A return just in time
Okay so I've been lame with everything lately but my excuse is thus: I'm pretty much lucky that I managed to make it through midterms alive. I arrive to you, battled and a little war torn but only one horrible bruise of a mark to report. And on that note, allow me to turn your attention to something far more interesting than my failures. :P Lucky for those of us living in good old AB, this is something that we can enjoy. All those who've gone to find greener pastures elsewhere will just have to suffice with my memories.
Last Friday, my best friend forced me from my natural reclusive state and out into the night air to experience something called the Haunted Hike. This lovely event happens just outside of Sherwood Park and it's put on to raise funds for the Stollery so it was for a good cause. I have to admit that when Tell told me about this, she didn't really explain it very well and I was pretty certain I was in for some Halloween Alley kind of fun stuff. It wasn't until I saw the line up that stretched fairly far back that I realized that we were in for some haunted house style ridiculousness. I'll save you all the trouble of asking and just admit that I'm a lame ass when it comes to these things but I still love them and the half hour line wait for this event was so worth it.
I won't give away much of anything in case anyone does want to take the hop down to the Park to go through this thing. I will tell you though that this was very well put together. Having been through some fantastic haunted house stuffs and some incredibly stupid ones, I have to say that this fits on the better side of things. Considering that this hike is outdoors, there's certain limitations to that but you don't really notice it as much as all that. I will say that the actors tended to be a little bit less enthusiastic about scaring us adults than they were about scaring the kids but that could have been for a few reasons. (Haunted house staff and volunteers have, in recent years, had issues with adult visitors punching people when they get scared is at least one reason for the lameness.) That said, it was still fun and the props and lighting were really fantastic. A favorite area was a graveyard that was nicely made over with what looked like fresh dirt over the ground. There's more that I would tell you but I really don't want to give it away if anyone wants to take a trip down. I was completely ignorant of what to expect and when it comes to these things, it's always best to be that way.
I guess, since it's the only thing I can think to compare it to is the corn maze that I've gone to a few times now. Between the two, I'm going to say that going to this is a far better choice. I enjoyed the corn maze but to be honest, the whole experience is drawn out by going through both the maze and the whole haunted barn. By contrast, going through the hike was a lot more fun because for one, there were more scare volunteers to interact with. They really made good use of everything they had in the stretch they had whereas the barn, there was a lot more they could have done. The volunteers were generally just not as into it as the guys on the Haunted Hike and going through both, it really showed. If I can say anything that needed to be improved about the whole thing, however, it's that it could be longer. I am keeping in mind that this activity is aimed at kidlets and depending on what age they are, it's not going to be all that interested in going for hours and hours (the way the corn maze can) but it was kind of sad when it was over because it felt like it was done just a little quickly. That said, it was still a good time.
So yeah, if yous guys is going out for some kind of Halloween activity and you happen to have a way out to Sherwood Park, you should really keep the Haunted Hike in mind. It's in a great location, it's for a good cause and it's well done. If you do plan to go, remember the following:
- Bring appropriate footwear! (Unless you have a burning desire for swollen purple ankles, it's best to leave the kitten heels or the big stompy boots at home.)
- Get there early! (We got there at about quarter to eight and waited for half an hour. And we got in relatively quickly by comparison to the mile long line up behind us.)
- Dress for the weather. (It's October, baby. It's nipply outside at night.)
and finally...
- For the love of god, don't bring your tea cup dogs or really any dogs to this event. (No really, there were people who did and though they probably won't turn you away, you shouldn't bring them. You're pet, wonderful as they might be, is not going to enjoy this event as much as you. Leave them at home please and thank you.)
And that be that. Until next time, enjoy the start of your spooktacular week and I'll talk to you again soon.
Last Friday, my best friend forced me from my natural reclusive state and out into the night air to experience something called the Haunted Hike. This lovely event happens just outside of Sherwood Park and it's put on to raise funds for the Stollery so it was for a good cause. I have to admit that when Tell told me about this, she didn't really explain it very well and I was pretty certain I was in for some Halloween Alley kind of fun stuff. It wasn't until I saw the line up that stretched fairly far back that I realized that we were in for some haunted house style ridiculousness. I'll save you all the trouble of asking and just admit that I'm a lame ass when it comes to these things but I still love them and the half hour line wait for this event was so worth it.
I won't give away much of anything in case anyone does want to take the hop down to the Park to go through this thing. I will tell you though that this was very well put together. Having been through some fantastic haunted house stuffs and some incredibly stupid ones, I have to say that this fits on the better side of things. Considering that this hike is outdoors, there's certain limitations to that but you don't really notice it as much as all that. I will say that the actors tended to be a little bit less enthusiastic about scaring us adults than they were about scaring the kids but that could have been for a few reasons. (Haunted house staff and volunteers have, in recent years, had issues with adult visitors punching people when they get scared is at least one reason for the lameness.) That said, it was still fun and the props and lighting were really fantastic. A favorite area was a graveyard that was nicely made over with what looked like fresh dirt over the ground. There's more that I would tell you but I really don't want to give it away if anyone wants to take a trip down. I was completely ignorant of what to expect and when it comes to these things, it's always best to be that way.
I guess, since it's the only thing I can think to compare it to is the corn maze that I've gone to a few times now. Between the two, I'm going to say that going to this is a far better choice. I enjoyed the corn maze but to be honest, the whole experience is drawn out by going through both the maze and the whole haunted barn. By contrast, going through the hike was a lot more fun because for one, there were more scare volunteers to interact with. They really made good use of everything they had in the stretch they had whereas the barn, there was a lot more they could have done. The volunteers were generally just not as into it as the guys on the Haunted Hike and going through both, it really showed. If I can say anything that needed to be improved about the whole thing, however, it's that it could be longer. I am keeping in mind that this activity is aimed at kidlets and depending on what age they are, it's not going to be all that interested in going for hours and hours (the way the corn maze can) but it was kind of sad when it was over because it felt like it was done just a little quickly. That said, it was still a good time.
So yeah, if yous guys is going out for some kind of Halloween activity and you happen to have a way out to Sherwood Park, you should really keep the Haunted Hike in mind. It's in a great location, it's for a good cause and it's well done. If you do plan to go, remember the following:
- Bring appropriate footwear! (Unless you have a burning desire for swollen purple ankles, it's best to leave the kitten heels or the big stompy boots at home.)
- Get there early! (We got there at about quarter to eight and waited for half an hour. And we got in relatively quickly by comparison to the mile long line up behind us.)
- Dress for the weather. (It's October, baby. It's nipply outside at night.)
and finally...
- For the love of god, don't bring your tea cup dogs or really any dogs to this event. (No really, there were people who did and though they probably won't turn you away, you shouldn't bring them. You're pet, wonderful as they might be, is not going to enjoy this event as much as you. Leave them at home please and thank you.)
And that be that. Until next time, enjoy the start of your spooktacular week and I'll talk to you again soon.