ACC Gazette Section Stories: Great Plains
Cooling off in Fish Lake after a day of climbing. Photo Marusha Orthner
Engaging Families In Mountain Pursuits
The Great Plains Section 2024 Family Trip
By Jennifer Arends (family trip parent, participant, and leader)
"Come forth into the light of things; Let Nature be your teacher"
How do we provide opportunities for families in a young and growing section? How do we instill in our children a love for the mountains?
These are some of the questions that led the Great Plains Section (GPS) of The Alpine Club of Canada to embark on its first family climbing trip in July 2024.
The GPS, based in Regina and serving members in southern Saskatchewan, is a growing community of approximately 120 members. Historically focused on adult climbing trips, we are working to diversify our offerings considering the unique needs of our “flatlander” members.
Out of this introspection, an idea was born: could we organize a family-focused climbing trip that would get our kids outdoors on real rock and simultaneously give parents an opportunity to climb within a community of families?
The response to the idea was strong and swift: ten different family units (including 13 children ranging in age from nine months to 14 years) convened near Nordegg, AB for two days of climbing and adventuring in the David Thompson Corridor. Climbing in the area is well protected, of moderate grade, and very accessible to children, and the David Thompson Climbing Association does a beautiful job maintaining routes and producing its climbing guidebooks.
We stayed together at a provincial group campsite, complete with a cooking shelter, communal fire pit, toilets, wide open green spaces, and nearby campground store and drinking water. The site was in close proximity to Fish Lake, which provided swimming and paddling opportunities. The location was ideal, providing comfort and flexibility for our families.
The group divided in half on climbing days, with one larger group of older children and three leaders selecting crags with longer approaches, and a second group of younger children and two leaders choosing a combination of child- and parent-appropriate climbs. All children over the age of four climbed, and the wee ones had opportunities to play and nap while their parents enjoyed the rare opportunity to don a harness. The groups had longer days at the crags than we anticipated, a testament to how much fun everyone was having. For most of the children, it was their first time climbing outside.
At the end of our Saturday climbing day, we gathered for a group meal, and the kids enjoyed an evening of rock painting and play. Our weather was excellent, and many participants chose hot Sunday afternoon to cool off in Fish Lake.
Trip participant Marusha, whose husband and two children accompanied her, explained that “Climbing with experienced group leaders gave the girls (me included) a sense of security and safety and boosted their confidence in their climbing abilities. This trip has sparked a love of outdoor climbing in our girls. I hope we can keep this family trip going for many, many more years.”
Trip participant Olivia, age 9, reflected that her “favourite part of climbing was when I sent that really tall one. It took a while and lots of courage, but in the end, I am happy I did it.”
“I also liked just hanging out with kids my age, and kind of learning from them,” she added.
Our kids came back from their climbing days with Rockies dirt under their fingernails, serving as a reminder of the feats they accomplished and the beautiful places they experienced. We hope our families created memories and left pieces of their hearts somewhere near Abraham Lake.
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