Alberta Destinations

Outdoor Club members enjoy west coast adventure

by Frances Clarke

Outdoor adventures have been possible for many Calgary seniors in the last half of the previous century because of Bill Scrastin’s dedication to instruction in outdoor recreation. His intention was to teach mature adults everything there was to know about wilderness activities.

About 25 years ago Scrastin started the Outdoor Club and there are still many members of this club who continue on from the early days. They have formed lasting friendships.

Since the beginning, the group has met on Fridays for local outings, but they have also embarked on several magnificent outdoor adventures farther afield.

One of these trips recently took a total of 25 members of the club, many over 80, to a remote hunting lodge near Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. While on this trip, many experienced a few firsts and everyone enjoyed the sense that they were truly in a complete wilderness.

Imagine a group of mature adults learning to paddle kayaks and canoes in the morning and then clambering up and down mountain trails in the afternoon. This is what happened on the wilderness excursion on the Sunshine Coast.

None of the group had ever thought they would be going somewhere like it in their older years, but there they were – enjoying every minute of their outdoor adventure.

The lodge is not on a major highway, but can be reached on winding and scenic roads. Access to the facility was by a ferry that docked some miles away.

When the group arrived they were greeted by the lodge owners amid masses of unusual flowers that were planted in pots on all the deck and around the property.

The setting was rustic. You were given your bedding when you arrived, and you were required to make your bed in your cabin yourself, as well as take part in setting the tables in the dining room. But no one seemed to mind these expectations when the sun shone and illuminated such magnificent scenery and the setting provided for so many satisfying activities.

Every morning, transportation was provided to the lakes in the area for canoeing and kayaking. The members were helped into their craft of choice and given instruction on paddling and changing direction. Guided hikes were offered every afternoon. The group enjoyed seeing the different flora that grew in abundance along the hiking paths.

For some unexplainable reason, no four-footed wildlife was spotted in the five days of the stay, but a varied and interesting bird life was certainly evident.

The evenings were spent relaxing beside the main building’s fireplace or watching sunsets from the deck. On the last evening, group members enjoyed sitting around an outdoor fire cooking hotdogs and singing campfire songs.

Everyone in the group had years of experience hiking mountain trails in the Rockies and other locales but this was different. The group felt that they had had a truly backcountry holiday and the experience left a lasting impression on all those who went.