Gathering 10.0 - Canadian Rockies

[Carmel]

As we all know Gathering 10.0 will be in the Canadian Rockies. We already have some votes for the first two weeks in August.

What does everyone think about this...let's discuss...

-carm

 

[Stan]

We're in ... anytime. I'd opt for early September instead to minimize the crowds but the tradeoff could be deteriorating weather. Once we get an approximate count and some idea of the areas to hike, maybe we can get a good group rate on lodging for a base camp, perhaps some combination of tentsites and cabins.

 

[Neil]

According to my Calgarian sister, the first 2 weeks of August have the best weather and this was certainly the case in Aug. '08.

Also, note that the wonderful CDN Rockies day length starts to shrink several minutes /day around that time of year.

I vote early August, in spite of crowd thinning after Labor Day..

 

[Gris]

Uh Oh, Sherpa alert - ahooga!!!

Big potential conflict with BL09 which IIRC is first weekend in August...

 

[darren]

My vote is for early August in hopes of getting some decent weather and conditions. I've been there a few times and my last trip was in July and a late snowmelt and high avalanche hazards prevented me from doing some of the routes I wanted to do. September brings the chance of snow and bad weather so I am going for August this time.

The plan would be for everyoneto get together for say 3 or 4 days out of longer trips (for example, Carmel and I will be there for 2 weeks). I think a great place for us to get together would be Lake O'hara in Yoho. We can all spend 3 or 4 days there and then we can all split up into smaller groups or do whatever we want to do - climb, scramble, hike, backpack, mountain bike. Since many trails there have minimum party size restrictions due to bear activity (it used to be 4 but I think it might be up to 6 in some areas now) this would be a great opportunity for people to be able to hike areas they want to go to with people they know (instead of waiting around at a trailhead and hoping to join a different group).

If we are going to do the gathering at Lake O'hara then we need to get going and plan it out. I'll be clear that our plan is to camp there but if you have tons of cash and want to stay in luxury you can stay at the Lake O'hara Lodge (like $500 a night or something crazy like that). To access and camp at Lake O'hara you need to reserve a bus ride down the 7 mile dirt road (this is done to limit access to the area). The bust ride is about $15 round trip. Camping has to be reserved as well and is about $10 per adult per night.

Reservations are pretty much required. They can be made 3 months in advance by phone only. We might find out that depending on the number of us that go it might just be too difficult to get us all into Lake O'hara. Restrictions:

• Dates requested: maximum of 3 nights for camping
• Number of campsites: maximum of 2 sites per party and 1 tent per site
  
• Baggage is restricted to two small bags per person (max. weight: 25 kg; max length + width + height: must not exceed 158 cm/62”).
  
• Hard sided food coolers and storage bins and items stored in plastic bags or loose items will not be accepted on the bus.Please leave musical instruments, radios and lawn chairs behind.
  
• Communal facilities include two kitchen shelters with wood stoves; a fire pit; separate food and garbage storage; grey water disposal; pit privies; firewood and a splitting maul; and well water (not always available early and late season).
  
• Primus stove required for cooking.
  
• Bear-aware procedures for cooking, and storing food and garbage must be observed.
  
• Tent pads (2.7m X 2.7m) are designed for small backpacking tents. One tent per campsite.
  
• Campers choose their site once they arrive. It’s not always possible for parties to camp at adjacent sites.

If it ends up that there are only 8 of us going to the Canadian Rockies then Lake O'Hara could be a go for the main event. If 25 of us are going then we will have to do the main event somewhere else.

I can however tell you that it is worth dealing with / getting these reservations and the 7 mile 4 wheel drive school bus ride. The place is amazing. It will not be a party fest like some other gatherings but it could be very cool to get together there.

If people have other ideas or dont want the main big get together to be at Lake O'hara, then we can do it someplace else and then those of us that want to go to Lake O'hara can go there after the main gathering.

Ideas?

Aloha

- darren

ps: thanks for waiting for me for "10.0"

 

[Carmel]

there are no bears in the Canadian Rockies.

 

[Neil]

At the O'Hara campground there are a couple of small open-windowed cooking shelters with wood stoves, a walk-in food and gear locker and outdoor metal cubby food lockers. There is a central fire-pit and the central area is big and open enough to throw a frisbee around in.

There's a hand pump for water and last time I used it they had a sign up recommending you treat it.

People take a lot of gear on the bus including soft-walled coolers with adult refreshments in them.

The tent sites are made for 2-3 person tents. Perhaps there are some bigger sites but not that I'm aware of.

In addition to the bus fee and the camping fee I believe there is a wilderness fee. The wilderness fees supposedly go to pay SAR costs.

Biking inside the Parks is usually restricted to fire roads and the Ottertail Fireroad is exceptionally nice.


In the O'Hara region you have the choice between easy walks, stunning half-day or all-day hikes, scrambles to summits and cols with views that'll leave you breathless and finally, technical climbing from easier Mount Victoria to more difficult Hungabee or Ringrose.

Staying in the Lake Louise campground might be a viable alternative/adjunct to Lake O'Hara.

Last year, in order to reserve a spot at Lake Louise my sister sat up until midnight and nabbed us 2 spots when the on-line reservations opened. You gotta be well prepared and quick.

In spite of all that, it's not a zoo there unless you want hot croissants and latté in the Village mall at 9am.

Some trails are very busy but some familiarity with the area can help one avoid other people. Hiking off-trail (scrambling) pretty much but not 100% on the easier and more accessible routes eliminates that altogether.

