Last Minute Checklist
Lake O'Hara Last Minute Reminders & Preparations:
On departure day dress in hiking clothes, pack a bagged lunch and bring your coat for a pillow on the bus. Arrive at the school 15 min before your bus leaves and load your packs in your support vehicle.
Groups 1-4 and 13-14 Bus #1 leaves at 6:00 am
Groups 5-10 Bus #2 leaves at 7:00 am
Groups 15+ Bus #3 leaves at 7:00 am
If you want to bring a clean change of clothes for the return trip have them in a separate small bag that can be left in the support vehicle. Don’t forget around $20 cash for A&W and McDonalds on the way home.
* Be sure to check your equipment checklist. Be prepared but remember that excess is extra and unwanted mass.
* Taking pictures: full face, close-up. Get students in pairs, parent/son/daughter combinations/, close friends, etc.
* Be sure your boots are waterproof.
* One small flashlight with two sets of batteries.
* Bring walking poles (old ski poles).
* Blister protection (band-aid compress is recommended, the alternative is moleskin).
* Clip your toe-nails.
* Buy or borrow a compression sack if you have a big puffy sleeping bag.
* 1 small bottle of dish soap for the entire group is enough
* no large tubes of toothpaste
* no pots with swing handles
* 3 small ziplock bags of trailmix is maximum
* Backpacks must be adjusted to fit your backs
* Do not pack your sleeping bag or thermarest unprotected form rain outside your pack.
* Boys packs should not exceed 40 pounds. Girls packs should not exceed 33 pounds.
* Gather all your equipment, spread it out, look at it, check the list, think it over for several hours, put your extra clothes in a separate large ziplock, organize and label your food according to day in ziplocks. You will wear your hiking gear in the bus so that when you step out of the bus you are ready to slip on your backpack and hike. When you are sure that you have everything then start to assemble your pack.
* Fill your water bottle at home and bring it on the bus
* When planning the preparation of your meal, keep in mind that the food must be prepared in two medium sized pots and nothing more. (ie. There is no frying pan, no colander (therefore curly type pasta is easier than spaghetti), and no large cooking pot).
* You will need to carry some items for the group, such as a fuel bottle or a dish pan or garbage or a tarp etc.
* You have very few shopping days before we depart. Make lists, check and double check your gear and food, then buy what you need. A small problem anticipated before you leave can be easily corrected with all the resources at your house and this can save a big headache once you are living out of your pack.
On departure day dress in hiking clothes, pack a bagged lunch and bring your coat for a pillow on the bus. Arrive at the school 15 min before your bus leaves and load your packs in your support vehicle.
Groups 1-4 and 13-14 Bus #1 leaves at 6:00 am
Groups 5-10 Bus #2 leaves at 7:00 am
Groups 15+ Bus #3 leaves at 7:00 am
If you want to bring a clean change of clothes for the return trip have them in a separate small bag that can be left in the support vehicle. Don’t forget around $20 cash for A&W and McDonalds on the way home.
* Be sure to check your equipment checklist. Be prepared but remember that excess is extra and unwanted mass.
* Taking pictures: full face, close-up. Get students in pairs, parent/son/daughter combinations/, close friends, etc.
* Be sure your boots are waterproof.
* One small flashlight with two sets of batteries.
* Bring walking poles (old ski poles).
* Blister protection (band-aid compress is recommended, the alternative is moleskin).
* Clip your toe-nails.
* Buy or borrow a compression sack if you have a big puffy sleeping bag.
* 1 small bottle of dish soap for the entire group is enough
* no large tubes of toothpaste
* no pots with swing handles
* 3 small ziplock bags of trailmix is maximum
* Backpacks must be adjusted to fit your backs
* Do not pack your sleeping bag or thermarest unprotected form rain outside your pack.
* Boys packs should not exceed 40 pounds. Girls packs should not exceed 33 pounds.
* Gather all your equipment, spread it out, look at it, check the list, think it over for several hours, put your extra clothes in a separate large ziplock, organize and label your food according to day in ziplocks. You will wear your hiking gear in the bus so that when you step out of the bus you are ready to slip on your backpack and hike. When you are sure that you have everything then start to assemble your pack.
