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Slaying alder and 'powder', the worst idea I've ever had... · Sat. Oct. 30th, 2021 - Sun. Oct. 31st, 2021
Warning: This is an old trip - it already happened
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Start: Saturday, Oct. 30th
End: Sunday, Oct. 31st, 10:00 pm
Pre-trip meeting location: email faff
Description:
Two weeks ago I posted the following
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Do you enjoy going on trips with ridiculous names? Do you want to help make sure the VOC can actually get to one of it's beloved (and warmest!) huts this winter and beyond. Do you enjoy sticking it to the man when yet again a student club shows a nation state how to actually competently succeed at maintaining recreational access? Do you have any pent up anger or frustration that you would like to unleash on some unsuspecting alder, officially the third most hated plant in all existence?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions then I have the trip for you! Come join me as we demolish the alder which has reclaimed our old trail to Brew, now that the new trail is missing a bridge and a road... Skills that are required involve:
The ability to pick (not very heavy) things up and throw them off a road
The ability to push a handle
The ability to be cheery when the weather is miserable. Failing that, the ability to be entertainingly irate when the weather is miserable
The ability to tolerate my terrible singing might also come in handy...
This is ideally an overnight trip, and by the end of it a trail will be usable that currently very much is not. There may be potential for people to join for one day if cars align that way. Anyone without camping gear can almost certainly be accommodated with spots in tents, stoves, sleeping bags or whatever else. We are car camping so we can feast like there is no tomorrow and we need not carry heavy packs anywhere. There is a chance exciting things like chainsaws will make an appearance, but loppers will also be VERY effective. Any questions, just post on the message board thread or send me an email.
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The trip was very successful but did not reach the end of the road, so there is still no trail to Brew. Now I propose we go back and finish the job. One more good day of clearing should get us, not to where we probably eventually want to finish but far enough to pick a route up to the hut. So, the plan is to get chainsaws and loppers very busy Saturday, and then ski up to the hut that evening. The hut is very nice and REALLY warm with good views when the weather cooperates. On Sunday there is a door handle to fit but otherwise we can have some fun with our skis before heading home.
This trip is a bit ridiculous. You may notice that there is an annual trip called the Brew Debacle, and it has often lived up to its name. Famously (before my time) it took 18? hours to get to the hut and someone drank their own pee. And the Debacle trips don't involve people having to build their trail first, or route find on the way up... All that said, I do believe this is doable. It will likely involve a long day and headlamps on Saturday, but if you are a sucker for a bit of type 2 fun and you like your weekends memorable then this could be just for you! We will also leave tents at the cars in case it just isn't going to work out - no one will be drinking their own (or anyone elses) urine on my trips. You don't need to be god's gift to skis to make this trip work (I'm certainly not), but, given all the other hurdles we need to cross, this isn't the time to try skiing for the first time either (though that will be coming soon). If you are a good downhill skier but haven't been backcountry before that can probably fly. If you don't feel good about skis but want to bring snowshoes that works too. Based on the current weather forecast the avalanche conditions will probably be ok, but certainly we will bring avalanche gear with us. We will have enough people with avalanche training to accommodate a number without. Gear is available at the clubroom. Oh, and the weather is to be actually nice this weekend! Might be so pleasant in fact that it feels like cheating!
So who wants to make the VOC's warmest hut actually accessible this winter and join me on the dumbest idea I've ever had?
Posted: 2021-10-26 11:22:03
Last modified: 2021-10-28 19:01:26