Calgary Nature Lovers

CNL News: Our 6 month Meetup bill comes in February which is going to drain our funds. Now taking donations for the August 2019 bill to build up our funds. Thanks in advance for your generous donations! Enjoy a walk along the Bow river this morning! Walk is about an hour to 90 minutes. Dogs welcome. Kids are welcome too! By registering for this hike/event, you signify that you're aware of the risks associated with nature hiking and are aware of your physical limits and how they relate to this particular event. You also signify that you take full responsibility for your safety (although we’ll all do our best to ensure that everyone returns safe and sound) and don’t hold the organizer of the hike or the organizers of this group responsible for any harm that might occur as a result of your participation.

• What we'll do We walk first for about one hour to work up an appetite. Our host this evening will be Birgit. Thanks Birgit. Walking directions: We will take a wee daunder through the neighbourhood before dinner. NOTE: THE THURSDAY EVENING EVENTS ARE UNDERGOING A TRANSITION PROCESS. IN FAIRNESS TO ALL NATURE LOVERS, MEMBERS ACCUMULATING THREE “NO SHOWS” OR “LATE CANCELLATIONS (LESS THAN 24 HOURS NOTICE)” WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO RSVP FOR THE DINING PART OF THE EVENT. ALL NATURE LOVERS ARE WELCOME TO THE WALKING PART OF THE EVENT AT ANY TIME WITHOUT AN RSVP. • What to bring

Pace - VERY SLOW. Level - Beginner Distance: 5-7km, Elevation Gain: <100m We will snowshoe/microspike the Lakeshore trail and maybe Laggan's Loop or Fairview Lookout depending on our energy level. We will have lunch near the Chateau and then check out the Ice Magic sculptures. Trailhead location from west edge of Calgary: https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/51.0886396,-114.2759941/51.4168928,-116.2135256/@51.2431845,-116.055085,8.5z THIS TRIP WILL BE WEATHER DEPENDENT. PLEASE CHECK THE WEBSITE THE MORNING OF THE TRIP TO MAKE SURE THE TRIP HAS NOT BEEN CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS. Attendance for this event is at the discretion of the organizer. The waitlist for this event is NOT first come, first serve, but based on pace and ability to fit into the group to make the hike enjoyable for everyone. We will be hiking at the pace of the "SLOWEST" hiker. We will be stopping for plenty of breaks - rest, water, lots of photos, delayering, fixing equipment, bathroom or just to look at something interesting. There is no running or scooting ahead of the group. And no trying to get the group to move faster. If you are ahead of me and I cannot see you, you MUST slow down. If you come to a fork in the road, you MUST stop. If you are unable to RESPECT these "guidelines", your future attendance on events I organize will be denied. Absolute musts for this hike are BEARSPRAY, SNOWSHOES and MICROSPIKES. Please do not put me in the position of having to turn you away from the hike if you do not have them. Time: 3-4 hours Required Gear: Absolutely NO cotton clothing. Water (2 litres or more), lunch/snacks, bearspray, microspikes, snowshoes, boots, backpack, appropriate layers for the temperature plus additional layers for when we stop, hat, mitts, toque, bag for dirty boots if you are a passenger, personal-sized first aid kit, personal medications (if needed), (NO BEAR BELLS). Suggested Gear: hiking poles, bandanna, camera/small binoculars, outdoor “bathroom” kit (toilet paper, plastic bag to carry out used T.P., hand sanitizer, etc.), lightweight pad to sit on, change of socks/footwear for after the hike. No Dogs, No Children Be Bear Smart! Bears can be up at any time of year, so be prepared with your bear spray. http://www.albertaparks.ca/kananaskis-country/advisories-public-safety/wildlife/be-bear-smart.aspx Car Pools I do not arrange carpools. But, if you can offer a ride, please make a comment as to what part of Calgary you are coming from. If you wish to have a ride, please look for those offering a ride and message them or post a comment that you would like a ride, have gas money and where you are located in Calgary. Suggested gas contribution is $30.00 for this location. http://files.meetup.com/1777151/Carpooling.txt By registering for this hike, you signify that you're aware of the risks associated with nature hiking and are aware of your physical limits and how they relate to this particular event. You also signify that you take full responsibility for your safety (although we’ll all do our best to ensure that everyone returns safe and sound) and don’t hold the organizer of the hike or the organizers of this group responsible for any harm that might occur as a result of your participation. WAIVER: You will be required to sign a waiver before you are allowed to go on this trip. You should arrive prepared with an emergency name and phone number to be recorded on the waiver. Organizer will have a group waiver for you to sign at the trailhead.

When signing up for this hike you will be automatically placed on a waitlist. 'IF' you have 'NEVER' hiked with me before, please answer the RSVP question so we can determine together whether this is an appropriate hike for you to join. The answers and discussion after will be the deciding factors of gaining a spot on the go list. My goal is to get as many people out to the mountains as possible, but also be fair to those who are signing up well equipped, capable, and having certain expectations for the hike. Mount Cory This is going to be weather dependent, and I will change the destination if conditions are not favorable. It is also unlikely we can make the summit safely so, keep that in mind when signing on. 10k, 1000m gain, all day outing.... the usual yada yada yada. If you don't know what that means, this may not be a good event for you to sign up for. Ice axe MANDATORY, plan for now to be carrying snowshoes though that may change, and we'll definitely need microspikes. Times are APPROX, if you need to be back in the city at a particular time, it’s best to sit this one out. ***It will be rare to see any of my events canceled, worst case will be a location change if weather conditions are not favorable at the initial destination. The likelihood of changing location due to weather is much greater when posting this far out. Just sayin.*** Car pool fee $15.00, and park passes needed for this one. Cheers Michael JC What we are doing out here is a dangerous activity. In registering for this hike you signify that you are aware of the risks associated with nature hiking, snowshoeing, avalanche hazards, scrambling/rock fall hazards, wildlife encounters, ticks as well as carpooling. You are aware of your physical limits, and how they relate to these activities. You also signify that you take full responsibility for your own safety. We are volunteers, not paid guides. While we will do our best to ensure that everyone returns safe and sound. You do not hold the organizer of the event or the organizers of this group responsible for any harm that might occur as a result of your participation. Must Have Gear -Ice Axe -Snowshoes (Maybe....) -Microspikes -Headlamp -Ski Goggles Proper hiking clothes/boots (NO COTTON), LAYERS (shell/warm layers *expect the unexpected*), toque, MULTIPLE pairs of gloves (at least two), personal first aid kit, emergency bivvy sack and fire starting materials, HEADLAMP (<-------this is written twice, did you notice?) and FRESH batteries, spare socks, 1 liter of water, a big lunch and lots of high energy snack food. Gaiters, hiking poles, hand/toe warmers, a change of shoes for after the hike. Note: if you are worried about your noggin, carry a rock climbers helmet. Joining this hike is like joining a team, and we are all necessary as part of that team. Looking out for each other, spending time getting to know different people, relaxed pace (not slow but not a race either). You can expect off routing adventure, finding extraordinary things to photograph, lots of laughing, awesome like minded nature people, and wicked scenery. Let's go get a good return for our precious remaining life seconds and spend them creating an awesome memory!!!