On the Camel’s Back
The North Shore mountains are not particularly high; only the rocky summits of the West and East Lion, Crown Mountain and the jagged Camel rise above the treeline. From west to east, its main summits are Black Mountain, Mount Hollyburn, Mount Strachan, West Lion, East Lion, Mount Capilano, Crown Mountain, Grouse Mountain, the Camel, Cathedral Mountain, Mount Fromme, Mount Burwell, The Needles, Lynn Peaks and Mount Seymour. Art Cooper, a mountaineer in the ’20s, remembers his adventures: “We used to hike over Grouse, over Dam Peak, and down Little Goat, they called it. Then we went down about 1,000 feet (305 m) into what they called Crown Pass. Then we hiked up Crown itself. There are two peaks: there’s the Pyramid and the Camel. We all went on to the Camel’s head one day. It’s quite a rock scramble. It’s a wonder to me that somebody hasn’t been killed on it.”
Unlock history! Scroll down and click on thumbnails.
WHAT
This photo shows pioneering mountaineers Fred Mills, Franklin Walter Hewton, [first name not noted] Lyttleton and [first name not noted] Miskin atop the Camel.
WHERE
Along with the Pyramid, the Camel is one of two peaks on Crown Mountain, located just west of Grouse Mountain.
WHEN
This photo was taken on October 6, 1908, and records the first known ascent of the Camel.
WHO
Fred Mills donated an account of his early climbing experiences and a photo album to the North Vancouver Museum and Archives.
Unlock history! Scroll down and click on thumbnails.
