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Waskahegan Trail Association - FAQs
Membership
- How much does it cost to join?
- Do I have to become a member to participate in Waskahegan events?
- How do I find you when I've never met you before?
- Why do you require my birthdate?
- Do you sell/share my information with any third-parties?
- Are you Kid or Physically Impaired Friendly
- Can I bring my dog?
- Do you have a newsletter?
- How Can I log into the System?
- What if I don't want to sign the Waskahegan waiver?
- I am a Hike Leader, what do I need to do?
- What happens to the waivers?
- I am not a member but attend about 12 hikes a year, do I need to sign a guest waiver each time?
- We have a family membership, how many Waivers do we Need?
- Our Hiking Club has a WTA membership, what do we do?
Carpool
- Can I meet at a different spot than the official carpool location?
- How much does it cost to car pool?
Member Network/Info
- Why is my age displayed? Isn't that private information - or - why does it say I am 90 years old?
- I chose to participate in the Member Network. Why can't I view other members' info?
- I don't want to share my information but I want to see others in the Member Network, can I do this?
Event Descriptions
- How does your event notification system work?
- How and when is your event schedule determined/planned?
- How do the association's difficulty ratings work?
- What should I bring with me on a Sunday Hike?
Volunteering
- How do I volunteer or donate to the club?
- I have an idea for an event that I may want to organize. Who should I contact?
- Can anyone organize an event?
- What does it mean when there's a star or something else by someone's name?
The Trail
- Why Was the Trail Built and Who Can Use It?
- Who Owns the Trail?
- What Kind of Activities are Permitted (Can I Ski, Bike, etc)?
- What Exactly is a Stile?
- What Happens When You Have to Go to the Bathroom on the Trail?
- How much does it cost to join?
If you are interested in hiking or would like to help out with trail maintenance
our group, the Waskahegan Trail Association may be just what you are looking
for. The cost of membership is $20.00 annually for individual / family / group
membership (eg. a Scout Troop). Membership runs March 1st to February 28th.
Members joining after September 1st receive the balance of the year free with a
full paid membership for the next year.
When you become a member of the Waskahegan Trail Association you will receive: A
crest, a decal, and a bi-annual newsletter with a list of scheduled hikes and
information about socials and annual general meetings. The Waskahegan Trail
Guide book available only to members, at a cost of $10.00 plus postage.
To join, complete the sign-up information on this website or fill in and mail us
your application.
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- Do I have to become a member to participate in Waskahegan events?
No; non-members are welcome to attend our Sunday Hikes. Children (under
18) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All individuals must be
capable of walking the distances indicated and have suitable equipment (boots,
clothing), food and water for the trip. See xxx equipment list for more
information on what to bring. Please note that 'Beyond Waskahegan' events
may be open to association members and invited guests only.
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- How do I find you?
At a carpool or event location: The carpool location will be described in as much detail as possible.
Look for a group of people milling around some vehicles, likely toting hiking or other outdoor gear.
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- Why do you require my birthdate?
The request for a birthdate is a function of the software that we use. The Waskahegan Trail Association does not require or ask for your birthdate
but it is a required field in some cases. When the system requests your birthdate, you may:
- Enter your birthdate,
- Enter January 1, 1920,
- Enter January 1, of the nearest leap year to your birthday,
- Enter January 1 of your birth year.
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- Do you sell/share my information with any third-parties?
The association does not share information about its members to any third parties.
Membership information is only available to the board for purposes of communication and coordination. You may choose to include your information in the member network.
How much you share is up to you, by default, no member information is shared.
If you wish to change what information you make available to other association members: Log In > My Account > Change Preferences
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- Are you Kid or Physically Impaired Friendly?
Currently the club primarily caters to adults. This means you must be 18 or older to join.
Older childern are welcome on our Sunday Hikes but must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult. In considering whether to bring
a child or a person with a disability, please consider the following:
- Individuals wishing to hike do so at the sole discretion of the hike leader of that trip.
- Minors (under 18) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian on the hike.
- All hikers must be capable of hiking the distance indicated. Note, there is often no ability to stop or return to the vehicles early
- All hikers must be comfortable in a rural or semi-wilderness setting
- For safety reasons, the group must stay together
- We walk at a good pace - fast enough for a healthy person to hold a conversation
- The terrain varies but can include things like climbing ladders (stiles) over barb-wire fences,
narrow trails with roots and other obstructions such as dead fall
- Often there are no washroom facilities; a separation break sees the ladies and gentlemen separate to attend to their respective needs
Do you wish we had more kid-friendly events? If you are a member, why not suggest and organize with other members child-friendly events?
