Meeting Minutes

Minutes for Meeting of 03-07-2001

Hello Ramblers!

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1.) Important: Unless otherwise announced, the meeting place for departures for all hikes is behind the Park Student Center, in the parking lot.

2.) Future hiking club meetings, for the spring semester, will continue to be held in the Forbes building, Room 307.

3.) For information about the club, hikes, and meeting places, check out our website: http://www.biocom.arizona.edu/ramblers

4.) Andy Flach's trail guide is now available on the Sierra Club website, which is: http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/az/trail_guide/

PAST HIKES:

1.) Robbie did a trip with the Sky Island Alliance, which is near the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. He saw good views of Baboquivari Peak and some mountain lion tracks.

2.) Liz was on a trip in the Buenos Aires region on Sunday, where she saw lots of wildflowers and a skunk.

3.) Loretta's "mystery hike" ended up being a roller skating trip.

4.) Liz was also in Catalina State Park, going up Alamo Canyon. There were several waterfalls and lots of wildflowers.

5.) Erich was on a hike up Picacho Peak on Monday. He also saw lots of wildflowers.

6.) Steve Newcomb hiked up Bear Canyon to 7 Falls, where there was lots of water flowing.

7.) Robbie, Wolfgang, and Michael went on a visit to the Biosphere 2 on Sunday with the Nature Club.

SPRING BREAK HIKES, TRIPS, AND OTHER EVENTS:

1.) Kevin Harper is planning a spring break trip:

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Anyone interested in hiking, backpacking, and canoeing Big Bend NP over
Spring Break????
I have a few vacancies to be filled. We'll be leaving on Saturday, March
10th (AM) and returning Sunday, March 18th (PM). I have room for one (with
gear) in my car. Any others will have to provide transportation. Looking
forward to hearing back from you.

Thanks,
Kevin Harper
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

If interested, contact Kevin at or (520)-417-2632.

2.) Steve Newcomb is organizing a ski trip, for the beginning part of spring break. Note: It is important to RSVP ASAP, by contacting Steve at sanewcomb@yahoo.com Other information is as follows:

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Ramblers,

A few of us are planning on heading north to do some skiing this weekend at
Sunrise Ski Resort. http://www.sunriseskipark.com/
It offers cross-country, downhill and even snowshoeing. Tentative plan is
to leave Friday around 6 PM and drive into the White Mountains to be near
Sunrise. Spend the whole next day skiing and driving south towards Safford
in the evening to car camp. Get in a nice soak at sunrise in one of the
area's hot wells and return to Tucson Sunday afternoon. A possible
alternative would be to spend a second day skiing and returning to Tucson
from the resort on Sunday directly. Here are some costs from Sunrise's
website:

Ski lift: $34
Downhill equipment: $15
Snowboard & boots: $34
Cross Country or Snowshoe Permit: $6
Cross Country or Snowshoe equip: $10

There are motels in the area that run around $55 per night (although I
don't know if 8 or so people could stay in one). The car camping around
Safford is
either free on BLM land or $10 per car in Roper State Park.

Weather forecast calls for a storm system to pass through the state
tomorrow and Wed (which is good since there will be fresh snow) and partly
cloudy with temps in high 30's or low 40's for the weekend near Sunrise.
Sounds pretty good for skiing.

RSVP me if you're interested or better yet come to the meeting Wed., where
there will be discussions about the plan.

Cheers,
Steve
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3.) There is a road "destruction" restoration project with the Sky Island Alliance, on March 10th and 11th, in which there is a request for volunteers. Contact Robbie, if interested at hannawacker@hotmail.com Information is as follows:

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Hi everybody,

I did not get any interest for the Death Valley trip this weekend. Instead
I will help the Sky Island Alliance in their road restoration efforts this
weekend.

"Road restoration" is misleading, since we will be destroying the roads to
prevent people from using them and promoting the natural vegetation to
establish there.  This is a terrific way of restoring our mountainous wild
lands, but it requires a lot of bodies to help in the process. SIA is an
awesome org, doing some great things, and it would be nice to be a part of
it.

