Bagger Challenge 2009

 Hey, just curious, but does the peak you bagged count if you get a chopper ride off?

Anyways, as a fellow trail runner and a member of North Shore Rescue, I just wanted to remind everyone while you are out there bagging peaks, make sure you are still carrying the 10 essentials:

www.northshorerescue.com/whattobring.html

Oh, and I 've done every peak on your list, but it has taken me 5 years, do I get anything for that?

Doug

Mountains with trails and outings together
Cloudless blue skies with views to forever
Bushwacking, cliff climbing, bodies with dings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Early departures with coffee in hand
With runners on  bagging the high points of land
Laughing and enjoying a sport made for kings
These are a few of my favorite things.

Crazy companions and whirly-bird rides
Photos on summits and slippery, scree slides
Calling off rescues if the phone rings
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the rain falls
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Ean Jackson, September 2009
To be sung to the tune of Rogers and Hammerstien's "My Favorite Things"...

Baggers... feel free to add verses in comments below.  I will sing this at the Baggers Banquet, should I live so long!

Let's plan and see what happens.

I will check the schedule for the ferry and connecting water taxi or boat.

Wednesday 23 September 2009... a date with destiny.

David Crearar and Ean Jackson go for a little 22-hour orgy of bagging and possibly lay claim to a first bagger of all of the peaks on the Indian Arm Trail.  (Tip of the hat to Murray Comley and Laddie Hannam who have also run the Indian Arm trail, but who didn't bag all of the peaks at the same time.  OK, we didn't bag Mount Seymour this time 'cause we didn't need it.)

To those who like statistics or want to try this stunt on their own, here are some of ours:

• started from Mount Seymour parking lot at 7:30 on Wednesday 23 September '09
• run/hiked/bushwacked for about 22 hours (took a couple of hours to catch a few Z's)
• arrived at Mount Seymour parking lot at 8:00 on Thursday 24 September '09
• did some bonus bagging, too

We are hoping that David's GPS will show our route, but fear dead batteries will make that unlikely.  Photos to follow.

Anyone interested in Gambier on Saturday?

David's better half wrote a very lovely (and accurate) sonnet that describes perfectly the action of a handful of crazy FA'ers.  Bagging peaks when there's chores to be done?  Kids to be taken care of?  I know I know we'll get back to the chores when either the weather craps out or the time limit passes. 

So come Oct 23rd look for a whole lot of 'payback' for all of those peaks bagged!

Sincerly,

adventuremike (fellow FA member and guilty peak-bagger)

Another sunny day and I'm a widow here once more;

My husband's bagging mountains: I build towers on the floor.

He said he'd mow the lawn and take his eldest child to cubs

And help me feed the kids and get the baby in the tub

103 Hikes says nine hours but Dave swears it's only two

I'd better email Pace and find out if this is true.

Should I bother making dinner? or just eat toast and tea.

Will he drift in tired and hungry with blood and mudstains on his knee?

Or will he show up full and jubilant, and bound in to the house,

With his tummy full of berries, flourishing a fresh-caught grouse?

7:30. Still not here: the sky is now dark blue.

The kids are finally quiet, but there's still so much to do.

Are Dave and Ean lost? or did they just turn off their phones.

I guess I should decide if it is time to call Tim Jones...

Newbie Peter Rietveld and oldbie Ean Jackson hereby lay claim to having bagged Mount Gardiner on Bowan Island.  In fact, we bagged both peaks... just to be sure.

Peter flew from the Netherlands to Calgary and rode his bike to North Vancouver in order to participate in what is now the world famous Bagger Challenge.   In addition to the dramatic demonstration of physical dedication to the challenge, he chose to make his entre on his birthday. 

9:00 am Monday morning and I'm reflecting on a weekend that was amazing; the latest CFA event that was successful but almost uneventful because it went so well for everyone; weather that was being unsettled but likely clearing; and finding out that Jackson was restless as usual. Need I say more? I thought so.

I've just had a great weekend of bagging and CFA point getting, the best I could hope for, and I, as well as one of my compatriot's, both thought it was going to be a productive day of job hunting and resting. What else is Monday for when you're unemployed? But no, Ean contacted Heather Urquhart, John McGrath and I to keep the bagger challenge frenetically alive. John couldn't make it but Heather and I were in. So, within 3 hours, I got Heather from the bus loop, headed to Jacksonville, and zipped up Cypress to start the ascent. The trick was, of course, and as I warned Heather in advance, Ean would have a hidden agenda. We were tasked with securing a new and perfect rock for a specific project in the backyard at Jacksonville. Like we had a choice already.

