It鈥檚 kind of like digging for treasure, John Harvey admits as he excavates mud away from a granite rock face with a heavy pick.
Two months ago, the climbing enthusiast decided to change an unused portion of cliff in the Smoke Bluff Park into 10 new routes. With the guidance of legendary route maker 鈥楬evy Duty鈥� (a.k. Alan Stevenson) and backing of the District of Squamish鈥檚 Smoke Bluff Park Committee, Harvey has labored away to unearth climbs rated in difficulty between 5.7 and 5.10a 鈥� the majority perfect聽 for people entering the sport.
鈥淭here was three feet of dirt there,鈥� he says, pointing to a dark stain that sticks to the bottom of the wall like a shadow. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard work.鈥�
Below him, standing on a wide lip of rock, Jesse Bauer carefully scrubs a crack with a wire brush. Harvey works part-time for the Sea to Sky Community Services Society鈥檚 Life Skills program, a course structured for people with development disabilities. Bauer is one of his students and excitedly aids with Harvey鈥檚 projects, often getting paid for his efforts.
鈥淛esse helps me all the time. Isn鈥檛 that right?鈥� Harvey asks Bauer, who is basking in the fall sun.
Bauer smiles, before proudly pointing out the routes he鈥檚 cleaned on the face known as Crag X.
鈥淗e鈥檚 done 1,000 projects in 100 places,鈥� Harvey says.
It鈥檚 not just thousands of dollars worth of hours and sweat that have been poured into Squamish鈥檚 climbing routes, it鈥檚 heart and soul, Harvey says. That鈥檚 what it is all about 鈥� a love of the area.
鈥淚 feel a great deal of ownership for the park,鈥� he says, noting the trails, wooden staircases and picnic table that he and Bauer have worked on over the years.
Having poured 300 hours into his latest project, Harvey anticipates it will be complete within a couple of months. Seated just metres up from the park鈥檚 parking lot, he hopes the rockface will become one of the more popular climbing areas within the green space.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an introduction to traditional crack climbing,鈥� Harvey says, noting he鈥檚 been eyeing the project for many years.
On Saturday (Nov. 22) the Squamish Access Society is hosting the Golden Scrub Brush Awards. The inaugural event aims to acknowledge the people behind the routes and maintenance of the climbing areas.
Their dirty passion saves the municipality thousands of dollars while also drawing tourists to town, Harvey says. Harvey has been developing climbing routes for 20 years, but there are always more areas to unearth.
鈥淭his is an exciting project,鈥� he says, while patting the rock. 鈥淚 think it is going to be super popular.鈥�
The Golden Scrub Brush Awards take place at the Cliffside Pub. The event starts at 7 p.m.
