Scramblegs: Mount MacFarlane

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Mount MacFarlane

Chilliwack
September 30 - October 1

This Saturday morning a large crew of dedicated ScrambleLegs members met for coffee to choose the location for an overnight scramble. After Aaron out-debated Pier on the ideal scramble location (a very sad debate on all accounts) we set out to conquer Mount MacFarlane in the Chilliwack river valley. This 'easy' scramble required 1770m worth of climbing. The trip began with a long but enjoyable hike through hemlock forest, past a small mountain lake, and into the sub-alpine. The signs of autumn were all around us and the colours and smells were absolutely wonderful. We camped by a small second lake just below Mount MacFarlane. Day one was only slightly spoilt by a pea-soup thick fog. We unzipped the doors of our tents on Sunday morning to see much of the same, however, as we prepared our breakfast the clouds began to lift. The final 45 minutes of ascent provided beautiful views and a very rewarding summit. The rest of the day consisted of a quad crushing but beautiful descent, which provided some amazing views masked by Saturday's fog. Another successful ScrambleLegs outing! Hopefully not the last of this dwindling scrambling season :) Trip photos.

Participants: Aaron, Adrian, Gerad, Kelly, Lisa, Pier, and Sarah.

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Subjective rating systems used in blog

Reference: The Mountaineers (2010), Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. 8th Edition (pp. 566-567).

NATIONAL CLIMBING CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
(overall difficulty; technical / scrambling portion only; see posts for length of our outings).

Grade I: Normally requires several hours; can be of any technical difficulty.

Grade II: Requires half a day; any technical difficulty.

Grade III: Requires a day to do the technical portion; any technical difficulty.

Grade IV: Requires a full day for the technical portion; the hardest pitch is usually no less than 5.7 (YDS; see below).

Grade V: Requires a day and a half; the hardest pitch is at least 5.8.

Grade VI: A multiday excursion with difficult free climbing and/or aid climbing.

YOSEMITE DECIMAL SYSTEM (YDS)
(climbing difficulty)

Class 1. Hiking

Class 2. Simple scrambling, with possible occasional use of the hands.

Class 3. Scrambling; hands are used for balance; a rope might be carried.

Class 4. Simple climbing, often with exposure. A rope is often used. A fall could be fatal. Typically, natural protection can be easily found.

Class 5. Where rock climbing begins in earnest. Climbing involves the use of a rope, belaying, and protection (natural or artificial) to protect the leader from a long fall.

5.0-5.7. Easy for experienced climbers; where most novices begin.

5.8-5.9. Where most weekend climbers become comfortable; employs the specific skills of rock climbing.

5.10-5.11. A committed recreational climber can reach this level.

5.12-5.15. The realm of true experts!

ALPINE GRADES
(Reference: David Jones, Rogers Pass Alpine Guide, p. 28)

F (easy).

PD (little difficulty). 4th and easy 5th class; some exposure.

AD (fairly difficult). Low to mid-5th class and/or steep snow and ice. Mixed terrain. Route finding challenges.

D (Difficult). Mid 5th class and/or very steep snow and ice. Sustained climbing; possibly loose rock; route finding challenges; typically descended via an easier route.

TD (very difficult) and ED (extremely difficult). Not likely to encounter these grades in this blog!