 

[Neil]

there are no bears in the Canadian Rockies.

Haha!

The wardens are always busy hazing them and you here the guns going off (in the front country) all the time. A power outage knocked out the electric fence (batteries only good for 4 hours) surrounding the campground and right away there was a bear inside.

But the cubs are sooooo cuddly looking.

 

[peakbagger]

For those who like me are "clueless" on the area, any suggestions on a good primer on all things Canadian Rockies?. Is there an equivalent to a White Moutain guide to get an idea of whats there and within a reasonable distance?

Might I suggest a cut off date on commiting to and planning for the event (highly against the proud tradition of VFTT). It sure looks like there is a lot of potential for a great event, but unfortunately its going to require folks to commit in advance to decide what is doable. One other option would be for folks who are interested to kick in some bucks and get a local outfitter in the area to set up some of the basic logistics for the event as I expect there are some shortcuts to getting reservations to the "good sites".

 

[spencer]

I think VFTT needs to join NetJets.

Spencer

 

[SherpaKroto]

Yes, Bearly Live is 7/31-8/2 with little chance of moving the date:
7/19: Oxford/BankNorth 250 race weekend (no camping spots available, and a VERY rowdy crowd)
7/23-26: Gathering of the Vibes: Arm, Mike and I attend this festival (along with Bob, Shizzy, and a number of others)
8/16: This is usually Spencer's Summer Gathering.

So... since I have to take 2 weeks off to put this thing together, and we need musicians to play , it falls to 7/31-8/2.

Any chance that it will be a bit later (like 8/9 weekend)? If you planned to leave right after Bearly Live, I can try to "adjust" MY plans slightly. If the body is willing, I would love to attend. (I've got a fat REI dividend coming...). It might actually motivate me to see how hard I can push myself before I give out.

Edit: Count me out of Gathering 10.0. Very wishful thinking on my part, but that ship has sailed...

 

[Neil]

Btw, for you paddlers there are the Kicking Horse and Bow Rivers. Google 'em.

Googling around will turn up tons of stuff on hiking in the CDN Rockies.

 

[Peakbagr]

Don't know if these are still in print:

Banff National Park - D.M. Baird
The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide - Patton and Robinson
The Magic of Lake O'Hara - Don Beers

The Alpine Club of Canada has the Elizabeth Parker Hut at Lake O'Hara. By joining the ACC, accomodations might be had there as well.
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/ep.html

I spent a week camping and hiking at Lake O'Hara. No superlatives can do it justice. Neil is the expert on Lake O'Hara area.

 

[darren]

A guide book I really like is "Don't Waste your Time in the Canadian Rockies", obviously a pun.

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Waste-Your-Canadian-Rockies/dp/0968941974/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229447195&sr=8-1

- darren

 

[Stan]

I'm unfamiliar with these Canadian Rockies aside from what I've learned on the web and in the Lonely Planet guide. We'll go anywhere those with experience recommend.

I did come across a Whiskey Jack Hostel, 3 - 9 bunk dorms, about 20 km north of Lake O'Hara as the crow flies. How does it compare as a base camp in terms of trails and scenery? It is reasonably affordable, more accessible if that matters to anyone, and offers the usual advantages of a roof over your head and different packing emphasis.

We'll be driving and our goals during our visit include hiking glaciers, a non-technical summit, a combination lake and canyon type loop, flatwater paddling and perhaps a horseback backcountry trip. We don't expect to do it all from one base camp.

 

[Neil]

The Elizabeth Parker Hut would be the dream venue for this.

However, ACC members who want to use the hut must enter a lottery and if their name is picked they get told when they can go.

But it would be perfect, beyond perfect even.

 

[peakbagger]

I just ordered Darrens suggested reading, and see that Stan is driving so I might have the option of not carrying my stove on a plane (if I ask real nice)

 

[Peakbagr]

Unless you have your bus reservations all locked and loaded, staying anywhere outside of Lake O'Hara presents difficulty getting in and out each day. The scenery is spectacular everywhere, but Lake O'Hara is a jewel inside a gem.
For those familiar with the Ausable Club in the ADKs: Think of an Ausable Club at the end of a 7 mile uphill road with limited access, mountain goats, Griz, alpine routes, mountaineering routes, hiking trails and the most spectacular scenery you've ever seen. Its much more compressed in the Lake O'Hara area.
We spent 2 weeks in the Canadian Rockies in both Yoho and Banff parks. Ran into hikers from Europe, S Africa, all over America and most people felt the CRs are the most beautiful mountains in the world.

 

[darren]

We'll be driving ...

Driving once you fly there or driving from Mass? Take it from someone who has traveled in a car from Mass to the Canadian Rockies...it is a looooong way, and there is a whole lot of nothing in the middle. that was back in 1984. The second time I went to the Canadian Rockies I flew to Calgary and rented a car from there - driving there again was not even an option. Although I will say that driving back from the CRs allowed me to go through Idaho and Wyoming....although the US Rockies are a buzz kill after spending a month in the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Rockies blow the American Rockies away. It is night and day different. It is tough to descibe even after you see it.

- darren

 

[Stan]

....although the US Rockies are a buzz kill after spending a month in the Canadian Rockies.

Yeah, we're driving, at least I am, maybe Erik will fly some part of the route, and I'll carry whatever light gear I can for people ... especially if I don't have to wash dishes.

As for the buzz kill, well, at worse we'll look at Glacier, the Tetons and Jackson as part of the process of re-acclimating.