Sailing Tarka: 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.