JoAnne Burek

Mountains 101—the U of A’s latest MOOC—starts soon

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We appreciate having the Rockies in our own backyard and we visit them frequently. Now we can study these and other mountain landscapes around the world with a new massive open online course.

Mountains 101 The University of Alberta has partnered with Parks Canada and the Alpine Club of Canada to create the 12 week course. It’s multi-disciplinary, covering geology, biodiversity, and cultural relationships to societies. We are also promised a “tech tip” at the end of each lesson, such as how to pick the best footwear for hiking.

The first lesson can be accessed January 9. You can sign up now at

https://www.ualberta.ca/courses/mountains-101

Devon Trails Hike: And Suddenly It’s Winter

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On today’s hike, nine of us descended on the bank of the North Saskatchewan river to take in the walk from the boat launch to the Lions Campground. It was a good test of our winter gear. Some of us determined that we will have to get mittens over gloves, better footwear, and thicker socks before the real winter comes.

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Much of the trail was a wonderland. Snow piled on leaves that were still attached to the trees made for fun game I call “Let’s Make a Blizzard.”

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At the campground, the residents were preparing for a Thanksgiving event. And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, they allowed us to come in and warm up around the magnificent fire.

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The lively topic at lunch was Where is the best place to buy bread?

Here are some of our suggestions:
Bon Ton Bakery
B&A Bakery
Cobs Bread

 

 

We took a lot of pictures. You can find the rest of them here
2016-10-09 Hike: Devon Voyager Park to Lions Campground