Exploring the Camelids of the Coquihalla

After a summer of adventures, I couldn't help but continue exploring with new and old friends. Of particular interest was the Coquihalla. I'd been to Needle, Flatiron, Yak, Nak, and Thar, but much was yet to be seen by my eyes.

Many of the peaks in the region are named thematically, after hoofed animals. As it turns out, a man from Vancouver named Philip Kubik is responsible for their titles. Guanaco, Vicuña, Llama, and Alpaca are all part of the same genetic family of "Camelids." Meanwhile, the surrounding peaks are named after "Bovidae" - Yak, Nak, Thar, Ibex, Chamois, Steinbok, Gemse, Gamuza, and Bighorn. Together, they are reported to fit within the category of "Alpine Ungulates" or "Alpine Hoofed Mammals." When I grow up, I aspire to be as sure footed as an alpine ungulate! Amidst the granite ridges, bumps, humps, and peaks, it's easy to see why the suggested names from Mr. Kubik were adopted for this alpine playground.

The summer just didn't want to end in 2022, so I made as much out of it as possible! In just over a week in September, I did just that.

Sept 19 - Nate, Fraser, and I went up Vicuna and Guanaco. It was a really epic zone that I'd been curious about for quite some time and it delivered beyond expectations with epic scrambling.
Sept 24 - Ben and I climbed the The Nesakwatch Enchainment, my first serious alpine climb.
Sept 27 - JC and I ventured up to Llama and Alpaca. It was super fun to see Vicuna and Guanaco from another angle, and to explore the neighbouring ridgeline.

Read below about some of the highlights!

Vicuna & Guanaco - with Fraser and Nate the Great

The Approach

Nate, Fraser, and I drove up to the Coquihalla and split off the highway to the FSR. After a while, we set off on foot once the road was too broken for Fraser's CRV. Pretty soon, we were heading uphill to the saddle, with Vicuna looking more and more intimidating as we drew closer.

Vicuna Peak

Vicuna is an intimidating peak, with shear granite slabs on its south and north aspects. A narrow, bushy ridge provides a surprisingly easy way up, although exposed. There's a short section involving a chain and rope to pull up on, but friends of mine have simply bypassed it in the shrubs. The peak boasts panoramic views in every direction. Of particular interest is the Anderson River Range, home to hard-to-access alpine climbing. Steinbok, Chamois, and Ibex Peaks have sheer north faces of granite, beckoning climbers to besiege their walls.

We enjoyed the top for a time, and then began our descent, careful to not misstep. Once past the rope and chain, we ran across the ridge towards Guanaco Peak for our second summit of the day.

Guanaco Peak

Guanaco, the less impressive-looking of the pair of rocky mountains, boasted a much better view. Vicuna was far more enjoyable to look at than to stand on top of! Also, the sun came out from behind the clouds and the blue sky really opened up as we stood atop Guanaco, making for some great photos and splendid visibility to the neighbouring valleys, all the way to Chilliwack's Cheam Range.

We bid our goodbyes to the summit, and sauntered down the trail back to the car. It was a pretty good bang-for-our-buck kind of day: only 5 hours of hiking with two fun scrambles and two awesome summits. As we departed I knew that I wanted to come back and explore the adjacent ridgeline, from Zupjok to Llama to Alpaca.

It's always a hoot to hang with Nate and Fraser. It was a great ratio day: two great summits shared with two great friends.

Zupjok, Llama, & Alpaca - with JC!

I met JC at a crevasse rescue course in early summer, and we immediately hit it off. We ended up hiking some peaks in the Chilliwack River Valley, including Williams Peak during my Biggest Week on Foot.

Just three days after my alpine climbing adventure with Ben, traversing the Nesakwatch Spires, I found myself driving up to the Coquihalla once again, this time with JC. Our plan was to explore the ridgeline from Zupjok to Alpaca Peak, an endless granite playground. I didn't expect to return so soon, just over a week since I'd hiked and scrambled up Vicuna and Guanaco.

Parking at Zopkios Rest area, we started up the boring FSR towards the split-off to Zupjok. I'd made it as far as Zupjok before, but in the winter on snowshoes. This time it was much quicker moving and we blazed up the trail to the first summit and continued to Llama Peak.

Alpaca Peak boasted some awesome views, and if not for our time running out, we would have loved to continue along the ridgeline to explore Bighorn Peak. But alas, it would add a lot of time, so we decided to turn back. There aren't any particularly challenging parts to scramble along the ridge, mostly runnable terrain and quick moving.

Once again, the views were stunning from the ridge, and it was quite fun to look at the prior week's shenanigans on Vicuna and Guanaco. Although I'd just met JC earlier in summer, we'd already gotten out on some great alpine adventures. Looking forward to many more!