Blueberry Hill + Rawson Lake (2/11/2011)

Friday: We leave Edmonton Friday evening and spend the night at The Hostel Bear in Canmore.

Saturday: Leaving early in the morning and snowshoeing in Blueberry Hill by Elk Pass in Kananaskis Country. Afterwards we will go back to the hostel for a great potluck dinner.

Sunday: Going for a beautiful shoeshoe trip to Rawson Lake in the morning and driving back to Edmonton in the afternoon.

Friday - We will leave Edmonton in the afternoon Friday, Feb 11th, 2011, and head to Canmore. We will be staying at The Hostel Bear for two nights. If we are still in the mood after a long drive, we will sit around the table, have a drink and chat.

We will be staying in co-ed dorm rooms. Bedding will be provided and sleeping bags are NOT permitted. There is a well equipped kitchen with appliances, pots and pans, dishes to cook your own food for the weekend. There is running water, hot showers and electricity in this hostel.

Saturday - We will leave the hostel early in the morning and head to Lower Kananskis Lake / Elk Pass. The trail to Blueberry Hill is a very popular trail for cross country skiing in the winter and is probably the most scenic spots in Kananaskis Country.

This will be a combined trail/off-trail snowshoe. Please come ready to explore. We'll start off following the cut-line up the hill at the end of the parking lot. Once we reach the top of the hill we'll look for an unofficial snowshoe trail off to the right, and more directly up Blueberry Hill. We'll be using Marko's GPS track as a guide as well. As long as we find the trail, we'll have a relatively short trip to the top. Since it's an unofficial trail, some exploration may be required. The trail is likely to be quite steep in places.

Once we reach the top of Blueberry Hill we'll have a tremendous view of Mount Fox to the south, the Elk Range to the east, and the Kananaskis Lakes to the north. Participants should have previously snowshoed. Please note that there is no defined trail - this is an explorer trip.

After our snowshoe, we will head back to Canmore, relax, and have a potluck supper. These are always a great mixer to kick off the festivities on Saturday night. Please bring along something to share with your comrades.

Sunday - We will leave the hostel early in the morning and head to Upper Kananskis Lake. The trail to Rawson Lake starts on Upper Kananskis Lake Trail and provides a view of Mount Indefatigable which is directly across Upper Kananaskis Lake. This hike is very popular both in the summer and as a snowshoe trail and we will probably see several other people on the trail.

Starting off on the Upper Kananaskis Lake Trail, after about 1.2km turn we will turn off (left) onto the Rawson Lake Trail just west of Sarrail Creek waterfall. Almost straightaway we will be into zigzags, climbing through musty old spruce forest. The angle eases for the last 1 km to the outlet and it is here, preferably from the other side of the creek, where we should push through to the shore for a view of the tiny lake back-dropped by Mt. Sarrail. Dependent on weather there may be a break for snack and picture taking.

After the hike, we could go for lunch and afterwards, we will depart Kananaskis and head back to Edmonton with great memories and lots of photos.

• The plan is to enjoy a great potluck, the beautiful scenery, the great company, and the photo opportunities while having FUN so bring your cheerful personalities along.
• We will have a pre-trip meeting on Monday, February 7th at 7:30PM at Block 1912 on Whyte Avenue. Please make sure you will be available.
• Our pace will be MODERATE (no slowpokes, no speed demons)
• You will be left at the hostel if you bring any sort of cotton (jeans, etc.) for the hikes.
• Blueberry Hill ( Distance: ~10kms, elevation gain: 300m )
• Rawson Lake ( Distance: ~7kms, elevation gain: ~300m )
• Please, only register for this event if you have the appropriate level of fitness.
• We will not be going into avalanche terrain (far side of Rawson Lake).
• Your coordinator has not been on Blueberry Hill trail before, but he has the GPS tracks. Please be patient.
• This is a first-paid, first-get-on event. Payment is due immediately upon registration, or you will be moved to the waiting list. If you didn't pay and someone else on the waitlist did, they will get on before you! Any overbooking will be fully refunded.
• Group hiking in effect in the area. If you are unable to respect this guideline, refrain from signing up.
• The plans will change in case of severe weather conditions or if the temperature that morning is -22°C or colder at the event location (Saturday/Sunday). Also, this event will be cancelled if severe conditions are predicted few days in advance. Please check your emails for possible last minute changes.
• Refunds after the cut off are not possible, but you can find a replacement and work out the payment amongst yourselves.
• Note that this event requires driving several kilometres on icy roads. Be sure your vehicle is ready for winter conditions. Obviously, drivers are needed to make this event happen. If you are DEFINITELY DRIVING, please indicate how many people you can take in your vehicle in the notes section.