EXECUTIVE CORNER

CORE AGM and the New Executive for 2017-2018

CORE successfully held our AGM on May 30. We enjoyed a great slide show of highlights from the 2016-2017 year events, anointed a new bearer for the Chicken Mountain Award (Geoff Chidell will carry this honour for the coming year), partook of a fine spread of food and refreshments, and of course elected our new Executive which will steer us through the 2017-2018 year. The next Executive list is as below:

Chairperson – Julia Trangeled,  Co-Chairperson  – Jeanette Nelder, Secretary – Mary Macieyowski,    Treasurer – Craig Morris, Membership Coordinator – Mindy Woolcott, Executive Trip Coordinator – OPEN, Communications Coordinator (newsletter) – Pat Ranger, Presentations Coordinator – Carol Miyagawa, Webmaster – Stu Cox, Member-at-Large – Mietka Zieba

WANTED – One Executive Trip Coordinator

You may notice that we have one position unfilled, that of Executive Trip Coordinator. This is the person who mentors event leaders, monitors trip-related safety, collects the event leader trip reports and enters pertinent information into the trip report database. We have had someone in this position since CORE’s inception – it is a critical role, so please, if you have an interest in filling this position for the coming year, or if you can suggest someone whom we can approach, contact our new Chairperson Julia.

Membership Renewal

If you were a member for the 2016-2017 year, and haven’t renewed your membership yet but intend to do so, please download and complete your membership form, then mail the form and dues in to CORE (address on form) as soon as possible. As of June 15, ONLY paid up members will receive calendar event email alerts. Note that the membership forms can be downloaded from the Membership Application Page

The CORE members password will change on June 20, and if you are not a current paid-up member, you will no longer be able to access the CORE Events Calendar.

Attach your Membership Card to your Backpack

As hike leaders, we get to know a lot of the regular attendees of hikes and other outings. But new activity leaders may not know everybody, and members who don’t come out very often may not be known to the activity leader. If you don’t have your membership card with you, then you may be asked to sign a guest waiver.

Trip Reports

Event leaders, since we don’t have an Executive Trip Coordinator appointed yet, pleasescan and email your trip reports to mailbox@corehike.org , or hand them to a member of the CORE executive at a CORE month-end meeting.

ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

April/May 2017

Summer is almost here, and many of our members have already participated in some great hikes, urban walks, tennis and bicycling trips.

Here are a few highlights. Please visit the CORE photo albums for more pictures from recent activities:

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June 2017 Club Meeting

The June club members meeting will be held at the Scarboro Community Centre Tuesday June 27, 2017, 7:00 PM . 

Presentation:Central America Birds and Adventures

CORE members Cathie Newsome and John Hitt have made a number of trips to Central America in recent years. At our June meeting, Cathie will talk about their trips to Belize and Panama, with an emphasis on the beautiful birds they saw and the stories they’d like to share about their adventures. Belize is located in Central America and it is bordered to the north by Mexico, to the south and west by Guatemala and to the east by the Caribbean Sea. Panama is a country on the isthmus linking Central and South America. Please join us at the June monthly meeting for a tropical adventure that you won’t want to miss!

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Friends of Kananaskis Country – Trails Fest

The Friends of Kananaskis Trails Fest took place at the  Canmore Nordic Centre June 11. Trails Fest is an opportunity to engage in a fun day of all things trails related, to learn about cool trail projects, explore diverse trail related clubs, groups and associations, and take part in facilitated trail activities,  workshops and presentations. Several members of CORE went out to show off our club, and take part in the bear awareness and Compass/map reading workshops. A great success. We’ll certainly plan to attend this show again next year.

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Canada Day Long Weekend in Kimberley

Plans are fully formed now for a group of CORE members on the Canada Day long weekend, Fri. June 30 to Mon. July 3 (3 nights) for a weekend of hiking and fun in Kimberley, BC, including a big Canada Day potluck dinner on Sat. July 1st to celebrate this special 150th birthday. Julia is has done all the legwork in coordinating this adventure. Trip coordinators for hikes on Saturday and Sunday (different levels) will be posted on the CORE Event Calendar.

Labor Day Long Weekend in Waterton

Join us on the Labour day long weekend Fri Sept. 1 to Mon. Sept. 4 (3 nights) for a weekend of hiking and fun in beautiful Waterton Park, including a potluck dinner on Saturday.  Anne-Marie is coordinating this CORE adventure.
We will stay at the Bear Mountain motel, a familiar place and long time favorite of CORE members over the years. As the best cost/ quality motel accommodation in Waterton park, this place will get booked rapidly. They open for business on May 12, and everyone interested is encouraged to book a room ASAP. A deposit in the amount of the first night will be charged on your credit card, but cancellations can be made up to 48 hours prior to the first night for a full refund. The phone number for the Bear Mountain motel is 403-859-2366, and you can also book on-line. Their website is www.bearmountainmotel.com

Additional information on accommodation and planned excursions are posted on the CORE Event Calendar.

Please contact Anne-Marie once you have booked your accommodation. She can also assist you with car pooling and room sharing. Anne-Marie’s contact info is on the CORE members calendar.

Car Pooling

The guidelines related to carpooling for CORE club events are posted on the CORE website at https://corehike.org/?page_id=192 . Please remember that our guidelines state:

The guideline is to contribute $0.20 per kilometer multiplied by two times the distance, from the meeting place to the trailhead, divided by the number of people and pets in the car.

Car pool participants should also try to maximize the number of people per vehicle. For instance, if there there are 10 people, try for a 3 + 3 + 4 mix, not a 4 + 4 + 2 mix.

When participating in joint events with other clubs that use a different formula, just use your judgement and try to be fair to both driver and passengers. At the end of the day, it works out pretty much to the same amount.

Carpool Locations

We’ve found lately that the Edworthy Park location is often very busy on the weekends, so if you are headed out to Banff or Kananaskis, use the Home Road or Valley Ridge Sports Field locations.

