Minutes for Meeting of 08-08-2001

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 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/].


PAST HIKES:

1.) Rob and 6 others went on a trip, which involved a hike/climb up Wheeler
Peak in New Mexico, just north of Taos. They left on Thursday, camped at
Williams Lake, and reached the summit on Saturday, returning to Tucson on
Sunday. They did encounter a thunderstorm and saw excellent scenery, some
marmots, and birds.

2.) Jennifer and Massimo did a hike in the Santa Ritas, on the Agua
Caliente Trail and Madera Canyon.

3.) John Stucki did a hike/climb up Mt. Herperus, in the La Plata Mountains
in Colorado, near the Mesa Verde National Park.

4.) Wolfgang was travelling for a month, during most of June and part of
July. On that trip he was in Egypt, where he saw lots of interesting
things, such as temples, pyramids, museums, mosques, ancient ruins, desert,
and the Nile. He did a hike in the Sahara to visit the old Coptic St.
Simeon monastery near Aswan. Also, he hiked along a long stretch of
Mediterranean beaches, near Alexandria. In Bulgaria, he hiked the highest
peak in the Balkans, Mt. Mussala (2925 m), and visited Rilski Monastir
(Rila Monastery), which is located in the mountains. He also hiked/climbed
up 2 other peaks, before reaching Mt. Mussala summit, where there were
glacial lakes, snow, and a small herd of mountain goats. The mountains were
very wonderful, and he was hiking in forest, as well as above the tree
line, where there were lots of wildflowers. The air was also very fresh and
cool, and it was very pleasant, doing the hiking and climbing in the
mountains, and meeting some of the local people. Since his return to
Tucson, he did hikes, up Florida Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains, and
the Butterfly Trail in the Santa Catalinas, and made a couple visits to the
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.


FUTURE HIKES:

1.) Jennifer is planning a hike on the Butterfly Trail in the Santa
Catalina Mountains this Saturday (08/11/2001). Departure is from the Park
Student Center @ 6:00 AM. Rated "B-/C+". For more information, contact
Jennifer at [jenjenabc@juno.com] or (520)-748-7662.

2.) Mike Dombrowski is planning a trip for this weekend, with information
as follows:
*****************************************
Hi Ramblers,

I'm planning a trip leaving this weekend (Friday evening). The first stop
is the Pinetop bluegrass festival, about 3 hours north of Tucson - no big
name headliners, but it should be fun.  Tickets to this event are $6 and
camping is also $6. Sunday eve, we will continue on to the grand canyon and
hike for two days, returning on Wed. the 15th. Hikes are still undecided,
but there are often cancellations at the inn at the bottom of the trail
this time of year, which might make it possible to hike down and up with
minimal supplies, which might be a nice option in the heat.

At the moment I am driving my van, along with two other boys, one visiting
from Germany. I have room for one or two more - more than that, we will
probably need another car.

If interested, send me an email. (Don't mail the listserve please!)or call.

Happy hiking!
Mike Dombrowski
670-9602
email: [cloudhands@angelfire.com]
*****************************************


ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING SKY ISLAND ALLIANCE:

From: "Matt Skroch" [matt@skyislandalliance.org]
Subject: Sky Island Alliance Fall Outings Schedule

Folks,

We're pleased to present the following activities for the fall. Each trip
is a great way to get out to our beautiful Sky Islands and contribute to
conservation planning at the same time! If you're interested in any of the
events, or have any questions, please let us know. Keep in mind that there
will be additional events as part of the 2001 Sky Island Festival that are
not posted here (stay tuned!). We're looking forward to seeing you soon!
*Note - the Gila Mt. trip has been rescheduled, originally slotted for August.

Please contact the Sky Island Alliance office at (520)-624-7080, if you are
interested in attending any of the following events.

August 31st - Sept. 2nd. Apache and Lower Gila Box BLM Inventory - A
cooperative event with the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. Situated at the
southern end of the Apache and Gila National Forests and straddling the
AZ-NM line, this remote area should be an adventure! 3.5 hours from Tucson.
Contact Matt at: [matt@skyislandalliance.org].

September 14th - 16th. Wildlife Tracking at the Audubon Research Ranch. We
will be tracking lion, bear, coati, and other mammals in these beautiful
rolling grasslands. No experience necessary. Leaving Tucson at 6:30 AM and
returning by mid-afternoon. 1.25 hours from Tucson. Contact Matt at:
[matt@skyislandalliance.org].

September 21st-23rd. BLM inventory in the Gila Mountains. These remote
mountains northwest of Safford contain some of the roughest country in
Arizona. We'll be focusing most of our road and ecological surveys around
the existing Fishhooks Wilderness Area, in the northwest corner of the
range. There will be an opportunity to stay through the 15th. 2.5 hours
from Tucson. Contact Trevor at: [trevor@skyislandalliance.org].

OCTOBER - THE SKY ISLAND FESTIVAL - see more details within.

October 12th-14th. Road Restoration Project in Peloncillo Mountains.
Details to be announced.

November 2nd - 4th. Dos Cabeza Mountain Inventory. Connecting the vast
Chiricahua Mountains to the towering Pinalenos, the Dos Cabezas are an
important wildlife corridor for species daring to travel under/over I-10.
Help us inventory the existing Wilderness for expansion.  2.0 hours from
Tucson. Contact Trevor at: [trevor@skyislandalliance.org].

November 15th-18th. Blue River Backpack. Join us backpacking on the wildest
river in Arizona. This trip will start at the famous Fritz Ranch, and take
us upstream into the Blue Range Primitive Area where we'll find Hannah Hot
Springs.  Cool weather and hot water will make this trip unforgettable.
Expect 5-7 miles hiking with heavy packs each day. Space is limited to 8
folks.

Sky Island Alliance Field Program
P.O. Box 41165
Tucson, AZ 85717
(520)-624-7080 (voice)
(520)-791-7709 (fax)
[matt@skyislandalliance.org]


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: mediums, large,
and 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.


If anyone wants to add information or post additional announcements for any
hikes and club business, please feel free to use this listserve. Meanwhile,
keep Rambling!

Wolfgang