Club Events 2004

Trip List Calendar

2004-01-10 : COC - Grotto and Heart Creek Canyons
We started out today with the largest group we've had in a long time - 17 people!

We headed out to Grotto Canyon, and started out from Dave's favorite 'unofficial' trail head. The canyon is beautiful this time of year, albeit a tad bit treacherous. There is a LOT of ice in the canyon, difficult to walk on at times. Unfortunately, I broke one of my ice cleats early on, so I had one foot that was good-to-go the whole time, and one that wanted to go out from under me. We were all envious of Holly's deluxe ice cleats, and Dave's crampons.

We made our way up the canyon, had a brief visit to the pictograms, and then reached the Grotto Falls. The "His" and "Hers" ice climbs were gorgeous. Most of the group hiked right up to Grotto Falls. I had to stay behind because of my back injury. At the top, Dave gave the group a demo of ice climbing. When they'd had their fill of Grotto Falls, the group made their way back down to the stream, and crossed the treacherous thing to get to the other side and continue down the canyon.

Further down into the canyon, we found the funny 'mountain' with the cave. Our brave Safety Officer charged right up toward the cave, and several of the other folks followed along up - once again, I took a bye. What goes up, must come down, and I think a few of them had a bit of a thrilling moment trying to come back down from the cave. There was more than just a little butt-slideage going on. Coming out of the canyon, I'm sad to say, Jon turned his ankle and came out much more slowly than the rest of us. He was a trooper, though, and was self-propelled the whole time.

On to our lunch spot! Dave chose a roadside turnout and we tromped down the hill, over the tracks, and into a small but snowy clearing. We each cleared a bit of a cubby hole and made ourselves at home. Rob made himself a very dandy little seat padded with pine branches - watch out for the pointy parts! Dave fired up his hibachi, and Gerry and Steve built a small campfire. Some of us just munched on our regular hiking fare, while others roasted some weinies, and Jerry even had some marshmallows.

After lunch, Jon (turned ankle), Michelle (wet and frozen feet) and myself (back injury) bailed on the second hike and came back to Calgary. I'll have to let someone else pick up the story from here.

-- Rhonda

The rest of the group headed to the Heart Creek Trailhead and soon were slowly making progress up the trail. The group encountered a few trail obstacles such as a bridge, that was to be used for crossing the creek, well frozen into the creek. However we managed to use the hand railing for some support as we crossed the ice. There were a few spots where the creek had overflowed its bank and spilled onto the trail. We eventually made our way to the end of the trail and a few climbed a small ridge for a closer view of the falls.

As we descended, many took pictures as the sun was close to setting and one attempt was made to break some ice via some jumping, but nothing broke. At one point, we thought we had lost some members only to find out that one was holding one's pole. (Group funny moment) We made our way safely back to the parking lot and a few even turned up at the new meeting spot, Kilkenny's, for a pint or two. In all, a very fun filled day.

--Dave


2004-01-11 : COC - Pocaterra
The weather this weekend was perfect, and the turnout for our snow shoeing and cross-country skiing at Pocaterra showed it! We had a total of 24 people out today!

We set out from Pocaterra Hut and into the meadow. From there, we joined the snow shoe trail which meanders up and down through the hills and trees. We crossed the cross-country ski trails several times, and crossed a stream a couple of times. We stopped for a snack in the snow, after which, Ethel and company took their leave of us (they probably would have enjoyed snow shoeing more if they'd had poles... live and learn). The rest of us shoed back out, ending up in the meadow, where the more competitive among us had a race to the end of the meadow and back (for the record, Jerry won).

Back to the hut where we re-joined the skiiers and headed back to town.

-- Rhonda


2004-01-22 : COC - Ice Skating in Calgary
It was a balmy 1 degree for ice skating on the lagoon tonight. Claire and Tara tried to join us, but alas, they weren't able to get skate rentals (well, they could have, but it was 8:30 and the rentals were due back at 9:00). So, the remaining six of us made a few laps around the lagoon, and down the dead-end trail at the end. There were only two minor wipe-outs - Lana as she was attempting to do the 'Turney Thing', and Dick, who momentarily forgot the 'Bend your Knees, Stick out your Butt' rule. It was Dick's first time in his life on ice skates - he's from Atlanta. He caught on fairly quickly, and kept up with us more 'seasoned' skaters (hah!) pretty well. Dick and Jason were both out with the club for the first time.

Bowness Park is definitely the place for outdoor skating. The lagoon is huge compared to most outdoor rinks, and the ice is in pretty good shape.

