Minutes for Meeting of 01-31-2001

There were about 17 members present; Eric Shiers gave a wonderful slide show from a recent Costa Rica trip filled with wildlife (in addition to Eric's friends ;-)

For information about the club, hikes, meeting places check out our website:

http://www.biocom.arizona.edu/ramblers/

FUTURE HIKES:

0) Hiroko is leading a "Shushi" hike this Friday 6 pm at the Yuki Shushi Restaurant, in the Albertson's shopping plaza, NE corner of Glenn and Campbell (326-7727). Hiroko says, "Cost vary depending on whether you order alcohol, appetizers, or how many sushi you will have... It's not so expensive badly, but It will surely be more expensive than you go to fast chinese restaurant or pizza where we usually go after the meeting. Those who are afraid of eating Sushi It will be a great opportunity for you to break through your difficulty! But if you can't enjoy sushi, you can order other meal there. You have a choice, so don't worry." Please RSVP (ie contact Hiroko if you are going) so Hiroko can reserve spaces at the restaurant. ogawa@EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU or 326-7493. Feel free to call if you have questions.

1) Liz will lead another hike to the Superstition Mts. east of Phoenix this Sunday, Feb 4th leaving early at 6:00am. RSVP Liz at crapoe@u.arizona.edu or enc40@hotmail.com

2) Robby will lead a Nature Club hike to Ragged Top Mt. in the Ironwood National Monument NW of Tucson this Saturday, Feb 3rd, leaving the PSU at 9 am. RSVP Robby at hannawacker@hotmail.com

3) Steve Newcomb wants to lead a cross country ski trip to Hannagan Meadows in the Apache National Forest in eastern AZ. This is an ideal place for xcountry skiing with wide forest roads as trails, lots of snow and wilderness areas to enjoy. Skis can be rented for $15/day. Plan is to leave early Sat (at least 6 am), ski the day and either stay at a cabin ($80/4 people) or head back in the evening and car camp at Watson Hot Well in Thatcher (a free hot "springs" pool on BLM land) to soak away the soreness. Looking for vehicles that will work well in snow if the roads are bad. RSVP Steve at sanewcomb@yahoo.com

4) Loretta will lead a short day hike on Soldiers Trail on the north side of the Catalinas Sun, Feb 4, leaving the PSU at 11 am. Will hike up from the hiway to Prison Camp, and possibly down to Sycamore Dam. RSVP Loretta at llp2877@yahoo.com or 977-3442.

5) Liz is leading a backpack into the Grand Canyon March 14-17 (during spring break, see Jan 24th minutes). Contact Liz for availability crapoe@u.arizona.edu or enc40@hotmail.com.

6) Steve Newcomb's trip to Paria Canyon in May is full, but send him your name to get on a waiting list if interested (see Jan 24th minutes for details). Trips planned this far in advance often have several cancellations. sanewcomb@yahoo.com

PAST HIKES

1) Liz led a hike in the Superstition Mts east of Phoenix over the weekend with Annette, Steve Nicolosi and Andrew. Went to Pueblo Cliff Dwellings and Siphon Falls, ending the day early due to heavy rain.

2) Liz led a hike with Steve Nicolosi to Elephant Head in the Santa Rita Mts. south of Tucson.

3) Erich hiked the Douglas Spring Trail in Saguaro Nat. Mon. East to Bridal Veil Falls, where there was a lot of water flowing.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1) Loretta is seeking volunteers to help out in the Saguaro NP East for half a day. Two dates were mentioned (Sun Feb 18 or Sun Mar 4), but Feb 18 was tentatively chosen during the meeting. The Ramblers did this in the past and found it very rewarding (Kyle really liked ripping up a fence). Possible tasks include a) Exotic Plant Removal b) Trail Brushing (basically giving the trail a haircut), some trails that need this are the Douglas Spring Trail, The Three Tanks Trail, and the Bahata Vista Trail (some might be in Saguaro West too.) c) Fence removal. Contact Loretta to sign up at llp2877@yahoo.com or 977-3442.

2) Andy Flach's awesome Tucson Hiking Guide website is going to be moved from AZStarNet (which is shutting down) to the Sierra Club's site. It may take several weeks before it's fully operational. His site consists of detailed descriptions (directions, miles, difficulty, pics) of many popular hikes in the ranges surrounding Tucson.

3) The Wolf Mural marking the re-introduction of grey wolves to AZ wilderness areas will be unveiled at 7:30pm Sat, Feb 3rd, somewhere downtown (sorry, I don't remember where). Contact Loretta for location or just wander around a bit downtown. llp2877@yahoo.com or 977-3442.

4) FYI: The Tucson Gem Show (probably one of the year's biggest events, and the biggest gem show in the world) going on from Feb 8th-11th, $5.50 for admission. Check out all the pretty rocks at the TCC.

5) Come to Gentle Bens at 9 pm to say goodbye to Annette, who is returning to Germany after four short months because she can't stand us anymore - just kidding :-) She's leaving because her medical school rotation is up. She will also be on Hiroko's Sushi Hike (see above), so come out even earlier to wish her the best. You can reach Annette at 770 0894 or annette_hoefer@yahoo.de (you can reach her in the future here since this address won't change).

6) Still got this year's T-Shirts for sale for $7. Contact Eric Shiers at shiers@ag.arizona.edu or 791-0232 or better yet, pick one up at our next meeting!

Rambler On!

Steve Newcomb filling in for Wolfgang.