Archive:16Aug2008 Garibaldi

The Plan

As seen on the message board the plan is to circumnavigate Garibaldi Lake in the clockwise direction, staying at the Sphinx Hut. The summit of Panorama and Price are in the plan for sure. Exiting from Sphinx Bay there are two options - either via Guard Pass or Sphinx Pass. I'd like to go over Sphinx pass, but am open to just doing Guard Pass or splitting the group, depending on demand, who we've got signed up and the weather.

We'll meet at the Rubble Creek parking lot at 9am Saturday. It's marked by huge signs which say something along the lines of "Garibaldi Park, Black Tusk" and located just after the Chance Creek turnoff (for Brew Hut).

If you've been on a few trips, nothing too serious, but are reasonably fit (or at least very tough) and own (or can borrow - maybe from the club) the gear you need, this is the trip for you. If you're wondering whether or not this is the trip for you, go ahead and email Veenstra or post on the message board. The idea is for the trip to be pretty cool without requiring any special skills (maybe you'll even get a chance to learn, or at least find out about, some of these special skills).

Trip Meeting

The trip meeting will be Wednesday the 13th - 8:00pm, at (presumably) Frisbee (Jericho beach at Tolmie). If you know what you're doing and can't come that's OK - just make sure you have a ride. If you don't know what you're doing, then you should really try and come.

Kit

We'll be staying in a hut, so no tent is required. A sleeping bag and pad are needed, but they don't have to be particularly warm.

There will still be snow in the mountains, but it should be settled out enough that avalanches are not a concern and skis/snowshoes would be more pain than they are worth. What you will want for sure is a good pair of boots (with a reasonably stiff sole so you can walk easily on snow), ski poles (or trekking poles) and maybe a pair of gaiters.

Likely it will also be hot, and quite sunny - so suncreen, sunglasses, a hat and a bandanna are a really good idea. On snowy terrain it is possible to go painfully close to snow-blind in a weekend without sunglasses.

The rest of the kit will depend on whether we go over Guard Pass or Sphinx Pass.

For Guard Pass you probably won't need anything else, although if you brought an ice axe you would get a chance to practice with it and someone will show you what to do.

For Sphinx Pass we'd be going over a glacier, albeit a fairly tame one. This means you'll need a bit more stuff. Since we're a large group we won't need to worry about the usual anchors and pulleys - manpower is far less complicated and easier to setup anyway. Just crampons (which fit your boots!), harness, a locking caribiner and an axe will do. One rope for every 7 people or so is also required. Veenstra will bring enough experience to make up for whatever you might lack.

Other stuff includes (list reserves the right to be amended):

Clothes

• 1 set of non-cotton clothes (just the one on your back)
• 1 additional warm thing (fleece / down jacket)
• rainjacket / pants (if it is supposed to rain. Otherwise a nice light breathable softshell would be better)
• toque (best warmth/weight ratio going for clothing)
• gloves
• boots
• sun hat
• gaiters

Shelter

• sleeping bag (a summer bag is probably good, depending how warm you think you sleep)
• sleeping pad

Miscellaneous

• Sunscreen
• Headlamp
• lip balm
• sunglasses
• camera
• bug net (works way better than bug juice, plus it doesn't wreck the environment or your stuff)
• Toilet Paper
• Toothbrush
• Lighter
• Bearspray (optional - with such a large, probably noisy, group I'd be highly surprised if any self-respecting bear would go anywhere near us)
• Emergency supplies (Veenstra will have all this stuff with him, but if you want to bring some of your own, particularly moleskin, that's OK. Not bringing any is also OK - there will be enough to go around)
  • First Aid
    • moleskin
    • Vitamin I (Ibuprofen)
    • climbing tape (for an overnight trip these three things are probably all you really need)
    • bandages
    • gauss
    • prep pads
    • tensor bandage
    • extra ziplock for bloody gross prep pads / guass
  • Repair Kit (you can fix almost anything with these things for a short trip)
    • Duct tape
    • Stainless steel wire
    • Length of 2mm chord
    • Miniature pliers/cutters/knife with file