-- Rhonda


2004-01-24 : COC - Dog Sled Tour with Howling Dog Tours
I knew this was gonna be an especially cool trip when we awoke to snow. There was a blanket of fresh snow covering Calgary. And it was coming down strong, with big fluffy flakes, my favorite kind! We had some running around to do, so I even got a chance to drive out in it. My compliments to the Alberta Department of Transportation, if there is such a thing. It was much easier to negotiate the highways there, than the last snow I drove in through Western North Carolina last fall.

First of all, let me say that where I live, people would pay just for the view we got to see in the motorcar ride up to Canmore. Rhonda, Wendy, Scott and I took Wendy¹s Honda Civic to The Bolo Ranch House, where we met up with Howling Dog Tours' shuttle van. We all paused for more tasty beverages, and put on more layers.

If the ride in Wendy¹s Honda was worth money, the shuttle van ride is something I am trying to burn into my memory. I should have been running my video camera. Along the way, we ran upon a large herd of Mountain Sheep. They were in two groups. We never did see the one male that was supposed to be with that herd. Our driver knew all about the sheep, and the roads around the area. There was so much to see along the road, that I found I had in fact missed most of it on the way up, but marvelled at the views on the way back down. The road follows some kind of hydroelectric, pumped storage system. We drove along side man-made canals.

The sheer vertical rise of our journey was more than I had expected. By the time we arrived at the Howling Dog Sled Camp, the snow had changed just a little. It had gone from those big fluffy flakes I love, to slightly smaller, harder ones. It may have had something to do with our outrageously high altitude. We were in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, looking at the BACK of the Three Sisters Mountains.

The dogs were a trip. I have been around a number of different kinds of ³working dogs² but these were among the most hyper while not at work, and yet the most natural and relaxed, but still focused, dogs when working, I have ever seen. It seemed to be pretty important where they put each dog in the line. One of ours kept snapping at the larger dog beside her. That dog just ignored the smaller dog. But our musher, Graham, told us that if the snappy dog was put beside this other dog, it would fight back.

I got to ride on the back of our sled for a while, and so did Wendy, on her and Scott¹s sled. After a ride that I wish had lasted much longer, we stopped for hot chocolate, and snacks. The beef jerky was good, but I really dug the big chunks of smoked salmon. They had cheeses and dried fruits also.

While taking the break, we hiked through the woods, down near the lake. It was frozen over, and ice fishermens' huts dotted the smooth white surface. It was another nice view of the BACK of the Three Sisters. That seems to be something that a lot of people familiar with Canmore don¹t get to see. We all got an eye full, and made our way back up to the sleds.

After getting our fill of more of the authentic munchies, we loaded our sleds back up. The dogs all stopped their anxious bickering, and got into their grooves again. They all seemed most happy while pulling our sleds. Every now and then, one would scoop up a mouth full of snow, without even breaking stride. Graham, our musher said they do that for water, but mostly to cool themselves off.

I took plenty of digital still pictures, as well as running video for a good while. I wish you could all see at least an MPEG or a QuickTime of part of this. I had never seen or done anything quite like this before. As one of my friends in Georgia, who grew up in Michigan put it ³How many people do you know who have even seen a dog sled?² After some thought, I had to admit, that I probably didn¹t know anyone who had seen a real dog sled. I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, and we had all kinds of sleds. I think we even tried tying our dogs to our sleds a few times. But, Howling Dog Sled Tours is about as real as you can get. The staff was very friendly and professional. Our Musher also did work with animals for movies. Our shuttle van driver, drives shuttle vans in the summer, for white water tours. I think a lot of them do white water tours in the summer. They also race dog sleds. I think that is how they help sponsor, and practice their dog sled racing. I thought the racing involvement was a nice touch. I wonder if they raced our dog named Tron.

After an amazing ride back down the mountain, we went for some dinner. We did the smart thing though. We drove back into Calgary for dinner. That way we didn¹t have to drive a snowy, Trans Canada Highway after dark. We all enjoyed stuffing our faces on the fine Ethiopian cuisine at Marathon. I think I slept well that night.

-- Dick Brown


2004-01-29 : COC - Evening at Schank's (Crowfoot)
What can I say, it was a social. We ate drank and met some new people. There was an interesting split between those who were new to the club and those who'd met before. We chatted about past events, upcoming events, and gathered some ideas for possible upcoming events. Some left earlier, some came later but the table always seemed full of folks telling each other about themselves. Later on a couple of us broke free of the crowds to take on the race track and to try our hand at the "Ice Cold Beer" game...quite amusing for the record!

It was a nice respite from the cold and a good night out!

