Black Tusk

Description

The Black Tusk is very much a landmark in the area north of Squamish and one of the main attractions of Garibaldi Provincial Park. It is the volcanic plug of an ancient stratovolcano. Wikipedia decribes it as a 'cinder-rich' volcano which has been eroded heavily, leaving the tougher basaltic plug more intact and exposed above the rubble. Another article suggests it may be the remains of a lava neck that extended into the glacial ice that once covered the area. The Black Tusk is usually accessed via Taylor Meadows campsite or from the Battleship Islands campsite at Garibaldi Lake, but access from the Helm Flats is also possible. There is a steep slope of cinder rubble to ascend in order to reach the base of the Tusk. From there it is a scramble up a chimney that starts out vertical but changes to a steep gutter. There is excellent information available on Wikipedia and bivouac.com. The native people of the area believed the Black Tusk to be the home of the Thunderbird and that it was his lightning that turned the Tusk black.

Thanks to Peter Skov for this description.