First Aid Kits

Preparation—Every participant’s safety is their own responsibility: Carry your own first aid kit with things (like medications) that you regularly count on or may need. It’s not a coordinator’s responsibility to provide either first aid kit or expertise.

You can find some further information an things you might consider putting in your pack on the Wilderness Emergencies blog on the CORE website. Also refer to the CORE website Clothing and Equipment page for tips on first aid essentials to carry in you pack.

Bear Essentials

Parks Canada officials endorse the human voice and bear spray over bear bangers and bells.

According to Jon Stuart-Smith, acting Human Wildlife Conflict Specialist with Parks Canada, in an interview with CTV News Calgary:

We recommend bear spray and we don’t recommend things like flares, pen flares, or bear bangers and we don’t recommend things like bear bells. Bear spray has been proven scientifically to be effective and those other things are not necessarily going to be effective.

Stuart-Smith says bear bangers, which are small explosives, carry the potential for injury or escalating an encounter. “If a bear is close to you and you shoot off a bear banger that explodes behind that bear, that might force the bear towards you and make the situation more dangerous. It could make the bear more aggressive because it’s now scared of the noise.”

The flaw with bear bells is their sound means little to a bear. “They just don’t make enough noise and they don’t make a bear aware that you’re human. A little tinkling noise doesn’t necessarily tell a bear that there’s a person nearby.”

To prevent a negative encounter with a bear, Stuart-Smith recommends:

• Making noise when travelling on a trail
• Hiking in groups
• Making sure that dogs are on a leash at all times
• Not leaving any food unattended at campsites

Name that Flower Contest

At our July 25 monthly CORE meeting, Julie Walker of Full Circle Adventures will be giving a presentation about our local wildflowers. To help us gain a little familiarity with the topic, let’s have a little contest and see who can name the most flowers that we see out on the trails. When you are out hiking, take some photos of interesting flowers, title them with the name of the flower (common name is fine, scientific name optional), where you saw it, and your initials. Then post it to the CORE photo album for that hike. There is no prize promised (yet), but the winner will receive the admiration and adulation of their fellow club members. For the full set of contest rules, please see the newsletter supplement Name that Flower posted on the CORE website.

Slo-pitch Softball Anyone?

CORE member Pat is looking for interested parties to join her for slo-pitch softball. This is a mixed league, so both men and women are welcome. Anyone who would like to try slo-pitch should email Pat at – Plranger.ranger557@gmail.com

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For those interested but unfamiliar with slo-pitch, it is a form of softball with slightly different rules. Primary characteristics are under-arm pitching (hence slo-pitch) and no bunting. Here is a link to slo-pitch rules .

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The Ascent of Ha Ling

It was winter – well actually it was the 11^th of June – but the snow in the parking lot told a different story. Eleven staunch CORE members had assembled – not to play soccer or cricket but to climb Ha Ling – in the snow. Some of us didn’t want to go – said it would be too cold, too much snow and so on, but Harvey was determined – and so we went – along with at least a few hundred other lost souls who had somehow filled the parking lot and basically shamed us into following! Several of us had never done it before and somehow found pleasure in the unremitting steepness near the summit – the rest of us plodded on through slush and snow and mud. A cold wind blew – and suddenly we were there – on top of the world as far as we could see! We raised our arms to the mountain gods and Harvey took a picture for posterity – but mostly to qualify us for the Georgetown’s Triple Crown Challenge. Now only two more hikes like that. There must be an easier way to get a beer mug!

This report was compiled by your correspondent who is now fully recovered thanks to a large trial run with a Georgetown mug afterwards (which I had to give back).  MG.

What is the Triple Crown?

The Triple Crown of Canmore Challenge is sponsored by the Georgetown Inn in Canmore and involves hiking up Ha Ling Peak, Lady McDonald as far as the tea house and the East End of Rundle. To conquer the challenge, hikers need to take on each of the three trails over the summer, get a photo at each summit, and post those photos to The Georgetown Inn’s Facebook page. Once the photos are posted, stop in at The Georgetown Inn in Canmore and check in with one of the staff members to claim your prize. Conquerors win a beer mug that gets you discounts on refills at The Georgetown and will have their name added to The Triple Crown of Canmore Glory Board, located on the Georgetown’s website.

CORE members Harv, David, Edna, Laurie and Julia Tsang have all signed up to do the Triple Crown. For each peak, Harv has to post photos on the Georgetown Inn Facebook Page to prove that those four people completed the peak. After they do all three peaks, they go to the Georgetown Inn where they will be awarded a free beer mug. Good luck and safe climbing, CORE Triple Crown challengers!

Random Stuff

A History of 25 Classic Climbs in the Canadian Rockies
by Brandon Pullan

A book recommended by Pat (and she doesn’t even fancy dangling from ropes).

Over the past 100 years, climbers have been pushing standards in the Canadian Rockies. From long alpine ridges to steep north faces, the Rockies are synonymous with cutting-edge ascents. Peaks such as Robson, Chephren, Kitchener, the Twins and Alberta elude the many and reward the few. Many of the big faces were climbed between the 1960s and 1990, the golden age of alpinism in the Rockies. The men and women who first were part of that set high standards.

You can find a complete review of this book on this Rock and Ice Climbers Magazine article. The book is available at various online bookstores, as well as the Public Library.

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Goodbye from ANnIE

This will be the last newsletter posted by ANnIE, as she has to return to her pack. But she will be keeping an eye on us from deep in the woods. Pat and Carol will be taking over the newsletter for the coming year, so you happy readers of our missive will be treated to some new and interesting content.

See you on the the trails…

ANnIE

At our July 25 monthly CORE meeting, Julie Walker of Full Circle Adventures will be giving a presentation about our local wildflowers. We’ll learn how so many of our native wildflowers play a key role in the food forest for wildlife and humans. The plants of Southern Alberta are the key focus and the ecological influences that have affected them and how they are under threat by changes to the foothills landscape.

