CORE: Past Special Events

THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL
(Glacier National Park, Montana)
2007 Backpacking Trip

July 28 through August 8, 2007

Total Distance: +187 km
Rating: Strenuous

Please view itinerary in Members-Only section.

Waterton Hiking Weekend - July 1, 2 & 3, 2006
A weekend of hiking and socializing in beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park is planned for the Canada Day weekend (July 1, 2 & 3). If you'd like to sign up for either the whole weekend or a portion of the weekend, please email Pam at pamelalynv@yahoo.com and let her know. (Hikes for all levels - see below.) Everyone is responsible for booking their own accommodation in and around the Waterton Park townsite. A lot of CORE members will be staying at a reasonable hotel called the Bear Mountain Hotel (www.bearmountainmotel.com). Aside from Bear Mountain, there are campgrounds and an excellent hostel where you can stay (www.discoverwaterton.com/WheretoStay). For campgrounds, go to www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/parks/watert.htm Book early as campgrounds and hotels will fill up due to the long weekend. As well, Pincher Creek has a Super 8 Motel and is about 45 minute drive from Waterton. (Please note: The coordinators of all the hikes listed below will be in Waterton for the whole weekend. Be sure to contact them a number of days before the long weekend.)

Saturday, July 1 - Hike #1
Crypt Lake- one of the classic hikes in Waterton

The hike begins with a boat ride across Upper Waterton Lake and includes four waterfalls, a twisting, switchback trail, constant views much of the way, and a short tunnel through which you must pass, followed by a safety cable on the other side. It is 17 km return with 685 m elevation gain. Rated moderate to difficult. There is also a short stretch of narrow ledge leading up to the tunnel and a short ladder. Email Pam at pamelynv@yahoo.com for more information about the boat ride and hike.

Saturday, July 1 - Hike #2
Bertha Lake Trail and Viewpoint
This trail leads to Waterton's most accessible backcountry lake. To the viewpoint, it's 10.8 km return, and 200 m elevation gain. Along the way, you'll see Lower and Upper Bertha Falls and lots of wildflowers. Carol is willing to organize and assist with this hike and get people to the trailhead, but would appreciate a co-coordinator as her broken ankle may not be well enough healed by July 1. The trail is well signed and well traveled. Call her at (403) 249-8028 or email her at cmiyagawa@shaw.ca.

Saturday, July 1
Mt. Galwey Scramble

Call Harvey at (403) 249-8028 (harvk@shaw.ca) about this scramble. It is 6 km return, 960 m elev. gain, roughly six hours in duration. CORE hike rating: Extra Difficult. Helmet required.

Sunday, July 2 - Hike #1
Carthew-Alderson Trail
The Carthew-Alderson trail traces a spectacular route from Cameron Lake to Waterton Park townsite. Total distance of the hike (which requires a car shuttle) is 19.9 km, elevation gain is 650 m (moderate-difficult). Vistas along this hike span everything from mountain top to prairie to backcountry lakes. Contact Geoff at (403) 210-1308 or rockymountainlarch@yahoo.com to register or for more info.

Sunday, July 2
Alternative ideas for easy hikes
If anyone is interested in doing some easy, touristy hikes in Waterton on Sunday, there's Bear's Hump with its spectacular view of Waterton Park townsite; Red Rock Canyon and Blakiston Falls hike; Cameron Lakeshore hike and Waterton Lakeshore hike. There are always lots of people on these popular trails, so they are generally safe. Call Carol at (403) 249-8028 for more information.

Sunday, July 2
Mt. Carthew Scramble
Scramble up Mt. Carthew. This scramble leaves from the same trailhead as the Carthew-Alderson hike and follows the trail to the pass at 2311 m. From there, the scramblers will head up Mt. Carthew - 1000m total elevation, 10 km, rated as Difficult. Contact Harvey at (403) 249-8028 or harvk@shaw.ca for more details.

Monday, July 3
Nikko Yukko Japanese Gardens in Lethbridge
Andrew is coordinating a side trip to Lethbridge on the way home from Waterton to visit the Nikko Yukko Japanese Gardens. Anyone interested in seeing the gardens, contact Andrew at (403) 244-4321 or foxtheartist@yahoo.ca.

Monday, July 3

Turtle Mountain Scramble

Located near Blairmore, this scramble up Turtle Mountain could take up to 8 hours, 500 m elevation gain, 7.5 km return. Contact Harvey at (403) 249-8028 (harvk@shaw.ca).

Lake O'Hara Camping and Hiking Weekend - August 25, 26 & 27, 2006

If you are interested in this weekend of camping and hiking in the Lake O'Hara area, please contact Carol (249-8028) or Isabelle (283-8022) by May 20. We can book campsites and seats on the bus three months in advance, which means we need to call for bookings on May 26. The plan is to leave Calgary Friday on the evening of August 25 and stay in Field or Lake Louise (hostel) so that we can get on the earliest bus into Lake O'Hara on Saturday morning. We'll only be camping Saturday night and coming out Sunday evening.
(Alternative plan if Lake O'Hara falls through: Hiking and Camping in Jasper.)

