This summer we all have a lot to look forward to, warm weather, family gatherings, enjoying the outdoors and maybe even a vacation. The warmer weather also makes it easier to get in a little more exercise be it out on the lake, the golf course, going for a run or just plain yard work.
A few of our neighbours will be doing a little bit more than perhaps they are used to, maybe even a lot more. For the second year in a row, St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish will be taking 15 brave souls who are willing to risk it all to embark on a journey in the Canadian Rockies.
Rooted in faith, volunteers will be climbing again this year in an effort to raise funds which will go toward building the first Catholic Church in Chestermere. Last year, the hardy adventurers climbed Mt. Temple, the second highest mountain in Banff National Park. It wasn’t easy as foul weather, rain, hail, near vertical cliffs and a heavy dose of lightening almost cut the number of catholic parishioners down by an even dozen.
Fortunately, no one was hurt and after an eventful 12 hour climb everyone returned home safe and sound and together and the parish raised over $55,000.
Inspired by the efforts of the climbers last year, an even larger group made up of some old and new volunteers will be attempting something a little bit different this summer. The Centennial Trail, created in 1967 by members of the Rocky Mountain Ramblers will be what parish supporters will have their sights set on in August. The trail was built in honor of Canada’s Centennial anniversary since confederation, it was and still is the highest maintained hiking trail in Canada.
The Centennial Trail seems a fitting location for the next journey of Angels on High as our faith pushes us forward into not only the second year of fundraising toward our desire to build a new church building, but also the second year of the new Centennial for the Catholic Diocese of Calgary.
Rising almost 1,500m above the trail head near Highway 40, the Centennial Trail snakes its way up and over Mount Allen then drops down the other side where it eventually ends near Dead Man’s Flats on the Trans-Canada Highway… over 21 kilometers from the starting point.
The trip should not be taken lightly, nor can it really be called a hike. In at least two places care must be exercised in order to avoid a deadly fall. Basic climbing techniques will be required during the ascent and again while on the way down. This will mean use of both hands and legs, and a mistake here could be very serious.
In between these two cruxes will be a lot of exhausting hiking up broken rock and scree, exposure to high winds and other dangerous weather elements, the worst of all being lightening. To make this portion of the climb ever more difficult, the climbers will have a drop of a few hundred meters of hard gained elevation just to have to regain it on the final push to the summit of Mt. Allen.
What makes this whole event even more of a challenge is that what has been described so far is on fact the easier part of the day. The real difficulty will begin at 5:00am when these poor souls will in fact be starting up the south slopes of Mt. Allen. Staying together will be important as the mountain is home to numerous Grizzly Bears. The real test though will be the seemingly endless hours of uphill walking.
And we all know that what goes up must come down, the descent of this trip will be equally as hard on the body as the climb up. With their quads feeling every step, the climbers will have to rely on knowing that food, drink, friends and family will be waiting for them at the other end to help motivate them to go on.
No doubt cameras will be kept ready from the start as the vistas along this trail are often breathtaking. Climbers will witness from a unique perspective the magnificence of God’s creation. On a clear day one can expect to see panoramas of Canmore, neighbouring peaks like Mt. Lougheed and Mt. Temple, and even all the way to the skyscrapers of Downtown Calgary.
For me, the best part of this journey will be the lasting friendships formed along the way. Those friendships will no doubt carry on into the future and eventually we will be able to worship, witness and serve together in Chestermere’s first Catholic Church building.
I invite you to join the journey. Visit the website at www.angelsonhigh.ca to find out how you can become involved in Angels on High.
