EXECUTIVE CORNER
This month we’d like to concentrate on participant safety. So as you read on, you’ll find an expanded safety section, covering Bear Safety and Safety on the Trail. This material is neither rocket science nor original, partly common sense, and partly based on acquired knowledge of experienced outdoors enthusiasts. The original resources are referenced and linked, so if you see a safety point you want to do some further reading on, please go to those resources for more detail.
Some Tips to Help your Hike Leaders
Remember: Only you are responsible for your own safety!
When you are thinking of joining a posted hike, please review any information or maps of your own that you might have in addition to the calendar notes. That way you can have a better idea of the route and what difficulties you may encounter.
Please be a bit early at the meeting spot. If you are going to be late, or have decided not to go, let your coordinator know so the group won’t be waiting for you. The coordinator always provides participants with their cell phone number.
Keep together with your party by hiking only as fast as the slowest member of your group. Stop frequently to allow others to catch up. Follow the “keep in groups of four” rule. It is stressful on the hike leader, not to mention dangerous in bear country, if you travel way ahead of the rest of the group. (And in winter you might fall in a tree well, and who would know?).
And now, on with the show……
July-August 2016 ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD
We’re having a great mid-Summer season, despite some rain. From July 16 to August 16 there were 18 outings posted on the calendar, from urban walks, tennis and social dining, to mountain trips, ranging from intermediate level to scrambles. And 20 CORE members participated in the Revelstoke weekend, doing various hikes, scrambles and even some “tourist” activities. A pretty comprehensive schedule.
A few highlights:
July 23 West Wind Pass
July 30 Wind Ridge
July 30 Revelstoke Weekend
August 6 Piper Pass
August 13 Red Ridge
July 2016 Club Meeting
The July members meeting featured Justin Howse – Operations Manager at Norseman Outdoor Specialist.
Justin gave us an entertaining and informative discussion covering proper wildlife safety and personal care to help you stay safe during your hiking adventures.
August 2016 Club Meeting
Guest Speaker John McFaul , on a nature cruise conducted by Quest Nature Tours, traveled first to Buenos Aries, Argentina and then on to Ushuaia, then set sail to visit the Antarctic Peninsula for 10 days. John McFaul is a professional naturalist who has been leading nature walks and hikes for 30 years. A native Calgarian, he received a BSc. degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Calgary. From 1986-2003 he worked for City of Calgary Parks as a naturalist for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. From 2004 to the present John has been the owner/guide for Alpenglow Nature Hikes. John is a program director and an Honourary Member of the Calgary Field Naturalists’ Society and a recipient of the prestigious Loran L. Goulden Award from the Federation of Alberta Naturalists. He is an accredited Professional Interpreter with the Interpretive Guides Association. Alpenglow Nature Hikes is dedicated to introducing Calgarians to the natural wonders of Calgary’s Nature Parks as well as Kananaskis Country and the mountain national parks.
Our meetings are open to the public, so don’t be shy. Join us at the Scarboro Community Hall, 1727 – 14 Ave SW, Tuesday August 30, 2016 – 7 p.m.
SAFETY
Synopsis from Wildsmart.ca:
Many of the closures and warnings are still in place for the Bow Valley, as bears are still being sighted regularly on the sides of the valley eating berries. However, we can expect to see more bears lower in the valley as berry season on the slopes ends and fruit tree season in town amps up.
*Important* There is a bear warning currently in effect for all of Kananaskis Country as well as additional bear warnings and closures available here for anyone visiting Kananaskis Country and Alberta Parks.
Current closures and warnings can be found on the WildSmart webpage at
www.wildsmart.ca/news/category/bear-activity/ . Check it before heading out to the Bow Valley.
Be vigilant while on trails, make noise, preferably travel in groups and carry bear spray. Report any encounters with bears to the Kananaskis dispatch @ (403) 591-7755.
Bear bells – should you pack them or pitch them?
Black Bear
Do you hike with bear bells?? Might they give you a false sense of security?
Lately the thinking seems to suggest that if anything bears might be curious about the bells because the sound is unnatural.
Here is an interesting article posted on the Hike Bike Travel website talking about the effectiveness (or not) of using bear bells at www.hikebiketravel.com/20307/bear-bells-pack-pitch/
After reading this, you might want to hang those bear bells on your front door to welcome visitors.