Have a good spring break

Robb Hannawacker

Below is the agenda if any of you are interested.
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Road Closure Alert!  Road Closure Alert!  March 10th and 11th

The Sky Island Alliance will be closing and restoring 5 miles of roads in
one of the most threatened (and beautiful) areas on the Coronado Forest!
The west side of the Dragoon Mountains are plagued by user-created "wildcat
roads" - these roads are impairing the ecological health of the area by
fragmenting habitat, causing erosion and sedimentation, and contributing to
pollution (noise, air, and ground) - just to mention a few of the impacts.

This event is one of the first steps of our long-term road closure project
in cooperation with the Coronado National Forest. The roads that will be
closed either:
        1) do not serve a purpose,
        2) are supposed to be closed,
        3) are in an area of excessive road density,
        4) cause significant resource damage upon the landscape, or
        5) are a  combination of the above.

This is a wonderful opportunity to directly improve the ecological health
of our public lands.  You will have the chance to dig into the roads, do
erosion control, build barriers, and much more!

What: Road Closure and Restoration with Sky Island Alliance and the
Coronado National Forest.

When: March 10th and 11th (Many of us will be camping out both Friday and
Saturday nights).

Where: The west side of the Dragoon Mountains. From Tucson, take I-10 east
to Benson, take highway 80 south to Tombstone. One (1) mile past the
intersection of highway 80 and 82, you will turn left on Middlemarch Road.
Middlemarch Road is also 1 mile before the town of Tombstone. Take
Middlemarch east for 10.5 miles and then take a left onto Forest Road 687 -
there is a sign there for Stronghold West Cyn. Go north on FS 687 for about
0.5 miles and take the first right (the Teneco Well Road). We will be
camped at the end of this road.  It is 2WD accessible (with caution).

What to bring: Food and water for two days and two nights (Friday and/or
Saturday nights), work clothes, work gloves, warm and cool clothes, and
whatever else you need for self-sufficiency.  If you have tools such as
digger bars, post diggers, tree pruners, picks, sledge hammers, etc. that
you can bring please let Matt know!

RSVP with Matt at (520)-624-7080 or matt@skyislandalliance.org
We hope to see you there!

Matt Skroch
Field Coordinator
Sky Island Alliance
PO Box 41165
Tucson, AZ.  85717
(520)-624-7080
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4.) RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL: Loretta is planning to go to the Renaissance Festival, which is up in Phoenix. The plan is to leave Friday (3/16/2001) @ 6:00PM. Additional information will be posted; however, if anyone is interested in going, contact Loretta at .

OTHER FUTURE HIKES:

1.) Steve Newcomb is planning a backpacking trip for the next weekend (3/17/2001-3/18/2001). It is being determined, if it will be in the Blue Mountains or the Gila Wilderness. Additional announcement will follow; however, if interested, contact Steve at .

2.) Rob Klotz is leading a backpacking trip into the Eagletail Mountains. Details are as follows:

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
I, Rob Klotz (Nature Club) will be leading a two day backpack into the
Eagletail Mountains (west of Phoenix) to track and photograph Desert
Bighorn Sheep. This trip will take place March 23-25 (the weekend after
Spring Break). Current plan:

Fri. - 6PM departure, Park Student Union. Car camp at Courthouse Rock. (3
hr. drive)
Sat. - Hike to Dead Deer Tank and Triple Eye Catchment. Camp on Eagle
Ridge. (approx. 6-7 miles)
Sun. - Hike to Indian Spring to view one of the largest concentrations of
prehistoric rock art in Arizona. Return to vehicles approx. 5 PM. Return to
campus around 8 PM.

Hazards: I'll rate this trip a "B-", however water (1 gallon per person per
day, for safety) must be carried. We can cache some water at a half-way
point near Indian Spring and pick it up on Sunday. Most hiking will be
cross country in sandy washes and along ridges with loose, crumbly rock and
the ever present Mr. Cholla. This ain't no walk in the park! Still, the
area is visually spectacular and the odds of seeing wildlife are good.

Questions & RSVP Rob at .
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3.) 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.