Without too much detail, the Howe Sound Crest Trail is very doable but also gets rougher the farther you climb. We did our best with the energy we had and time flew by. After a tiny bit of route finding and what some would say qualifies as whining due to inclement weather by the senior of the group, we were at the top of St. Marks and looking for our picture posing spot. We had also passed a way-faring Czech lass on the way up I might add. She started in Lion's Bay alone and was already on her way down to Cypress Bowl. We chatted and promised to catch her on the way back and give her a ride down the mountain so she could catch a bus home to Burnaby.

There wasn't much for any of us to see at the top but on the way through St. Marks Peak we noticed a side hill that seemed a bit higher still. This needed some investigation on the return trip.

So onward to Unnecessary. Still no sun and quite an exposed trail in spots. The weather oddly kept switching between rain and dryness. We got the pictures at the top and headed back to that side hill on St. Marks. This was clearly a good idea. All agreed the short climb up the drenched heather fields to the REAL top of St. Marks was worthy. One more pic and we beat the trail for home.

We caught up to the Czech lass on the currently under re-construction section of the HSCT. She joined us and we all ran back to the bowl for the ride down. It was four hours of fantastic trail running but less than stellar views of course. We'll all be returning some day for better picture opportunities.

Of course the hidden agenda was still an issue. Ean found the perfect slab on the way up and asked for help to bring it down. He almost had Czech lass completely convinced, but, I reminded him that when someone wants to bring a rock home it's okay as long as they carry it themselves. I think he moved it a good chunk down the last bit of roadway but "hid" it for later retrieval. It really is a nice rock I must say.

We were all happy for the chance to be out there once again but perhaps not so happy we had the time on a Monday to do it. So for that reason this route has been christened for the H.O.S.E.R.s (Happy Or Sad Energetic Runners).

Put us all down for a MAR and UNN. And need I say watch out for a rock carrying Bagger hound.

Hounds from Hell.  Leave me alone!

As the sun edged toward the horizon on Saturday 12 September, Glenn Pace, Ken Legg, Tundra the  Ultra Dog and Ean Jackson set off on a mission to bag several peaks in and around the Howe Sound Crest Trail.

By the end of the day, they had bagged five peaks: West Lion (LIO), James (JAS) and David (DAV) Peaks, Mount Harvey (HAR) and Brunswick Mountain (BRU).  Total time on their feet:  just under 10 hours.

The net of it was that all 4 baggers enjoyed a spectacular day in the boonies and two (2) new leaders have emerged in the challenge:  one human and one K9!

Some photos of a spectacular day!

The weather is just too nice to let easy mountain non-baggage days slip through ...

On Friday Sept 11, I found myself zipping up the GG to bag a GRO. The view was spectacular as I rounded the back side of the peak under the zipline. Berries were out and so were the people. Down by way of the Skyride with my pass. I'm obliged to admit this was my very first complete climb of the GG ;)

On Saturday Sept 12 I was up early and off to Cypress with my buddy Donald Golob. We parked in the bowl and made our way up the BP to the top of HOL. Saw one fellow coming off the top around 8:00 am so he was up there quite early to enjoy the morning as he told us. Then down the back side gully and over to STR by way of the plane wreckage site. I was trying to heed the call of nature but 2 ladies kept sneaking up on me ... couldn't decide which way they wanted to go on the trail. Up to the top to find a man and his baby girl enjoying the view with us as we snacked. The baby girl didn't seem to be happy for a bit but settled down once they got moving again. If you're gonna cry, might as well do it at the top of your lungs and at the top of a mountain. Over to STR proper for incredible views. This is the first time I've been back to STR in well over 30 years. It's a view you remember forever of the endless mountain ranges, ocean and city views. Down the back side of STR, the long, long gulley, full of berries as was the whole trip. Speaking of trip, I almost got dragged down the gulley by a large loose boulder. Instead it just ripped my calf and shin to pieces. Eventually cleaned up and cooled off in the creek and was okay to make it back to the bowl by way of the HSCT. My first time up HOL. Don's first time up both. Did I mention blue huckleberries and blueberries everywhere and the amazing views!!!!!!!!!

n.b.  I was okay to run one loop of MHM the next day in a PB nonetheless.

