EXECUTIVE CORNER

Mountain Equipment Co-0p Discount Night for CORE members 

– Thursday, November 23, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Start your Christmas Shopping Early!

Please bring your CORE membership card to MEC (830 – 10 Avenue S.W.) to receive a wristband and be eligible for a 10% discount on all your purchases that evening.  At 7:30, there will be a short winter layering and clothing demonstration.  Coordinators for the evening are David and Edna. If you have any questions, please consult the CORE calendar for their contact information.

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Peterman Fund X-Country Ski Lessons 

The executive is arranging for X-C ski lessons for CORE members in January. This training will be partially paid for by the Branko Peterman Endowment Fund. Please watch the CORE calendar for details.

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Getting Ready for Winter Adventures

The club is currently gearing up for a winter season of snowshoeing, x-country skiing and hopefully downhill skiing. In the next few days more trips will be added to the calendar, but members are invited and encouraged to post additional events, outings and activities for CORE. Please contact Pat, our Executive Trip Coordinator, if you have any questions about coordinating or if you would like to co-coordinate with an experienced coordinator. Her email address is listed on the Executive Contact page; click on the Resources tab on the website (second item from the bottom on the drop down menu).

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UPDATE: December 1- 3 Annual Christmas Weekend at Castle Mountain Chalets

With the holiday season approaching, so is our annual Christmas weekend at Castle Mountain chalets, December 1st to 3rd. There are already 16 of us signed up. There is both a snowshoe and a cross-country ski outing scheduled for each day. We will do appetizers on Friday evening around 7:00 p.m. in the adjacent chalets and our traditional potluck is scheduled for Saturday evening. People coming for the day from Calgary are welcome to join in. The four rooms in the adjacent chalets are taken, so new reservations should be made directly with Castle Mountain chalets. Do not forget to mention the 20% discount for CORE members. Looking forward to a great weekend.

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ACTIVITY SCOREBOARD

October/November 2017

Here are a few highlights from the CORE calendar for October 22 to November 12. Please visit the CORE photo albums for more pictures from recent activities.

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NOVEMBER MONTHLY MEETING

Scarboro Community Centre

1727 14th Avenue S.W.

TUESDAY, November 28, 2017, 7:00 pm

Annual Christmas Meeting and Party

All members are invited to our Annual Christmas Meeting and Party, our final meeting for 2017. The evening will begin with a special program — a slideshow of winter activities from the past few years followed by “CORE’s Got Talent,” featuring a performance by the talented CORE executive.

You’ll be invited to reveal your talents during a Christmas quiz (and perhaps win a prize). The night will end with a Christmas fete (a delectable buffet, ample Christmas cheer and festive music) to put everyone in the Christmas mood. This year, we’ll be serving drinks and munchies during our official program, after which the full buffet and social festivities will begin.

We are hoping for as many members as possible to come together for our last social of the year to celebrate the Christmas season and mingle with your fellow hikers, so be sure to come along and join in the fun.

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NATURE NEWS & NOTES

Raccoon-spotting in Banff – a Rare Thing, Indeed!

Did you know that raccoons are not normally seen in Banff National Park? This fall a raccoon was spotted in the Banff townsite which prompted Parks Canada to begin tracking the animal on remote cameras. The problem, according to Parks Canada, is that the raccoon is not a native species in Banff and could cause damage to the ecosystem. Raccoons are normally found in southwestern Alberta. According to Alberta Fish and Wildlife, in the wild raccoons feed on fruits, nuts, berries and insects, and foods that can be found near water such as fish, birds, eggs and frogs. They are omnivores that can easily adapt to whatever food sources are available

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A BIRD’S EYE VIEW

Another Year Older

This month CORE turns 18, a mere teenager in comparison to other clubs that have been around for a number of decades, such as the Calgary Ski Club, the Rocky Mountain Ramblers and the Calgary Weekend Hikers.

Since 1999, CORE has had it share of growing pains, as it evolved from its infancy into an adolescent. Some of the attributes that have kept CORE going are: dedicated coordinators, friendships that have developed, the adventures that have nourished our spirits, and the sense of community and commonality that comes from spending time in nature. Let’s hope that we can grow strong and tall as we approach adulthood in two years. And still be going strong when we turn 30.

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ARTICLES & BOOKS WORTH NOTING

Will 2017-2018 be a “La Nina” year?

La Niña means The Little Girl in Spanish. La Niña is also sometimes called El Viejo, anti-El Niño, or simply “a cold event.“

The impacts of La Niña on the global climate tend to be opposite those of El Niño. During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the southeast and cooler than normal in the northwest. La Niña usually brings colder winters to the Canadian west and Alaska, and drier, warmer weather to the American southeast.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists are “predicting” that a La Niña will form this winter, but this is not a certainty. Right now, they’re saying there’s a 55-65 percent chance. For it to officially be a La Niña year, the sea surface temperature needs to hold at least 0.5 degrees below average for three months.

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….see you on the trails ….

CM