Gear

• ski/trekking poles (poles are highly awesome for hiking. I can't recommend bringing poles enough)
• ice ax (if desired, or going over Sphinx)
• crampons (if going over Sphinx) (which fit boots!)
• climbing harness (if going over Sphinx)
• locking 'biner (if going over Sphinx)
• rope (or be one of 6 friends with someone who has one)
• helmet

Food

• stove + pot + fuel + lighter (or be friendly)
• Plastic thing to eat out of (old yogurt container? Or something fancier)
• spoon
• Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch - remember you'll be on the move all day, so bring extra lunch for Sunday. Eat extra breakfast (which you then don't have to carry on your back) before heading out Saturday morning.
  • Most people can eat somewhat under 1kg of food per day (we're talking dehydrated food - no heavy water). Veenstra eats way more than most people and usually brings 250grams/breakfast, 400-500grams/lunch+snacks, 250-350grams/dinner+dessert.
• Water (ability to carry 2 - 3L, depending on your size).
• Water purifier drops (optional)

Luxury

(some things might be worth their extra weight, including):

• songbook
• 1 pair extra socks
• down slippers for camp
• tin whistle / recorder / Ukulele
• Alcohol
• ?

Pack

And a pack to put it all in. Remember - stuff is heavy, so don't bring too much stuff! If you show up with a pack larger than 50L, Christian will tear it apart in the parking lot looking for extra weight.

Participants

To try and judge demand I'm going to setup two lists, one for Sphinx Pass and one for Guard Pass. If you don't really care, but still have a preference, you can indicate basically anything in parenthesis after your name. I'll try and make the trip work depending on the demand of people coming.

I want to come, and want to go over Sphinx Pass

Sign up here if you want to come, and would prefer Sphinx Pass. It's a little bit farther (distance, but not elevation) than going over Guard Pass, and involves going over some glaciers. If you've been on many glaciers already this would normally be considered a detriment, but if you've never been on a glacier before the novelty should overcome the hassle of carrying some extra gear. Veenstra will bring enough experience to make up for any skills you lack, and it should be a good opportunity to see what a glacier is all about in a low-risk, supervised, setting. Also, I think the views will be better.

1. Veenstra, Christian (have rope)
2. Veenstra, Line (have rope)
3. Ran Z
4. Colin V
5. Anne Webster
6. Matthew Carroll
7. Laura Morrison (no glacier skills yet)
8. Joanna Kolakowska
9. Frances Sharpe (in need of skills)
10. Mike Danilov
11. Anne Vialettes
12. Ben Singleton=Polster (chicks like guys with skills...like crevasse rescue skills)

I want to come, and want to go over Guard Pass

Sign up here if you want to come, and prefer Guard Pass. It's a bit shorter and doesn't require going over any glaciers so you can bring less stuff. Less stuff means less weight in your pack, which can bring more enjoyment.

1. Scott "glaciers cause heaviness" Webster
2. Angela H
3. Breanne Johnson

Car/Food/Rope groups

Is it ever too early to start organizing?

Car Groups

Maybe people will post their cars and allow signup in advance! Remember that this is purely for organization and just because you add your name, this doesn't mean you will be picked up. Make sure and get confirmation directly from your driver by phone or email.

Colin (leaving Marpole and picking up in westside/kits/point grey)

1. Ran Z
2. Anne V
3. Mike D
4. 
   

The Veenstra Car

1. Christian V
2. Line V
3. Ben SP
4. Frances S
5. Matthew C

Food Groups

Looking for someone to share dinner/stove/pots with? Post your desires here! If you've already sorted yourself out you don't need to tell the world, unless you really want to.

Rope Groups

I want to put lots of people on the same rope. This means that if someone does manage to fall into a crevasse the rest of the people won't need any special skills other than friction and body mass to keep them from disappearing forever. On a flat glacier having 6 people on the glacier and one in the crevasse has forces on the team less than those on a 10 degree slope. We'll sort this out later, but I feel like I'm on a wiki role here.