The Last Frontier?

Leaving Squamish was hard but the open road and unbealivable camping helped us get over it. The drive through British Columbia was the best we have had since leaving Minnesota. The first day started off a little slow (see picture below) but soon we were traveling at our comfortable speed of 54mph. This drive is certainly daunting but if you do the math: 2,200 (miles from Vancouver to Anchorage) divided by 54mph equals only 41 hours. Not bad we thought. If we were to drive straight through (which, no way josé) it would only take us two days.

Unfortunatly due to road construction, long stretches of rough gravel, pit stops, lunch breaks, short hikes, sleeping in, and renting canoes we actually averaged about 43mph. So 2,200 divided by 43 is 51 hours of driving. Sheesh!

No problemo. Luckily we were equipt with 20 hours of daylight everyday and about a dozen books on CD (thank you Brittnie Rosen). Those two things combined with the most beautiful driving in the entire world made for a very enjoyable six days. Soon we were at the Canada / US boarder entering Alaska where we admitted to having an illicit item on board: a tomato.

Boarder lady, "Now you can either give it to me or eat it."
Us, "We'll eat it."
Boarder lady, "Ok, but seriously, you really have to eat it."
Us, "We will."
Boarder lady, "Ok, go ahead."

What!?  Where's the strip search?  The interegation about how we have enough money to travel, we must be drug smugglers right?  Where was the intimidating K-9 unit that did a few circles around the car?  The huge X-Ray machine that you drive through capable of penetrating the solid steel components of your vehicle, but that somehow is completely safe for humans?

Where are we - a land of pink fluffy bunnies and rainbows!?  Boarder people aren't supposed to TRUST anyone, Mexico taught us that. What a bizarre experience. Maybe that is why Alaska is called the last frontier. It's the last frontier of people not being completely jaded by the emotional sterility of civility...for now.

Regardless of what their liscense plates claim, the real frontier days of the "rough'n it" life style seem to be fleeting.  The old gold panners are gone as are the original homesteaders who built their cabins without electricity, or nails, or mortages, or realators, or building codes.  Gone are the days where you just head into the wilderness with your donkey and a year's supply of salted pork and make a life for yourself.

Sure, there are millions upon millions of acres of wilderness where you could venture unprepared and face death. But the same could be said for Yosmite or Yellowstone where people die every year from bears and being swept away in swollen rivers (clearly marked by fences) and they don't call those places the last frontier.

Fact: No one has ever been killed by a bear in Denali National Park. Either the people who go camping in Denali are smarter or the bears have enough resourses so are less tempted to attack. Maybe both.

Even Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, has a boringly low death rate ever since they fixed ropes to the top and staffed a high-altitude ranger camp at 14,200ft ready to rescue the underly prepared and overly ambitious.  The consequenes just aren't what they use to be.

Anyway it has been a real treat typing this up for those of you who read our blog. (I love and adore you by the way, you are way cooler than people who don't read our blog... don't tell them I said that ;-) )

Jon developed a small amount of road rage during this 10mph event.

Very exciting.

The best driving scenery for sure.

Also best camping scenery.

Would we like to rent a canoe for 1/2 day for $20???? -----YES!

The coolest coffee shop in the Yukon.

"Hey Jon check it out, my jacket matches the sign!"

Hello Alaska. 

Who would have thought you could find such good Thai food in Tok?

The Chickaloon Post Office.

We met an amazing couple while camping in Moab who invited us to come to Alaska and stay in their cabin.  As we got closer and let them know we would be accepting their offer they informed us, "Unfortunately we are away for a few weeks but go ahead and make yourselves at home until we return." Can do :-)

Sḵwxwú7mesh

"Squamish" is a Native word which roughly translates to, "haha, too bad you're not Canadian or you could live here."  For us, it is the second best reason to become a Canadian citizen- the first best reason being the circus that is American politics.  Or the high cost of a college education.  Or the lack of affordable health care.  Okay, so Squamish is a bit further down the list then we initially let on, but it's a pretty cool place anyway.

"Squamish" is actually the English pronunciation of the word Sḵwxwú7mesh, yet another shining example of the Brit's cultural sensitivity.  "You say your name is,  Xats'alanexw?  Can you say that a little slower?  Ah forget it, I'm just going to call you 'Jack'.  Well, it was good to make your aquantance.  We'll be back in a hundred years or so to steal the land from those of you who weren't killed off by the influenza."

But Squamish is as beautiful as the history is depressing.  Nestled at the end of Howe Sound, it is now a town that has everything you need, without the crowding of most every other climbing destination we've been to.  Juliet and I were there over two holiday weekends, and while the surrounding parks did get a bit crowded, there was always ample camping space and vacant climbs.  The weekdays were a dream.  It was like being McCully Culkin waking up that fateful morning in Home Alone to find that he was the only one there and could do whatever he wanted to- like eat ice cream for breakfast- which we did.

