The most beautiful mountain in the eastern Fraser Valley is Mount Cheam. This posting will discuss obsession with Mount Cheam, its legend, directions to climb and how to sound like a local when you pronounce Cheam.
The last first, Cheam is pronounced locally like “Shea-am” say it any other way and you will be giving yourself away as a non-resident. Try to blend in.
Mount Cheam has an elevation of 6929 Feet or 2,112 meters and is part of the Cheam range a subset of the Cascade Mountain Range. Look up from exit 135 on the Trans Canada Highway (Bridal Falls) and all you are seeing is Cheam. On a good day you will see the brightly coloured chutes of Para gliders floating around her shoulders. On poor days, clouds clinging to her forests. Broken cloud patterns spill unexpected light into crevasses as they sweep across the sky. This mountain has a million moods nearly all of them beautiful. A photographer friend of mine, Ian Meissner, says he has over 3900 pictures just of this mountain. That sort of fixation my friend is called an obsession. Ian’s pictures have been picked up by PBS amongst others give yourself a treat and have a look at his gallery.
A number of years ago I joined a group to climb the summit and take in the view. It was quite the journey a deeply rutted dirt road and then a fairly steep trail led to the top. A more recent blog about the climb was written by John Harvey and has some great photographs. If you are in good health and have an appropriate vehicle it is a trip that I would recommend. Just remember to take plenty of water, good hiking boots and supplies for mishaps; directions to Mt.Cheam.
Legend : The First Nation legend is that Mount Cheam is the wife to a nearby and dormant volcano Mount Baker. Mount Baker is situated in Washington State, United States but can be seen by his wife in nearby Canada. The story I like comes from “Five Corners the Story of Chilliwack” by Bruce Ramsey as set down by Oliver Wells it says that they had three sons, Mount Hood, Mount Shasta and Mount Shuksan and three daughters who are younger than the boys.
Mt. Cheam to extreme left and Mt. Baker to right
Cheam got tired of being away from her people and left so that she could look after the Sto: Lo people “I ‘ll stand and guard the Staw-loh, that no harm comes to my people and no harm comes to the fish that come up to feed them”. With her went her three girls and she holds the smallest one I-oh-wat in her hand. The family dog officially called “Lady” but known by the locals as “Dog Face” followed her back as well. Once again try to blend it and call her “Dog-face”. It does actually look like a dog’s head. A second child east of her is not getting enough attention and her tears form”Bridal Veil” falls; the 6th highest falls in Canada. Isn't this a lovely legend worth knowing? I know it has changed my perspective of this grand "mother mountain".
"Dog Face" Explained
The next post will continue with Mount Cheam, a tragedy that occurred, an angel and a place of wild strawberries.
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Stephen Mullock is a Chilliwack real estate associate broker with 29 years of experience. He can be reached at Royal LePage Wheeler Cheam Realty, telephone 604-792-0077.
Copyright November 19, 2009 by Stephen Mullock.
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