nice job Dru
I've briefly scanned over Northgraves a few times,never seen a TR |
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Hope, B.C.
Canada
617 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 4:44 PM
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| Awesome... got some great pics there too! |
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Abbotsford, BC
Canada
1005 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 5:00 PM
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Nice TR on Northgraves. Some super pictures there with all those north faces stacked, Williams, Slesse, Baker. Good foray into a nice pocket of wilderness. Some pretty sheer rock on that Pillar! Scared the bear?! With toes like that I'd have run too!  |
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Smurf Village, BC
Canada
1495 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 5:19 PM
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| Spectacular! |
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Terrace, BC
957 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 5:49 PM
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Now that is one nice TR.
What a great day you must have had! Good to get on the summit with the old logs.. Great Pics.. |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13015 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 9:33 PM
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Nice route up, looks in good shape with minimal hazards too
Beautiful place, looks like the bears agree |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
535 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2008 : 11:58 PM
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Dru and Eryne climbing the west couloir
Rainbow around the sun
 
At the top of the couloir
Dru on the East Summit of Northgraves
 
Such a sweet view
Mt.Webb off in the distance. We did a 1st ascent of Webb long long ago.
The Bard Owl |
Edited by - burndug on 06/02/2008 12:18 AM |
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Simpson quoting tree hunter and canyon rapping rockhound who longs for the return of his trapped Toyota
Salt Lake City, UT
USA
2268 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 07:46 AM
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| Nice trip. I'm surprised at the amount of time required to do the ascent from Cantelon, though. Is there a serious bush issue from that side? |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 07:59 AM
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| at this time of year the bush is covered with snow, but so is the road. round trip distance was about 26km and about 75% of that was on snow. elevation gain was 1540m. |
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| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
569 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 09:55 AM
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I love the fitovers.
Fearless mountaineers.
Dru knows all the mountains.
The rock near the summit is pretty nice.
It was an excellent adventure. I was scared a bit when we were ridge walking, but Dru and Doug were very supportive and encouraging. Dru didn't even laugh at the blistering sunburn patterns I have on my forehead and arms.
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Maple syrup lovin', tree huggin', face paintin' relocated Québécoise who is VERY serious about having fun
Vancouver
Canada
2637 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 10:49 AM
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Who cooks for you?
Nice trip, you three! |
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Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
3994 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 3:47 PM
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Nice aspects of Williams, Goetz, Welch and Foley.
Another great trip Dru and co. . |
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Mysterious, pop can stove stashin', gps totin', overnighter virgin, wannabe tentmaker and foul weather wuss who rides a thumper to the trailhead with wonderdog Max to hike the Chilliwack Valley
Chwk
Canada
4908 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2008 : 8:14 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by burndug
Rainbow around the sun
...a herald of bad weather!
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Topic |
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Mt Northgraves via Cantelon Creek - May 31
