Sat, Jun 20 2009 - Summer celebration: Forgetmenot Ridge & Dinner at the Bavarian Inn (View Original Event Details)
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One word and one word only can describe today's event: AWESOME ! Excellent group chemistry, sunshine, beautiful hike, summer celebration, delicious meal and novelty worked perfectly well together. Thanks to our Chief Captain Marcel, 11 of us discovered Forgetmenot Ridge for the first time. Starting from the swinging pink suspension bridge, we quickly reached the creek we had to cross in several places. Splash here, splash there and we made our way through the water (knee deep in some places) prior to starting the ascent. The views do not disappoint as you reap the rewards of the scenery after the first steep 200 m elevation gain. Forgetmenot Pond started sparkling in the distance with its stunning turquoize & green shades. Only elevation can make you truly appreciate the effect a pond can have! By lunch time we reached the ridge and it was simply a delight to enjoy the surrounding mountains & valleys. The trail conditions were overall good.
On a day like today the group chemistry was perfect given how cheerful, chatty, friendly and cohesive the group was. There was plenty of teasing, laughing, splashing water around (yes Franco you :-) and most importantly fun & relaxation. The idea of sitting on a ridge to take in that beautiful scenery in such great company is THE best way to celebrate the arrival of the summer.
Every great day also brings occasionally an element of sadness as one hiker lost one of his water shoes within the first kilometer of the hike and braved the creek without his water crossing footwear. Imagine how sad & lonely a single shoe looks when dangling on a backpack on its own... for those of you anxious to know the outcome, I am pleased to report that thankfully at the end of the day as we walked back to our cars, we were able to reunite the right shoe with the left shoe. The newly found shoe was carried triumphantly on the top of the hiking pole. It was a happy ending.
On the way back, we thoroughly enjoyed crossing the creek as it was soooooo refreshing. Our happy feet sparkled afterwards. Every hike should have a creek crossing at the end of it... Franco, aka the splasher, was clearly having too much fun splashing everyone around especially one particular co-ordinator... Thankfully our Chief Captain video-recorded everything so no blame could be shifted ... After the crossing, 12 squishers ( OK the beauty of being a foreigner is that I can make up a word if it suits me:-) or 12 hikers making weird squishy sounds ended the hike with another swing on the pink suspension bridge.
After a pretty awesome hike, we were really looking forward to our dinner at the Bavarian Inn, rated as one of the best restaurants in & around Calgary. Wow - the combination of exquisite food and impeccable service transformed this dinner into a truly enjoyable experience as this restaurant was a discovery for most of us. Sylvia, thanks to her German background, was able to share her culinary expertise with us as she commented about the dishes on offer. We toasted to the great group, our Chief Captain and of course the arrival of the summer. We shared many discussions about future hikes, food, holiday plans, food, other best restaurants in Calgary, best ways to "bribe" a co-ordinator and oh yes food again! The German beer was flowing happily with the meals (drivers were on their best behaviour) and the tall beer glasses appear to grow taller...
Special thanks to our Chief Captain for his leadership and for everyone today as you were awesome. It felt like a mini-holiday. I should mention that the "blue hikers" were in force today as they matched the stunning blue sky ("vive les bleus"!). Forgetmenot will be memorable for many reasons. Do check out Marcel's photos. Wishing you all a great summer and lots of FUN. Stay healthy, be happy and keep smiling.
Veronique