The Squamidian Report – Sept. 4 / 04
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Also in this issue:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Would you believe there is a very determined international consortium of developers that intend to construct a gondola ride system up to the second peak of the Chief?? These are the same people that have been involved in the development of Whistler as well as resorts around the world. The Chief is that two thousand foot high granite monolith that overlooks Squamish and the top end of Howe Sound. It is one of the top climbing destinations in the world. So needless to say, the climbers and other outdoor purists are a bit upset.
The current plans have the base of the lift situated at what is now an old gravel pit area just north of Shannon Falls. The route of the gondola system would then follow Olsen Creek for a while and then head on up. The ride would be spectacular. The station at the top would be on the second peak because there is plenty of room up there to build a tourist development. The first peak is simply too small at the top for anything more than the hikers and climbers that have made the physical effort to get there.
Most residents of this area are against the proposal. Most residents of this area are against most things so that’s not a surprise. Personally, I’m not sure where I stand. My first reaction is to be against such a violation of that very special chunk of rock. However, it would be great for people who simply can not make the rather grueling hike to be able to experience being up there. The gondola would be great for the area, making the Chief accessible to the masses. Just look at Grouse Mtn. in North Van. It has the gondola ride to the top as well as the Grouse Grind. That’s the steep trail up the mountain that is similar to the trail up the back of the Chief.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. There are other areas around here that would make fantastic destinations for a gondola. Such as that peak on the far side of the Squamish River that overlooks the mouth of Mammoth Creek Canyon, way up there about 3 times higher than the Chief. The views from there would be endless; traffic would have to come right through the downtown to get to the base. That would make the local merchants happy. And that area is virtually inaccessible by normal methods. But that’s just my vision.
You know, the first time I climbed the Chief was 12 years ago. Ryan and I were out here for the month of August. It was the summer he turned 12. We hooked up with Warren one very hot day and headed up. We didn’t have the foresight or planning to take along anything to eat or drink. If memory serves, we hiked up to the second peak first, then crossed over to the first peak. I remember sitting on a ledge with our feet dangling over a cliff that would have been a sheer drop for hundreds of feet. We were so thirsty that Ryan ate some huckleberries looking for relief, but that only made things worse. On the way down he took off way ahead of us and had a drink from Olsen Creek. Nothing wrong with that, it’s a pristine mountain stream. The problem was I didn’t know where he was. He had gone on down to the bottom incase we had passed him while he was off the trail, and then had headed back up. We met him coming up along the way. Kids have way too much energy.
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Have you ever been stuck sitting at a construction spot on a road, watching some big excavator rip up the pavement while the traffic control people stood there with their stop signs, blocking your way? I have to admit it is kind of neat being the operator of that excavator as all those cars have to sit there impatiently while you dig. By the way, out here traffic control people are not called flagmen, they are Directional Control Technician. They have to take training and hold certificates.
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For any of you (in the northern hemisphere) that are up before the sun, Venus is that very bright object in the east. To make it more interesting, Saturn is that bright object located very close to Venus, just not quite as bright.
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Any now I have to run. Warren and I are heading up the Brohm Ridge section of Mt Garibaldi on a pair of old clunker dirt bikes today. Should be fun, might even write about it if anything interesting catches my eye.
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THE ONTARION REPORT
SEPTEMBER 04, 2004
September, yup, it’s
September alright. I just drove to Waterloo and back and spotted several trees
that are already changing colour. I guess that’s a sure sign that Summer is
over for another year. Many people are claiming that this was the Summer that
never was. Well, when you look back on it, it wasn’t all that bad. I figure any
stretch of time that has no snow and temperatures that are above freezing has
to be acceptable. When you look back through the Squamidian reports and see how
many times Doug mentions the extreme heat in BC, you just have to consider what
those temperatures would have felt like if they were here in Southern Ontario
to appreciate what we had for a Summer. I for one don’t like it when our
outdoor temps feel like I’m standing in an oven. We just seem to have an over
abundance of humidity to go along with those high temperatures. It must be the
fact that our location is affected by the Great Lakes that brings on the humid
conditions. Anyway, when I think of our past few months, I seem to remember
either extremely wet days and nights or cooler dryer ones and after all is said
and done, I’ve enjoyed these months regardless of the weather mixture. Upon
opening the garden shed door to take the lawn mower out last night I suddenly
realized that it won’t be too long before I’ll be digging out that big RED
BRUTE in the back corner.