-- Lana

Jorge is thrilled to be experiencing some true Canadian winter days. The rest of us aren't so sure... especially the west coast representation...

We welcomed a couple of newcomers into the fold tonight (Crystal and Philip), and had a record number of club officers out for the occasion... probably because we have a record number of officers now (having grown from two to nine in the last month or so).

Anyway, thank goodness we have Schank's to keep us busy when the weather dips below -25C. Brrrrrrrr!

-- Rhonda


2004-02-01 : COC - Avalanche Awareness Course
Avalanche Awareness

The six of us headed out to Canmore at sparrow fart (credit: Juliana L) this morning and met up at Starbuck’s in Canmore where we got our first round of instruction. Dave told us about the Canadian Avalanche Association’s web site which has all the information you could hope for about current avalanche danger in the Canadian Rockies. The avalanche danger for today was considerable:

Danger Rating: Alpine Treeline Below Treeline
Extreme
High
Considerable
Moderate
Low
N/A

Considerable

Considerable

Moderate



which means that Natural avalanches are possible, and human triggered avalanches probable. We had to exercise extreme caution today heading out into avalanche country.

Canadian Avalanche Danger Descriptors 1998
Danger Level and Color Probability and Trigger Recommended Action
Low Natural avalanches very unlikely. Human triggered avalanches unlikely. Travel is generally safe. Normal caution advised.
Moderate Natural avalanches unlikely. Human triggered avalanches possible. Use caution in steeper terrain on certain aspects.
Considerable Natural avalanches possible. Human triggered avalanches probable. Be increasingly cautious in steeper terrain.
High Natural and human triggered avalanches likely. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.
Extreme Widespread natural or human triggered avalanches certain. Travel in avalanche terrain should be avoided and confined to low angle terrain, well away from avalanche path runouts.




After we had our “classroom session”, we headed further west, to Highway 93 south, where we headed in and parked at the Continental Divide parking lot, and hiked into Chickadee Valley (which, incidentally, is difficult to impossible to get into during the summer due to heavy brush and deadfall).

Along the way, Dave explained what to look for on the mountains to identify avalanche areas. Further along, he spotted a high avalanche danger area that we had to pass in front of – whoever had broken the trail in, had swung further to the right than usual, into avalanche danger territory (on the way back, Dave broke us a new trail in a safer spot). Anyway, while we passed in front of the avalanche “runway”, we crossed single file, spaced 30 seconds apart.

Our considerate Safety Officer, Rob, was kind enough to test out all the places on the hike in where a person may fall into a sinkhole, or get sucked into the running stream.

Once we were deep into the valley, we stopped and had lunch where Zachary invented and demonstrated the new club dance (see below).

After filling up, Dave dug us a test pit and demonstrated how to test and analyze snow layers according to how packed or loose they are, and how thick the layers. Today, the top 18cm of snow (the new fall from this week) was sitting on top of a very unstable layer, and therefore, skiing on the backcountry slope we were examining would have been unadvisable.

We all agreed that it was really freakin’ cold out there in the valley, so we would finish our avalanche training back out at the entry to the valley (near the road) where it was warmer, so we hiked back out.

Back at the trailhead, we completed our avalanche (intro) training by playing "hide and seek" with our transceivers. This day was an excellent introduction to avalanche awareness, even though I never heard any of the whumps. Oh, and the scenery didn’t suck either.

We headed back to Calgary, where Debbie and I bailed, and the rest of the group went for fish and chips and Guinness at Kilkenney. At least, I think they did. I’m sure they had a wonderful time… much better than if I’d been along (my feet were wet, my head was pounding, my lungs were shrieking, I was cold, tired and crrrrrabby!). Oh, and for the record, let me just say that I know that it was my own stupid fault that my feet were wet and cold. I didn't have proper winter boots. Learn from my mistake - don't do what I did! If you're going out in the snow, use proper boots! The U of C Outdoor Program Center rents Sorels if you don't have your own.

On the lighter side...

1. We have a new official COC Dance. It’s called “The Zachary”, and is to be done to the tune of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (original version). Study it well – you will need to know this:

Perform steps 1 through 8, and repeat, in deep fluffy snow until you have a cozy little spot flattened out.

2. Debbie’s favorite quotes of the day:
  • ”Boy, can I ever tell there’s a banana behind me!” (Rhonda)
  • ”It’s so cold, even my nuts are frozen. I mean the nuts in my bag!” (Rob)
  • ”Oh yeah, I guess we all need to pull out our units”. (Rob)


3. Near the end of the day, we found a genuine Canadian Crop Circle! Check it out:

What's even creepier is that the crop circle wasn't there when we entered the valley...

