Club Events 2007
| 2007-02-21 : COC - The West Coast Trail: One Step at a Time |
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| 2007-02-25 : COC - Pocaterra: Intermediate Ski, Slow/Moderate Pace |
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Wow, wow, wow! It's a good thing I'm a variety-junkie otherwise I would only ever do the route that we did today. We set out as a group of 14 heading up the Pocaterra trail. At the first intersection we split into a faster group and slower group with Jim taking the lead with the faster group. My group did about 18km today. We took Pocaterra Trail all the way to Packers, down Packers, then started our return along Wheeler. We took the first intersection onto Amos, then up Lynx and finished off by retracing half of our original trip on Pocaterra. I think this is the perfect x-c ski route. It's about 18km - my slower group took almost four hours to do it. The Pocaterra Trail is pretty flat for most of the first 3.5 kms, and although you don't notice it, you're gradually gaining elevation. Then, the next 3.5 kms (or so) are rolling, so after you've had your nice easy warm-up, you get a bit more of a challenge doing the next bit. You're nicely warmed up and ready for a real challenge when you head down Packers, and it doesn't disappoint with several wonderful down (and up) hills of varying difficulty. In no time you're at the bottom of Packers, and then you get a bit of a reprieve from the excitement on Wheeler and Amos, and then Lynx has one more killer downhill before you're back to Pocaterra. The nice thing about returning on Pocaterra is that all the elevation you gained gradually on the way out, you get to laze your way down at the very end of your trip. It's fantastic! The fast group did about 23kms, and did almost the exact same route as us, but they took Pocaterra all the way to Whiskey Jack, down Whiskey Jack, then over on Wheeler, Amos and Lynx back to Pocaterra. As they returned on Pocaterra, they did the little side-trip on Come Along trail. Sounds like they had a great time too. -- Rhonda |
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| 2007-02-27 : COC - Fullerton Loop BACKPACKER TRAINING |
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This was a fantastic "intro to backpacking" trip. Marty has convinced me to try backpacking this year (the backpack for a birthday present was a big hint), and we (plus Ed, and some other friends) have hopes of doing the West Coast Trail in August (assuming it is open this year). Since I am just really not as strong as I would like to be for backpacking, I figure I'd better start training NOW! Marty will start training soon, too, but Ed and I figure we should get a head start. Anyway, five of us set out today, with Lila and Karen out "just for the walk" (the wimps) and Ed, Ken and I with our backpacks loaded up. Ken was packing 25lbs, Ed 32lbs and myself 35lbs ('cuz I'm HARD CORE... yeah, baby!). Ed and Ken floated up the trail like they were carrying nothing, while I struggled along in the back (and of course, Karen and Lila don't count... the wimps). Keep in mind, though, that the recommended maximum weight for backpacking is about 1/3 your body weight, so I was pretty close to my max already. After about the first hour or so, though, I hit my stride and started to keep up a lot better. I was still working, though, and my legs and upper back know they did something today. No one had to dump any of their load, though - we all carried our chosen weight the whole distance. Afterwards, we stopped at the Cinnamon Spoon in Bragg Creek for well-earned snackies. Pluggin' away, I have more training trips set up for the next few weeks, alternating between some distance goals and some elevation/hill goals. -- Rhonda |
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Ed, Rhonda, Ken
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Lila, Karen
| 2007-03-02 : CCC - Music Appreciation Night |
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Arrive at 7PM for introductions and to get settled in. We'll start the music selections at 7:30. We will have two CDs. We will have a round-robin to introduce our songs first. The music will be “mixed” according to my opinion of how it flows best – your songs will not necessarily all be together on the CDs. We will listen during the music, taking a break for visiting, potty breaks and snack refills in between the two CDs.
My apartment is small, and the atmosphere casual. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion if you like for maximum comfiness. Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the evening. If the evening has a “theme” (listed in the title), you should (but don’t have to) bring music that fits your interpretation of the theme. Many of our themes are DELIBERATELY ambiguous for maximum creativity! |
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| 2007-03-03 : COC - Brown Lowery |
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| Wonderful day for a winter hike and another great group of people to hike with. The trails were easy to follow, the warmer weather made the snow a bit wet and slippery in sections. We started out on the lookout trail and hiked our way up a small ridge to the Eagleview viewpoints (2.5 km). These lookouts provided views of downtown Calgary in the distance in one direction, and beautiful ranchlands/mountains in the opposite direction. We continued along this trail until we met a steep downhill descent along the power lines - might have been fun for thrill-seekers to descend on crazy carpets. We turned back from this hill and hiked back to the Wild Rose link which brought us onto the Old Mill / Oldman Trail. We followed this until the Chickadee trail led us back to the parking lot - the hike took us 3 hours with lots of breaks for chatting, snacking and enjoying the scenery. Rough calculation of distance covered 6-8 kms? Biggish park with lots of trails, plenty of wandering potential here. The dogs provided much entertainment, Dana's dog was certainly the best dressed, at the lookout we pondered Marko's diet, and Ruby seemed to enjoy the snow. After the hike a few of us met at Limerick's for some refreshments. Thanks everyone for coming out on the hike, look forward to seeing you again out there! |
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| 2007-03-04 : COC - Peter Lougheed: Intermediate Ski, Slow/Moderate Pace |
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Today was my first experience with "challenging" snow conditions, and I must admit, it's also my first time skiing that I didn't thoroughly enjoy it. The snow was fast in the shade (and sometimes icy), and then when you'd hit a sunny patch, the snow was melty... on the verge of slush, and very slow. Now, this could just be an annoyance, however, there were several places where you'd go from shade to sun partway down a hill, so you'd be flying down a hill and when you'd hit the sun, your skis would stop but your body would keep going. I took a really hard spill one time because of that, injuring my ribs when I landed across one of my poles. Also, the wax on my skis kept accomulating patches of solid ice, so sometimes it wasn't even the sunny/slushy parts that were stopping me cold, it was my own skis. Anyway, very very challenging. Next time I go out in these kind of conditions, I'm going to try renting waxless skis and see if that helps. Never say die!! Other than that, it was a fantastic day. Beautiful weather, a really fun group, and the usual apres-event trip to Kilkenny where we ran into Gloria's Heart Creek group. Thanks to all who came out for making it a very fun day, in spite of all the challenges with the snow! -- Rhonda |
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| 2007-03-06 : CCC - Water Colour Mandala Workshop |
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Create a personal Mandala while exploring different techniques using watercolour pencil crayons. In Sanskrit, “Mandala” means both circle and centre, implying that it represents both the visible world outside of us (the circle) and the invisible one deep inside our minds and bodies (the centre).
