Bagger Challenge 2009

Fellow baggers:

Over the long weekend (Saturday Sept 5th or Monday Sept 7th) I am planning one or two epic bagging expeditions to ascend little-climbed peaks in the outer northern reaches of the Seymour/Fannin Range:

1. Runner, Elsay, Rector, Curate & Vicar (perhaps a bit scary in spots).

2. bike up Headwaters bike path; hike up Bishop, Deacon & Presbyter.

Or perhaps a mega-bagging sweep expedition up the Indian Arm Trail: Runner, Elsay, Rector, Curate & Vicar, down to Vicar Lake; up to Bishop, Deacon & Presbyter. 

Anyone on board? (please send a private email)

With the competition coming on thick and heavy, I figured I'd better get some baggage out of my Sunday fun run so I cut short Lovingly Lynn and bagged Lynn Peak.

It's been a coon's age since I last ran Lynn Peak.  That time I was with Curb, Adventure Mike, Colin and maybe Dereck and I swear it was 5 years ago.  I remember vividly how we all ran very hard and very fast downhill... so fast my contact lenses were shaking on my eyeballs.  I thought I'd be broken into small pieces and skinned alive if I missed one step.  Funny, I didn't remember the long slog up a dry creek bed of loose rocks.  I also didn't recall the peak being so high up.

Didn't see a soul all of the way up, but heard voices as I stepped out onto the rocky lookout at the top.  Couldn't believe who I saw:  Adventure Mike himself... one of the people I'd been thinking about on my trek uphill and someone who was top of mind because of his relatively recent conquest of the Stein Valley! Even better... Mike had his camera, so I have photographic evidence that LYN in now in the bag. 

To cap off the bagging season, we will be hosting a barbeque for all bagger participants and their significant others.

Bagger burgers (meaty and veggy) will be served.

The Bagger Quaich will be awarded (unless the host wins, in which case there will be awkward silence on this topic).

Date: Friday, October 23rd. From 6pm.

Place: 1368 West 21st Street (near Capilano Elementary School, in Pemberton Heights).

RSVP jeldac "at" shaw "dot" ca

I've grappled with trying to make the definition of a baggable peak consistent.

Does one include Thomas Peak, with a prominence of a mere 30m, but leave out the (admittedly wimpy but of similar prominence) Seymour sub-peaks of Dinky, Mystery, Dog, Brockton, Pump & 2nd Seymour? Or the assembled episcopal peaks of Rector, Curate, Vicar and Deacon(of prominence ranging from 57m to 105m)? Does one include unnamed second and third peaks of a single mountain (vide Strachan, Fromme, Unnecessary?) One would think that there could be a simple definition, but the issue provides constant and animated debate among Scottish munroists and other baggers, and peaks are regularly added and removed from mountain lists. 

I propose a cultural and mathematical test: to count as a baggable peak, the peak must have its own generally-accepted name AND it must have a prominence of at least 50 metres (i.e. to climb to the next peak one must first descend at least 50 metres).

Applying the test to rationalize the list, Little Goat Mountain joins the list, whilst Thomas Peak (really only five strides off the HSCT) gets the boot. And poor Dinky stays out in the cold.

If any of you have mounted the Little Goat this summer, please advise and I'll add it to your list.

This Bagger Beast in having a life of its own...I love it.  Thanks, David for organizing, keeping score, encouraging Flickr photos (how about tweets ;-)  - use #baggerchallenge to hashtag)

The CFA Bagger Challenge Quaich: awarded annually to the proud champion, to sip whisky in during the winter months, while contemplating defending the quaich from bagger challengers the next summer. 

If you're going to try to add the West Lion to your list of bags, DO be careful:

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090805/BC_hiker_falls_lions_090805/20090805/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

In other news, Glenn Pace is now tied for first place. (Now, if he had done the West Lion, he'd be wholly in first place, but that's another story).

1. I've added a few of the minor HSCT peaks: Thomas, James & David. The trail goes right over Thomas, while James & David are baggable from Harvey Meadows.

2. The HSCT in August has very little water: the lake just below the backside of the Lions (ahem) is probably your best bet for halfway rehydration. It seems easy enough to scramble down to it. Bring your water filter.

