Club Events 2004

Trip List Calendar

2004-12-11 : COC - Hogarth Lakes
We got off to a slow start today, with high winds at carpool, treacherous road conditions out to K-Country, and a diversion to a new location. The Smith-Dorrien was snowy, slick and getting worse by the minute, so we rallied up the crew and went instead to do the Lower-K-Lake trail (per advice from the info centre, care of Debbie and Barry).

The further the day went on, the more beautiful it became, and I enjoyed every sublime minute of it with my new eyebulbs - I had lasik on Wednesday and this was my first winter event without foggy glasses - yay!!! It really was a spectacularly beautiful day.

I couldn't go to the Kilkenny because of my eye surgery, and couldn't go to Shelley and Samantha's wine and cheese because of my allergies, so we finished off the day with a "pre-wine-and-cheese" at my apartment that wound down somewhere around 12:30 (note to self: there is a good reason why you don't drink!!! Although, it wasn't *me* in the belly dance costume. As usual, there is no evidence of Rob wearing my belly dance costume... save our memories, and the discarded costume on my floor).

-- Rhonda


2004-12-12 : COC - Death Valley - Windy Point - Foran Grade Loop
What a magical winter wonderland kind of day! This hike is an admittedly boring and somewhat unpleasant hike during the summer. Views are ok, and the trail is often mucky and chewed up from horse and cattle tracks. Perfect wonderful winter hike, though - especially with a fresh four inches of snow like we found waiting for us when we got there.

The trees and weeds and ground were covered in a beautiful, pristine, shiny blanket of white. The views were more appealing because of the contrast that the fresh snow provided. The footing was a little tricky due to the frozen horse- and cattle-hoof chewed up muck. Definitely ought to have done the hike the other way around, and will next time (do the work up front instead of near the end).

Jennifer the Geologist joined us for her first hike today (one more Jennifer in this club and we'll have to rename it the "Calgary Outdoor Jennifers Club"... one more Geologist and we'll have to rename it to the "Calgary Outdoor Geologists Club"... one more Jennifer Geologist and that would just be plain weird) and entertained us with stories of her parakeet, Bob, calling people 'peckerhead' and whistling at the 17-year-old paperboy (yeah, sure Jen... it's the BIRD doing it all), and her geophysicist co-worker lighting his farts in her office. She is just lucky that our Oversheriff, Cheryl, was away in Victoria, otherwise it would already be time for Cheryl to pick up a new citation book (Oversheriff: the official in charge of giving people citations when they overshare, or share too much information).

This hike has hit my top-ten favorite winter hike list (being promoted from my "shoulder season, we'll take what we can get" list), but really ought to be done right after a fresh snow. I can't stress enough how fabulous it was today!!

-- Rhonda


2004-12-13 : COC - Canyon Snow Shoe Trail Devt
We went, we worked (hard), we enjoyed a beautiful day, we feel good about ourselves, and we have a new trail to go snow shoeing on. Life is good.

-- Rhonda


2004-12-19 : COC - Beginner Snow Shoeing at Sawmill
A fine beginner tromp through the woods on snow shoes, with some folks going great guns, finding some fresh snow, and falling down the hills, and others taking it somewhat easier, sticking to the official (ie. pre-tromped) trail. A few of us turned back early to plot an ambush of snowballs. Drove back through a white-out, and finished the day at Kilkenny... you know... the usual.

-- Rhonda


2004-12-21 : COC - Escape to Africa (for dinner)


2004-12-23 : COC - Johnston Canyon
What a glorious day, made all the more special by the presence of our friend, Jacqueline, who is out visiting her folks for Christmas (Jak hiked with us for several months this year before moving back to the centre of the Universe). We set out to some cold temps and light flurries in Calgary, which quickly turned to warmer temps and clear sky the closer we got to Banff. The ice in the canyon is new, and there are plenty of areas where things are not completely frozen over yet. The lower and upper falls have yet to accumulate their most impressive depths of ice, but everything was very pretty and magical nonetheless (look for canyon trips in January and February when I think the canyon will be at its most picturesque). We all got a good giggle near the end of the trip when Ben, decked out in his woolen overcoat and Russian fur hat, was accosted by a woman to get her picture taken with him.

-- Rhonda


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