Doing “The Chief” – hiking the Stawamus Chief

The heart of my day today was spent hiking the Stawamus Chief at Squamish for the first time since 1970 or ’71. I just went to the First Peak this time – that’s a 1.5-kilometre trail with an elevation gain of 500 metres. It’s a steep trail – very steep – with hundreds of wooden and rock steps, a couple of ladders, and chains bolted to the rocks to help hikers scramble up a couple of bare granite chutes. The reward on top is huge…

Hiking the Stawamus Chief at Squamish, BC

The ladders tend to gather people at times, especially when grows show up.

Hiking the Stawamus Chief at Squamish, BC

The view is pretty hard to beat – and the satisfaction of being able to get there is really nice as well. 🙂

ExploreNorth editor Murray Lundberg on the Stawamus Chief at Squamish, BC

That’s Second Peak, and the bulge at the far right is Third Peak, where my sister Shelly and a friend and I went in ’70 or ’71.

Hiking the Stawamus Chief at Squamish, BC

And me with no hang-glider! What a flight that would be!

Hiking the Stawamus Chief at Squamish, BC