Craig on Hollyburn

It looks like this Saturday will be a really good day to play outdoors.  Anyone interested in joining me for a little baggage run?

Objective:  Maximize number of peaks that can be bagged in one (1) day along the HSCT (Howe Sound Crest Trail) and Howe Sound Islands routes.  Possible first bagger claims and opportunity to set a new world record. Also, cause the current leader of the Bagger Challenge some serious gastrointestinal distress.

Agenda:  TBD.  Thoughts follow.  Depends on who is interested and some other logistical things, such as can we find someone with a boat and a sense of adventure.

• sunrise is approximately 06:45
• sunset is approximately 19:45  (~13 hours of daylight)
• meet in North Vancouver at 05:00.  Drive to Porteau Cove and drop a car.  Return to start at Cypress Park by sunrise
• run HSCT.  Make whatever necessary detours to maximize baggage.  (Needs some map study.)
• take boat to Anvil Island.  Bag Leading Peak
• take boat to Gambier Island.  Bag Liddell, Killam and Artaban (Needs some study to determine where to go ashore, best route, etc.)
• if boat and legs still available, bugger it and bag Mount Gardner on Bowen Island
• celebrate!  Sleep!
• run at least one lap of Mountain Highway Madness on Sunday morning (starts 07:30 back in North Vancouver Lynn Valley)

This would likely be a full day and could well involve bushwacking in the dark on a remote island in Howe Sound, so best to give thought to Bagger's Essential Companion.   Would be nice to meet friendly folks with Guinness at key access points.  Possibility of doing lesser routes for the less ambitious or those who have already bagged HSCT/Howe Sound Island peaks.

Anyone interested in all or part of this prospective bagging extravaganza?  Any thoughts on route plan?  Please chip in comments here. 

On a perfect day, Capilano would be an epic epic adventure. On a cloudy day, it was still a celebration of trail running.

Excellent trail descriptions in Matt Gunn's Scrambles in SW BC, and here:

http://www.clubtread.com/Routes/Route.aspx?Route=283

http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=28288&SearchTerms=capilano,mountain

http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23324&SearchTerms=capilano,mountain

It is a long slog (I'd recommend a full day, although tight timing forced me to run it in 5 hours), with much soggy climbing. But there are still good stretches of trail running, especially when approaching Beth Lake, and the glorious granite rockfield at the base of the mountain. The views from the summit on a clear day would be stunning. But even without views, the hike is gorgeous, with old growth cedars, tarns, ice fields, and boulders. One has that tingly "into the wild" sense throughout the run.

The trail is also a mycologist's delight, teeming with gigantic boletes, amanitas, bears' heads, and other weird stuff. And perhaps the finest preserve of the various species of mountain blueberries: big like Needles blueberries, and delicious like Crown blueberries.

The summit was fairly socked in with clouds, but suddenly the clouds parted to reveal a view of my city of birth, both fortunate and fortuitous.

The trail is easy to follow: well-marked, with no other distracting side-trails to get lost on. The only tricky parts are the beginning and end. Bring an All W-D/ 4X4, a good map and closely follow the driving instructions (set out in the links above). At the quarry 1.6k past the gate, keep right (blue flagging tape). Cross three bridges and park. The start is a bit of an act of faith, following an obvious but overgrown (and unmarked) trail. There is a mudslide, then two medium-sized creeks requiring rock-hopping and then Beth Creek, a substantially larger creek. Just after Beth Creek, the trail starts to the right. It is very well marked and obvious until near the end, when the blinding-white granite boulder field makes it hard to follow, despite cairns. The summit is approached from the south (right), not the cirque lake (straight/left).

Capilano Mountain route

Summit area: note lovely cirque lake, and my drunken-sailor route-finding

is a female a "Baguette"?

Hello gang,

Happy to have bagged some peaks this season and looking for more!  Time is running out.  I wonder if anyone will bag Cathedral with it being so difficult to get to?  The accounts that I have heard of are from experieced people really pushing the route to do it in less than 14 hours.  I think 12.5 is VERY fast!

If one was to get into the watershed 'legally' and approach from Pallisade lake does that count?

I wonder...

Cheers,

Mike 

Guys............you are bagging too hard!  I have a spare Quaich and more than enough whiskey for all of us so take care out there!  Very impressive adventures though! 

Warm and dry in Kamloops!

Neil