VOCJ66

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The Varsity Outdoor Club Journal Volume 66
<< VOCJ65	2023-2024	VOCJ67 >>
Alex Beauchemin Journal Editor

Article	Page	Author(s)	Index
A Note from the President	7	Sonia Landwehr
The Exec	10
A Year in Review for the IDEA Committee	15	Brianna Ragsdale
Note from the Peer Support Group	18	2023-2024 Peer Support Group
Phelix Hut Gets a New Hat
A Foreword	22	Sonia Landwehr and Adam Steele
Phelix: “The Front Fell Off” – Emergency Roof Repairs	24	Ryan MacDonald
Phelix Demolition	28	Joe Meyer
Phelix Roof: Getting the Stuff There	32	Adam Steele
In Jeff We Trust – Roof Rebuild Weekend 1	36	Sonia Landwehr
Roof Repair Ruckus	42	Roland Burton and Gina Woods
Phelix Hut Gets a New Hat – Roof Rebuild Weekend 2	44	Sonia Landwehr
The Phinal Phelix Push	50	Lucy Roberts-Lovell
Making an IKEA Style Roof Kit	56	Jeff Mottershead
Climbing and Mountaineering
What Makes an Alpine Climb a Classic?	62	Noah Macdonald
Cardiac Arête (maybe more like ‘Arrête’) 5.10d	81	Sonia Landwehr
Frey, Argentina: Among the Agujas	86	Nick Hindley
A First Foray in Patagonia	88	Nick Brown and Nick Hindley
Terrifically Tantalising and at Times Terrifying Traverse of the Tantalus by a Sexy Giggle of Pals	100	Mary-Jo (MJ) Weir Weiss
Extreme Indigestion on Glacier Peak (Dakobed)	107	Allen Zhao
Alpine Skills – Face Mountain	112	Nelson Fretenburg, Kevin Lam, and Marko Smitran
A Glacier Feast: Rhododendron Traverse	119	Birgit Rogalla
Rock Climbing Frontside 180 - Xander and Me	125	Maysa Kazemi
Mayhem in Mazama	127	Isabella Ma, Adam Riesel, Timon Brinker, Julian Larsen, Isaac Borrego, Niclas Heinsdorf, Anna Vu, and Jessica Leung
A Rambling Writing on Red Rocks	131	Julian Larsen
Subterranean Shenanigans: Uncle of Underground	135	Brianna Ragsdale
Skiing and Winter Mountaineering
Mount Harvey North Ramp	140	Anton Afanassiev
Intro to Backcountry – Learning to Fall Gracefully Edition	142	Marie Sandler
Women’s* Seymour Snow Day	144	Lara Antebi
A Long Walk in the Cold: A Single-Push Neve Traverse	147	Zach Bloom and Noah Macdonald
Gin and Guiness	158	Lucas Braun
A Game of Chances: Not in Our Favour	161	Marko Smitran
Thread the Needle (A Steps to the Neve Debacle)	165	Lucas Braun
Lillooet Icefield Ski Traverse	169	Cassandra Elphinstone
Rexford Link-Up	177	Nick Hindley
Helena Beat	179	Lucas Braun
Hiking and Scrambles
Currie for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner	184	Mona Yu and Marko Smitran
Garibaldi Grand Tour	190	Julian Larsen
How Not to Hike the Howe Sound Crest Trail	195	Joe Meyer
A Walk Around a Very Big Lake	197	Mona Yu, Marko Smitran, and Nelson Fretenburg
VOC Calgary Division Takes On a Heinous Traverse	203	Kevin McKay-Barona
A Surprisingly Sunny September Saunter to the Spectacular Rampart Ponds	205	Miranda Clark
Mt. Frosty Without the Frost	209	Addy Yu
Foggy Beginnings, Slippery Adventures, and Spooky Scenery: Bushwhacking at Mt. Seymour	212	Amelie Korzec
The Odyssey of the Pole People – Three Peaks Mt. Seymour Hike	214	Rowan Clark
Pedals and Paddles
Cloudburst Cycle Traverse	222	Adam Steele
The Balkan Express: Midnight Bikepacking in Albania	224	Ivan Fediaev
Goofs on Gears: An Olympic Bike Adventure	228	Lara Antebi and Melissa Bernstein
South Island Bike Glamping	240	Marko Smitran
Harrison Hut By Bike: Some Words and Photos	245	Adam Steele
Unbelievable feat at Wells Gray	248	Sumit Meghlani
VOC x River Culture Kayaking: Intro to Whitewater Kayaking on the Mamquam and Cheakamus	250	Jade Quinn-McDonald, Si Crawford, and Lily Sibthorp
Kayaking in Say Nuth Khaw Yum Park	252	Elizabeth Chu and Sam Orr
Going Rogue	255	AJ Dreher
Dew Drop Diaries: Paddling to the West Coast of Haida Gwaii	263	Elias Bowman
Photo Contest
Workhikes and Club Life
Le Tour de VOC Huts	284	Lucy Roberts-Lovell
Radical Resurgence Through Climbing Mountains: The Intersection of Indigeneity and Alpinism	292	Noah Wyse
Gear Notes	297	Noah Wyse
Quintessential Quinzees - Winter Longhike 2023	301	Braydon Massoud
Harrison* Workhike	303	Adam Steele
Harrison Hut Spring 2023 (With the Right Key This Time)	306	Adam Steele
Pristine Paddling at Sphinx	309	Braydon Massoud
G1 2023 - Type 2 Fun is Still Fun	311	Jasmine Gage
Harrison Hut Fall Workhike	314	Maiya Callister
Ancient Giants: Beginner-Friendly Tree Hunting	318	Joemar Espinosa
Deep Frying Fish in the Backcountry	319	Ivan Fediaev
NMAG: Khaos in Kazakhstan	320	Anton Afanassiev, Ben Sommerfeld, and Ketan Desai
NMAG: Water, Wheels, and Wind	327	Melissa Bernstein
New Year’s at Phelix: or, my First Real VOC Trip	346	Shravan Kumar
Simple Joys of William Ungar: Memorial Trip	352	Isaac Lowenthal Walsh, Lucas Bodkins, Jacob Surks, Grady Boger, Jade Quinn-McDonald, Skye McDonald, and Sage Mazurek; Compiled by Morgan Cooper

