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2011 Odlum Creek
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Contents
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(See reports from the camp rapporteurs for the context of the following items.)
| From Camp 2 | ||
| Poem | ||
| An Expedition
to Loomis Lake by: Linda Hoffman |
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There are strange things done, on a
skyline run, You’ve heard the route-up, down,
up-to boot, |
A steep climb gains the pass, to a view
unsurpassed, There were cascades below, so with
lunches in tow, |
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| Story |
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Skyline Hikers – as
Imagined Through the Eyes of Introduction As has become a bit of a tradition with Week 2 Skit Night, I will again regale you with a tale of Skyline Hiking as seen through the eyes of my favourite raconteur, Stuart McLean and his Vinyl Café. Keep in mind the word “tradition” as it will form the essence of this year’s story. For the newbies here who may not be familiar with Stuart McLean’s stories, the central character is Dave who lives in small Ontario town, typical of many. Dave is married to Morley, a book keeper, and has two children. He runs a second hand record store appropriately named the “Vinyl Café”. You might say that Dave is a nostalgia buff in the extreme although he does have an eye for the future. This fact is also an important element of my story. Those of you fortunate enough to attend a number of past Week 2 camps have followed Dave’s progress as a Skyliner. Dave the Newbie in my first episode, followed by Dave taking on a leadership role, then Dave handles Skylining with his wife Morley, and finally Dave gets to lead the Big Hike. By now Dave is as comfortable with Skyline as his old hiking boots. He was well into learning the subtle ways of Skyline Hiking. For example, he found it was better to shave with his steaming basin of water placed the next mirror over –less steam on his. He learned that the weather in the Rockies could turn on a time and to be prepared. Dave discovered, sometimes the hard way, that it’s not a good idea to cheap shot your hiking equipment. He always made his daily prayer to St. Vibram, the patron saint of traction and to Bill Gore for GoreTex. Finally he observed that it’s not necessarily a nuisance to have to go out of your tent and relieve yourself on a clear and starry night. The Episode This episode starts a year previous at registration for the Molar Pass camp. Dave was chatting it up with his Skyline buddies when he spied Lynn Wheadon, the Skyline historian and flower expert, standing behind her table of wares looking a little lonely. So after finishing his conversation he ambled over Lynn’s table. He had already bought his t-shirt and crest; but noticed a pile of books for sale (at deep discount) highlighting Skyline Hiking down through the ages. The nostalgia gene in Dave that I mentioned earlier had stirred. He thumbed through the display volume and was hooked. He made his purchase from a grateful Lynn and over the next few months began his journey into past. He discovered that Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies came from storied roots. Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies was conceived by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1933 as the third in a series of clubs to attract tourists to its hotels via its passenger trains. CPR recognized early that it needed to cultivate its clientele with awe inspiring, but safe, experiences to build its business. The Climbing Club came first with the famous Swiss guides imported to stop exuberant guest from falling off mountains –bad for business. Next came the riding club, Skyline Trail Riders, to promote the wannabe cowboy set and its romance. Finally to keep its customers from getting lost on the trails and eaten by bears, the Skyline Hikers was formed, catering to those who “preferred to hike rather than be burdened by a horse”. Dave was impressed by the stamina of those founding fathers who “after a 4 day hike over three passes and two glaciers settled down to organizational business “. Qualification requirements for new members were equally impressive. Bylaws stated that “qualification requirements for new members will be certified hiking mileage of 25 miles (40 km.) in the Canadian Rockies with no mileage prior to 1933 to be counted.” Dave shuddered as he looked at his somewhat expanded waistline and wondered if he could have made the grade. As Dave flipped the pages, he noticed that a number of prominent people had been Skyliners. Norman Sanson, the first president, ascended Sulphur Mountain in Banff 1000 times to take weather readings. That’s roughly 8000 miles or 12,900 km. Over his lifetime Sanson hiked 32,800 km! His weather station remains at the pinnacle of Sulphur Mountain and can still be visited. Skyliners naturally hike up rather than take the gondola. Dave reflected on Sanson’s passion and accomplishments. He must have been the “Wayne Gretzky” of hiking thought Dave in amazement. Another notable was founding father, John Murray Gibbon, a Ceylon born Scotsman. Many Scots had contributed to Skyline Hiking. This was to be expected, reflected Dave, as he had just finished the delightful book “How the Scots Invented the Modern World”. Gibbon was quoted as “wanting to know the Rockies rather than just see them” – a fitting credo for all Skyline Hikers. Finally Dave discovered that Carl Rungius, the famous artist, was a Skyliner. Dave had stood in awe at his paintings capturing the true spirit of the Rockies. He wondered if Rungius had done any of his painting while Skylining. Dave’s music interests were sparked when he read that early Skyliners carried an organ with them for entertainment in the Donut. There were two such organs in Skyline history. The original organ was somewhat large and cumbersome and got knocked about badly during travel; but was “organically” sound (no pun