Join Audrya Corbett for a playful evening of artistic creation. You are invited to bring a journal and personal images or objects to work from. Note you are responsible for booking your own spot for this workshop by calling Audrya at 245-1287. |
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This was a fantastic evening and Audrya is a really great teacher... she told us a bit about Mandalas, showed us some examples, showed us some techniques (she made it look so easy), and then set us loose! It was really interesting to see all the different ideas and results around the room. In the end, I didn't end up with a Mandala, I ended up with an... um... pansy (go figure). Oh well... maybe next time. I started out trying to mimic a fractal, which didn't work out... but it kinda looked like a mehendi pattern so I tried changing it into one of those, which also didn't work out. My Mandala just wanted to be a pansy, I guess!
-- Rhonda :) |
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| 2007-03-10 : CCC - Calgary Music Store Tour |
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Join me for a round-the-world (ok, just the city) tour of some of the more interesting music stores.
We'll begin the day with coffee at Kane's Harley Davidson Diner in Inglewood. First music stop will be Recordland in Inglewood at 1208 - 9 Ave SE (262-3839). "If you don't already know this place, prepare to be blown away as this is probably the BEST-kept secret in Canada. I have visited dozens of second-hand record stores across the Great White North. Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton and even that bastion of musical genius known as Montreal have NOTHING on this shop in Calgary. They have tonnes (and I really mean tonnes) of CDs from floor to ceiling, as well as old 45's, 8-tracks, boxed sets, VHS, DVD's and an absolutely MASSIVE room dedicated solely to old vinyl. All their vinyl is kept in plastic, and is quite cheap. If you're into 'older prog' this is the place to go. I can't guarantee that you'll find IQ, Glass hammer or the like there, but personally I've dropped hundreds of dollars in this wonder of all wonders." Next music stop will be Sloth Records at 1508 4 Street SW (265-6585 ) "Calgary`s finest selection of punk rock, hardcore, emo, and indie rock. We've also got you covered on all the ska, dub, hip hop, hard-to-find vinyl items and clothing you need." Third on the list - Megatunes at 932 - 17 Ave SW (229-3022) "This little hip and happening shop is guaranteed to have that CD of the band --- you know the one, with the song and the guy? Heck, the folks at Megatunes are so knowledgeable that they know exactly who you are talking about, where to find it and when their next release is due." Megatunes is the premier supporter of local musicians, and is a sponsor of the Calgary Culture Club. Then, if you haven't had enough, we'll head on over to Hot Wax Records in Kensington at 114 10 St NW (283-0055) "Combining the best of both alterna-music lovers' worlds, Hot Wax features the best (and worst) of the Calgary and area music scene as well as a large selection of used CDs. However, most of their merchandise is categorized in boxes and crates on tables throughout the store, so bring plenty of patience because it is those patient ones who are always rewarded with cool, cheap tunes to satisfy all their musical cravings." After Hot Wax, well... we go home. Unless it is late enough in the day to pick a place to go for a beer and inspect and discuss our goodies that we picked up through the day. |
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Alan, Rod and I met at Kane's at 11:00 and promptly decided not to stay - it was extremely busy (and probably understaffed). We walked down the street and settled on Serendipity, which has a nice coffee shop inside their store. There was lots of room, good food, good coffee - a great start to the day.
After fueling up we headed over to Recordland where Rod and Alan (who had never been there before) did a full-blown "kid in a candy store" routine. Angela called upon leaving the Symphony event and met up with us there. After purchasing that which could not be left behind, we moved on to Sloth. We didn't spend as much time (or money) there due to "more focused" selection but Alan did find one CD that was on his son's wish list, and I found a CD from a small Atlanta band that surprised me with its presence on the Calgary shelf. On to Megatunes and more "kid in a candy store". Megatunes is a really great store, and the local music selection is absolutely amazing. After Megatunes, we headed down the street and had lunch on the outdoor patio at The Ship and Anchor, soaking up some rays, enjoying the jam going on inside, and remarking on the parade of human spectacles on 17th Ave (was that guy really wearing a helmet with a pink mohawk on top made out of snow brush bristles??). My personal haul for the day included a polka compilation (Recordland), Dash Rip Rock (Sloth), a CJSW compilation (Megatunes) and a punk compilation for Marty (also Megatunes). -- Rhonda |
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| 2007-03-12 : CCC - Beginner Hawaiian Hula - 3 wks |
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Due to an injured instructor, this class has been changed... it will be only two weeks starting March 19th and will be $20 instead of $30.
Begin learning some Hawaiian hula moves, and put them together in a simple choreography ("Hula Lady"). Guests (non-members) may attend with special permission. Please e-mail me to discuss. |
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| 2007-03-13 : COC - COC Volunteer Info and Social |
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