Conscious of the fact that Juan is leaving us soon and returning to Spain, Benja, Juan and I decided to take the day and head out to Squamish for a day of hiking. In the +/-5 years that Juan was here he did a fair bit of hiking, but one of the mountains he had not conquered yet was the Squamish (or Stawamus, as it's known locally) Chief.
So around 9:30 this morning the 3 of us met up and headed north on the 99, enjoying the lovely coastal view along the way.
Upon arrival at the base of the rock, I noticed as I'd done on a few previous occasions, that the rock looks as impressive from below, as the view of its surroundings from above. No matter what the angle, we're surrounded by beauty.
After a surprisingly easy search for a parking spot - it was a beautiful, clear, and sunny day, so there were a dozen or so other cars looking for parking spots - we parked Benja's Mazda, put on all our hiking gear, and began our hike. Juan, ever the forest researcher, was eager to give us insights into why the forest looked the way it did (height of trees, colour of bark, etc...). Here are a few pictures of the way up:
Upon arrival at the base of the rock, I noticed as I'd done on a few previous occasions, that the rock looks as impressive from below, as the view of its surroundings from above. No matter what the angle, we're surrounded by beauty.
After a surprisingly easy search for a parking spot - it was a beautiful, clear, and sunny day, so there were a dozen or so other cars looking for parking spots - we parked Benja's Mazda, put on all our hiking gear, and began our hike. Juan, ever the forest researcher, was eager to give us insights into why the forest looked the way it did (height of trees, colour of bark, etc...). Here are a few pictures of the way up:
Once we got to the top, I looked for a tree with a bit of shade to spare, to sit under it and enjoy my sandwich lunch. Benja and Juan were more interested in seeing the view, even if it meant they sat in the sun.
After about a 20 minute break - no talking, just catching our breath, eating, drinking, and enjoying the view - I got up and strolled around the top of the rock.
One last time, the view, this time unhindered.
As always, the way down was much quicker than the way up, and as always, my knees got progressively worse along the way. I was happy when, around 4 in the afternoon, we'd made our way back to our car.
We drove back home emotionally energized, our senses overloaded. But at the same time, we were tired - exhausted, even - the physical cost of our excursion.
Of all the hikes Juan did over the past few years, it seems to me appropriate to have left this one for the end. He'll surely take home with him some vivid images of beauty: typical BC.
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