On the Slopes of Ha-Ling Traditional Cache
Hidden : 8/21/2005
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Located *very* close to the official trail. No bush whacking required.

Went up to look for another cache on the slope today. Didn't really expect to find it based on the logs but it was worth a shot. The cache is located just off an official trail on the slope of Ha-Ling Peak. Area is restricted to on trail travel only, so please be respectful, and stay on the trails (cache is located just to one side of the trail.).
To help you stay on the trail, if you have a Garmin GPS, you can download the trail map for the area, (here)

PLEASE NOTE: There have been multiple reports of people bushwhacking to the cache. Remember this area is on trail only. To help you out, I have included a few key waypoints along the trail that you should be taking. Please DO NOT leave the official trails.

From Peakfinder.com:

This mountain was formerly officially named Chinaman's Peak. Although not made official until 1980, the mountain was named in 1886 in honour of Ha Ling, a Chinese cook at a mining camp. According to the Medicine Hat News of October 24, 1896, the previous weekend had seen a feat of remarkable mountain climbing near the town of Canmore. In the “Canmore Cullings” column in that issue, it was reported that Ha Ling, a cook from China who worked at the mining camps, won a fifty-dollar bet. He bet some of his co-workers that he could climb to the top of the peak, plant a flag, and return to the town in ten hours. Not only did he accomplish the task he did it in five and a half hours. Following pressure from the Chinese Community, the name was removed in 1997 and officially renamed Ha Ling Peak the following year.

 

However this may not be the end of the story. Writing in the October 4th issue of the Banff newspaper, Lorraine Widmer-Carson reported that Brian Dawson's book, "Moon Cakes in Gold Country -From China to the Canadian Plains," tells a different tale but one that still involves a Chinese cook and the bet. According to Dawson, it wasn't Ha Ling but Lee Poon (a cook at the Oskaloosa Hotel) who climbed the mountain and the bet was for $10.

 

Both stories involve a Chinese individual who was a cook and who climbed the mountain to win a bet. But what should the name of the mountain be?

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Avpr ivrj

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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