VOCJ 66th Edition

This page was adopted from Mia Fajeau's VOC61 page, from Lucy Buchanan-Parker's VOCJ60 page, from Caitlin Schneider's VOCJ59 page, from Kathrin Lang's 53rd Edition page.

The VOC publishes a work of literary genius every spring: The Annual VOC Journal. Share your passion for the outdoors and for the VOC - help put together the 66th edition of the VOCJ!

See below for how you can contribute, deadlines, an article list with a trip report list (to avoid having multiple articles on the same trip), FAQs, and a style guide.

Main VOC journal page [1]

How can you contribute?

1. Submit an article.

• About what? Write an article about a trip you did with the VOC! Or, write about a trip you did on your own, or it maybe not even about a particular trip. Write outdoor philosophies or ethics or just expressions of love for the mountains. Write an instruction guide for how to make some piece of gear you made at home this year, or if you're really into the history of some outdoor sport, write an article about it. Everything vaguely about non-motorized outdoor sports is welcome!
• When?
  • Before the deadline on the Trip Agenda .
  • Early submissions are highly recommended for high quality proofreading and editing from the editors.

2. Submit a photo to the photo contest.

See details below!

3. Help with proofing, editing, and layout.

• Edit articles for spelling, grammar, consistency. We'll need at least 2 edits per article! (in January)
• Edit photos: check resolution, convert colour to black and white if needed, etc.
• We'll likely use InDesign to create the journal. Do you (a) have InDesign and want to share it? or (b) want to help with the layout? No experience needed, just a willingness to work and learn.

If you'd like to assist, contact Alex at vocjournal@gmail.com.

4. From the Exec. We need two things from you in addition to what we need from everybody else

• A portrait-type picture of yourself. See last years journal for examples. Some of you are really ugly and have trouble with this, but work on it.
• A summary of what it was like to be in your Exec Position for the past year. Any achievements? Problems?

And remember: submitting an article to the VOCJ or assisting with editing/layout counts as a workhike!

Photo Contest 2023/224

Submission is through a Google Form on the Trip Agenda. Voting will happen in two rounds: the first round will display all entries submitted to the photo contest, and will determine each of the category winners and runner-ups. The five photos receiving the most votes for each category will then be pooled together for a second round of voting, this time to determine the overall winner.

• 1) Landscape – Waterfalls, mountains, sunsets, etc. People are not the focus of the shot.
• 2) Portrait – Portrait of a person. Preferably in an outdoor setting, and of someone in the club.
• 3) Action Shot – Photos of people outdoors and in action, usually climbing, skiing, or mountaineering.
• 4) Flora and fauna – Plants and animals only. A good place for macro's.
• 5) Club Activities – Parties, longhike, winter longhike, glacier school, and all other club activities.

Maximum number of entries is one per category per photographer. Please do not submit a photo taken by someone else unless they have expressly granted you permission to do this (otherwise they might submit five more photos, or maybe they don't want those photos submitted). The photographer is defined as the person who "pressed the button" (could have been a self timer button), which is not necessarily the camera owner. All submissions must be submitted via the submissions Google form.

