| Author |
Topic |
 | 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 - 06/01/2009 : 4:53 PM
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What: The Zupjok-Llama-Alpaca traverse
When: Sunday May 31
Who: Burndug, Dblair, Dru, Eryne
Why: Because it is there (and also cause Dru hadn't been up Llama yet)
This traverse is a lot of fun, especially with the right amount of snow to control the bush low down on Zupjok, but not enough snow that the beautiful granite slab ridgewalking on Llama and Alpaca is buried - Sunday met both of these constraints. apparently an 8 person Chilliwack Outdoor Club trip thought so too because they were about an hour to half an hour ahead of us all day except for the members they shed who turned back early and passed us sooner.
Pics:
Wet Yak
 
"Tiny fleas have tiny fleas upon their backs that bite'em
And those smaller fleas have smaller fleas and so ad infinitum...
and apparently zupjoks have bears"
     
Go go power hikers!
   
Pointy mountains & stuff
   
Nearing the summit
 
VICTORY!
There were still a lot of last years' crowberry in the heather, or was it dwarf blueberry? Eryne said crowberry and she is almost always right, according to her. Anyways we sat on the nice warm dry-ish heather for our summit break and got ridiculously purple-spotted asses. Let this be a warning
Looking onwards to Bighorn. This is a little bit far for a daytrip traverse from the highway, we decided, although at simonc speed it would be totally feasible.
I really like Vicuna. I took a lot of pics of Vicuna. I'll be nice and not post any more for now.
Group shot on the way back
Afternoon sun highlights on the steep NW face of Yak
Total time for the traverse at a ridiculously lazy pace was ~9 hrs car to car. After switching into drier and less berry-stained clothes we headed of to Skinny's Grille in Hope for delicious burgers and sorely needed libations. Best part of the day is that despite the ridiculously high UV index and near 100% reflectivity of the snow and granite, we sunscreened so diligently that no one got burnt.
Even tho' I had been up Zupjok and Alpaca before I think this traverse is something well beyond the sum of its parts. Once you get to Zupjok you are in the alpine on one of the nicest and least technical ridges around these parts, with beautiful peaks in every direction to ogle. That said, I wish this wasn't quite as popular as it is becoming... on the lower Ottomite road we found and picked up quite a bunch of litter including batteries, fruit cups, broken hydration bladder mouthpieces and other crap. Frickin' litterbugs, eh!  |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 4:58 PM
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Oh, I can't wait to do this one! Although Mr. B says there is a part with a chain that I won't like . Good going team, I won't get tired of trip reports from this area |
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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 - 06/01/2009 : 5:41 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Flowing-Brook
Mr. B says there is a part with a chain that I won't like
No chains here... you must be thinking of the backside route up Vicuna? |
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Penhold, Alberta
Canada
2009 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 6:14 PM
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| Looks like you folks took advantage of some great weather. Crazy looking women with an axe,a big furry fella chompin' on the greens, berry stained butts and a climber just jonesin' to climb Vicuna. I'm betting this isn't your last trip up that way. |
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| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
570 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 6:21 PM
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Thanks for posting a picture of my ass with something for scale!
I couldn't take many pictures 'cuz I was carrying that big axe.
When Dru sees a rock, this is what he does:
The Coquihalla Highway looks pretty narrow, almost like Highway 16.
It was an awesome day, despite the profanity 
It is crowberry Empetrum nigrum. You can look it up on Wikipedia. Don't sit in it, but eat it because it is tasty. |
Edited by - Eryne on 06/01/2009 6:25 PM |
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Chilliwack, BC
561 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 6:43 PM
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I loved your trip report, copied your verse about fleas to plagiarize it at a later date. Eryne, dont worry about your ass, it's still a great one!  (Ouch, I can feel that ice axe in the top of my skull lol) |
Edited by - seeking on 06/01/2009 8:12 PM |
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
309 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 6:44 PM
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| I wondered if it might CTers we passed on our way back from Alpaca. Gorgeous day. I was in the COC crew. Great photos Dru. |
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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
13048 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 6:57 PM
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So did nobody utter the phrase"That's jing!" ?  |
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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 - 06/01/2009 : 7:01 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mick range
So did nobody utter the phrase"That's jing!" ?
A new one was coined "jingeric" for when something is both generic and jingus. |
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| cjb
Junior Member
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Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada
376 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 7:02 PM
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| Bighorn Peak is a nice 3rd class scramble from the col. The *descent* to the col was grassy, wet, and a little hairy when I came up it; going down might be interesting, esp. if corniced. |
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 7:22 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by seeking
I loved your trip report, copied your verse about fleas to purger it at a later date. Eryne, dont worry about your ass, it's still a great one! (Ouch, I can feel that ice axe in the top of my skull lol)
Trotsky? You're still kicking around? :)
Great TR. Looks like you guys had a blast... one day I will get there. My to-do list is running out of space.
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1116 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 7:31 PM
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| Good TR and pictures.Why would anybody put a chain on Vicuna,it's not like it sees a lot of traffic.In any case it's garbage and someone should remove it. |
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Powell River, bc
Canada
2534 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 9:16 PM
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Great pictures,looks like fun!Love the caption on that pic. of Dru climbing the rock Eryne hahaha!!! |
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Peak bagging, bushwhacking, zamboni driving, snowshoeing, self portrait artist, and speed demon who loves to hang out on Mt. Seymour
3996 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 9:41 PM
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DBlair, you passed up on a bushwack/alder slog to Appian so you could have a beautiful and pleasant ridge walk in the Coquihalla alpine? Good call. Though we did get the nice ridge walk after the slog.
Good TR Dru, too bad about the garbage. |
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Surrey, BC
Canada
948 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2009 : 9:55 PM
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| It's always nice to see what I miss out on, when I have to work weekends. Nice looking area that I will have to check out. |
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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 - 06/02/2009 : 1:25 PM
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| Eryne wouldn't let me post the pic of her purple-spotted undies going into the wash. Apparently that crowberry juice goes right through the fabric of most shorts and straight to the undergarments. Commandos must get purple skin stains. |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
535 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2009 : 7:14 PM
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Dru the toughman
The Giant, Dru and Dr. Krumm taking in the non-jing view
The Dr. out for a stroll
Our ridge walk
Eryne the Giant
Dru at the top of the climb on the way back |
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| Eryne
Intermediate Member
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Chilliwack, BC
Canada
570 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2009 : 8:04 PM
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| Whatever, Dug. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1126 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2009 : 9:22 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Eryne
It is crowberry Empetrum nigrum. You can look it up on Wikipedia. Don't sit in it, but eat it because it is tasty.
Last year's Crowberry? |
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New Westminster, BC
Canada
116 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2009 : 9:31 PM
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i would love to see that view!
great pics and report, i will be traveling that way! |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13453 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2009 : 10:27 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Eryne
..
When Dru sees a rock, this is what he does:
Looks like rock worship, to the Granite Gods.
Since it is there and Dru hadn't been up Llama before, it was a good reason to do this excellent trip. I have not been there either.......sometime...
K |
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Topic |
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Oh Gawd Not Another ZLA Traverse TR!?!