Julie has been an outdoor educator and guide for over 25 years in Southern Alberta and her company Full Circle Adventures has been running since 2004.

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If you want to learn more about Ms. Walker and what she has to offer, you can contact her at:

Julie Walker, Owner/Program Director and Guide

Full Circle Adventures

403-968-4816

info@full-circle-adventures.com
www.fullcircleadventures.com

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In the meantime, let’s have a little contest and see who can name the most flowers that we see out on the trails. When you are out hiking, take some photos of interesting flowers, title them with the name of the flower (common name is fine, scientific name optional), where you saw it, and your initials (see example to the left). Then post it to the CORE photo album for that hike. Since we quite often combine photos by different participants into a single photo album for a given hike, please include your initials, and make sure the person who set up the photo album includes your name in the album credits (you can edit this yourself in the album description). We will only count 2 photos per participant per album, and no duplicates, so please don’t post every flower you saw, or put your initials on just the 1 or 2 you want counted. We’ll count from the beginning of June until the weekend of July 22/23.  The CORE webmaster will recuse himself from the competition, but all other CORE members are eligible. There is no prize promised (yet), but the winner will receive the admiration and adulation of their fellow club members.

To help you identify flowers, here are some useful links:

List of wildflowers of the Canadian Rocky Mountains

Alberta WOW – Alberta Wildflowers

Index to Wildflowers of the Canadian Rockies and nearby foothills, prairies, and the Waterton-Glacier area

We’ll announce the winner at the July 25 CORE meeting (watch the CORE home page for time and place).

If you haven’t figured out yet how to post or add pictures to the CORE photo albums, you can email the photos (best resolution) to your hike leader, she/he should be able to get them uploaded for you. There are also instructions at this link on the CORE website: https://corehike.org/?page_id=2352

And if you are totally new to CORE and don’t know where to find the Photo Albums, look in the dropdown under Activities along the top of the CORE Home page at https://corehike.org/

To those of you who are already labeling your photos  with a short description of where/what it represents, thank you. It makes the albums much more interesting.

…..enjoy, and see you on the trails….

CORE Webmaster Stu

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Your CORE executive continues to work on projects to improve the club experience and promote safety.

AGM and Elections for next year’s Executive

The AGM is on Tuesday, May 30 at our regular meeting venue,  the Scarboro Community Centre 1727 – 14th Avenue S.W. All members and those interested in joining CORE are invited to attend.

Come out and get reacquainted with fellow members, share some food and refreshments, watch the slideshow of the past year’s events, and participate in the election of the 2017/2018 Executive.

Many of the current executive members have served on the board for several years and have chosen to step aside this time around. If you are interested in serving on The Executive, here are the positions with the open roles noted:

• —Chairperson: (open)
• —Co-Chairperson: (open)
• —Secretary: (open)
• —Treasurer: (open)
• —Membership Coordinator: (open)
• —Executive Trip Coordinator: (open)
• —Communications Coordinator: (open)
• —Presentations Coordinator: (Carol will continue this role)
• —Webmaster: (Stu will continue in this role)
• —Member-at-Large (Craig will continue in this role as the CORE Facebook manager)
• Member-at-Large for special projects and assist Presentations Coordinator (open)

If you are interested in submitting your nomination for one of these positions, please contact our current chairperson Mike Galbraith.

How to contact a member of the CORE Executive

If you are a current CORE member, go to the Executive Contact Info page on the CORE website (corehike.org) and use your member password (the same one you use to access the CORE calendar) to log in. The Executive members are listed with their roles and email addresses.

Filling up the CORE Calendar for Spring and Summer Events

Calling all hikers, planners, leaders, day-trippers, part-time walkers, photographers, nature lovers, cyclists, tennis buffs and anyone who can spell “outdoors” to join us as we load the CORE Calendar for the summer.

Even if you have never led a hike – or even if you don’t know the way – there will be lots of help and mentors and co-trip leaders who would be delighted to come along with you.

This event will be hosted by Mike on May 18. See the CORE calendar for details.

And, as a reminder to all old-hand hike leaders and new ones alike, please review the EVENT COORDINATORS’ GUIDELINES posted on the CORE website.  These are a collection of “tribal knowledge” representing years of experience of people seasoned in mountain recreation. They are meant to promote safety in our outdoor activities.

Attach your Membership Card to your Backpack

As hike leaders, we get to know a lot of the regular attendees of hikes and other outings. But new activity leaders may not know everybody, and members who don’t come out very often may not be known to the activity leader. If you don’t have your membership card with you, then you may be asked to sign a guest waiver.

 

ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

April/May 2017

As Winter tapers off to Spring, we’ve started to have some early season hikes and urban walks.

A few highlights:

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May 2017 Club Meeting

The April club members meeting will be held at the Scarboro Community Centre TUESDAY, 30 May, 7:00 pm. 

Agenda: The AGM:

See The Executive Corner as well as the CORE Calendar for details.

 The CORE Executive for 2016-2017 wishes you a fond adieu. We’ve really enjoyed working for the club this past year (and for some of us, these past many years), but now it’s time to move over and let others apply their talents to make CORE an enjoyable and safe club in which to indulge your enjoyment of outdoor activities. 

As the song goes…..

[and so on]

Alberta Hiking Association Newsletter

The AHA has requested outdoor clubs again this year to submit summer hiking/walking stories for their June newsletter. We are very pleased that they have accepted a submission from CORE, written by Carol about a summer hike in Waterton Park in 2005. A version of this article is also published on the CORE website as: Waterton’s Rowe Lakes/Lineham Ridge Trail

Friends of Kananaskis Country – Trails Fest

Celebrate Kananaskis trails, people and culture at the Canmore Nordic Centre June 11, 10:00 AM to 3: PM. Pat and Kim will be representing CORE at this event. More information at http://www.kananaskis.org/trails-fest/

Canada Day Long Weekend in Kimberley

Join fellow CORE members on the Canada Day long weekend, Fri. June 30 to Mon. July 3 (3 nights) for a weekend of hiking and fun in Kimberley, BC, including a big Canada Day potluck dinner on Sat. July 1st to celebrate this special 150th birthday. Julia is has done all the legwork in coordinating this adventure.

