Tag Archives: cross-country skiing

FOR SALE

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Rather than “sell out” and become something we are not – a standard-issue, run-of-the-mill tourist accommodation – the assets of Rocky Mountain Escape have been listed FOR SALE. We boast 3 beautiful, hand-crafted log guest cabins and supporting infrastructure surrounded by wilderness in the Rocky Mountains. Details of the listing can be found at http://www.mccowans.com For many years, the ‘Escape provided a unique ecotourism experience – allowing travelers the opportunity to share a simple, more natural and much less environmentally destructive way of life in a beautiful, relatively remote setting. The ‘Escape has touched travelers from around the world, as … Continue reading →

Helping Out at Rocky Mountain Escape

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My name is Timo and I am from Düsseldorf, Germany.  I have stayed at Rocky Mountain Escape as a helper for a little bit more than 2 months. It has been an extraordinary special time. Getting here was an adventure itself:  You first had to drive around 40 km up north on Highway 40 from Hinton, then get on the Rock Lake Road – in the winter time, very little traffic and infrequently plowed – and drive this one for another 27 km and afterwards find your way to Rocky Mountain Escape up a narrow trail for another couple of kilometers … Continue reading →

WINTER: One of Extremes

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In a word . . . unusual. Extreme Weather – We were terribly warm in January, which can usually be our coldest month. Then came February and I learned a new term – Polar Vortex. We used to just call it an Arctic Cold Front, but a Polar Vortex sounds much more exciting and sexy. Usually, we can get C-O-L-D for a couple of nights and then warm back up to our typical winter temperatures of -20 C at night and -10 C during the day. Perfect winter conditions. Not in February. Back-to-back COLD fronts hit us and put us … Continue reading →

A Bit of a Cold Snap

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After an incredibly warm Holiday Season and start of the New Year, Old Man Winter came back with a vengeance this past week. We hit a low of -35 C one night, with the remainder hovering between -25 and -30 C. Daytime temperatures were actually not bad up here in the mountains – ‘warming up’ (it’s all relative!) to between -15 and -10 C. Usually calm, sunny days and crystal-clear nights. I understand from Chris that the prairies did not fare so well . . . Machines – and other ‘moving’ parts like my hands and knees – tend not … Continue reading →

In Like a Lion . . .

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The first weekend in March was accompanied by a major winter storm across most of central and southern Alberta. According to The Weather Network, a strong low pressure system developed around Rocky Mountain House and sucked in the moisture-laden system from the West Coast that had been pummeling British Columbia with heavy rain. The moisture landed here as snow. A LOT OF SNOW! By the time it quit snowing Sunday evening, we had accumulated almost TWO FEET of new snow. Guests throughout February and the Storm Weekend have enjoyed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in good snow conditions. Our Australian family … Continue reading →

Hectic Holidays . . .

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2012 come and gone, and the world didn’t end on the Winter Solstice.  I sat on my rocks overlooking Munn Creek and waited for it . . . rather disappointing, eh? We’ve had a full house at the cabins over the Christmas/New Years holidays, with guests taking time to celebrate at a slower pace up here. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing/bum-sliding and snow-fort-building have occupied our guests during our short daylight hours.   Spending quality time with one’s family and/or partner, away from other distractions, is what the holidays are all about up here . . . At least, that’s what I think! … Continue reading →

CLEARING TRAIL

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With gorgeous snow conditions and the premier power saw man (Chris) coming in for the weekend, it was time to tackle clearing the remainder of the “Side-Hill” trail and George’s horse trail down to connect to the Munn Creek Trail.  Chris’ girlfriend, Val, was burdened with homework and had to stay behind – keeping the fires going in the cook house and cabins.  Our repeat guests, Maegan and Anna, opted for much-needed “down time” from their demanding schedules. A cold start to the work on Saturday, but bundled up and hard physical labor soon warmed things up.  Chris and I … Continue reading →

Rock Lake Trails Groomed and Track-set

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With a couple of inches of new snow yesterday and mild temperatures today, I spent the day re-grooming and track-setting trails down at Rock Lake for cross-country skiing.  It’s 13 km from the cabins down to Rock Lake, with track set down my 3-km road as well as the next 10 km to the Lake.  The ski track is on the far right-hand side of the Rock Lake Road . . . surely (hopefully?) there will be no yahoos in quads or pickups who would deliberately run a tire track down the middle of my ski trail this time! I … Continue reading →

Cross-country Skiing at Rock Lake

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With guests due in for the weekend, and gorgeous powder snow to work with, I was able to get about 30 km of ski trail groomed and track-set.  Scott and Lauren from Grande Prairie (via the US) and Brian and Tasha from Calgary joined in on a beautiful ski down at Rock Lake . . .AND helped Laura get the pickup out of the ditch. . .     Unfortunately, and all my back-breaking work aside . . .little of the ski track remains intact after two quads were on the trails.  With more snow forecast for the next few … Continue reading →

Soft ‘Shoeing, Hard Skiing – LIFE IS GOOD!

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We have enough snow to snowshoe, although I didn’t get any trails track-set for cross-country skiing before guests arrived last Saturday for the Remembrance Day long weekend. Chris had come in Friday night to give me a hand getting the ski-doo out and running for the season. Best laid plans . . . Mark and Becci opted for a short Saturday afternoon jaunt on snowshoes up the little valley towards the base of the mountain. That trail had been ‘shoed before, so the going was relatively mild. Jon and Karen took advantage of a warm, cozy cabin and decided R&R … Continue reading →