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- Can I bring my dog?
Dogs are not permitted because we often travel over private land and may encounter farm or wild animals on the trial.
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- Do you have a newsletter?
The association prepares a semi-annual newsletter. All paid members receive a black and white version via the post or a colour pdf version via email.
Submissions are welcome to the newsletter on topics of interest to our members and typically by our members.
Submission deadlines are August 31st and February 28th of each year. Member volunteers are always appreciated to help fold and mail the newsletter.
For more information, request a colour copy via email, to volunteer or other questions, please contact
Newsletter editor.
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- How Can I log into the System?
If you know your email address, the password can be emailed to you. To do this,
navigate to waskahegantrail.ca and click on the ‘help’ link in the login area. A
screen will prompt you for your email address. Enter it and your password will
be emailed to you. We recommend changing it afterwards for security purposes. If
you have any difficulties, email: webmaster@waskahegantrail.ca.
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- What if I don't want to sign the Waskahegan waiver?
If you do not understand, agree to, or sign the Waskahegan waiver, you will be unable to participate in
association events. This is for the club's protection and safety, and we appreciate your hassle-free signature.
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- I am a Hike Leader, what do I need to do?
The hike leader will be asked to collect one waiver from each guest. For example, if there are three non-members on the signup sheet, you should have three waivers.
You do not need to collect waivers from members, this is the responsibility of the Membership Secretary. However, if you receive a Member Waiver at an Event, simply include it with the
signup sheet and other waivers when you return these to the Hike Coordinator.
.
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- What happens to the waivers?
Waivers & sign in sheets are sent to archives. Guest waivers are destroyed 2 years after the event and Member Waivers after 5 years after membership year.
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- I am not a member but attend about 12 hikes a year, do I need to sign a guest waiver each time?
Yes, you will need to complete 12 waivers over the course of the year. You may wish to consider taking out a Membership after a few hikes.
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- We have a family membership, how many Waivers do we Need?
One for each individual who will actively participate in WTA events. At a Sunday Hike, an individual may sign a
Member Waiver or a
Guest/Non-Member Waiver.
Children of either Members or Non-Members must have a
Child Waiver
completed for them by their legal guardian.
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- Our Hiking Club has a WTA membership, what do we do?
Individuals who are members of Hike clubs, Scout Groups, etc. which are organization members of the association
are considered guests and must complete a Guest/Non-Member Waiver for each WTA event attended.
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- Can I meet at a different spot than the official carpool location?
The trip leader may provide special permission to meet at the trail head. This is typically only granted to
Association members who are very familiar with the trail.
Carpooling saves gas, reduces our carbon foot print, allows individuals to get to know each other before and after the hike.
As well, we often need to park on rural roads, the fewer the cars the less impact we have on our rural communities.
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- How much does it cost to car pool?
Passengers are asked to provide $5 to their drivers to cover the cost of gas and wear and tear on their vehicles.
Please note that car pooling costs will be higher for Beyond Waskahengan Trips.
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- Why is my age displayed? Isn't that private information?
The website software we are using was developed for a slightly different purpose than how the associaton uses it. Age is based on the birthdate
entered above and since the default is January, 1, 1920 - we are all spritly 90+ year olds!
You are free to enter a date closer to your own age (or any date you want, we really do not check).
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- I chose to participate in the Member Network. Why can't I view other members' info?
Have you changed your preferences so others can see your personal information? You must agree to shared information for you to access other associaton member information.
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- I don't want to share my information but I want to see others in the Member Network, can I do this?
No, only members who have elected to share their information, members of the board and webmasters can see member information.
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- How does your event notification system work?
Currently WTA does not use this functionality. The Association may periodically email members for matters deemed of interest by the board.
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- How and when is your event schedule determined/planned?
Sunday Hikes are planned 6-12 months in advance. This is critical to ensure that our Trail Maintenance folks
can clear the section of trail we hope to hike. Please let the Hike Coordinator know if you would like to join the
Hike Committee and assist in planning Sunday and Beyond Waskahegan events.
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- How do the Waskahegan's difficulty ratings work?
