ACC Gazette Section Stories: A Month In The Life
Monday night gym crew. Photo: Lori Stratychuk
A Month In The Life (Ottawa Section)
ACC Ottawa Recognizes Our Volunteer Trip Leaders
By Bill Barrett
There aren’t any big mountains around Ottawa but there are many places for our members to climb, scramble, hike and ski. Our section event calendar is busy, and we are proud of the committed volunteers who lead the activities for our members; last year there were 157 days with ACC Ottawa activities! Here is a look at what the section got up to over the course of one month in the spring of 2024.
On May 23 and 24, our climbing coordinators Eric Armstrong and Andrew Robbins organized two beginner days to give a chance for 20, mainly gym climbers to move their skills outdoors. That same weekend, Andy Adler took a small group on a hike on the Great Range Trail in the Adirondacks and a dozen members headed to the Adirondacks for a weekend of trad multi-pitch climbing organized by Graeme Knight. That weekend was followed up by a Monday evening indoor climbing session. Lori Stratychuk is at Altitude Gym every week and she organizes the dozen or more members who show up.
The next weekend saw a busy Sunday: Emma Lindsey and Sam Hem led a day of bouldering at Otter Pond, Calabogie, Nicole Forder and Doug Fleck organized a day of multi-pitch trad at Lac Tucker, a freshly opened crag an hour north of the city, and Geoff Roulet led a hike in Frontenac Park. The next day, 15 of us showed up for Monday evening gym climbing; and Tuesday was our Volunteer Appreciation evening – more on that below.
On Wednesday, June 12, section members were invited to a presentation by Pat Morrow hosted by the Austrian Embassy and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society where Pat recounted the life of Austrian Canadian alpine guide Conrad Kain. On June 16, ten members climbed at Bowman, a crag an hour north of Ottawa, and on June 23 another group of ten enjoyed climbing at Montagne d’Argent, a climbing area near Mont Tremblant. Shoutout to Qudoos Chaudry who organized both of these climbing days.
Hike-A-Palooza, one of our biggest annual events, took place June 21 to 23. Thirty members braved a rainy forecast and headed to ACC Montreal’s Keene Farm for a weekend of hiking and scrambling in the Adirondack Mountains. Saturday evening, we gathered for a chili supper and campfire. Thanks to Grant Blanchard for organizing.
Calabogie Bouldering day. Photo Sam Hem
ACC Ottawa’s version of Bon Echo 101 took place the final weekend of June. This weekend pairs up experienced leaders with members who want to try out multi-pitch trad climbing. People camp at the ACC Toronto campground and are ferried to their climbs on the section’s boat. The cliff rises 100 metres above Mazinaw Lake and gives members their first experience with significant exposure and run-out climbing. Thanks to Andrew Pohran for organizing. On Saturday, members also headed out for a day of multi-pitch climbing at Calabogie’s Skywalk cliff.
Wow! A lot of stuff for Ottawa Section members to do – and none of this can happen without our volunteers.
The Volunteer Appreciation evening – organized by social coordinators Cynthia Modjeski and Elfrieda Bock – was held on June 4 for our volunteers that make all this happen. It was good to come together and express our gratitude, share some laughs and plant some seeds for future trips with ACC Ottawa friends. We invited 40 section volunteers who led trips in 2023, including many who had organized multiple trips or longer events.
We also had the opportunity to acknowledge Calvin Klatt’s years of volunteering with the ACC as well as his recent honour of receiving the ACC’s Distinguished Service Award. Calvin has served on the leadership teams of both Ottawa and Toronto sections over the past 30 years. Among other things, Calvin hosts socials, serves as a Bon Echo hut custodian, and has organized trips, including several to Nepal.
The Ottawa Section began offering adventures in 1949 and the spirit of volunteer leadership lives on today. A glimpse into our events calendar gives you an idea why it is a great community to be a part of!
This article was originally published in the 2024 issue of the ACC Gazette magazine.
The post ACC Gazette Section Stories: A Month In The Life appeared first on Alpine Club of Canada.