OAC Day 1 - Respecting Our Beaver Friends

Outdoor Adventure Camp here we come! This week is packed full of fun, be that hiking, rock climbing, or being out on the water. Today’s main goal is to hike around Elbow Falls, discuss the principles of ‘leave no trace,’ and seek out a secret beaver dam nearby.

The first stop on our tour of Elbow Falls was. . . the waterfall! Only being a short walk, this destination was great for our campers’ first day. After a short stop, everyone backtracked to find a resting point for lunch, which happened be along the Elbow River. Everyone participated in rock skipping and throwing, and was a great bonding experience.

Our next step of the day was a little lesson on ‘Leave No Trace,” our general rules for respecting nature, wildlife, and other hikers on the trail. This covers things like staying away from animals, taking all trash that you bring, planning ahead, and much more. These basic skills go a long way in preparing our Campers for the outdoors, teaching them to be ultra-prepared outdoor adventurers.

Lastly, to finish off our time at Elbow Falls, we took a secret path off to Beaver Lodge just down the road to find a real beaver dam! This short trip tests our campers on the knowledge they have just learned, respecting the land and wildlife as we set off to find an incredible secret of Kananaskis. Once all completed, it was time to wrap up and head home. Tomorrow, we’re off to do scavenging and rock climbing!