The pinnacle of the town is the Stawamus Chief, a looming granite monolith that has earned Squamish the reputation of being the "Yosemite of Canada."  Perhaps that's a bit of a stretch, but The Chief certainly offers ample multipitch opportunities for all climbing abilities.  We were fortunate enough to get great weather for our ascent of the Chief as we linked three climbs and 15 pitches to the top: Calculus Crack (5.8), Memorial Crack (5.9), and the Squamish Buttress (5.10).

The next day, our good friends from Seattle; Brittnie, Chuck, and Maudie, came out to meet us.  We did some single pitch climbing.  The girls spent much of the day at, "Neat & Cool," an area that we had been directed to by the local climbing shop guru.  Since the guidebooks were out of print for Squamish (no, you couldn't get a copy anywhere, anywhere?, anywhere! and yes, it is a long story- we'll share it over a pint for anyone interested), the local climbing shop guru drew us a map by memory.  We've included it below for your amusement.  Chuck and I linked up with a fellow transient climber named Brad who we had met the night before.  We had some offwidth fun!

We also did some hiking around the Shannon Falls area (gorgeous!) as well as a hike back behind the Chief past the Cirque de Uncrackables where the Cobra Crack (5.14 - the hardest crack climb in the world!) resides, then back up to the summits for some stunning views.

What a place!  We can't wait to go back.

This map proved to be very accurate!

Cobra Crack - an arching thin-finger crack splitting a giant overhang.

On top of the world/ the Chief.

Here's Jon.... wait - WHAT THE...?!

This is the first climb that I spotted and climbed without knowing anything about it. Kangaroo Corner, 11a.

Jon, my fearless leader - heading up the Chief.

The crux of the day, and what a crux it was.

Success

Our new favorite beer. Unidentified Fermented Object.

Jon crushing...again :-)

I - LOVE - GIRLFRIENDS!!

The mighty Chief in the background.

Ohhh Canadaaa!

Vancouver.  It's like the Los Angeles of Canada (Toronto being New York) with worse weather, similiar traffic, but far fewer pretentious celebrities, making it infinitaley superior. Vancouver has always been a place that we wanted to visit.  They have hosted the Olympics and the prospect of getting caught up in a post-hockey game riot seems pretty exciting, but we needed a final push to get us up there.  Enter James and Crystal.

We are often asked what our favorite part about traveling is.  Without hesitation or second guessing, I can honestly say that the best part about traveling isn't the places we go, but rather it's the people we meet.  We met James, Crystal, and their dog Trixie on a beach down in Baja and ended up camping next to them for nearly six weeks.  We also met Crystal's sister Heather who (to Juliet's delight) happens to be an amazing pastry chef. You know how you give out those offers and you think there's no way that it will actually happen, like, "oh, if you ever make it to Vancouver, some 3,000 miles away, you can come stay with us."  Invitation accepted.

James and Crystal are amazing people: kind, caring, and generous.  They invited us in to their home where we felt like family.  We got to explore Vancouver and some of the surrounding areas with them, but there are two highlights that I must specifically emphasize.

First, James is a seasoned fishing guide, having extensive experience in the Queen Charolette's, a chain of islands in the middle of no where that would be of little interest to humans if not for the unbelievable fishing.  He wanted to share his passion with us, and chartered a salmon fishing boat out of Vancouver.  We spent the day trolling for Salmon and everyone got a chance to fight one.  We kept a good size salmon for dinner that night, and Juliet had not one but two fish stolen off the hook by a Harbor Seal as she was reeling them in.  We had also set a few crab traps and pulled up some Dungeness at the end of the day as icing on the cake.

Second, Crystal is a helicopter pilot for a company out of Vancouver that does anything from medical evacuations to civilian transportation.  She gave us the opportunity to take a helicopter ride (our first ever) from Vancouver to Victoria on Vancouver Island.  You know the opening scene from Jurassic Park where they are flying out to the island on a helicopter?  I think this is the flight path that they took because it was absolutely stunning. Endless chains of lush green islands sprawled out in every direction against an infinate range of blue hues from an ocean that hugged the horizons as far as the eye could see.

We are extremely grateful to the universe for allowing our paths to cross with James and Crystal, and grateful to James and Cystal for treating us with unrestrained hospitality. James, Crystal, Heather, and Trixie, we'll see you all again soon!

Crystal (in red) giving Heather, Jon and I a tour of the helicopter she flies.

Jon being a yuppie in Vancouver

Crystal

Jon's fish! (we tossed it back :)

It might be hard to see but this is the seal snagging the fish off my line... for the second time. When we first saw the seal I said, "Seal! How cute!" By this point I was yelling, "Go hunt for your own fish you Lazy Scab!!" 

James and Crystal

Here is Heather, who is not typically a big fan of crab, being such a good sport. Heather: "So how do you eat it?"  James: "You just break the shell with the fork then use the pointy part of its leg to dig out the meat."

What a view!

Feeling like a celebrity. (i.e. feeling much more important than I really am.)

While in Vancouver we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Jon's Grandmother's cousin Lorna.

Jon in a Skittles add. "Taste the Cavities"