We will stay at the Trickle Creek Lodge at the base of the ski hill in Kimberley. a contract has been negotiated  with them for discounted rooms for CORE members for Studio, One Bedroom, and Two Bedroom suites.
To date (11 May) there are 1 Studio, 10 one Bedroom and 8 two bedroom suites still available.

We also have, for our private use, the outdoor patio area as well as an indoor room off the patio for our potluck Canada Day celebration on July 1st.

Accommodation Rates – Booked Based on Availability ONLY
For reservations please call
1-877-282-1200 Ext. 2

Please note: Rooms blocked are released on May 31, 2017. Any reservations made after this date will be made strictly based on availability. 72 Hour Cancellation period applies, & a Major Credit Card is required to guarantee all accommodation reservations.

**PLEASE NOTE** When you call to reserve a room, you MUST QUOTE that you are part of the CORE Hiking Club. This will assure that you will receive the discounted rate provided!
WE NEED TRIP COORDINATORS for hikes on Saturday and Sunday (different levels). Please consider coordinating or co-coordinating a hike. Julia has several good trail maps and information on different trails. There is also a lot of info online of course.

For more detailed information on accommodations and planned  hikes, please visit the members Event Calendar on the CORE website.

Please contact Julia when you have booked a room, with names, dates etc. Julia’s contact info is on the Event Calendar posting.

Labor Day Long Weekend in Waterton

Join us on the Labour day long weekend Fri Sept. 1 to Mon. Sept. 4 (3 nights) for a weekend of hiking and fun in beautiful Waterton Park, including a potluck dinner on Saturday.  Anne-Marie is coordinating this CORE adventure.
We will stay at the Bear Mountain motel, a familiar place and long time favorite of CORE members over the years. As the best cost/ quality motel accommodation in Waterton park, this place will get booked rapidly. They open for business on May 12, and everyone interested is encouraged to book a room ASAP. A deposit in the amount of the first night will be charged on your credit card, but cancellations can be made up to 48 hours prior to the first night for a full refund. The phone number for the Bear Mountain motel is 403-859-2366, and you can also book on-line. Their website is www.bearmountainmotel.com

Additional information on accommodation and planned excursions are posted on the CORE Event Calendar.

Please contact Anne-Marie once you have booked your accommodation. She can also assist you with car pooling and room sharing. Anne-Marie’s contact info is on the CORE members calendar.

Random Stuff

You’ve made it through winter, and summer is on the horizon. You can feel it, taste it, smell it – and nothing makes someone want to get out and get away like the promise of summer. May and June are fantastic months when summer isn’t quite here, but feels like it is. It’s a great time for a weekend getaway to the Rockies, where the summer crowds haven’t yet arrived, but everything is turning green and gorgeous.

So pack up the car and head out to the mountains. Here are 7 things to do in the Rockies this May & June.

Hiking is great way to spend time in Banff, Lake Louise, and Yoho National Park. Springtime hikes can be a little muddy or a tad snowy, but the hikes listed below are usually the first ones to be snow free. They are also kid-friendly too, so bring the whole family along.

• Fenland Trail (Banff Townsite, right before ‘Welcome to Banff’ sign when you take the second exit into Banff) – This 2km loop is ideal for small children and bikes, and is a lovely way to spend an hour. Watch the river, or climb over old logs.
• Sundance Canyon (Banff Townsite) – An easy 4 km hike for those who want beautiful scenery and exercise, but nothing too strenuous. A nice introduction to springtime hiking.
• Wapta Falls (Yoho National Park) – Often one of the first snow-free trails in Yoho, this hike is enjoyable for the whole family, and a chance to see one of Yoho’s largest waterfalls

Some of the festivals on offer

• Saturday May 16: Banff Centre Children’s Festival – From plays to face painting to mountain movies, there are a ton of fun activities planned for this festival. A fantastic festival for kids of all ages!
• June 14 – August 24: Banff Summer Arts Festival – Every summer The Banff Centre presents an arts festival featuring theatre, music, indigenous arts, visual arts – truly something for everyone. Check schedule for details.
• June 19-June 20: Performance in the Park – This year the performers include Joel Plaskett Emergency and K-OS. This two day celebration of incredible music performed in a stunning outdoor setting is not to be missed!
• June 21: Banff Marathon – The Banff Marathon, half marathon, and 10k is a truly unique experience for participants and spectators. Imagine running through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, while pushing to see what your body is capable of. A day to remember, always.

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See you on the the trails…

ANnIE

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Your CORE executive continues to work on projects to improve the club experience and promote safety.

Wilderness First Aid Course:

CORE is sponsoring a Wilderness First Aid Course to be paid for by the Peterman Education Endowment (money that was bequeathed to the club from the estate of one of our former members). The date is April 22. Please see the CORE Event calendar for contact information and location.

The course is limited to 25 people, and a waiting list will be maintained. As of this date, the course is full.

AGM and Elections for next year’s Executive

The AGM is on Tuesday, May 30 at our regular meeting venue,  the Scarboro Community Centre 1727 – 14th Avenue S.W. All members and those interested in joining CORE are invited to attend.

