Dru Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 Climb: Haida Gwaii-Some Bushwack Date of Climb: 9/13/2004 Trip Report: I went to work on these islands off the coast of Northern BC for a couple of days. The highest mountain is like 4000' but treeline is at 2000' so there is some very low alpine. I saw salmon spawning on an old logging road...they must have been desperate! Fallow deer have been introduced to the island. The bears only eat fish so the deer have no predators as the islands are too far out at sea to have cougars or wolves. [Either that or they used to have them but they went extinct. Don't know for sure]. These deer are everywhere. We saw like 30-50 a day. Hunter take note the bag limit was recently revised upwards from 10 a year to 15 a year. The browse pressure is so intense, devils' club ("tsi'liihn jaaw" in Haida) is considered an endangered species worthy of protection..... The rock is pretty crappy. Pillow lava and sea floor sediments mostly, some limestone, little bit of granite. I did scope one clean looking 400m wall with chimneys across a bay. It might be horribly loose. I found a little bit of beach bouldering but hardly destination bouldering area unless you like limpets! I would go back. The surf is rad. The whole area seemed like Tofino before the rich New Agers moved in. Gear Notes: Rain gear, rented 4wd. Approach Notes: Pot holed logging roads. 6 hr ferry or 2 hr plane ride. Wet bushwacks. No devils club but lots of alder! Quote
Stemalot Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 cool photos, but...where are the rock photos? Quote
Dru Posted September 17, 2004 Author Posted September 17, 2004 film camera. except for the bouldering but i had this other guy take them and they sucked. you dont want to see my caulk boot technique anyways. Quote
sexual_chocolate Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 Cool shots! I was in Haida Gwaii kayaking a few weeks ago; wanna go back in winter to the west-side.... Quote
Dru Posted September 17, 2004 Author Posted September 17, 2004 They said there is only snow down to the ground for a week per year. Otherwise it would be water ice heaven over there. Quote
Alpinfox Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 They said there is only snow down to the ground for a week per year. The snow just hovers above the ground for the rest of the year eh? BTW: Nice pictures. Mossy. Quote
Don_Serl Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 They said there is only snow down to the ground for a week per year. The snow just hovers above the ground for the rest of the year eh? Masset annual precip 100cm/yr rain (40"), 28cm/yr snow (11"); ave temp in winter 4ºC; only 20 days frost per year. unlikely to become an ice climbing mecca unless the Japanese current fails... Quote
Mer Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 but hardly destination bouldering area unless you like limpets! Are they the blue slopers? I guess I don't exactly "know my limpits" Quote
Dru Posted September 17, 2004 Author Posted September 17, 2004 A limpet is like a single octopus sucker minus the tentacle, and wearing one of those old school Chinese hats. Quote
Off_White Posted September 17, 2004 Posted September 17, 2004 That place is pretty much top of the list of family vacations not yet taken, thanks for the trip report on such a "non climbing" destination. Quote
Dru Posted September 17, 2004 Author Posted September 17, 2004 Oh I bet you could get some climbing in, maybe just not primo rock climbing. But if you summitted Mt La Perouse you'd be pretty sure you'd climbed something I betcha. Quote
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