ANNOUNCEMENT: CLUB POLICY DOCUMENT

For those, who have attended the past couple of meetings, rough drafts of the Ramblers Club Policy have been handed out. We are encouraging people to review what is presented so far and submit any comments to Hanna . An election will be held, during the meeting after the spring break (3/21/2001), which would involve an upgrade of this club policy.

ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING RAMBLERS T-SHIRTS

Ramblers T-shirts are still available! The shirts look great! They are made with Hanes preshrunk cotton. They are natural (a light tan) with dark brown print. The design on the back is an accurate drawing of a hiker's boots with cholla cactus segments stuck to it. On the front upper left, it has printed: RAMBLERS HIKING CLUB, with a list of seven important uses for the shirt in case of an emergency. There are 3 sizes available: 6 mediums, 12 Large, and 6 Extra Large. They are only $7 a shirt. Place your order to reserve you shirt by making payment to our Treasurer Eric: shiers@ag.arizona.edu. Phone: 791-0232. NOTE: Old T-shirts are also available at a discounted price of $5.00 OBO.

ANNOUNCEMENT: SLIDE CONTEST

There will be a slide contest some time toward the end of the spring semester. You may already start planning on which slides you want to submit to the contest. Dates and times will be announced at a future time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SUMMIT HUT

Please join us for the following events in March sponsored by the Summit Hut. Unless otherwise indicated, events are free and open to the public and are held at the Summit Hut, 5045 East Speedway at Rosemont, Tucson, AZ. 85712. For more details or a more extensive calendar, go to www.summithut.com/summithut/sales_and_specials.htm Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11, OUR GIANT PARKING LOT SALE! Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM, Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM -- Save 15-70% on your favorite gear, clothes and accessories. Closeouts and special purchases on climbing gear, clothing, luggage, tents, packs, sleeping bags, footwear, and more! Extra markdowns have been taken on most Patagonia Fleece and select Fall Shirts. Stop inside the store to sign up for a raffle of pairs of tickets to the Banff International Film Festival. The drawing will be held Monday, March 12. For you, our e-mail subscribers, just mention the "coupon" and save an extra $5 off any purchase of $50 or more. No need to bring a printout. Coupon limited to stock on hand on March 10 or 11 only. One coupon per person, per day, please. Sorry, no phone or internet orders. Extra Special Savings on Sunday after 2 PM: Save an additional 10% off sale merchandise. Sunday, March 18, 7 PM, BANFF INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL at the International Arts Center, 516 N 5th Ave., north of 6th St. Tickets on sale now exclusively at the Summit Hut, $8 -- Canada's Banff Center for Mountain Culture sponsors an annual short film festival on adventure sports and mountain culture. Join the Summit Hut for a selection of the "Best of the Fest." Of special interest this year is "Quartzite's Fall: A Wilderness Tale" which chronicles the destruction of a Salt River class V+ rapid. The final selection of films is made the night of the viewing, but will probably include mountain biking, climbing, paddle sports, and snow sports. This once a year event is not to be missed.

Thursday, March 22, 7 PM, FREE Eagle Creek Travel Gear Packing Demonstration -Learn helpful hints and see the latest products that can help make your next trip or vacation more organized and fun. Taught by our own Summit Hut staff, we'll show you how to pack more efficiently, and offer tips and suggestions on clothing and more. We'll also have information from select adventure travel companies, and raffles for Lonely Planet Books and Eagle Creek Travel Gear. Finally, Save the Date: Friday, April 6, for a special evening slide show by Royal Robbins - Legendary in the worlds of climbing and outdoor adventure, Royal will be here for a very special event. He'll sign books and posters, and present a memorable slideshow. The FREE event will benefit the Sky Island Alliance. Seating will be limited. More details to follow. Sharon Scott Marketing Coordinator Summit Hut 5045 E. Speedway Blvd. (520)-325-1554 www.summithut.com

If anyone wants to add information or post additional announcements for any hikes and club business, please feel free to use this listserve. Meanwhile, enjoy Arizona, the desert, the wildflowers, and the mountains! Keep Rambling!

Wolfgang