May Long Weekend: Canoeing Down the Milk River
(Friday May 19 to Monday May 22, 2006)

Rating "moderate" - some class II rapids (1-meter high waves possible).
Leaving approximately 5 PM Friday May 19 to drive to Milk River townsite.
4 canoes maximum; wilderness camping possible.

Paddle approximately 75 km down the Milk River. Starting with a gentle paddle through open grassland valleys, then getting into the class II section with sandstone cliffs. The river then calms down again through the hoodoos in Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park.

For more information, please phone Jeanette at (403) 286-3840 before Friday May 4.

Snowshoe/Cross Country Ski Weekend in Elkford, BC

Terry has booked the entire group camp area for that weekend. There are no car restrictions and the large enclosed shelter has windows. There is a large BBQ and a fire pit as well. Lots of hiking trails very close by with a lot of variety for all levels of hikers. Cost is $ 30 for the weekend or $ 15 per night. Only 10 spots are available so if you want to come you should book and pay now.

Columbia River 4-Day Canoe Trip:

Rick Thrale is planning a four-day canoe trip (Friday, Jul 29 to Monday, 1 Aug) on the Columbia River with some of his family members. They would like to include up to a "maximum" of two additional canoes from CORE members if there is interest by anyone in joining. Point of Embarkation will be near the Town of Invermere. Point of Disembarkation will be near Golden. Total Distance is roughly 135 KMs depending on how often one gets lost in the many river channels. The River Rating is a Grade 1 (roughly the same as the Red Deer River but water temps are colder).

Participants should be physically capable of enduring 3-1/2 days of continuous paddling/camping in the wilds. Note: There are no camp grounds along this stretch -- camp spots will likely be on sand bars and available areas can be crowded if there are many other canoeists in the area. Canoes, equipment and logistics will be up to the members to provide for themselves. Contact: Rick Thrale 668-0107 or RThrale@shaw.ca if interested.

Vicki is hosting this annual potluck & BBQ at her house next Saturday. It's going to be a lot of fun. All CORE members are invited to come out, have fun, and meet fellow hikers. Call Vicki at 686 4115 for more details.

P.S. - An easy to moderate hike will be planned for earlier in the day. Watch the calendar and your Inbox for more details about the hike.

As part of the Alberta 100th birthday celebration, Harvey Kwan is coordinating a couple of scrambling events related to the Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition. The overall objective of this endeavor is to summit 100 peaks in the Rocky Mtns. = 100th provincial birthday.

The goal is to scramble up to the summit of the mountain, install a new register - (canister) at the top, take pictures and write an article about these adventures to be posted on the Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition web-site. Harvey is running this as a CORE event.

He is volunteering for this event and has been assigned the following mountains:
Mount Fable near Canmore very close to Grotto Mtn. and Castle Mountain. Both scrambles need to be completed by Sept 1. (the province's birthday).

Mount Fable will be first and Castle second because the snow will be gone on Fable soon.
Castle will be a long day. We will need lots of daylight. Castle is rated as an easy scramble and
Fable is rated as a moderate one. Harvey will try to figure out the best dates that work for most people
( June, July or Aug.)

If you are interested you need you to fill out a special waiver from the Centennial Mtn organizers.
The deadline is May 22. Please email Harvey at harvk@shaw.ca if you would like a waiver or more information about this event. It should be a lot of fun too, and like Jill says, this will be the best hike ever.

http://www.climbalberta.com/ for more info.

Fraser River 10-Day Canoe Trip:

I am planning a ten-day canoe trip (Friday, Jul 1 to Sunday, 10 Jul) on the Fraser River with some of my family members. We'd like to include up to a "maximum" of two additional canoes from CORE members if there is interest by anyone in joining us. Point of Embarkation will be Tete Jeune Cache (Junction of Hwy 15 and Hwy 16). Point of Disembarkation will be Penny (a few miles before you get to some heavy rapids just before Prince George along Hwy 16). Total Distance is 240 KMs.

The River Rating is a fairly fast Grade 1 with some minor Grade 2 around some of the river bends. Participants should be physically (and mentally) capable of enduring ten days of continuous paddling/camping in the wilds. Canoes, equipment and logistics will be up to the members to provide for themselves. Contact: Rick Thrale 668-0107 or RThrale@shaw.ca if interested.

Indoor Climbing Course, February 8th, 2005

Indoor Climbing Wall @ Mount Royal College
Contact: Harvey 249-8028
More Info: http://www.mtroyal.ab.ca/recreation/winter/climbingindoor.shtml See their website for more info

Willis and I are taking a basic climbing course offered by MRC from Feb 8-Mar1 Tues 7:30-10:00PM Cost is $109+GST. Course # is CRN:29258. There are still four more spots available in this class, max class size is eight. If you want to register phone 440-6517.You can pay for the course by charge card.