Many of the current executive members have served on the board for several years and have chosen to step aside this time around. If you are interested in serving on The Executive, here are the positions with the open roles noted:

• —Chairperson: (looking for volunteers)
• —Co-Chairperson: (open)
• —Secretary: (open)
• —Treasurer: (open)
• —Membership Coordinator: (open)
• —Executive Trip Coordinator: (open)
• —Communications Coordinator: (open)
• —Presentations Coordinator: (open)
• —Webmaster: (Stu will continue in this role)
• —Member-at-Large (Craig will continue in this role as the CORE Facebook manager)
• Member-at-Large for special projects (Carol will continue this role)

If you are interested in submitting your nomination for one of these positions, please contact the current incumbent directly to get some further information about what the role entails.  OR…. come to the next CORE monthly meeting and seek out some of the executive members. Come a bit early so they will have time to chat.

Scarboro Community Centre

1727 14th Avenue S.W.

TUESDAY. 25 April, 2017, 7:00 pm

A detailed description of all the Executive roles will be send out shortly to all CORE members via direct email.

How to contact a member of the CORE Executive

If you are a current CORE member, go to the Executive Contact Info page on the CORE website (corehike.org) and use your member password (the same one you use to access the CORE calendar) to log in. The Executive members are listed with their roles and email addresses.

If you are not yet a CORE member, you can send an email to mailbox@corehike.org, provide your name, email address and phone number, and someone will get back to you.

 

Wanted: New Hike Coordinators

For this past membership year, out of around 150 CORE members, we had ~27 members step forward to lead upwards of 150 events. This includes summer and winter hikes, cycling, urban walks, x-c skiing, snowshoeing, tennis and various social outings. We are always looking to club members to help out with offering to take a turn planning an outing. New members can look to our old hands for guidance and help in this task. Urban walks can be planned in the evenings in mid-week, more extensive day hikes can be done on weekends, and some club members have expressed interest in outings during the week when the trails (and highways) are less busy. So if you have an idea of an activity you would like to go on or lead, and haven’t posted an activity before, please contact the Executive Trip Coordinator (see contact paragraph above) to get some guidance on how to do so.

And, as a reminder to all old-hand hike leaders and new ones alike, please review the EVENT COORDINATORS’ GUIDELINES posted on the CORE website.  These are a collection of “tribal knowledge” representing years of experience of people seasoned in mountain recreation. They are meant to promote safety in our outdoor activities.

Attach your Membership Card to your Backpack

As hike leaders, we get to know a lot of the regular attendees of hikes and other outings. But new activity leaders may not know everybody, and members who don’t come out very often may not be known to the activity leader. If you don’t have your membership card with you, then you may be asked to sign a guest waiver.

 

ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

March/April 2017

As Winter tapers off to Spring, we’ve still managed to have a few snowshoe trips as well as some early season hikes and urban walks.

A few highlights:

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April 2017 Club Meeting

The April club members meeting will be held at the Scarboro Community Centre TUESDAY, 25 April, 7:00 pm. 

Presentation:

Random Stuff

Planned Presentations

Our presentation coordinators extraordinaire have planned some interesting presenters for the coming season. Watch for them on the calendar:

June – Cathie Newsome will speak about her Panama and Belize trip

July – Julie Walker will speak about wildflowers and animal tracks

August – Carol proposed showing of film Park for All Seasons and/or trip planning for the fall

September – Gillean Daffern will present

 

A Random Poem

Actually this is a little Youtube musical video I tumbled across.

When Its Springtime In The Rockies – 1920s

Just click the link and sit back and listen to this pretty love song (which involves mountains, of course).

https://youtu.be/7CZsZ_cakYk
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See you on the the trails…

ANnIE

What Does the Executive do?

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Your CORE executive continues to work on projects to improve the club experience and promote safety.

Wilderness First Aid Course:

CORE is sponsoring a Wilderness First Aid Course to be paid for by the Peterman Education Endowment (money that was bequeathed to the club from the estate of one of our former members). Planned date is from 9 to 5 p.m. on April 22.

The course will be taught by Nicole Elder who also teaches first aid courses to the Calgary Police. There will be two assisting instructors in addition to Nicole, so we will have lots of resources. Activities will include some class room time as well as outside demonstrations and practice; the course does not include any certification. Note that the cost of the course is covered by the Education Fund, and therefore there is no charge to CORE members. There will be the option for attendees to purchase a handbook from the instructor for $45. Participants should bring their back packs with gear (summer / winter) and any first aid kits/items you normally carry. Nicole will access what can be used as first aid items and provide further advice.

The course is limited to 25 people, and a waiting list will be maintained. If you sign up and find you cannot attend, you must let the event coordinator  know as soon as possible. That way, people on the waiting list can be accommodated.

Please check the  CORE Calendar for location and signup details.

And now, on with the show……

January/Febuary 2017 ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

We’ve had full Winter season with numerous day-outings as well as a week-long back country ski trip to Wells Gray park in BC .

A few highlights:

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February 2017 Club Meeting

The February members meeting featured mountaineer Andrew Brash talking about his life and experiences climbing some of the world’s highest peaks. Andrew is also a local Calgary high school teacher, so some very lucky students get exposed to more that just the 3 R’s.

If you don’t already know his story, in May of 2006, Andrew took the final step towards his life-long goal of climbing Mount Everest. Just two hundred meters from the Everest summit, Andrew’s dream was cut short for a noble cause. Andrew and his team called off their final ascent to assist an Australian climber, Lincoln Hall, who had been left for dead by his own team. They spent many hours helping Lincoln to recover and organizing his rescue. His Everest climb and rescue is summarized here: http://www.andrewbrash.com/climb.

Some pictures from Andrew’s presentation:

Andrew Brash – Everest 2006	Andrew Brash – Mt Makalu from Everest
Andrew Brash – First Climbs	CORE Presentation Coordinators and Mountaineer Andrew Brash

 

March 2017 Club Meeting

The March club members meeting will be held at the Scarboro Community Centre TUESDAY. 28 March, 7:00 pm.  Presentation by CORE members David and Edna – Walking the Camino Portuguese 2016.