-- Rhonda


2004-02-06 : COC - Micetro Impro at Loose Moose Theatre
Michelle and I were the first people through the gate, but then we loitered around to gather everyone up, and by the time the group got through the door, the theatre was pretty much full. D'oh! So, we ended up sitting in two groups of four.

The fine young actors of Loose Moose were in prime shape this evening, and a good time was had by all. My personal fave was the skit about the kids from the North East. Also liked the abandoned farmhouse and the 'happy place' song.

-- Rhonda


2004-02-07 : COC - Chester Lake
The sun tried to shine today, but didn't really succeed until we were leaving Chester Lake to head back to Calgary. It was still a great hike (ok, ok, snow shoe) up to the lake - very pretty in spite of a hazy sky and a bit of snow fall. This is my favorite kind of hike (ok, ok, snow shoe)... the kind where you do all/most of the work on the way in, and then just saunter your way back out.

We had two pooches along today, Sadie (with Marcel) and Rothco (with Scott). Rothco enjoyed sampling everyone's lunch snacks, and I'm sad to report that even my yummy cheese (Babybel with Maasdam) couldn't compete with Holly's chocolate bar. Along the way, Holly convinced Jerry to run around in a big pristine opening so she could get an 'action shot' of him running in his snow shoes. I hope she got a good one, and I hope she shares it with us. All I got (while photographing the same session) was a pic of Jerry falling in his snow shoes, and a pic of a snow-covered Jerry standing in his snow shoes with Holly photographing him.

Super Dave made it out today for the first time since his accident, and did a great job considering he has a couple of broken ribs and an injured lung. He had a headache while we were stopped for lunch and looked like the walking dead (ok, ok, the snow shoeing dead) when we started back down. Jennifer and I were hanging back with him, and all of a sudden he transformed into "Second-Wind Man", and zoomed ahead on the trail with his usual twelve-foot paces.

One thing that I thought was really cool was that Stephan wore his traditional snow shoes. I had always wondered how they could possibly work without the crampons on the bottom that the newfangled ones have. He learned (and shared with us), that as you walk along in them, the snow squishes up between the weave of the shoes, providing great traction. Ingeniuous!

The group, which was actually split into two smaller groups, had run-ins with a guy who I call "Mr. Happy" (for those of you who are Robin Williams fans, the reference is intentional). He was a belligerent solitary cross-country skiier who had made it his mission for the day to verbally abuse all snow shoers on the trail. For a few moments there I thought everybody would be kung-fu fighting, with our pacifist, Clay, leading the charge. Fortunately, once a few rudenesses were exchanged, "Mr. Happy" went on his way. I'm sure he had a great day with the snow shoers - there were at least a million of us on the trail today.

After hiking (ok, ok, snow shoeing), about half of us (including me for once! yay!) headed to our unoffical clubhouse, the Kilkenney Pub, where we were joined by Debbie who said she knew we'd be there because "we always go there". OK, so I guess we're predictable. The beef boxty was even better than I remembered, and the Strongbow didn't suck either.

-- Rhonda


2004-02-08 : COC - Johnston Canyon
It turned out to be a perfect day for a winter hike.not too cold, not all melty and drippy either, and only a couple of renegade snow balls to speak of (boys will be boys after all!)

We took off in two cars for Banff National Park and met up at the Johnston Canyon parking lot and set off from there to the Upper Falls. Sharing the snowy trail with us were some die hard ice climbers, families with young children, and even a couple of elderly ladies with little picks at the bottom of their canes (pretty neat idea actually, like a cross between a ski pole and a cane). We made several photo stops along the way admiring the blue ice and the frozen falls. Our ultimate destination proved to be worth it. The frozen Upper Falls were pretty spectacular. This was our "lunch stop" with the various groups of ice climbers providing us with some in house entertainment. We took turns picking on various members throughout the walk with Rhonda getting it more than most. (Thanks for being a good sport Rhonda. I really need to work on not saying every little thing that comes into my head!) We were all back down to the parking lot by 1:45 and still ready to go, so we took in another small loop in Banff before hitting the highway home.

The event unofficially continued at Kilkenny's over dinner and a couple of drinks. Merv joined us for a drink and some of us (OK me and Dave) pigged out on the BEST Chocolate Mud Slide Thing EVER! Some interesting conversations ensued involving cotton, probes, little Johnny jokes and pigs.not necessarily in that order.

-- Lana


2004-02-12 : COC - Ice Skating at the Olympic Oval


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