EMAIL

Questions, suggestions, and submissions can be sent to vocjournal@gmail.com. This year's journal editor is Alex.

FAQs

* How many articles can I submit?

Well, try to submit one, at least. Submit as many articles as you'd like, but if you send in more than two, be prepared to have some of your articles cut, since we'd like everyone to have an opportunity to have an article printed.

* How do I submit articles and photos?

We are using a Google Drive folder to receive submissions. If you would like to submit something, please create a folder in this google drive folder and add your story and photos to match the example one shown (ie. folder title: K_SCHATZ [first initial_Last name], Google Doc with article title and information formatted in the Google Doc as in the example, and photos in a folder labeled photos). The link is on the Trip Agenda, get submitting! * How does a VOCJ article differ from a trip report?

A trip report is a good start to a VOCJ article, but a VOCJ article needn't be a trip report. Rather than just copying and pasting your TR into a file and submitting it, edit it to make sure that the article is coherent and has a clear beginning and conclusion (and a middle too).

* Does my story have to be an epic?

Not at all. A good journal article will inform or entertain—perhaps both—and although epics are natural fodder for entertaining stories, trip stories where everything goes smoothly can be just as fresh and edifying. Conversely, an epic, poorly written up, does not a good article make.

* What will you do to my article once I submit it?

The editor will fact-check proper names and edit the article for spelling (per Canadian Oxford Dictionary), grammar, style (per Chicago Manual), usage, and clarity. He may also suggest structural changes (moving paragraphs around) for better flow and cuts for length and conciseness. If necessary the editor will also eliminate libel and other inappropriate content.

* How will the editing process work?

The copy editors will edit your article electronically and will only send it back to you if major changes need to be made. Submitting it means you accept that it will be edited for spelling, grammar, and coherence.

* Will you crop my photos?

The editor may have to crop your photos to fit. If you want to insist that your image not be cropped, submit it with your desired crop and specify in the body of the e-mail to which the image is attached that you don't want it cropped. We'll do our best to accommodate your wishes. Note that all photos submitted will more likely than not be resized.

* What resolution do the photos have to be?

Photos that accompany an article should be at least 300 dpi at 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) wide. Stand-alone photos for the colour sections should be at least 300 dpi at about 6 inches (15.25 cm) wide. However, when you submit your photos, simply submit them in as high a resolution as possible and let the designer worry about converting them. You can lose photo quality if you convert them improperly or save them in an inappropriate format.

* Can I submit photos with nudity or use swear words in my article?

Expecting the journal to be devoid of nudity would be a bit delusional. However, the journal will be going out to some respectable types, so the decorum should be kept somewhat high. Decorum is kind of relative, though, so in short: tasteful nudity only. And make sure that all parties in the photo (nude or not) have given you permission to reproduce their image in a publication that will be archived for posterior. Er, posterity. As for swear words, some epics are definitely expletive-worthy, and the editor's not out to censor anyone. But, as with any (ahem) literary device, if you abuse expletives they'll lose their impact. Use only what you need to get your point across.

VOCJ66 Style sheet

This is just for reference. If you're a kind soul you'll try to follow it, but if you don't, it's fine. The copy editors will fix inconsistencies in editing. But if you try to dispute an editorial decision that's specified on this style sheet, the style sheet will win.

• The time of day should be written like this, 6:30am
• use Canadian spelling (per Canadian Oxford Dictionary)
• use series (Oxford) comma (i.e., bananas, apples, and oranges. NOT bananas, apples and oranges.)
• use active voice whenever possible
• avoid using "this" and "that" as pronouns rather than demonstrative adjectives
• don't use emoticons and gratuitous exclamation points. If you do they will be unceremoniously eliminated
• enclose dialogue in double quotation marks
• enclose phrases or words that require definition within single quotation marks
• words in languages other than English should be italicized.
• give full names in the first mentions of any people in your article
• give full names for the first mentions of any potentially unfamiliar acronyms
• use single spaces after all punctuation
• use two short dashes for dashes separating phrases; use one short dash for hyphenated words.
• use metric units; or at least give a metric conversion to any imperial units you use
• spell out numbers from one to ten; use numerals for everything else, and use a comma in figures with four or more digits. (e.g., 2,568). Exception: use numerals when using decimals, metric units (e.g., 400 m, 30 km), and percentages (e.g., 28 per cent—note that "per cent" is spelled out as two words)
• it's "gaiters," kids—not "gators." Unless you're actually talking about alligators.
• use "workhikes"--not "work hikes"