Hiking Meeting March 14, 2011

Transcription

1 Hiking Meeting March 14, 2011 I. Mission Statement for Hiking (written by Muriel Lang) Based on Proverbs 8:30: I was filled with delight day after day, (enjoyment) rejoicing always in his presence, (Jesus) rejoicing in his whole world (creation) and delighting in mankind. (relationships) To enjoy creation with friends rejoicing in the presence of God, while involved in outdoor pursuits, being physically fit. Isaiah 11:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things. II. History of the Women s Hiking Group In February 2001, four ladies from First Alliance Church (Liz Mackie, Maureen Slater, Gail McPherson and Muriel Lang) were attending a Ladies Retreat taught by Dee Matheson at King s Fold Retreat Center. During break we went on a walk down to the Ghost River and through a path in the trees. As we sat on the hillside of King s Fold, looking out at the mountains the question arose, Why aren t we hiking and getting out in this beauty regularly? Muriel mentioned that she had registered (through the encouragement of her daughter Sarah) with the Calgary Parks and Recreation for three easy hikes in June in a program called Weekday Hikes for Women. Muriel offered to take the other ladies on these three hikes in the summer. Liz suggested we start a hiking club. As we continued to talk about it, one of the key ideas was that everyone would be free to invite friends and it would be open to everyone. We did those first three hikes together in the summer of 2001 Sulphur Springs/Riverview, Foran Grade and Jumping Pound Summit Ridge. That fall some of us registered in Weekday Hikes for Women for the three intermediate hikes and also for the spring and fall of We owe so much to Kendy Bentley, our guide for all these hikes. She got us started and taught us so much. We gradually learned about hikes in the area and also researched in books and the Gem Trek Maps. We are also grateful to Sonya Douglas, a past president and member of the Prairie Mountaineers Hiking Club, who started hiking with us in She has introduced us to many new hikes. We have been hiking for ten consecutive seasons and have always been an informal, amateur group of ladies who have shared our love of God s creation with friends and invited them to come along with us. It has been word of mouth. In the fall of 2010 Tara Weatherford, the new Director of Women s Ministries at First Alliance Church, had the desire to form a hiking club at the church. Tara had joined us on several hikes and invited me (Muriel) to help facilitate this by inviting our existing group to come under the umbrella of Women s Ministry. At a fall fair at the church in September we had 50 new ladies express interest in hiking. Tara also invited Lynn Whitestone to work with me. Sonya, Lynn and Muriel met in October and February to prepare for this season. We are hoping for a great season in 2011!

2 III. Step by Step Procedures of a Hike: 1. The hike coordinator will send an with all the details a week before the hike. We will give you a starting time but will not be able to tell you when we ll be back because we want the freedom to enjoy the day without the pressure of deadlines. 2. Please back if you can come. 3. Please check your the morning of the hike. Weather is always an issue and there are times when we won t know until the last minute whether the hike will happen. If the weather is questionable, please check your the morning of the hike for last minute changes. 4. Drive to the meeting place. If you d like to car pool from your home to the meeting place you will need to arrange that yourself. 5. At the meeting place: Try to arrive early because the coordinator will be helping to organize car pools from the meeting place to the trailhead. Also if you have not previously signed the waiver form, it has to be done at this point. If you bring a guest they will have to read it and sign. In addition please allow time for going to the bathroom. We plan on leaving the meeting place on time. Before leaving, the driver needs to set their odometer to zero because each person will pay the driver 5 cents per kilometer both ways. Please have small change to pay the driver at the end. 6. At the trailhead: If we have a group larger than fifteen we will subdivide into smaller groups. Each group will have a lead person and a sweep at the end. The coordinator will be at the front. We will wait at each junction until the entire group is together. 7. On the trail: We practice leave no trace hiking. When you have to go to the bathroom please tell your leader and we will stop. You will need two plastic Ziploc bags. One contains your toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The other is for the used toilet paper which we will carry out with us. We also carry out all leftovers from snacks and lunch i.e., apple cores. Please communicate with the leader for any reason, for example, pace is too fast, need to stop for a drink, snack or to readjust clothing. It is extremely important to stay with the group at all times until we get back to the vehicles. All vehicles will leave together. Please ensure that you have plenty of water especially on hot days between 1 2 litres. 8. Guests: you are responsible to educate your guests of all these guidelines and to forward them the Waiver: All participants are required to sign a waiver and release of liability once a season. Please print, sign and give to us on or before your first hike.

3 IV. Tentative Hike Schedule: Date Hike Meeting Place May 17 Cross Conservatory *Cross May 24 Fullerton Loop *Bragg Creek May 31 Bow Valley Provincial Park *Petro Can June 7 Sulphur Springs/Riverview Bragg Creek June 14 Foran Grade *Turner Valley June 21 Nihahi Ridge Bragg Creek June 28 Jumping Pound Summit Ridge Petro Can July 5 Barrier Lake Lookout Petro Can July 12 Rawson Lake Petro Can July 19 Grass Pass Turner Valley July 26 Sunshine Meadows Petro Can August 2 Healy Pass Petro Can August 9 Chester Lake Petro Can August 16 Burstall Pass Petro Can August 23 Upper Kananaskis Lakes Petro Can August 30 Galatea Petro Can September 6 September 13 Camp Chamisall September 20 Larch Valley Petro Can September 27 Cross Conservatory Cross Directions to Meeting Places * Cross Conservatory Go west on Highway 22X, turn left at 160 Street SW * Bragg Creek Meet in the parking lot of the shopping center behind Cinnamon Spoon Coffee shop. * Petro Can past the city on Highway #1. Park on the gravel road parallel to the highway. * Turner Valley park in the community hall parking on the left side of the road going into town (beside swimming pool)

4 V. Clothing and Gear Mike Lang Gear: 1. Backpack 2. Nylon pack cover* 3. Hiking boots 4. Hiking poles* 5. Sit-upon and/or therma rest chair* Clothing: 1. Hiking pants that zip off into shorts (quick dry, loose fitting). No jeans. 2. Top - wicking t-shirt/long sleeve 3. Liner sock* (wicking) 4. Outer sock (insulating, wool or synthetic) 5. Insulating layer (fleece, vest) 6. Windbreaker jacket 7. Rain jacket 8. Wind/quick dry pants 9. Rain Pants 10. Mitts/gloves and rain mitts 11. Toque 12. Gaiters* 13. Spare socks* 14. Hat (*denotes optional items) Personal items: 1. Sunglasses 2. Sunscreen 3. Blister prevention 4. Toilet Paper 5. Ziploc for packing out used toilet paper 6. Insect repellant Food: 1. Lunch 2. Snacks 3. Plenty of water

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