3. I've set up a tie-breaker mechanism: see rules.

4. I've added an extra month: some of the best mountain running in Vancouver is in the autumn. And bagging is the perfect activity for a recession. 

5. Prize Quaich cup has been added.

Actually, we bagged both of the "pumps", SEY and 2 unnamed peaks next to Runners Peak (RUN), which, if the judges will allow, we will call a baggage of RUN. 

Note to those who follow: 

As runners, we thought it would be a propos to run to Runners Peak.  In the end, there wasn't much runnin to be done!

We guestimated this little 14K Sunday bagging expedition to Seymour would take a couple of hours.  After all, how difficult could it be?

We ended up taking almost 8 hours!  There was considerable bushwacking and dancing in the air while holding on to roots and branches involved.   It was hot as stink.  No water out there except what you get from melting snow.  Very dicey trail or no trail from Mount Seymour on. 

Bring lots of food and water.  A good map and compass.  Book at least 8 hours for RUN and another few hours if you plan to attempt Elsay.   We were not able to even find a trail up RUN or the 2 neighboring peaks!   Don't try this alone!!!!

Bagging RUN bagged us.  An experienced peak bagger and someone who loves his cool ones, RunRik was so bagged he couldn't even bag a beer afterwards.  Now *that's* being bagged!

Hey gang,

Is there any ruling that says you have to descend back down before you can bag another peak?  So you could do Dam, Goat, Crown, Fromme, etc all in one go?

Sounds like fun!  I think Rob and I will do a fast packing next weekend and do as many as we can in 2 days!

Cheers,

Mike

Count me in so far for: BLA, GRO, LYN  Hanging around home for the long weekend, so hope to add to my bag list.

Joined a friend on the BCMC trail this morning and kept on going.  I hereby claim to have bagged FRO before breakfast.

Note to the judges and other peak performers:  there are 2 peaks.  The South Peak is a beautiful stone ridge.  You have to descend a saddle and climb about 100m to the next peak.  Senate (North) Peak, one of those flatish peaks with several muck ponds and large rocks that leave you wondering where the actual peak is.  To the question... "Does this count as one peak or 2?" 

After almost a month of bagging, Ken has legged his way up 11 peaks, for a healthy lead. But as for this mountain climbing challenge, Jason and Meggan are Oliver it.

And I've corrected the Dam omission.

Baggers: Glory in your victories! Post photos here!

DAC

I hereby claim to have completed the complete (ultra) distance of Bill's Great Peak run yesterday and thereby bagged GRO.

**Note to those who want to claim GRO in the bagger challenge: 

Grouse is building a windmill at the summit of GRO.  In the interest of public safety, Grouse has closed the road to the peak.  This is the road on the face of Grouse peak where the ski lifts are.

The public is allowed to pass through the barrier if they want to go to Dam, Goat, Crown, Haines Valley and points beyond.  Take this trail to the back of the peak.  At the back country warning sign, take the bunny trail up the backside of GRO.  No signs there saying you can't use this trail!  =;-)

OK, call me a laggard.  On Sunday 19 July, Glenn Pace and Ean Jackson went out for a little run up the Grind and mountains around Grouse.  We bagged Goat Mountain (GOA) and Dam  Mountain (which is glaringly missing from the list of officially baggable peaks...)
 
Saw a couple of grizzly bears!

Just curious.  What mountain is GEA?  Don't see it in the list.

Thx

Anyone interested in a morning peak bag or two? For the rest of the month I don't work until 1:30 at UBC, so I'm willing to meet up for a quick run to bag a peak in the morning if anyone is interested. Send me a message.

-Jason Oliver

Hi, anyone need a partner for completing the challanging of these peaks?

I am interested in running rather than hiking them as I don't currently have much time available for full day hikes but can squeeze a mad mission on a weekend morning pretty easily.

Look forward to hearing from you,

James

I am sure that my pal Carolyn G. would be interested in some of the tougher peaks.

She is quite a mountain gal.

She has been known to use ropes!

good list but ... then I saw that Unnecessary Mtn is on the list ... geeez ... it's been years and years and years since I was there and it's gonna be more years. But the rest of the list looks darn interesting. Good luck to all that wanna try for a few amazing views. My first choice would be Coliseum on a clear day after most of the snow is gone. Any other recommendations out there?

I love it. We will definetely bag some of the less technical peaks with the family.