* Fill your water bottle at home and bring it on the bus
* When planning the preparation of your meal, keep in mind that the food must be prepared in two medium sized pots and nothing more. (ie. There is no frying pan, no colander (therefore curly type pasta is easier than spaghetti), and no large cooking pot).
* You will need to carry some items for the group, such as a fuel bottle or a dish pan or garbage or a tarp etc.
* You have very few shopping days before we depart. Make lists, check and double check your gear and food, then buy what you need. A small problem anticipated before you leave can be easily corrected with all the resources at your house and this can save a big headache once you are living out of your pack.
Going ofGoing offline is one of the best parts of the OKM Lake O'Hara experience .
For the past 40 years, the "Lake O" tradition has brought thousands of OKM grads into the incredible nature of our Parks, where personal growth comes through taking on challenging hikes that rely on teamwork, preparation, the support of the community, and the building of personal resilience.
Allowing social media or online access during Lake O would be antithetical to those goals - we have to leave civilization behind to gain the best experience in nature and in our teams. We encourage healthy group social activities like hiking, sitting around a campfire, sharing food, playing interactive games, star gazing, or having conversations.
For most students, going online can't be an issue because they won't have cell service. However, some areas will have service. To ensure the best experience for everyone, students are not allowed to use their cell phones for any online connections.
If students want to bring phones as cameras, they are asked to leave their SIM cards at home, or they can give them to their chaperones for safekeeping.
As always, for any emergency, we all must rely on contacting the professionals at Parks Canada.
Thank you for your support - happy trails to everyone!fline is one of the best parts of the OKM Lake O'Hara experience .
For the past 40 years, the "Lake O" tradition has brought thousands of OKM grads into the incredible nature of our Parks, where personal growth comes through taking on challenging hikes that rely on teamwork, preparation, the support of the community, and the building of personal resilience.
Allowing social media or online access during Lake O would be antithetical to those goals - we have to leave civilization behind to gain the best experience in nature and in our teams. We encourage healthy group social activities like hiking, sitting around a campfire, sharing food, playing interactive games, star gazing, or having conversations.
For most students, going online can't be an issue because they won't have cell service. However, some areas will have service. To ensure the best experience for everyone, students are not allowed to use their cell phones for any online connections.
If students want to bring phones as cameras, they are asked to leave their SIM cards at home, or they can give them to their chaperones for safekeeping.
As always, for any emergency, we all must rely on contacting the professionals at Parks Canada (numbers below).
Thank you for your support - happy trails to everyone!
For the past 40 years, the "Lake O" tradition has brought thousands of OKM grads into the incredible nature of our Parks, where personal growth comes through taking on challenging hikes that rely on teamwork, preparation, the support of the community, and the building of personal resilience.
Allowing social media or online access during Lake O would be antithetical to those goals - we have to leave civilization behind to gain the best experience in nature and in our teams. We encourage healthy group social activities like hiking, sitting around a campfire, sharing food, playing interactive games, star gazing, or having conversations.
For most students, going online can't be an issue because they won't have cell service. However, some areas will have service. To ensure the best experience for everyone, students are not allowed to use their cell phones for any online connections.
If students want to bring phones as cameras, they are asked to leave their SIM cards at home, or they can give them to their chaperones for safekeeping.
As always, for any emergency, we all must rely on contacting the professionals at Parks Canada.
Thank you for your support - happy trails to everyone!fline is one of the best parts of the OKM Lake O'Hara experience .
For the past 40 years, the "Lake O" tradition has brought thousands of OKM grads into the incredible nature of our Parks, where personal growth comes through taking on challenging hikes that rely on teamwork, preparation, the support of the community, and the building of personal resilience.
Allowing social media or online access during Lake O would be antithetical to those goals - we have to leave civilization behind to gain the best experience in nature and in our teams. We encourage healthy group social activities like hiking, sitting around a campfire, sharing food, playing interactive games, star gazing, or having conversations.
For most students, going online can't be an issue because they won't have cell service. However, some areas will have service. To ensure the best experience for everyone, students are not allowed to use their cell phones for any online connections.
If students want to bring phones as cameras, they are asked to leave their SIM cards at home, or they can give them to their chaperones for safekeeping.
As always, for any emergency, we all must rely on contacting the professionals at Parks Canada (numbers below).
Thank you for your support - happy trails to everyone!