Chester Lake & Elephant Rocks + Troll Falls (11/26/2010)

Friday: We leave Edmonton Friday evening and spend the night at The HI Kananaskis Hostel.

Saturday: Leaving early in the morning and snowshoeing to Chester Lake and stopping at the Elephant Rocks for lunch. Afterwards we will go back to the hostel for a great potluck dinner.

Sunday: Going for a short shoeshow trip at Troll Falls in the morning and driving back to Edmonton in the afternoon.

Friday - We will leave Edmonton in the afternoon Friday, November 26th, 2010, and head to Kananskis. We will be staying at The HI Kananaskis Hostel for two nights. If we are still in the mood after a long drive, we will sit around the table, have a drink and talk about how beautiful life is.

We will be staying in a non-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 Chester Lake trailhead following the Smith-Dorrian Road. The Chester Lake trailhead is approximately 20kms north of the cross section between highway #40 and Smith-Dorrien road (don't panic: you will follow your coordinator's vehicle).

The Chester Lake snowshoe trail is very popular and we will probably see several other people on the trail. Chester Lake is a challenging snowshoe trail through the trees which brings you to a tiny lake beneath an imposing rock face. At the Elephant Rocks we will stop for lunch and take some time to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. On the way down, it's great fun free-wheeling in usually deep snow.

After our snowshoe hike, we will head back to the hostel, 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 friends.

Sunday - Sunday morning we will check out and leave the hostel early. The plan is to snowshoe/hike 3.4kms to Troll Falls in the morning. The trailhead is about 300 meters from the hostel so we don't have to drive too far.

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.
• It is too early to say, but it is quite possible not to have enough snow in the mountains by late November. In the event of no snow, we might need to changed the scheduled plans and either go to another destination or do the hikes (possibly with cleats/crampons). The final plans will be discussed in the mandatory pre-trip meeting.
• We will have a mandatory pre-trip meeting on Monday, November 22nd at 7:30PM at Block 1912 on Whyte Avenue. Please make sure you will be available, or send us an e-mail if you can't make it.
• 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.
• Chester Lake + Elephant Rocks ( Distance: 11kms, elevation gain: 340m )
• Troll Falls ( Distance: 3.4kms, elevation gain: 40m )
• Please, only register for this event if you have the appropriate level of fitness.
• The climb to the Elephant Rocks is challenging, but makes for an amazing descent. At the Elephant Rocks, the lunch spot, plan to be there for some time to enjoy the scenery and linger to take photos, so be prepared to stay warm. Note: Travel beyond the Elephant Rocks is not permitted due to avalanche risk.
• Your coordinators have not been on these trails before, but they have 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.
• The maximum number of people for this trip is 10. Since the hostel dorm are non co-ed, based on our past statistics, we made hostel reservations for 3-men and 7 women for this trip. You will be moved to the waiting list if there is no more room for men/women (you will be fully refunded in that case and if it happens before the registration cut-off). You "could" also make your own hostel reservations or join us at the hostel later (you need to send us an email to make sure there is still room for more people).
• Note that this event requires driving several kilometres up the Smith-Dorrien Road, which is a gravel road, and can be icy/treacherous. 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.