Fun Climbs Around The World

Black Tusk from the southeast

Claire’s question as to whether the black, blocky prominence in my photo was indeed the Tusk prompted me to look for more information on this remarkable mountain. I took a photo on the hiking trail to the Tusk, which is west, or left, on the photo above. Pictures from Whistler would show the north or northwest side of this peak.

I found a similar photo to mine on the Vancouver Trails website,
http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/black-tusk/
which describes the Black Tusk hike as a “difficult” hike taking 11 hours. They suggest that “the distance and elevation gain make for a very long day” and that some people hike to Taylor Meadows, camp, and then hike to Black Tusk the next day.

Good thing we never read any trail descriptions, since we left the parking lot at 12:45 p.m. on our hike to the Tusk! We crossed several streams with riparian flowers along the creeks, so I delayed our hike even further by stopping to take photos. After a while, Tristan took away the camera suggesting that,
“If you don’t have to carry the camera you can run faster.”
(This was on our jog back downhill). After hiking for about 13 miles, we ran the next 5 miles down to the parking lot. I’ve decided that having a son precludes any need for a gym membership – he’s all the training I can take!

Some info on the Tusk:
The Black Tusk, a stratovolcano, comprises part of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt, which is a segment of the Cascade Volcanic Arc
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Canada/description_canadian_volcanics.html

The volcanoes in the southern part of the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt include Mount Garibaldi, Mount Price, and the Black Tusk. The Black Tusk, the oldest, formed in two stages of, the first 1.1 to 1.3 million years ago and the second between 0.17 and 0.21 million years ago.

Elevation 2,319 meters (7,608 feet).
Spire: 569 m

Black tusk from viewpoint