While many mountaineers sought friendship and camaraderie in clubs and on group outings, others sought the solitude of mountains.

John Clarke was one of those mountaineers. Unexperienced as he joined his first ski expedition, John became a skilled mountaineer who would spend weeks at a time on his own, trekking through valleys and over peaks.

Hooked on the “dream state” of “floating in the landscape” after leaving city life behind, John claimed more than eight hundred first recorded ascents.

After witnessing the death of a friend in an avalanche, John hung up his boots and instead focused on educating youth on our fragile landscape.

A photo of Alpha and Serratus from Zenith Ridge, in the Tantalus Range. The photo is part of a photo album of the Garibaldi area that was made by Neal Carter.

If there were such a thing as Instagram in the 1920s, this would perhaps have been one for a post. Here, an unnamed mountaineer poses while on a BC Mountaineering Club Camp at Singing Creek, near Cheakamus Lake, in August 1924.

Interested in “The Mummery” or “The Whymper” tent for camping? Or “High Grade Climbing Boots” for seven dollars?

While the earliest years of mountain exploration were very limited for clothing, equipment and supplies, later decades saw the birth of an industry of outdoor-specific gear.

This 1958 catalogue of tents and camp equipment gives a fascinating insight into everything that was available to the hiker, climber, camper or explorer in the middle of the twentieth century.

"Bill Dobson leading the way out onto Garibaldi Lake, Jack Sutherland roped in the middle and Jim Irving taking the pictures as we explored. Easter week 1928."

Preventing the need for rescue was important to the North Shore Rescue team. Here, Earl Chambers gives a hiking safety lecture to students on Grouse Mountain in 1970. That prevention education is still a part of the team’s work today.

As the BC Mountaineering Club's longest serving trip director, Tom Fyles must have had many stories to tell. A gifted climber, he took on many challenging routes, claiming many first recorded ascents in the process. Not content with his own climbs, he inspired many other mountaineers over the years.

This short video puts a spotlight on this popular and talented mountaineer.

As part of the strategy to prevent rescues in the first place, the North Shore Rescue team was responsible for trail management. This included marking and cutting trails.

Here, the team marks the trail from Seymour Mountain to Elsey Lake. This route was important to work on as Elsey Lake had a hut that hikers would try to reach but get into difficulty on the way.

Please Note: This audio interview includes the term "Indian” which is no longer acceptable as it does not reflect the sovereign status of Indigenous Nations and the cultural differences among them.

When you climb so many mountains, memories of the treks must be interwoven with each other — which peaks you climbed, who you were with, the sights you saw, or the things that went right, or wrong.

Here, Dick Chambers recounts some of his memories from the 1950s climbing in the Garibaldi and Tantalus ranges.

Today, Mount Seymour is a half day's hike from the parking lot at the Seymour Ski Resort. Popular with families, it is a very different experience from the first recorded ascent by Charles Chapman in 1908.

On the way, Charles and his climbing buddies spotted a tree stump that looked like a water pump. Nicknaming it Pump Peak, the name stuck. Over a century later, this summit on the way to Mount Seymour is still called Pump Peak.

This short video follows Charles' grandchildren as they make the journey to the summit in honour of that 1908 ascent.

This group photo was taken at the 1913 Garibaldi Camp, held by the BC Mountaineering Club.

These folks were serious about their outdoor adventures, but without clothing designed for camping or climbing in the alpine and subalpine, they had to make do with their regular clothes.

Early settler mountaineers fell in love with the Garibaldi area. Their passion for this special place led them to advocate for its protection.

This love for the area is clear to see in the photo albums of Neal Carter, an early BC mountaineer. These pages are an extract from expeditions to the Garibaldi region. The care and attention he has put into these pages suggests just how much the mountains meant to him.

Four unnamed mountaineers on a glacier. Named as “Helmut Glacier in Garibaldi section”, which could be Helm Glacier. Taken in 1930s.

With their destination behind them — the Lions — and on a hiking trail many take today, these men were enjoying the trails around Cypress Mountain.

“Man in hiking gear” in 1916. His big backpack is full, suggesting he was going for more than a day trip. Yet, take away his backpack and you may never have known that he was off for a hike — he is even wearing a shirt and tie.

Location unknown.

