Squamish Photos and Stories

After thinking about Les the last couple of days, I remembered this short story. Quite mundane, and not nearly as exciting as starting a riot. I know this story is true because I was there, and I think that Glenn was there too.

Les came from the UK, where local climbing clubs played an important part in developing the sport. Two well known examples, among dozens, would be the Creag Dhu and the Rock and Ice. The latter was unusual in that it had no rules, no huts and no fees. But it did have Brown and Whillans!

Les decided that Squamish needed a club. A meeting (the first and last) was held at Big Jim's house near the PNE, with about a dozen or so of the usual suspects present. There was hopeful talk of Yosemite, the Andes and the Himalaya. A name was chosen, the Kakademon Climbing Club (KCC), a president elected (most likely Les), and a small annual fee was collected.

And that was as far as it went. All talk but sadly no action. Mostly I think because everyone had their own plans and groups, and there were not enough local climbers to form a critical mass.

Several years later we decided to install a plaque at Squamish to remember Jim Baldwin. The fees from the defunct KCC were still in the bank (surprise!!) and came within a dollar or two of the cost of the plaque. End of story, such as it is.

https://backcountrybc.ca/

And that's how I remember it, too. Les wanted a club similar to those in Great Britain, ideally with a club room (or a spot in a pub) where climbers could have a beer after a climb and share stories. But the beer parlours in Squamish weren't overly friendly to climbers (it was a logging town), and some of the climbers didn't drink beer (I know, I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true). And there didn't seem to be any compelling reason to form a clubs and, as Hamie said, there was no critical mass.

A cacodemon (or cacodaemon) is an evil spirit or (in the modern sense of the word) a demon. The opposite of a cacodemon is an agathodaemon or eudaemon, a good spirit or angel. The word cacodemon comes through Latin from the Ancient Greek κακοδαίμων kakodaimōn, meaning an "evil spirit," whereas daimon would be a neutral spirit in Greek and Tychodaimon would be a good spirit.

The second recorded climb at Squamish, North Gully, was done in 1958 by what might be described as a BCMC party. Although as Glenn says, the Chief didn't really become a destination for the BCMC until 1961 or 1962. IIRC, Esther Kafer led a group of the younger members on new year's eve of 1961 (1962?), some of whom climbed the Acrophobes.

The two pubs in Squamish were friendly enough to climbers by then, but – more importantly – they were in Squamish and the climbers were in Vancouver. So, while a beer in the Chieftan or the Squamish Hotel was often on the menu at the end of the day on Saturday or Sunday, the weekday pub night that the clubs in England centered around developed as "Wednesday night at the Cecil".

WHyte pholkz r amazed dat AZNS kan TACO n belay at da saim time !!!