Document type : vocene
Date : 2005-11-25
Description : VOCene 11
Content :
VOCene #11 2005/2006-November 25, 2005

The 11th installment of the VOCene comes a few days late this week due to the editors’ other responsibilities. This started me thinking about responsibilities overall…. The plethora of work that seems to take place at this time of year has most of bogged down with responsibility, usually in the form of papers, exams, projects and labs. We may also be fortunate enough to have family responsibility and Christmas travel plans to make. At times it can seem to be overwhelming, but alas, we have responsibility to self! And for this editor, and hopefully the rest of you, it will be taken care of during well-deserved breaks over the coming Christmas Holiday with friends and family sharing powder snow and/or splitter cracks. Cheers!
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In this VOCene:

I.	UPCOMING TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES
1. End of Term Social December 6, 2005 7pm. Climbing Slideshow by Conor Reynolds

II.	CLUB NEWS
1.The Dec. social is happening: tickets on Sale Soon. Presentation by Conor Reynolds.
2.Online Petition for Meager Creek Access
3.Jeremy Frimer’s Guide Book: Climbs and Treks in the Huayhuash Cordillera of Peru. Are available through the VOC clubroom. Cost 25.00 dollars.

III.	TRIP REPORTS
1. Brew Hut by Rolan Burton
2. Diez Vistas Hike by: Andrew McGechaen  

IV. NEWS FROM THE OURSIDE WORLD
1.   Nahanni Forever - Saving Canada's Boreal Forest one precious place  
     at a time...
3.   The Best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival 
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I. UPCOMING TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES

1. End of term social is scheduled for December 6, 2005, at the sub in the Party Room. Tickets on Sale early next week. Cost 5.00 Dollars. Word has it that it will be a potluck. Conor Reynolds will be presenting a climbing slideshow. Title to come soon.
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II. CLUB NEWS

1.	The December Social is happening. December 6th 2005 at 7pm. Climbing Presentation by Conor Reynolds. Tickets on Sale next week.

2.	Online Petition for Meager Creek Access 
	The Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC) of the University of British Columbia owns and operates a backcountry hut (The Julian Harrison Hut) in the mountains above the headwaters of Meager Creek, a tributary of the upper Lillooet River. Additionally The Lill'wat First Nation operates facilities at the Meager Creek hot springs. Access to both of these facilities was cut off in October 2003 when a flood washed out the Bridge over Meager Creek. Access is further restricted from mid November to March when the Lillooet Main road is gated at the Hurley River Road turnoff. 

The BC forest service is currently not planning on rebuilding the bridge. The mountaineering community has started a petition to restore access to this amazing backcountry area. Please sign the petition online at:

http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/MeagerCr/

Also please forward to all those who might be interested in backcountry access issues.

VOC Alumnus and Shit Disturber.

Pete.
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III. TRIP REPORTS
1.	Brew Hut Last Weekend


So in the end we got the two hi-t people we had requested, and Chris and Scott broke trail all the way into the Hut, so Doris and Roland didn't have to. We parked about 0.5 km before the bridge across Roe Cr because by then there was enough snow on the road that Chris' Subaru might have been challenged. Four km to the end of the logging road atop switchback R200, took us 1 1/2 hours. The 3.5 km through the forest along Scott's excellent well-ribboned trail took us 2 hours, and the further 4 km through the meadows took us an additional 1 1/2 hours, or 5 1/2 hours total, about as long as it takes my kids to get to Elfin.

We had the whole hut to ourselves, for about an hour, then some assorted skiers and snowshoers arrived. I heard one complain that the hut was too small, especially compared with Elfin. We tried to be gracious hosts and welcome and entertain everybody, while operating the technically challenging items like the Coleman stove, and the heater. It was plenty hot up there as always, and we burned hardly any wood at all, so our wood supply will probably last a very long time. There were thirteen total at the Hut, and it was so warm that one slept outside. Inside the snoring was a bit harsh, and outside the bright moon was bothersome. We conclude the Hut holds 12 or 13 in good weather.

Sunday we got into a bit of a situation. We got up early and efficiently as these hi-t people tend to, and set off towards Cypress (not the North Shore; the Cypress beside Tricouni). But Doris and Roland soon figured out that they were not sufficiently hi-t and decided to work out a new route off the mountain. This involved hole punching down a steeply treed slope running for about an hour or two, with waterfalls, cliffs, and all sorts of interesting terrain, best avoided. Meanwhile we hadn't made it sufficiently clear to Chris and Scott that our plan was to go down, so they spent a while looking for us before deciding that we were probably lost or dead. But by then it was too late for them to finish climbing Cypress, so they skied down and found Doris and Roland at the car. So, sorry we messed up your summit plans, guys, especially as we did get to take advantage of your trail breaking.