Nellie Chapman in the Mount Garibaldi area as part of her expeditions with the BC Mountaineering Club. Taken in 1910.

With her rope and ice axe, her day probably involved crossing a glacier or climbing up snow slopes.

"Trapper Nelson" may sound like an “old timer” from the Gold Rush. It was in fact a backpack — one used by any self-respecting mountaineer. Although later upgraded to lighter packs, as James Adam Craig describes in this article, a Trapper Nelson was great as it was spacious and basic.

Here, he reminisces about his time in the BC Mountaineering Club from the mid-1950s to the 1970s. He talks of different packs as well as the necessities for camp.

His article also speaks of Gary Gordon, Fr. Damasus Payne, Martin & Esther Kafer, Dick Culbert, Glenn Woodsworth, Arnold Shives, Alice Purdey and John Clarke.

Peaks included are Mount Slesse, Mount McKinley, Mount Logan or Mount St. Elias, Lake Lovely Water, Tomyhoi-Falls River, Icewall Lake, Mount Waddington, Ape Lake, Blowdown Creek, Lillooet Icefields, Nirvana Pass and Stawamus Chief (“Squamish Chief”).

Mountaineering in the mid 1900s “was a time still, when it did not cost us a month’s salary to equip ourselves. This was before the Technocrats arrived to market ever most costly gear.” In other words, some mountaineers still appreciated the more basic equipment of earlier decades.

This article by James Adam Craig recounts his memories and opinions on equipment and the joys of mountaineering and expeditions.

Mountaineers "hiking through snow" in 1910. Their ropes would have been made of hemp or similar, making them heavy when wet.

While the location is not specified, it seems that they are actually on Garibaldi Glacier, looking at the east faces of both Mount Garibaldi (right) and Atwell Peak (left), with the Garibaldi Neve in the centre.

Stopping for a smoke seems to be at least one of the reasons this group is taking a break from a hike in the Black Tusk area in 1914.

This intriguing photo shows "mountaineers walking up snow pack” in 1916. The location is unknown, though the type of trees suggest they are quite high in elevation. However, the man in the lead appears to be wearing a shirt and tie.

“Mountaineers” in 1910. The location or elevation is unknown.

Where was this photo taken? It is hard to say. Because it was normal — and even expected — for women to hike in long skirts, their clothing does not give us a clue to how far into the wilderness they went.

Instead, the only clue is the presence of the tree stumps behind them. This suggests that the photo was perhaps taken on the lower slopes of the North Shore mountains, perhaps around the Lynn Valley or Capilano region. At this time, settlers had cleared this area of forest, leaving behind stumps like this.

A photo of Mount Pelion from Zenith Ridge in the Tantalus Range. The photo is part of a photo album of the Garibaldi area that was made by Neal Carter.

Nellie Chapman in 1913. Location unknown.

Mountaineers on a glacier, looking towards "Castle Towers” near Garibaldi Lake, “at 8000 ft“ (approximately 2400 metres) in 1916.

One of the most intriguing things about this photo is the decorative hat and coat worn by the woman in the foreground. Why was this her choice? Were they old clothes no longer smart enough for city life? Was the hat's wide brim to keep her face out of the sun? Or did she just want to add a touch of class to her outdoor wear?

For those hiking in the backcountry today, sharing the summits and lakes with other hikers is normal. For the mountaineers in the years of early exploration, they had those areas to themselves.

With all that solitude, what was this mountaineer thinking as he relaxed by this meadow lake, somewhere in the Garibaldi area?

Mount Jarrett is a peak near Mount Bishop, in the Seymour Range. Being so close to Vancouver, this group was probably on a day hike and enjoying a get away from the hustle and bustle of early city life.

This might not be the Grouse Grind, but these hikers are heading for Grouse Mountain summit. Across the snow they trek, with the women in their long skirts and fancy hats, looking like they just arrived from a garden party. Do you wonder if they wished they could climb in pants?

Soulmates, adventurers, entrepreneurs…to those with at least a little knowledge of the early explorations of the North Shore Mountains, Don and Phyllis Munday need no introduction.

Their devotion to exploration and to each other led them to creating a life among the peaks, and a home in a cabin on the slopes of Grouse Mountain. This short video charts their time together.

