Manic Mamquam

September 28-30, 2024

Participants: Zac Wirth, Emi Ikemura, Timmy Wong, Lucas Braun

(Lucas) Clarke Outrigger No More

Our initial plans for the long weekend involved a much different objective; one that we had been hoping to do for at least a year: the Clarke Outrigger Traverse. In the preceding weeks, we anxiously watched the road conditions of the Elaho, hoping against hope that they would be drivable in Zac’s humble minivan. A large washout approximately 22 km up the Squamish FSR was our chief concern, yet it seemed on track to be cleared by the time the weekend rolled around. Unfortunately, Wednesday brought with it a metric ton of rain that triggered another landslide at the exact same place as the first one, dashing our hopes against the wall. We needed a new objective and quick, to which I suggested Mamquam.

(Zac) Darling Lake

We were hesitant about driving the minivan up to the Watersprite Lake trailhead, but with only a little bit of bashing, we made it all the way to the end. On the way back, we did see a corolla at the end of the road so do with that information what you will.

The gang’s all here. Photo credit: Zac Wirth

The start of the hike was rather uneventful on the Watersprite Lake trail, but eventually, we turned left onto the slightly overgrown Darling Lake trail. A few kilometres of wet brushy trail brought us to Paranoid Creek, the first real obstacle of the trip. After some deliberation, Timmy went for the ol’ shimmy across the wet log that spanned the creek, while Lucas, myself, and Emi decided to just walk through the creek Yukon style. Now with wet feet, we grinded up the surprisingly well-maintained trail through beautiful old-growth forest laden with massive boletes all the way up to the ridge. Once there, late-season blueberries and black huckleberries lined our short descent to Darling Lake.

Lucas and Zac cross some creeks. Photo credit: Emi Ikemura

(Zac) Manic Peak

After a lazy lunch and setting up camp, Timmy, Lucas, and I set off for the nearby Manic Peak. We opted to climb it as a loop above our camp and were rewarded with fun class 2 scrambling up boulders all the way to the rocky summit. At the top, we were able to point out all the famous Howe Sound peaks and the nearby Misty Icefield, reminiscing about trips past.

Alpenglow on Nch’kay. Photo credit: Zac Wirth.

(Lucas) Fun In The Sun

View from the tent. Photo credit: Lucas Braun

7:00am on Saturday came around, and you could not see ten meters in front of you. We all groaned and through the artful communicative form of tent yelling decided to sleep in another hour. At 8:00am, you could not see twenty meters in front of you, a remarkable improvement from before. A patch of blue sky brought forth exuberant cheers that quickly turned into momentum. At 9:00am we were having breakfast and packing for our summit attempt. A light dusting of snow covered everything, including the 700m talus face we had to climb to gain the glacier. However, the sun was teasing us, and we decided to make a go of it.

Emi suits up. Photo credit: Zac Wirth

Lucas suits up. Photo credit: Zac Wirth

The hike was slow going with the slippery rocks, but after a decent trudge, we found ourselves at the base of a steep snow slope leading to a notch in the ridge above us. On the other side of the ridge lay the Mamquam Glacier. Donning our crampons, we began kickstepping our way up to the notch. The top out was borderline mixed climbing, which proved to be a bit more than our group was ready to tackle. It was very clear that our summit plans were not in the cards. The glacier was completely socked in, windy, and fucking cold. Those of us who made it to the ridge were instantly barraged by the weather and persuaded to turn around.

Lucas gains the notch. Photo credit: Emi Ikemura.

The gang scrambles some nasty snow and rock. Photo credit: Zac Wirth

Timmy kicksteps some ice. Photo credit: Emi Ikemura

Downclimbing the mixed route was a perfect cocktail of spooky and chilly, but we finally made it back to the base of the snowslope. From there, it was a pretty straightforward hike back down to camp.

(Lucas) Upper Darling Lake

On Sunday morning Zac, Timmy, and I went to the upper lake while Emi held down the fort (and slept in). It was like a postcard straight out of Patagonia. The glacial blue lake had a thin layer of ice covering it, which skipped rocks very nicely. We gazed at the pinnacles of rock surrounding Darling peak that towered ahead of us, and then made our way up onto the granite slabs surrounding the lake to gaze down at Howe Sound. Skypilot loomed ahead, and the Chief stood out as a tiny lump above the water. Paul Ridge and the Elfin Lake shelters sparkled in the distance, with the obvious lava flow from Opal cone separating us from them.

Lucas overlooks the vista. Photo credit: Zac Wirth

After taking in the view, we began our hike back down to camp, and then the slow trudge back to the Watersprite parking lot. Thus ended our gorgeous three-day stint in a corner of the coast that I cannot wait to return to (after we make our way to the Clarke-Outrigger).

VOC-core. Photo credit: Lucas Braun