Would you know how to survive a bear attack?
It would be prudent for anyone planning to hike in western Canada, parts of the western USA, the Yukon Territory or Alaska to know exactly what to do if you are ever attacked by a bear (excluding Polar Bears).
Strategies range from bear avoidance to noise makers to pepper spray, and knowing what to do when the bear continues to be aggressive.
This article on the Hike Bike Travel website provides some tips on what to do if you encounter a bear at www.hikebiketravel.com/791/how-to-survive-a-bear-attack/
Hiking Safety
Source resources at these websites:
BC RCMP
(http://bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=87&languageId=1&contentId=27409)
and Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails
(www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/hiker-safety-tips.htm)
A few key points derived from the above noted resources are reiterated below. For the complete articles on back country hiking safety, please visit the respective websites. Numerous factors come into play if you want a safe hiking experience. Thunderstorms, lightning, a surprise snowstorm, dangerous wildlife, or maybe an unstable rock at the edge of a cliff are only some the hazards you could encounter while out on the trail. Having the proper gear, making sure that you’re in good physical condition, paying close attention to your surroundings, and using good judgment are all essential for a safe and enjoyable hiking trip. Remember: Only you are responsible for your own safety!
– Keep your hiking party together by hiking only as fast as the slowest member of your group. Always take into account the ability level of everyone in your group before choosing a particular hike. If you’re hiking with children, keep them in your sight at all times.
– Lightning is always an issue during the summer months. Start your hike early in the day, and plan to get below tree line or to a shelter before a storm strikes. If caught above tree line, get away from summits and isolated trees and rocks. Find shelter if possible but avoid small cave entrances and overhangs. Crouch down on the balls of your feet.
– Take a trail map and/or guide book with you. Use the map to keep track of your progress so that you know where you’re at all times.
– Hikers should use extreme caution around water. Glacier-fed streams and lakes make for frigid waters even during the hottest days.
– The Rockies can get very hot during the summer months. Watch for signs of heat exhaustion. As part of your first aid training you should know the signs of heat exhaustion and what to do if someone in your party has any of these signs.
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.
Feature Photos
From time to time, your Webmaster posts a Phantastic Photo on the CORE Home page drawn from the photos posted by members in the CORE photo albums. If you have a favorite that you think would really WOW other visitors to our website, please send the photo (or the Fotki link to it) to the CORE webmaster, and it will be featured on the next page update. In submitting the photo, please send the best resolution you have, along with the hike name and date, and who took the photo.
Lake Louise Shuttle
Note to Hike Coordinators planning on weekend and holidays trips to trails starting at Lake Louise, Parks Canada sometimes closes the road to Upper Lake Louise to further car traffic, offering a free weekend shuttle service from lower to upper Lake Louise starting Canada Day, July 1st to Labour Day, September 5th. The shuttle service departs from the Lake Louise overflow parking lot located 5 km east of Lake Louise, and operates between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. MDT. 06:00 PM is the last bus out. Note that the shuttle DOES NOT go to Moraine Lake, except for a short period on weekends from September 10th to September 25th, 2016 for the WonderFall festival and larch viewing. …more info…
A Random Poem
Racked my brain (and Google too) for an appropriate Outdoor adventure scrap of poetry, but nothing popped up, so here is a bit of doggerel by my favorite (Scottish) Canadian poet.
Old Boy Scout – Poem by Robert William Service
A bonny bird I found today
Mired in a melt of tar;
Its silky breast was silver-grey,
Its wings were cinnabar.
So still it lay right in the way
Of every passing car.
Yet as I gently sought to pry
It loose, it glared at me;
You would have thought its foe was I,
It pecked so viciously;
So fiercely fought, as soft I sought
From death to set it free.
Its pinions pitifully frail
I wrested from the muck;
I feared the feathers of its tail
Would never come unstuck.
. . . The jewel-bright it flashed in flight –
Oh how I wished it luck!
With happiness my heart was light,
To see how fair it flew;
To do my good deed I delight,
As grey-haired scouts should do;
Yet oh my bright reward’s to write
This simple rhyme for you!
See you on the the trails…
ANnIE