2Diez Vistas Hike by: Andrew McGechaen  
 
The Diez Vistas hike was attended by one car-load of five people. The weather was wet, but there were only minor traces of snow at the low elevations we encountered. The terrain was not difficult to hike over. The length of the hike was about 15km with an elevation change of 440m. It took about 5.5 hours, which corresponded to the shortest figure quoted in the guidebooks, which ranged from 5.5 to 7 hours. 
	The hike began at the parking lot of Buntzen Lake. We crossed a floating bridge and headed north, in a direction parallel to the shore of Buntzen Lake. The steepest elevation gain was at the beginning. We passed an outlook marked Punta Larguesa which overlooked Burrard Inlet, which was visible in spite of the fog. After this we hiked through a succession of ten viewpoints. We passed a fork in the path, and initially explored the descending route. This was shortly determined to be the incorrect choice, and upon exploring the alternative route, we found a Diez Vistas signpost after a few minutes. We passed the remaining ten viewpoints in about two hours, without losing much elevation. The tenth viewpoint was about two thirds of the way to the point where the trail joined the southbound trail around Buntzen Lake. We reached a road perpendicular to the trail. When we reached this point we believed that the guidebook implied that we could head left and take a long route to the Buntzen Lake trail which included views over Burrard Inlet, or head right and go directly to the trail. We went left but found that it seemed only to be a continuation of the road, which we believed was named Powerhouse Road. We then opted to go right and we shortly met up with the trail. We passed a large diameter green pipeline and also a flood-control dam on the lake. We hiked back on the trail on the east side of the lake, which was fairly flat and easy. When we reached the car we were glad to have somewhere to change into dry clothes.We all had fun on the trip in spite of wet weather. There were good views and the area was a good level of ruggedness and elevation change for a day hike, although the uniform flatness of the trail around Buntzen Lake was rather monotonous. The difficulty of the trip was moderate and fairly typical of hikes in the Lower Mainland.
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IV. NEWS FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

1.  Nahanni Forever - Saving Canada's Boreal Forest one precious place at a time... 
Nahanni Forever is a national tour to promote protection of the
spectacular Nahanni wilderness in Canada's Northwest Territories. Expect an evening of  spectacular images and fascinating scientific and cultural insights into the magic of the Nahanni. Speakers include Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, Dehcho First Nations, Dr. Derek Ford, world expert on limestone caves, Dr. John Weaver, wildlife biologist studying grizzlies in the Nahanni, and Harvey Locke, CPAWS conservation advisor. Learn about work to protect big wilderness.
  
Monday, January 16th, 2006, Vancouver - Vancouver East Cultural Center, 7:30 to 9:30

Tickets: call Ticket master: 604-280-3311; go to www.ticketmaster.ca; MEC,130 W Broadway; or CPAWS-BC, #410, 698 Seymour Street, 604-685-7445
Ticket price: $10 adults, $8 for students & seniors, plus applicable
service charges Speakers Include: Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, Dr. Derek Ford, Dr. John Weaver, Johnny Mikes & Harvey Locke 

Tuesday, January 17th, 2006, Victoria - UVic Fraser Building, Room 159,
7:30 to 9:30
Tickets: UVic Bookstore; WCWC, 651 Johnson Street; Ocean River Sports,
1824Store Street; Robinson's Outdoor Store, 1307 Broad Street; CPAWS-BC:1-604-685-7445
Ticket price: $10 adults, $5 for students & seniors
Speakers Include: Dr. Derek Ford, Dr. John Weaver, Johnny Mikes & Harvey Locke
Event Sponsor: UVic Department of Geography
National Door Prize: Nahanni River Adventure for Two. Win your choice
of a 7 or 12-day Nahanni expedition, (raft or canoe) beginning in Fort
Simpson NWT. The trip begins with a spectacular float plane flight to Virginia Falls (nearly twice the height of Niagara). Highlights include floating through Canada's deepest river canyons, hiking, hot springs and unique geological features. Package includes guides, trip meals and all services as described in itineraries found at www.nahanni.com



2. Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour comes to Vancouver on Dec. 1,2,3, 2005

 Hot on the heels of the largest, and one of the most prestigious, mountain festivals in the world, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour has hit the road, with stops planned in more than 250 communities and 25 countries across the globe.

 This year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring and thought-provoking active, environmental, and adventure mountain films. Traveling from remote landscapes and cultures to up close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the 2005/2006 World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world.


For more information visit www.avalanche.ca or call 250.837.2435

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Quote of the Week : "silence"
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