Vancouver Squatting #7: Beyond the dense urban fray there is another version of nomadic living known by some as "dirtbagging." The intrepid dirtbagger is an alpinist living off of wile and wit- sleeping on hardpan or slung up in a tree. The photo above portrays the mighty Squamish Chief in 1912. The photo was taken from the home of E.D. Reeves, the first telegrapher in town. (Squamish History Archives). Long before the itinerant climbers came through the valley it was all wild west logging and disputed land claims. Nothing has changed much but the crowds, the strip malls, the ghosts of first ascents. But the culture of rock climbing draws the bodies and minds of single minded men and women from all over. Most deserving of respect, these fellows of the school of hard rock living. (top: fred beckey in Garibaldi; bottom: kieran brownie in Squamish)
- photo: ed cooper
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