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The Stawamus Chief Hike is the most popular day hikes in Squamish. As you might expect, a Victoria Day, a lot of novice or avid hikers had hit the trail… Last time I had hiked all three peaks was in 2013 when Jillian was leading…
The hike has a roughly 500 m elevation gain to Peak 1, and 590 m and 630 m gains to Peaks 2 and 3, respectively. It is considered an intermediate hike!Six of us started to hike at the east end of the Stawamus Chief climbing parking lot around 8:30 am. Ascended Peak 1 and came down to the junction climbed up the Peak 2. Didn’t stop there. Keep hiking to Peak 3. Had a lunch with a 360 view. Afterwards descended from the third peak by coming out where the major junction for Peak 1/2 is. From there, simply follow the way back down to the parking lot.
You can see a few pics from the hike: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benrose/albums/72157667225954557
The Chief is often claimed to be the “second largest granite monolith in the world”. – Wikipedia
Here is info about geography of the Chief:
“The Chief is part of a medium-sized pluton of a granitic rock (granodiorite) that was initially formed in the early Cretaceous (approximately 100 million years ago) by the slow cooling and solidification of molten magma deep below the surface of the Earth. Exhumation of the granite body probably occurred mostly by erosion of overlying rocks over tens of millions of years, with glacial erosion processes dominating exhumation over the last 2.5 million years. Once exposed at the surface, the original granite body was shaped by glacial erosion, which is responsible for the tall steep walls that define the Chief, as well as the excavation of Howe Sound, a fjord. Classic hallmarks of glacial erosion are ubiquitous, especially polished, striated surfaces. Polish and striations observable at the very summit of the formation require that, at the peak of glaciation, the entire formation was buried under a substantial thickness of ice.
The striking gullies that separate and define the three summits of the Chief are the result of fracturing and mass-wasting of large blocks along a series of vertical, and roughly north-south oriented deep seated fracture sets (joints).
The Chief may be the root of an extinct volcano because no volcanic activity has occurred in the Squamish area from about 86 million years ago to the beginning of Garibaldi Volcanic Belt volcanism about 2-3 million years ago. In the Squamish area, Garibaldi Volcanic Belt volcanism ceased during or shortly after the end of the last ice age.” – Wikipedia
See you on the trails!Bengül
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