Snowshoe to Chester Lake
All in all, a spectacular day with brilliant sunshine, and a really enjoyable snowshoe hike. The elephant rocks were an interesting feature and worth the side trip. We may do this hike again in the fall because there are lots of larches up there and it would be quite brilliant at that time of year. Thanks to Paul for getting us out there and back!
Carve a Song
Last weekend, we went on our annual overnight trip to Lake Louise to see the Ice Magic carving competition. This year’s theme was Carve a Song, and we were brought into another world of angels, crazy trains, dancing ewes, monster mash and Yakutian folklore. Sunny, mild temperatures and lots of powder snow made for a fantastic time snowshoeing the Pipestone Trail and hiking to the Fairview Lookout overlooking Lake Louise and the Chateau.
Our Hike to Nordegg!
SCCG Annual High Trip to Shunda Creek in Nordegg was a great success. Ten of us woke up Saturday morning to snow covered mountains and trails. A quick revision of our original trail plans (special thanks to Shunda Hostel Innkeeper Sparrow for her great suggestions and help with trail conditions) and we were off to Black Canyon Trail. Spectacular walk around Shunda Lake, leading into snow covered old growth forests, meadows and ridge walks overlooking the North Saskatchewan River Valley. Along the trail we met beaver kits, wild trumpeter swans (!), loons, chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches. As if that wasn’t enough, as we turned into the road back to the hostel, a cougar walked right across the road! Sunday took us to Crescent Falls, a magnificent vista looking down into Bighorn River Canyon. The trail meanders through snow capped spruce and tamarack, ending with jaw-dropping views of the falls.
Great and tasty potluck dinner Saturday night topped off by making many new friends from Calgary also staying at the hostel. After dinner we were serenaded by our talented friends and their four guitars. We discovered some talent in our own group as the guitars passed around (great picking and crooning, Darren!).
Stay tuned for plans for our next overnight trip soon!
Galatea Creek & Lillian Lake
Last Sunday we went out to Kananaskis Country to explore the many bridges on the Galatea Creek trail. It was a good day with great weather and few bugs. The start was quite different with the interpretive display about cougars at the trailhead. The hike up was interesting (i.e. steep in places), criss-crossing over the creek on several wooden bridges to reach Lillian Lake. After lunch, some of us climbed up the taxing 1 km scree slope to get a view of the lower Galatea Lake, which was well worth the effort. Thanks to all the hikers for joining us on this month’s outing. I hope you all enjoyed the hike, the conversations and the company today. Big thanks again to Bernice and Paul for trucking the majority of the crew there and back! Continue reading
Where Is Rae Lake?
The hiking season is upon us! We kicked off the year with a 17.2 kilometre trip to Rae Lake; or rather close to it as we actually didn’t find Rae Lake. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful hike with lots of variety – the trail goes through forest, along a creek, through open meadows with great views on the surrounding mountains. The scenery was literally breathtaking with wind gusts of ~100+ km/hr.
An adventurous day to say the least, but it was an interesting experience by nearly being blown off of the trail by gale force winds one minute, and then having dead calm the next minute… A very surreal atmosphere that produced some great photos and great conversations during the entire hike. Thoroughly enjoyed the day! — Darren
“I talk about garbage every day at work. And I love it; it’s super fun!”
That’s how Michelle welcomed us today at the City of Calgary’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). The facility is owned by the Québec-based company Cascades and operated by the City of Calgary. All of Calgary’s recycling materials collected in the blue bins land here where they are sorted into paper, plastic, metal and glass.
Numbers
Currently, the facility runs on only 50 per cent capacity. Per hour it processes 40 tonnes of recycling, the equivalent of six adult and one baby elephant. 80 per cent of the recycling waste is paper, only 20 per cent are metal, glass and plastic. The City’s goal is to reduce landfill waste to 20 per cent by 2020. Currently, that’s our recycling rate, 80 per cent of our waste go to the landfill. Continue reading
Clean River
Yesterday we went down to St. Patrick’s Island with a dozen volunteers to free trees, bushes and grass from garbage. In total, we collected five full bags of litter; mostly bottle caps, cigarette butts, lighters, plastic bags and paper. Our best finds were a rusty frying pan and a still-good-to-use canoe paddle.
Biggest highlight of the day was a Great Horned Owl in a tree. While cleaning nearby the pathway Grant heard her babies close by. When he looked up he couldn’t find the nest but spotted the parents in a tree.
Snowy adventure
A great day! Little colder than in Calgary but very pleasant as long as we were walking. We had more snow than expected – could have been a snowshoe hike. It will make a beautiful hike in summer and fall.
April hike: Upper Kananaskis Lake
Back by popular demand! Upper Kananaskis Lake is a real beauty in spring, summer and fall. The loop is 15.2km long and very easy to walk. Going around the circumference of the lake the hike is mainly flat; total elevation gain is 60m. There are numerous views of the lake and the valley beyond. Depending on the weather this will be either a snowshoe or a regular hike.
When: Sunday, April 22, 2012
What: easy, but long snowshoe trip
Who: everyone, family-friendly with older kids
Please RSVP by April 15, 2012 to christopher@sierraclubchinook.org.
Family Day Fun in Kananaskis
We had an amazing Sunday snowshoeing in Kananaskis Country. Paddy’s Flats near Bragg Creek was a great trail for beginners and snowshoers of all ages; we had teens and seniors alike in the group. And the dogs sure had a good time running through the woods and playing in the snow 
Sadly, the area is scheduled for clear-cut logging later this year. Please help us to preserve those amazing hiking trails by signing Sustain Kananaskis’ petition to Stop Clear-cut Logging in West Bragg Creek.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Massive_Clear_Cut_Logging_by_Spray_Lake_Sawmills_in_West_Bragg_Creek_Alberta_Kananaskis_Country/