The Iceline hike in Yoho N.P. has always been a popular and well attended hike for CORE.

Last year we stayed at Stanley Mitchell Hut , hiked in Friday, stayed 2 nights and hiked out on the Sunday. This year I have booked the ENTIRE hut for just us on August 6^th, 2004

The cost is $40 per person including the NP Wilderness Pass and GST. The $40 cost includes the cost of the hut, as well as the Parks Canada wilderness pass (required for each of us per night in a national park) I have the invoice if anyone wants proof of cost.

The plan is to carpool from Calgary on Friday August 6th, and meet at the Takkakaw Falls parking lot in Yoho NP. At 9:30am and be on the trail at 10am.

Then we hike in to the Stanley Mitchell Hut to stay over Friday night. The hike in to the hut is 10km and about 675m elevation. On Saturday, we sleep in and slowly get ready to hike out Saturday afternoon along the Iceline trail. The hike out is 11km.

We need chef / recipe / kitchen duty ideas for feeding 20 easily. We do not want 20 chefs. If you pay early and you have to cancel, you can receive a refund up to 60 days prior to Aug.6^th. No refunds after June 6^th.

Distance: 30 – 35 KM
Elevation Gain: All downstream (I hope) (There are no rapids)
Rating: Moderate - should be capable of "enjoying" a long distance canoeing experience
Duration: Overnight Trip (Leave Saturday – Return Sunday)
Approximate driving time: 3 hours to embarkation/disembarkation (Vehicle shuttle required)
Contact: Rick 403-932-0867 or RThrale@shaw.ca

Details: Please contact for details
More Info: Trip Planning Meeting will be held with those interested prior to actual trip
Required Equipment: Canoe per two persons required, Tent and Sleeping Bag, Lawn Chair and Provisions for 2 days.

Event: Waterton Lakes- Lineham ridge
Date: August 21-22, 2004 leaving August 20
Type of Activity: backpack
Area: Waterton National Park
Driving time: 3.5 hrs from Calgary
Contact: Lori @ 851-1613
Details:
Sat hike option 1: Linham ridge, Distance: 17.2 Km, Gain: 950 m, Time:7-8hrs return, Rating: Difficult
Sat hike option 2: Forum Wall Lakes, Distance: 15 Km, Gain 350m, Time, 3.5-4 hrs, Rating: Moderate
Sunday: Easy hikes: Red Rock Canyon, Blakiston Falls, Crandell Lake
Signup deadline August, 16, 2004

Required Equipment: Provide you own accommodation

This is a wonderful semi loop hike starting at the Jackson Hole ski resort and covering 47 kilometers on top of the Teton Crest Trail, ending up at a camp site / lodge at Jenny Lake.

According to Mapquest.com, Jackson hole is 1250 kilometers from Calgary and can be easily driven in 2 days. We would camp one night along the way.

The elevation gain will be varied and some sections are rather steep. The distances between camp sites will be 11-13 kilometers per day. Most of the elevation gain will be in the first part of each day followed by substantial ridge walking and awesome views. We have 3 passes to cross in 4 days. Lots of water and lots of camps sites. All in all a good challenge.

Sun. Aug 22 - Travel to Moose, Wyoming.
Mon. Aug 23 - Travel to Moose, Wyoming.
Tue. Aug 24 - Arrive in Teton Village.
Wed. Aug 25 - Hike - day 1.
Thu. Aug 26 - Hike - day 2.
Fri. Aug 27 - Hike - day 3.
Sat. Aug 28 - Hike - day 4.
Sun Aug 29 - Travel Day to Calgary.
Aug 30 - Travel Day to Calgary-arrive home.

You must have experience in multi-day treks carrying at least a 40 pound pack for at least 4 days. The altitude of this hike will be over 10,000 feet for most of the hike.

If we do this as 1 group of 6 and another group of maximum of 6 (or less) we can have a wider choice of camping spots and not be forced to camp in the designated group areas which are, according to my hiking map, are where I wanted to stop for the day.

Friends of Kananaskis Trail Maintenance

Volunteer duties range from litter collection, tree and shrub pruning to drainage ditching, trail surfacing and bridge repairs. Volunteer work is carried out under the direction of and with hand tools supplied by Kananaskis Country. Volunteer workdays are held on the second Saturday of each month, May through September. More details on CORE coordinators for each month to follow!

On June 12, 2004 4 CORE members participated in Trail Maintenance near the Forks Campground in Kananaskis Country - A special thanks to our CORE coordinator - Geoff.

For the September 11, 2004 trail maintenance, the CORE coordinator is Terry 606-1868.

http://www.kananaskis.org/volunteer.htm