Michael Feller’s wildlife encounters could make many green with envy — from a wolverine following him on a ski trip, to a marten visiting him in his hut, among many others. His time in the mountains gave him a love of the area and the animals that lived there. Many of his travels took him to the Pinecone Burke region.

This led him to join the Pinecone Burke Study Team who were tasked by the Province to determine if the area should become a Provincial Park. Their hard work paid off and in 1995 the area was protected, becoming one of several Provincial Parks near to Metro Vancouver.

Rosemary Weaver in the meadow beneath Black Tusk, 1935

A CBC producer and cameraman joined the 1958 BC Centennial ascent of Mount Fairweather. Inexperienced as they were, their tenacity seemed to be intact as they made it across the Fairweather Glacier to reach Base Camp — no small feat in itself. From there, the mountaineers continued onwards for the actual ascent.

This article charts both the climb, and the views of the journalists on this extraordinary journey.

"With a backhand flip, nature would have wiped out all of us, but for the radio, and Flt. Lt. Cameron's wish to miss the early-morning sea fog."

The "nature" in question here is not an avalanche or rock fall, but a massive tidal wave, caused by a destructive earthquake. This drama marked the end of the 1958 (BC) Centennial Project Expedition to Mount Fairweather.

This account gives a wonderful insight into the planning and implementation of this expedition, including their lucky escape from death.

Neal Carter and some of his fellow BC Mountaineering Club climbers had a goal to reach the summit of Mount Tantalus. Their “assault” on the mountain was not successful. They got close but not close enough to reach the top. The photos in this album show their multi-day journey camping in the snow, crossing crevices, and traversing near-vertical snow slopes, only to have the mountain — twice — foil their goal.

A century ago, mountaineers saw mountains as a place to “conquer.” The use of the term “assault” here reflected the physical challenges that mountaineering presented and the need to overcome them. Today, with a more holistic view of relationships with the land and a reflection on colonial attitudes, “conquering” mountains is a concept being relegated to the history books.

When the BC Mountaineering Club hit the age of fifty, the members chose to produce a booklet of memories, and fortunately for us today, we can read them here.

This is a great account of the early years of the BCMC — memories of the intrepid explorers who made the mountains their home-from-home.

• Cabins, Camps and Climbs, 1907-1911, by Frank H. Smith
• Early Days of the BC Mountaineering Club, by R. M. Mills
• Recollections, by Charles Dickens
• Reminiscences, by Professor John Davidson
• The Conception and Birth of the Vancouver Natural History Society, by Professor John Davidson
• The Story of Garibaldi Park, by L. C. Ford
• Some Reminiscences of 1920-1926 With the BCMC, by Neal M. Carter
• Snow Peaks, Mount Judge Howay, by Tom Fyles
• Robie Reid, First Recorded Ascent, June 1925, by Elliot Henderson
• Waddington Diary - 1936, by Elliot Henderson
• Waddington Area - 1956, by Jo Yard
• Anniversary Peak, by Roy Mason
• Bushwacking, by R. A. Pilkington
• A Mountain (song), by R. Culbert

Getting closer to the summit of Mount Garibaldi and to achieving the first successful recorded ascent of the mountain. The mountaineers are roped up below the main peak. The party are Arthur Tinniswood Dalton, William Tinniswood Dalton, James John Trorey, Atwell Duncan Francis Joseph King, T. Pattison, and G. B. Warren.

“Three mountaineers around make-shift stove” in 1907. Location unknown. The photo caption may have called these young men mountaineers, but were they mountaineering or actually camping close to home?

What the photo does show though is that wherever they were, they did seem keen on bringing some home comforts, like the chance to boil water for what was probably a nice cup of tea.

Three things were important to Phyllis Munday — her family (husband Don and daughter Edith), mountaineering and the Girl Guides. She poured her heart and soul into them, becoming beloved in all three areas.

This newspaper article describes her life and her loves over five decades from around the time her father told a young Phyllis "you've climbed one mountain, why do you want to climb more?". If ever there were "famous last words," it might be those.

With her sleeves rolled up and her backpack full, this “woman in hiking gear” looks like she might be on longer day trip or even on route to an overnight camp or cabin. Today, she would perhaps be in comfortable and functional leggings, t-shirt and baseball cap. In 1916 though, she was wearing what any respectable woman wore when hiking — a long skirt and an attractive hat to keep out the sun.

Location unknown.