Wells Gray and Fight Meadows Backcountry Ski Trip

We waded though the snow carrying our boxes of food, and our skis, to the door of the chalet. Someone had skiied in a few days ago to turn on the heat, so it was warm and cozy inside.

Over the course of the week, we made trails all over that meadow and through the woods into the alpine. As the weather warmed up, we switched to touring lower down and skiied amongst the trees to avoid avalanche risks.

CORE Photo Albums

In case you didn’t know, any CORE member can create a photo Album attached to the CORE website and upload your favorite photos from an outing. Instructions are provided on the website the “Guides” menu dropdown.

You can also download the hi-res version of any of the photos posted in an album. Just click on the “Download File” arrow above any picture you select, then (for PC users) right-click on the original image to download it to your computer.

Special Events Program

In 2012, the CORE Executive Committee implemented a limited financial guarantee program for special club events.  The purpose of the program is to help coordinators to proceed with organizing events which could have a significant up-front cost to the coordinator, a cost that might not be fully recoverable if a sufficient number of members do not sign up for the event or if signed-up participants fail to pay their share of the up-front costs and/or fail to attend the event. If you as a club coordinator are thinking of organizing such an event, please read over the Special Event Program guidelines and submit the downloadable form to the CORE Executive.

A few points to consider for organizers and participants:

8. A participant who has signed up for an Event, or who has otherwise committed in writing to participate in an Event, is responsible for payment of their Participant Fees and those of their guests.
They will also be requested to pay their share of any non-refundable deposit at approximately the time such up-front costs must be committed to by the coordinator.
9. The coordinator at all times remains fully responsible for the collection of and accounting for Participant deposits and fees, and shall endeavor to minimize the cost to CORE of the Event, including making the decision to cancel the Event or revise its conditions due to changing participation levels.

Random Stuff

Members Survey

In January the CORE executive issued a survey with questions regarding the interest in and timing of CORE meetings. We actually received about 70 responses out of a core membership of 150. The survey showed that about 70% of the membership attend CORE meetings from time to time, and there was a fairly even split in a preference for Tuesday or Thursday evening meeting nights.

Given hall availability and pre-arranged presenters over the next few months, we’ve decided to continue holding CORE meetings on Tuesdays.

Thank you to all who participated in the survey.

Contacting your CORE Executive

Members are welcome to contact your Executive via email. Our email addresses are available on the Executive Contact Info page on the CORE website. Use your Member password to access.

Cross Country Skiing – Some History

HERMAN “JACKRABBIT” SMITH-JOHANNSEN (1875-1987)

 

You must feel the tug of your muscles as you near the top of a long grade, and know the joy of making your own track down an unbroken expanse of powder snow. This is skiing. This is adventure!

Jackrabbit Johannsen, circa 1946.

Often when I have been out with “younger” skiers, or those who have not experienced the trails in Ontario and Quebec, I find they think that childrens’ Jack Rabbit ski programs have something to do with bunnies hopping through the woods. In fact x-c skiing in Canada and the US was pioneered by Jackrabbit Johannsen, who spent many years in the Laurentians carving out trails and popularizing the sport. You can find this statue of “Jackrabbit” in the Sports Hall of Fame at COP, right here in Calgary. Check out this slightly dated NFB film featuring Jackrabbit and the Canadian Ski Marathon.

In 1972, Jackrabbit Johannsen was awarded the Order of Canada. In the 1970s, he was a patron of the Canadian Ski Marathon and became involved in the Jackrabbit Ski League, a national ski program named in his honour and responsible for training thousands of young skiers. In 1982, at the age of 107, he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Here is a YouTube video where he is interviewed (en francais) by a reporter from Radio Canada. At one point he says (my translation): “Canada in February and March is much better than Florida.” Wouldn’t you agree?

You can find the complete story of his life and accomplishments at this link.

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See you on the the trails…

ANnIE

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Your CORE executive continues to work on projects to improve the club experience and promote safety.

Updated Club Guidelines:

The Event Coordinator Guidelines have been updated to make them easier to navigate. If you have an interest in organizing some club events, please read over this “accumulated wisdom” and talk to any member of the CORE Executive if you have some questions or would like to go out as an assistant coordinator to learn the ropes. Even if you are an experienced trip coordinator, it wouldn’t hurt to refresh your memory on our safety guidelines.

The list of potential Car Pooling locations has been updated to include the Valley Ridge Sports Field if you are heading west on Hwy 1, and the Tim Hortons parking lot on Richmond Road near Westhills Shopping Centre if you are heading towards Bragg Creek. The Canadian Tire Parking lot on Richmond Road is no longer recommended.

The Special Events Program description (under Resources) has also been updated for the sake of clarity. There are more details about this program further in the Newsletter.

Event Planning:

Thanks to our keen event coordinators, we have a pretty full slate of events planned right through to the end of March. Members can access details on the CORE calendar. We’ve been asked to put on more events during the week when some folks may be available and the trails are less crowded. Keep an eye on the calendar, we’ll try to organize some mid-week outings.

Planning for Spring and Summer trips is starting to take shape. If you have hike or other event ideas that you would like to organize with the club, please contact our Executive Trip Coordinator David V. (contact info is on the Executive page)

Courses:

Each year CORE organizes one or two courses paid for by the Peterman Fund. This year we are planning a one day Wilderness First Aid course. The tentative date is April 22, so put it on your calendar. The first 25 people to apply will be accepted. Location and further details will be forthcoming in the February Newsletter, and will also be posted in the CORE calendar.

The Norseman Ski Shop is also offering some outdoor courses. See subsequent article for details.

And now, on with the show……

DECEMBER 2016 – January 2017 ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

We’ve had an interesting start to the Winter season with a weekend of snowshoeing and x-c skiing in Field BC as well as numerous day-outings.