The mission of the WTA is to provide events for all skill levels, with the main focus being at a beginner/intermediate
skill level. Our events are rated for difficulty with this in mind. If you have never participated in
an activity before, you should be just fine attending an event that is rated
Easy or Easy to Moderate. If your confidence level is higher with an
activity, our events rated more difficult than that should still be fine. Make sure that you have an excellent fitness level, and/or
extensive experience with an event, before signing up for anything
rated Difficult or Advanced. Please see our Difficulty Ratings for detailed information.
If you are unsure of your ability to
complete event in which you’re interested, please e-mail the event coordinator to discuss before registering.
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- What should I bring with me on a Sunday Hike?
Equipment varies somewhat based on the season, weather conditions and hike location.
For example, a summer hike, sunscreen and insect repellant is suggested.
Winter hikes/ski, well, ski equipment is suggested or suitable books to hike in the snow and winter conditions.
In all cases, don't forget a lunch, fluids, snacks and good hiking footwear. Please review our
Sunday Hike Checklist
prior to attending.
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- How do I volunteer or donate to the club?
It's easy to help out. We keep our web site updated with our current needs on our
Volunteer or our Friends page.
Let us know how you'd like to help, and we'll get you started. Thanks for your interest!
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- I have an idea for an event that I may want to organize. Who should I contact?
Great! We are a club run by the members for the members, so we make it as easy as we can for people to start
coordinating events. Please review our Coordinator Checklist
and when you're ready to proceed, e-mail our volunteer coordinator, ,
at volunteer@waskahegantrail.ca
to discuss!.
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- Can anyone organize an event?
We are always interested in hike leaders but first you should have attended at least a few Sunday Hikes. Please contact our Hike Coordinator, , at volunteer@waskahegantrail.ca
to get you started. See our Coordinator Checklist for more information.
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- What does it mean when there's a star or something else by someone's name?
An icon of any kind by a person's name means that they are on our
Volunteer Team.
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- Why Was the Trail Built and Who Can Use It?
IN THE BEGINNING… 1967... In the year of Canada’s centennial, a marvelous joy swept the land. Ideas popped up all over.
Fred Dorward’s (our founder) idea was to make a hiking trail around the Edmonton district. From there, construction started in 1973
and was largely completed by the late 1990's.
The trail is open to the public at the discretion and wishes of the landowners.
Members have full access to the trail - respecting landowner conditions - and may purchase a trail guide to enjoy it.
Members of the public are welcome to take part in our public hikes, join the association or use sections which are open to the public
(such as city, county, provincial and federal lands).
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- Who Owns the Trail?
The Trail is owned by the landowners who include private individuals, corporations, municipal, provincial and federal governments.
Generally the agreement with the landowners (particularly private individuals) is:
- We are their guests
- We will route the trail on their land per their wishes
- We will leave when asked - no reason is required on their part
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- What Kind of Activities are Permitted (Can I Ski, Bike, etc)?
The answer is, it depends on which part of the trail you are on.
For example, within the cities of Edmonton and Camrose, the trail is multi-use for human powered activities (walking, cycling, inline skating, etc.).
Some areas permit horse back riding and generally powered vehicles are prohibited.
For our private landowners, only walking based sports are permitted (e.g. no cycling, horses, motorized vehicles, etc.).
In these areas with many fence crossings via stiles, cross-country skiing is not practical
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- What Exactly is a Stile?
According to Wikipedia,
a stile is a structure which provides people a passage through or over a fence or boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps.
Stiles are often built in rural areas or along footpaths to allow access to an adjacent field or area separated by a fence, wall or hedge.
Unlike a gate, there is no chance of forgetting to close it, but they may well be difficult to use for some disabled people and people with limited mobility.
Our Trail Maintenance folks build and maintain the stiles. If you find one in poor condition, please contact us as soon as possible and we will repair
it as quickly as possible.
Click here for a picture of a typical Waskahegan Stile.
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- What Happens When You Have to Go to the Bathroom on the Trail?
When Nature Calls you must obey. Where our trail is in cities such as Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan or Camrose;
bathroom facilities are typically close at hand.
In the National Park or provincial parks/recreational areas, facilities often exist.
Often there are no washroom facilities. The Hike Leader will call for a separation break which sees
the ladies and gentlemen separate to attend to their respective needs.
Please carry a plastic bag to take any refuse home with you for disposal.
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