intended). It was sold at a flea auction for an undisclosed price. The replacement was a folding version with pedals and a 4 octave range. No record on what happened to this organ. Dave could just imagine our camp musician, Theresa, hauling around and playing on one of these babies. Dave was amazed to learn that the first few Skyline camps were 4 day travelling affairs, and used Swiss guides. In Dave’s mind this must have resembled a travelling circus or gypsy caravan. With all the build up and tear down this format didn’t last for long. Dave was also surprised to find out that the first hikes used tepees instead of tents. The original versions were provided by the Morley Indians; hence our mini-tepee set up at every Skyline camp. The original tepees were over time replaced by standard white ones which caused problems with people entering the wrong wigwam. For a while the tepee mentality prevailed. The purists viewed the tepee as a symbol of truly roughing it and catching the romantic Indian spirit. The nay sayers on the other hand characterized tepee life as being “miserably happy and uncomfortable”. This diversity of opinion lead to what Dave called the War of the Roses, or in this case the tepees versus the tents. On the pro side, tepees added glamour and romance to the camp and to quote “were spiritual and gave the soul a lift”. On the negative side the tepees leaked around both the bottom and the top, and the larger ones needed especially long poles which were hard to find and haul around. Also the outfitters often had a hard time setting them up (some things never change). It’s obvious who won this battle over time. As Dave was reaching the end of the book he perused the complete list of past Skyline Hikers for the first 50 years of hiking. He was surprised to discover names familiar to him. One in particular was Gerald Hankins, a Skyliner for 25+ years. The same Gerald Hankins he knew was a soft spoken and retiring old gentleman at his church. Dave had not had much to do with him; but when he mentioned their common bond of Skyline Hiking Gerald’s eyes lit up. They became friends as they shared many adventures and stories. Such is the magic of Skyline. And so the book’s chapters flowed through the decades, through the depression, wars, flower power, good times and lean times. Dave thought of these founders of Skyline and realized that even today he was connected to the builders and stewards of Skyline Hiking. People like Elsie James, Norm Kennedy, John Young, the Tropaks, and the Wheadons to name a few. Dave reflected on the state of Skyline Hikers today. Dave could see the winds of change blowing once again. Ernie Wheadon had recently retired as Chief Leader and a “young” buck by the name of Paul Clark was trying to fill his big shoes. The old magic was still there; but was being challenged by reduced hiker numbers, fewer available sites, and aging members. Dave worried about how the Skyline brand would resonate with the new digital generation. However he had heard rumblings of an initiative to rebuild based on a renewed vision and a strong belief that the power of the great outdoors and the unique Skyline Hiking experience will not only endure but flourish. Remembering John Murray Gibbon’s words “to want to know the Rockies, not just see them”, Dave felt strangely comfortable and was ready to do his part. Thank you. Thank you very much. |
| From Camp 4 |
| Song |
| Ode to Odlum
Creek 2011 Lyrics by: Gwen Acres * |
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It was fascination I know, It was fascination I know, |
Around each peak So we bid farewell to our friends |
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| Song |
| Ode to Camp
4 By: Nellie Pintus & Ria Vanderhoeven * |
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Skyline Hiking is lots of fun, Sunshine and good weather blessed us,
Franz’s cooking was just
outstanding, Trails and flowers and views were
mem’rable, Ria lost her colourful kerchief, Poor Robert lost his footing, |
Robert flew away by helicopter, Let us not forget our musicians, Dawn and Geoff were excellent hosts,
Now that we’ve found our tents and
black biffies, Camp 4 has now come to an end, |
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| Song |
| Beautiful Kananaskis By: Julie Johnson, Linda Derkach & Evelyn Matthews |
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In the beautiful
Kananaskis, Chorus Across the ridges they call me, |
In the beautiful
Kananaskis, Chorus |
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| From Camp 5 |
| Song |
| Memories
of Odlum Creek Camp Five By: Audry Kyle & Susan Harris |
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Odlum, Loomis, pass and pond Bypass, kidney, back and knees |
Lightning flashes thru the air If we have to pee at night Splendid music comes from John |
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| Song |
| ABCD'S
Song By: Ann Sisler, Bernice Hart, Carol Fensky & Donna Harris (accompanied by John Sidle to the tune of the Auctioneer's Song – sort of) |
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Manitoba mavens here they came Out from Ontario 14 came Alberta locals made their mark |
Edda, Jim, Audrey, and Janet Sisters Lynne and Katherine come from
B.C. Odlum Ponds to the waterfall |
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| Song |
| Hello,
We’re Having a Great Time By: Ellen Holmes & David Bromley (A kind of duet to the tune of Hello Mother, Hello Father… The lines underlined were spoken due to lack of singing talent and for comical effect!) |
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Hello Father and hello
Mum, We’ve been hiking
every day Franz the cook and his 2
boys (chorus) |
Let us stay up here
in mountains We have drinks at Happy
Hour The tent is roomy but
somewhat damp The toilets here I think
you will find, Chorus |
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| Other |
| Hike Rating Scale By: Lynne Miskell & Katherine Raadsheer |
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