A few highlights:

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November 2016 Club Meeting

The November members meeting  was the Annual CORE Christmas Party. There was no meeting in December

January 2017 Club Meeting

The January club members meeting will be held at the Scarboro Community Centre TUESDAY. 29 January 31, 7:00 pm.  Presentation by CORE Members Fiona and Simon – Rocky Mountain National Park. 

Covering an area of 1,074 sq km, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado boasts a multitude of hikes and fantastic scenery. Hiking in Rocky doesn’t involve too much elevation gain, but with most of the trails starting above 3,000m, it’s a great place to get fit. Our presenters will take you to Boulderfield, Gem Lake, Sky Pond and Andrews Glacier among others.

 

Upcoming Presentations

Our presentations coordinators Pat and Carol have been working diligently to bring in some interesting speakers. Here are a few of the presenters they have lined up:

February 28. Andrew Brash. In May of 2006, Andrew took the final step towards his life-long goal of climbing Mount Everest. Just two hundred meters from the Everest summit, Andrew’s dream was cut short for a noble cause. Andrew and his team called off their final ascent to assist an Australian climber, Lincoln Hall. More about Andrew Brash here.  http://www.andrewbrash.com/climb. This promises to be an interesting evening. Don’t miss it!

March 28. Club members Dave and Edna relate their adventures on their latest El Camino journey

April 25. Connie Simmons will give a presentation on Ivvavik National Park.

May 30. Club AGM.

June 27. Club member Cathie Newsome will give a presentation on her travels in Belize and Panama.

Special Events Program

In 2012, the CORE Executive Committee implemented a limited financial guarantee program for special club events.  The purpose of the program is to help coordinators to proceed with organizing events which could have a significant up-front cost to the coordinator, a cost that might not be fully recoverable if a sufficient number of members do not sign up for the event or if signed-up participants fail to pay their share of the up-front costs and/or fail to attend the event. If you as a club coordinator are thinking of organizing such an event, please read over the Special Event Program guidelines and submit the downloadable form to the CORE Executive.

Course Subsidies

Did you know that there are funds available from CORE to help fund courses you may be interested in that are relevant to the members and activities of CORE? For more information, check out the Course Guidelines on the CORE website.

Courses Offered by The Norseman

Winter Preparedness Course – $75 per person (regular price), $67.50 per person for CORE members

Course Date: February 12^th, 2017

Part of the Preparedness Series, a NEW Hiking Series of courses focused on safety and wilderness skills. The course focuses on basic wilderness skills for winter safety whether it is snowshoeing, xc-skiing, winter hiking or even climbing. The day will be spent in the Rockies, either snowshoeing or winter hiking  (with ice spikes) usually with Justin Howse* as the Hiking Guide. More info HERE.

Outdoor Council of Canada Field Leader (Hiking) certification – $160 per person, 2 day course

Course Dates: February 25^th and 26^th – OR – March 4^th and 5^th (whichever weekend has more demand)

This 2 day course focuses on certifying individuals to lead groups into low-risk Class 1 hiking terrain. Upon passing the course, you will be registered with the Outdoor Council as a certified Hiking Field Leader. This training is meant for people who wish to become outdoor leaders through clubs, groups or organizations.

* Justin Howse,  The Norseman Operations Manager,   IGA Pro. Hiking Guide,   OCC Field Leader Instructor

 Contact Justin at The Norseman at 403-249-5451 for more information about these courses. Or ask a member of the CORE executive.

Random Stuff

Members Survey

The executive has been reviewing the 2015 Members’ Survey relating to CORE meetings, newsletter readership and relevant feedback. Below is an example of several of the members’ comments:

On presentations: “Anything to do with wildlife, forest plants/flowers/trees, the environment, traveling to other countries, outdoor sports, etc. I actually think the topics that I have seen offered so far by the CORE meetings are perfect. I like the time of the meeting, the day of the week [when it was still Thursday] and the topics and presentations. Good job. Just keep doing what you are doing.”

“Many members do not attend the meetings because they do not feel it is important. Other clubs do not have presentations and lots of members now belong to several clubs. However, members will make the effort to attend for a special event or a presentation on a trip which is of great interest.”

“Continuation of Core meetings and socials are the threads that will keep members together. It’s a good feeling to attend a meeting and find familiar faces that I have not seen in a while. People from all fitness abilities and likes can socialize and plan together where it would not be possible if we did not hold meetings. Thanks you for asking for member opinion as these are changing times.”

About the Newsletter: “Seeing other member’s travels and travel tips. “Mini” education/information courses pertinent to our clubs activities. More trip planning meetings with opportunity to socialize. I find it informative and like getting a summary of past and future planning. I also like getting information about improvements and changes the executive shares to help keep our club moving smoothly forward.”

“Nice, but doesn’t contain the most current info nor much info for long-term planning. Newsletter would be good if it contained longer-term plans, so holidays could be arranged.”

“Keeps members up to date, but I do notice that the photos pictures are not from CORE……I think that should be just people that we know and hike with.”

“Current tools are fine. I look at the webpage front panel, the Twitter feed, Calendar, photo album and newsletter to see what other members have been doing, and what new is coming up.”

Other suggestions to improve the club:

“For hikes, try to make groups responsible to bring a particular course for all participants, such as appetizer, main course, dessert, elegant drinks. This will create memorable experiences aside from great landscapes.” [editor’s comment: “hmmmmmmmm”]

“I seem to get a lot of [calendar] activity post updates. Not sure if all of these are true updates or duplicate emails. Would be good to try to reduce number of emails on same activity if possible.” [editor’s note: this is fully under the control of the event coordinator when posting calendar events or updating them. Event coordinators, please take care when editing your calendar posts, and ONLY BROADCAST when the change is critical to the event.]

Contacting your CORE Executive

Members are welcome to contact your Executive via email. Our email addresses are available on the Executive Contact Info page on the CORE website. Use your Member password to access.

Snowshoeing Song

by Arthur Weir

See you on the the trails…

ANnIE

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Your CORE executive continues to work on projects to improve the club experience and promote safety.

