My feet were puffy as cake and the Neve was cakewalking.
N-S route:
maps.google.com/maps?q=http://bandster.ca/maps/kml/gariba...
A few things from different angle to describe Neve:
- can be done with resort downhill boots, wearing jeans.
- Elfin to Diamond Head parking lot is doable with ski boot liners.
- It was hot enuf to ski without shirt.
- crossing the frozen garibaldi lake is just as exciting as looking at your skis and boots for hours, with a glance at a charming photo once in a while.
- Beer in the getaway car is over welcoming.
Having packed in the getaway car and heading down Diamond Head access road on Monday noonish, I said "The new university, the golf course ... Roland , I really dont remember this was the way we got up"
It was a fantastic trip. Having being with Roland's group, we get to travel at pace which I could enjoy every bit of the experience. no rushes, why rushing back to the evil city ?
Friday evening around 7pm, Roland, Ran, April, Anne headed out towards The Barrier Trail (Lake Garibaldi Access). The plan was to get to the parking lot, setup tent and do the car placement so we could getaway on Monday when we ski out Diamond Head.
My cellphone was ringing and I had a sense it was Chris P calling from the other car group.
'The was a BIG accident at the Orange Bridge, blocking the access to Barrier trail. both bound of hwy99 were about to re open around 10pm'
Plan was plan, stiff and stale. the world always changes and there is always the plan that is out of the plan. called FAFF (VOC term of wasting time). Fortunately the Canadians has a Tim Hortons. and there is one at Squamish. Whats the best at The Tim Hortons ? The Wendys. (They are in the same building, side by side in Squamish)
After a serious round of combined pretrip and post trip eatting. we heard the road will be open for one lane shufle access. It was 10pm and we were sleeping. With a coffee and a box of timbits. I sat in the front seat asking random dumb questions to Roland, including when we climb Mt Garibaldi on the way to Neve.
Sitting in the long line of red tail lights were boring. We were right after Jasons Car and there seemed to have much more going on in their crowded van. Leading Emma VB, she kept turning back and making faces to us or she maybe were trying to say something. I didnt' get it but I took out my Petzl XP 17 lumen high beam boost and flashed right to her face into Jasons car, only trying to get a clearer picture of what's going on. She was like a drowning cat from the light beam.
I felt guilty doing it. so I shaked my timbits box behind the windsheld. and it got Chris P's attention. The door of Jasons Van slid open, a sugar craver ran out of the car like the mice ran into Rolands pillow at Burton Hut.
The traffic started to move, Chris with two handful of timbits waving over head were running in stiff touring ski boots after Jasons Van ...
It was about 130am, we campped, managed the placement of getaway vehicles and slept for the 1200m elem over about 15k? to the Burton Hut.
Saturday, up at 6am, I roughly cooked a dozen eggs and some sausages to feed the crew with Rolands load of sweets. Packed up and ditched tent with the cars and headed out the way on the Barrier Trail at 8am.
'There were 27 switchbacks until the Junction, fortunately the short one is just ski length and the long ones go for 2 km'
The way skinning up were long and boring, trees and icey trail, steep. I was once after Matt's trail breaking and at one corner I saw his backpack on the side of the ski track. I got the message. He is on the break somwhere off the trail. I kept on following the trail.
Suddenly around the corner, I was flashed by this uber bright something from behind Matt and I couldn't open my eyes. I turned around and I realized it was my turn to break the trail.
Just past lunch time, we were sitting at the Battleship Island and ready to cross the lake. It was 4km straight and flat to the Burton Hut.
Looking up ahead. the snow covered Sphinx Glacier rundown to the Sphinx Bay was charming at first but after hours of it being in front of you and being the same picture, but with a slow zoom of it, like clicking on the + button of a photo once in a hour and looking at it for 2 hours. Its kind of less interesting than staring at your own skis going back and forth, feel the hot spots inside your tight club boots, trying to interpret a good rhythm of the squiky sound of your binds on club skis made. it sounded like "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.