BIG RED BRUTE being my snow blower but I’ll save those thoughts for a later date.
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Speaking of one’s childhood, waaaaaaaaay back in the 50’s when I was just a mere child, my dad actually stuck a whippy branch from his friend’s willow tree in the ground the middle of our back yard. I remember my mother saying “Frank, that’ll never grow if it doesn’t have a root to start with”! My dad simply shrugged his shoulders and said “It’s just twig Irene! If it grows, fine, if it doesn’t, there’s no harm done”! Well, that twig grew and grew and grew! It was amazing how much it enlarged every year. By the time it was there 5 years, we could climb it. My brother and I were talking last week about that tree. He now lives in our original family home on Floyd St in Kitcheners north ward. My mum and dad built that house for $7,500.00 in 1952 and Brent bought it from my dad in the late 80’s. It was just a little story and a half but since then my brother has built an addition on both the house and the separate garage. I don’t know how 5 of us ever lived in that little house and survived. Anyway, the willow was felled by a friend of my brothers when my parents were still alive and living in the house. I guess it was back in 1977 or so.
When the tree was cut down it was at a guess, 35 to 40 feet high and extended from side to side at a size that hung over the neighbour’s properties by about 5 feet each. It was amazing how large it was.
We as kids were always intrigued by the flexibility of the branches of the willow. We used to break one off and use it as a whip to lash each other into great welts. I’m amazed that my dad never thought of using one as a disciplinary tool! Actually, he preferred his belt, now that I think of it. Willow trees are a beautiful sight but they tend to be very messy. Not only do they drop millions of leaves each year but they are usually infested with worms and bugs. Ours had tiny green worms on it that would flex up and down as they crawled down the branches. We also had caterpillar nests every year and I remember my dad setting them alight with BBQ fluid. It’s a wonder he never burned either the tree or the house to the ground. We also had an abundance of little iridescent blue/green bugs on the tree that resembled Ladybugs. Looking back on them now, they were actually quite pretty to see. There were days when the whole tree had a kind of shine to it because of the thousands of these bugs glowing in the sun. That tree is long gone but the memories of it’s characteristics and looks linger on. It took a dump truck 3 runs to the dumpsite to dispose of all the willow parts. I guess mum was wrong about that little twig after all.
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I came across an interesting tidbit of information about willow trees when I first started on the fire department. There was a large yellow bungalow situated on a very large lot on King St in Waterloo. It was located between University Ave and Hickory St and took up most of that blocks street frontage. The owner had dozens of willow trees lining his property. When we were sitting around at the hall one night talking about local landmarks, I mentioned this house and property. The Captain that was my boss at the time said the house belonged to a fellow they called “The Willow King”. He then went on to explain that this man had invented a method of planting willow trees along the edges of rivers to prevent erosion of the banks. His method was used all over the world and he was quite famous for this idea. It’s amazing what you can learn when you take the time to listen. After that discussion I was quite intrigued every time I passed by that property. I guess willow trees are good for more than just making a mess in your yard and providing one with a buggy whip with which to lash his older “Bully” of a brother across the back side. Just goes to show you that you can find something good in most things when you look hard enough.
I’ll let you all go for this week. I’ve typed my little fingers off long enough. Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to next week already.
Bye for now……GREG.
PS: Something To Think About>
A Goldfish has a memory span of 3 seconds.
It’s no wonder they don’t get bored living in our little pond. Every time they take a lap around the pond, they think they’re meeting new friends. Keeps life in the fishbowl interesting!
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the
doug