Event Planning: Thanks to some of our key event coordinators, we have a pretty full slate of events planned for the winter season. The CORE 2016-2017 Winter Events Schedule summary is now available on the CORE website, and members can access details on the CORE calendar.

As a volunteer club, we depend on you the members to come out, suggest outings that you would like go on, and potentially start coordinating or co-coordinating hikes, snowshoe trips, etc. So, this year at the Christmas Party in November, we’re going to seek your input on future activities and events, as well as trails you’d like to explore (on foot, on snowshoes or on skis). Please bring your ideas, and seek out our Executive Trip coordinator David V, if you would like to learn more about trip coordinating. We’ll also have on hand some examples of snowshoe and cross-country ski equipment. If you are new to these sports and wondering what to look for when acquiring x-c skis or snowshoes, some of our event leaders will be available to share their wisdom with you.

CORE Tweets: Did you know that @corehike has 170 followers at last count? Four of them are CORE club members, the rest are other individuals and organizations interested in CORE. The CORE executive uses Twitter to announce events and activities that may be of interest to the outdoor community, but not necessarily sponsored by CORE. And the CORE Tweets appear on the CORE webpage. So, if you are an avid Twitter user, please add @corehike to your list of accounts you follow.

CORE Facebook Group: CORE also has a Facebook Group where events of interest are posted. So if you are a Facebook user, you can find us there as well.

And now, on with the show……

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2016 ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

Despite a cold snap in the middle of October, from October 1 to mid-November there were 12 outings posted on the calendar, from mountain hikes to urban walks and social dining, and a very successful Halloween party at the community centre.

A few highlights:

 

October 2016 Club Meeting

The October members meeting  was moved to Friday the 28th, and featured a very successful Halloween Party, with pumpkin decorating, music, dancing, treats and general schmoozing. A good time had by all.

November 2016 Club Meeting

The Annual CORE Christmas Party will be held at the Scarboro Community Centre TUESDAY. 29 November, 2016, 7:00 pm.  As we don’t have a December meeting, this is the time to come out and socialize with other members of the club, share stories from our summer adventures, and enjoy some food and refreshments (provided).

We are also hoping to get in some planning ideas for the winter, so if you have some suggestions please be prepared to share them along with some tentative dates. We’d also like to engage some more members interested in leading activities. The best way to get started is to volunteer as a co-coordinator on one of the outings we have planned. Ask one of the executive members if you would like to get started as an activity leader.

We’ll also be having a display of different kinds of equipment: Snowshoes, Nordic (X-C) skis and AT Back country skis. If you have some questions about what to look for when buying equipment, some of our more experienced club members will be happy to give you some advice.

January 2017 Club Meeting

Since there is no club meeting in December, the next one will be in January. Our presentations executive committee has some great speakers lined up for 2017, so stay tuned and watch the CORE calendar and our Twitter feed for upcoming feature events.

Some Technical Stuff

Nordic bindings – getting them straight

If you are going shopping for Nordic skis, and are a bit uncertain about types of binding and shape and base of ski to choose from, here are a couple of websites to peruse. Eb’s Adventure Blog  explains the differences between SNS and NNN binding systems, while MEC.ca has an excellent article on Choosing the Right Cross-Country (Nordic) Skis.

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How to Choose the Right Snowshoes

News from Other Organizations

The Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association happily announces the opening of a trails centre located on the north side of the West Bragg parking lot.  The new trails centre will serve as a gathering point and as a warming hut for the many users who access the West Bragg trails.  

Random Stuff

Contacting your CORE Executive

Members are welcome to contact your Executive via email. Our email addresses are available on the Executive Contact Info page on the CORE website. Use your Member password to access.

A Random Poem

See you on the the trails…

ANnIE

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Your CORE executive is working on a couple projects to improve the club experience and promote safety.

Courses: The Peterman fund pays for some courses each year. We are currently making plans for a wilderness first aid course, to be held in the March/April 2017 time frame. Watch for it and take advantage of this club benefit.

Club Banner: Plans are taking shape to have a club banner made that we can show at display booths.  It will feature our logo and a collage of past event photos. That collection of potential PICs is collected in a  CORE photo album at http://public.fotki.com/corehike/2016/core-banner-photos/

If you have a privacy concern where you may not want your picture displayed in a public forum, please contact a member of the CORE executive, indicate which photo you object to, and we’ll remove it from the mix.

Event Planning: We’ve heard your comments that our calendar needs more and a wider variety of events.  As a volunteer club, it depends on you the members to come out, suggest outings you would like go on, and potentially start leading hikes, snowshoe trips etc. So this year at the Christmas Party in November, we’re going to seek your input on activities you would like to participate in and trails you’d like to explore. So bring your ideas, and if you would like to start leading some come club outings, seek out our  Executive Trip coordinator David V.

And now, on with the show……

August-September 2016 ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

We’ve had a great late-Summer and Fall season. From August 19 to September 30 there were 21 outings posted on the calendar, from urban walks and social dining, to mountain hikes and scrambles.

A few highlights:

September 2016 Club Meeting

The September members meeting  featured Autumn in Quebec and Gaspesie, a slideshow by CORE member Jeanette about a 2013 trip to Gaspe/Quebec.

October 2016 Club Meeting

HALLOWEEN PARTY : Due to a double booking at the community centre we’ve had to change the date of the monthly meeting. Instead of the usual presentation we are hosting a Halloween party – same place (1727 14th Avenue S.W.) and time of 7:00 on Friday OCTOBER 28. CORE will provide beverages and some food but are asking for people to bring a Halloween treat if they wish. For more information, please see the CORE calendar.

Random Stuff

Contacting your CORE Executive

Members are welcome to contact your Executive via email. Our email addresses are available on the Executive Contact Info page on the CORE website. Use your Member password to access.

A Random Poem

 

See you on the the trails…

ANnIE