Being bored and tired. Emma and I sat on the frozen lake chatting. about her sailing trip in the tropical ocean. and my kayaking trip in the crystal blue Indian River.
Arrived at the snow bank in front of the hut, I waited emma to come up, and I told her while she was still making her way up: 'Oh we are so close to the hut, its right behind the cliff on the left about 500m far. just a few more push. She looked kind of dispointed but still made over on top of the snow bank and discovered herself right in front of the hut. Haha, they believe you if you are Chinese and sound serious.
We stood on top of the snow bank, hand in waist and side against side watching the early arrival people digging out the door of the Burton Hut. about 2 m deep. It was a good rest with breeze and I was only wearing underwear layer on top. It was warm.
Twelve(12) of us with the army strong group carrying full load of glacier rescue gear, we made a houseful of 15 to keep the hut HOT. hot as you sleep in underwear outside sleeping bag. everytime someone open the door, there will be a big mushroom clould arise from the hut to the sky to form a new piece of cloud - keep the door closed ! we need every effort to make the Neve Day blue sky !
Massage is always a good activity when there isn't singing birds in the hut. When Emma was massage Roland on the bench, I was massage Emma. then Emma got behind me and I was on Roland, then my receiver changed from Anne to April. Thanks grandma let me had hands on experience so I could get to pinch some young chicks. hrm j/k.
The Neve Day @ 6am. the Hut were rumbling and the 15 were trying to pack and get themselve filled with the most junkie food ever for the day of long stretch. The sky were blue without a single cloud, guessed we kept the hut door tight shut at night. It was warm. summer warm like I would go John Clark style anytime.
Across the Senteniel Bay, we saw the Glacierology Hut before the 300m el gain to the Neve. and there were some snowshoe tracks went in. I was trying to see how many person went in. Roland said its a small hut and only, for some reason, contain 1.8 people. so I was expected to see three snowshoes and a 4/5 print.
The Neve was Magnificent. with Mt Garibaldi at 2680m, the Shark Fin horn as a key navigation point. and the seracs below Mt Garibaldi. Viking Ranges were beautifully contrasted against the deep sea blue sky. We realized we needed to move on after photos.
After met the opposite group of 8 on the Neve - Matt C, Duncan, Kaja, Richard, etc. we were skiing down to the Big Flat area. snow was a big heavy and only considered as nar.
There weren't anybody else besides a trio and we have pre meet them the night stuck at timmy.
Then more fantastic views and more ups and downs, a little more staring at your own skis and a little more underwear caused blisters on my crotch. wonder why other people gets them on their feet.
More ups and downs. and face planting and write names or draw flowers with your urine on the snow.
Finally we were crossing the Ring creek as a placement mark of getting close to the damn shelter. Task one, match skis with coutour lines. our skis were 450m lower than the contour lines. so there will be a little more climb before gets to those double-sized bunker beds.
Following the contour lines, there wasnt much elev gain / lost. We saw the Shelter a valley South of us. about One Km afar. More contour line traverse and wonder around in the trees and the big paddle of slushes the tree dumped on a warm day. About another hour, we spot the hut again. this was the good news we werent lost. bad news, the hut still looked one km away. sort of on the other side of valley but at a different bearing. hrmmmm.
Staring at skis again, random thoughts in head and regreting wearing a underwear causing the brutal blisters. glad these bib pants had side vents up to hip and snow everywhere. AHHHH darn feel good .
Finally arriving Elfin Shelter. hugged the ones loves hugs, talked to the ones loved good words and squzzed the ones loved being squzzed. a round of massage again.
Bunker bed were short. I took a double and slept diagonally or maybe just I had large swollen feet.
It was a good night resting. slowing getting up on Monday morning, being the last person left the hut on the high sun was good experience. no rush. just to shirtless enjoying the sun. and getting myself and this pack out of here. There will be a can of Honey Lager and a few simemon buns waiting for me at the parking lot.
Strange. I dont quite remember we came up this way. Oh right. we had a little detour on the Neve.
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