– Pre-flood Ribbon creek. It’s sad to know we’ll never see this sight ever again –
On Twitter from the Rocky Mountain Outlook…
“The provincial government announced today it will spend $60 million over the next four years to repair flood damage in Kananaskis Country. The work will target trails, campgrounds and day use areas.”
It would take at least half that amount just to repair Ribbon creek trail which makes me face the reality that some trails will never be repaired. It will be cheaper, and in some cases better, to start over and construct a new trail.
Little did I know that when I skied on Whiskey Jack on Mar 24, 2013 that it would be the last time
Many of the trails were old logging or mining roads and were never meant to be ski trails. Perhaps the silver lining is that we’ll get some new trails which can be constructed as ski trails from the get-go.
I’m glad that my blog will carry a forever record of the trails such as Ribbon Creek, Whiskey Jack and Pocaterra which we will never see again in their pre-flood state.
There’s also a story in the Herald Most of the $81 million will go to K-Country.
By the way, you can follow me on Twitter. Also on Facebook. We only need 3 more “Likes” to reach 400.
The expert on PLPP picnic tables. Ray Perrott on Elk Pass
Now, back to the Picnic Table Challenge. I spent hours yesterday digging up photos of the PLPP picnic tables, only to have Ray get 95% of them correct within a half-hour of posting. The moose photo had to be a lucky guess. He was stumped only by #19 which actually was Blueberry Hill.
I couldn’t find a photo of the Wheeler north table. There are a total of 10 picnic tables alongside the trails in PLPP, but there used to be 12. Do you remember the table locations half-way up Whiskey Jack and at the top of the hill on Meadow, about a K south of the Visitor Centre?
Hi Bob-
That’s great news. Glad to see the value of recreation acknowledged. It all ties into health and well being, as you know!
I’m wondering if you have heard any discussion about grooming the Chester and Sawmill roads? They used to be track set in the olden days! If we have lost trails in PLPP, perhaps that would be a way of providing some alternative trails over the next four years while the repairs are being done. Just a thought.
Your picture contests are killing me! Each one makes me smile thinking about the fun still to come this winter.
Thanks again for doing this blog. Your enthusiasm is contagious!
Georgina
Georgina, I’m not too old but I remember that too, somewhere is a VHS tape I made with my father’s movie camera coming down some of the hills!! Hmmmm I wonder where that is?
The Kananaskis blog website has a database of the trails organized by area and provides information on trails affected by the flood. Not ski trail specific but a good resource and users can contribute the latest trail condition info.
http://trailupdate.kananaskisblog.com/KCTrails_menu.php/
Hey Bob! Thanks for the update on the repairs. How _do_ you find out all these details? When I call up the K-Country information centers, it sounds like they’re repairing Whiskey Jack and exploring route options for Pocaterra. Are there newsletters where these discussions show up? While it certainly doesn’t make sense to repair a trail that risks being destroyed again, why does it cost $30 million to repair Ribbon Creek? I suppose volunteers can only do so much. Curious to know how it all works. 🙂
I don’t have any inside information, just what I can glean from the internet. I don’t know for a fact that it costs $30 million to repair Ribbon creek, but I was pointing out the fact that it will be necessary to prioritize on repairs and rebuilding. The Ribbon creek trail would be a massive repair bill and even then, it couldn’t be re-constructed to its pre-flood state. The money could be better spent on a new trail which would be much less expensive. -Bob