President Bob Janes opened the meeting at 12:30 sharp with 37 members online.
President-elect Laurie Bienert provided a very moving, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic O Canada video entirely suited to the diverse nature of Canada’s people. Members applauded at the end of the anthem.
Inspiration
Ross White gave the Inspiration. His subject was “Mothers” as the following Sunday was Mother’s Day. Ross drew attention to the mothers in our club and the multitude of tasks mothers carry out all over the world.
He recalled that since 1927, the carnation has been the official flower of Mother’s Day, red signifying respect for a living mother, while a white carnation is worn or given in honor of a mother who has passed. Ross showed pictures of mothers he had met during his travels for Rotary.
Announcements
President Bob drew everyone’s attention to the email from District Governor Greg Horn about the upcoming virtual district conference. The plans for the live conference were cancelled and instead the event was to be an evening affair with a very special secret surprise speaker. Members were asked to reserve the date (June 4) and stay tuned for more information.
Debbie Narver proposed two motions on behalf of the Community Partnerships Committee in connection with a possible matching District grant. Unused funds (up to $3,500 USD) may become available for use in conjunction with Club money for a qualifying project.
The Committee had selected a project with Nanaimo Foodshare to provide them with equipment for an outdoor classroom. If our project is selected, the project must be completed by the end of the Rotary year and the Club would then be reimbursed up to $3,500 USD. In view of the very short time frame, Debbie proposed to waive the normally required two weeks’ notice of motion.
This motion was seconded by Janeane Coutu and carried unanimously without discussion on a show of hands. Debbie then proposed the motion to spend up to $10,000 CAD to provide equipment for the Foodshare outdoor classroom, provided that the project is funded with a matching grant by District. John Shillabeer seconded the motion which was carried unanimously on a show of hands without discussion.
Joyce Smith reported that the cross Canada walk was going very well. Team A was just in the lead and the first four teams were well into central Ontario. Team L was a late starter and so was still in B.C. She said the walk now had 80 participants.
Dawn Hankins was really excited about the coming virtual wine tasting. Wine was in short supply and Saturday was the last day to order. She said the event would begin at 5:30 pm on Friday, May 14.
Brent Stetar said the book committee had run out of orange boxes. He appealed for members to collect some from their favorite food stores.
Keith McFarlane reported that Wendy was recovering from hip replacement surgery following her fall during the book sale. Keith thanked and congratulated Jason Bradley for his professionalism in rendering first aid including field checks, determining that it was necessary to call 911 and briefing the paramedics on arrival.
Darryl Grossauer said that Cedar Valley Memorial Gardens would be giving out flowers to visitors on Mothers’ Day.
Speaker
Dawn Hankins introduced this week’s speaker, Jason Bradley. Dawn said Jason was an inspiration for her, having taken her and Rebecca on a great hike recently.
Jason spoke about hiking kits and preparedness, recommended some great apps, showed two videos of local hiking opportunities and answered questions.
Following his introductory video, Jason said that what you should take on your hike depended on the difficulty and the conditions. Going around Westward Lake in summer would not require more than water, granola bars and a cell phone in a fanny pack. On the other hand, for a day hike up Mt Benson you should carry spare clothing, more water, food, spare batteries etc.
Jason said he has a 30L soft pack that he keeps filled for his day trips. He recommended checking Google for a list of 10 hiking essentials to take on every trip. These included a flashlight and spare batteries, signaling device, fire starter, knife, shelter pack, map and compass, cell phone and spare batteries. For winter hikes, Jason recommended buying a set of micro-spikes to fit on your boots and said he carried three pairs of gloves of different thicknesses for different purposes. He advised that kit items like bear spray should be quickly accessible and carried in an outside pocket.
Jason said that there are several great apps and websites to help hikers. He recommended five:Alltrails: has comprehensive descriptions of trails including distance, degree of difficulty, change in altitude, map-diagrams and user comments.
GAIA GPS: is similar to Alltrails; Jason preferred it because it had a better on screen pointer.
Adventuresmart.ca: is a government site where you could log your planned route. It was a good precaution as rescuers could use it to help them find you.
Mountain forecast: is good for local weather forecasts and snow conditions
Peakfinder: shows the names and altitudes of peaks around you. It could be used to help pinpoint your location.
Jason then showed his second video featuring a time lapse shot from the Mt Benson peak and many other Island treks. The video was a great motivator to get out and explore our wonderful surroundings. Jason ended his presentation with an offer to take members with him or to give advice about where to go and when to do it. There were many questions.President Bob wanted to know how long to allow for a trip up Mt Benson. Jason said to allow to be on the mountain conservatively for 3 ½ to 4 hours
Lucy Gosselin wanted to know if there were any sharp drops as she was concerned about heights. Jason assured her that there were none; just some steep slopes near the top.
Dawn Hankins asked what was Jason’s most spectacular hike. He said that the overnight trip he did in Strathcona Park hiking up around Mt Albert Edward was the best. It was so quiet, there was no light pollution and the scenery was fantastic.
Kathy Smith suggested that we should all get together at the conclusion of the cross Canada walk and do a group hike with Jason up Mt Benson. She then asked, if you are in difficulty, how long to wait before calling for help. Jason said it all depended on the weather and local conditions. He made a good case for carrying extra clothing, shelter and spare batteries as help would likely take longer to arrive than you would wish for.
Ross White asked for sources of information about less vigorous hikes. Jason recommended Alltrails and showed how local hikes could be searched and filtered by, for example, level of difficulty, distance or height gain.
Leigh Blaney wanted to know about footwear. Jason said that it all depended on the terrain. Trail shoes were good for regular walking, but he preferred a proper hiking shoe with a good solid sole for rocky terrain. In winter he wore full boots with good ankle support.
Douglas Anderson said that the kayaking group he belongs to had at least two Meetup groups that post planned hiking trips every few days.
Darryl Grossauer said he was a back country enthusiast and has bought a Garmin “inReach” GPS so he couldn’t get lost any more. It had an emergency SOS feature and operated via satellite.
Debbie Narver asked about the reliability of Alltrails. Jason said that it was very accurate to within about 10 ft in his experience, provided there was cell phone coverage. Locally there were very few dead zones.
Running short of time, President Bob thanked Jason for his presentation and handed over to John Heisterman, the sergeant-at-arms. John was in a good mood, fined no one and went directly to Happy Bucks.
Happy Bucks
Lucy Gosselin was happy because she and Yvan had just acquired a motorhome with which they planned to explore the Island.
Leigh Blaney was happy to celebrate mental health week, the accelerated local rate of immunization and the Club (because it made her laugh a lot).
Darryl Grossauer was happy because his sister in Ottawa had just sent him a video of his new niece.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Jane Currie has a birthday on May 9. Spouses Catherine Knutsson celebrates on May 10, and Chris Coutu on May 12.
Norm and Barbara Myden are celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary on May 10. Umesh and Daksha Lal celebrate 28 years on May 12.
Unless written objection is received by the secretary within seven (7) days, the following applicant will be invited to join the Rotary Club of Nanaimo.
