ACC Ottawa Section: frustrated but still out there!
Challenging times
ACC Ottawa Section members and exec, like pretty much everybody, are frustrated with the impact of Covid-19 on our lives, especially our outdoor activities with friends.
Ottawa Section is in the difficult position of sharing a border with Quebec and New York State, two places where we especially like to play. The closure and/or restrictions at these borders, while necessary, have had an impact on the activities we usually run.
Making the most of it
Despite this we are very proud of how our members, especially trip leaders have stepped up to offer activities, that are respectful of public health guidelines. In 2020 we still had 73 days where the section had members out on club-organized trips or activities. This is a significant drop from a regular year and the loss of most of our in-person training and weekend trips and our western summer camp was felt by members.
With the recent easing of restrictions in Ontario and Quebec we will resume running activities, hoping for a few days of ice climbing and backcountry skiing/hiking in our local area before the winter disappears. Leaders have already posted four activities on the calendar and we look to the start of spring climbing and hiking, if public health orders allow.
A positive this year has been exploring or returning to some local areas, especially in the Madawaska Valley. There is also a growing interest in backcountry skiing, both alpine and nordic, and ACC Ottawa members have been helping open trails at Dacre Heights a new, free backcountry area.
Celebrating our successes and moving forward
On January 25 we held our virtual AGM and at that gathering we acknowledged the volunteers who make our club function. This year we read out the names of 48 people who made some contribution to the section in 2020. Fifteen of these people received a gift acknowledging a more significant contribution, usually for leading at least three days of trips in the year. As well, we celebrated one of our own, Mike Bowler, who received ACC National recognition through the Eric Brooks Leader Award for his commitment to trip leadership in the Ottawa Section.
As we move through 2021 we will face the challenge of rebuilding our section membership and hope that this will occur as we are able to consistently offer the full range of activities section members have come to look forward to. Covid sucks, but we will continue to look forward to how we can provide good opportunities for our members to gather together in the outdoor playgrounds we love.
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