Black Tusk Trippin’

Have you ever been somewhere so visually stunning and soul-expanding all at the same time that you think you have entered an entirely different universe altogether because there is just no way that all this beauty could be sitting right in our backyards?

Welcome to Garibaldi Lake and the Black Tusk.

This journey began tired and sluggish following our two days of rock climbing in Squamish, BC. We ventured up the never-ending switch backs of death where we set up camp at the stunning Garibaldi Lake. After this, we started our journey to the peak, frolicking through the wondrous meadows of the alpine.

Past the meadows, leaving the little prick horseflies behind, we started pushing further towards the glorious Black Tusk, which was now in full sight. It seemed to always be one step forwards, two steps back. We climbed glacier steps and steep shale shoots, and harnessed our inner bouldering skills to clamber the steep volcanic chimney up the back of this marvelous beast.

We crested the peak at 7,608 feet, giving us an incredible 360 view. Looking out into the valleys and seeing everything we just adventured through to get this spot was surreal.

Stumbling down the mountain in our euphoric state, we started to notice the meadows turn into what seemed like a scene straight out of Dr. Seuss. Heading back to camp, all we could think about was our scrumptious dehydrated dinner with one helluva an amazing view.

Overnight, the clouds had settled in. We found ourselves enjoying the cloudy shorelines and enjoyed the peaceful morning playing on the rocks, channeling our inner zen to find the courage to start the grueling downhill barrage of switch backs.