Meeting Minutes

Minutes for Meeting of 11-07-2001

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The Ramblers meet every Wednesday at 5pm in the Forbes Building in room 307.
All hikes,unless otherwise stated, will meet for departure in the parking lot behind the Park Student Union. After 8pm on Friday the lot is available all weekend for general use.

PAST HIKES:

Susan and Erich took a nice hike in Ventana canyon this past Sunday. They didn't quite make it to the pools or see any animals but they had a wonderful time and heard a lot of birds.
Robbie, two weeks ago, hiked around the Florida Canyon area in the Santa Ritas. As far as wildlife goes, they spotted a few hunters who pointed out a whitetail doe and fawn. Thankfully, due to day-glow vests, he wasn't mistaken as the aforementioned wildlife.
Rob, recently, did some blissful hiking in the Swiss Alps. He hiked around St. Gallen and other areas near Lucerne. As Switzerland is a very domesticated country, the only wildlife he spotted were some dairy cows and goats. No yodeling was attempted from peak to peak. Overall it was a very beautiful place.

FUTURE HIKES:

Hanna would like to do some birding and then a short, mild hike either this coming Sunday or Monday. A possible birding location would be a rest area on I-19 south, in between Tucson and Nogales. The trip would probably leave PSU around 6am. Hanna is very flexible on ideas for this trip so if anyone is interested in participating in anything of the sorts please contact her. By e-mail at hanna@u.arizona.edu or by phone at 884-0131.
Greetings Ramblers (and Nature Clubbers);
I an going to lead a birding trip on Sunday to the Patagonia Roadside Rest on I-19. This is an excellent birding spot. It is ocassionally the home of rare Mexican accidentals such as Rose Throated Becards.
I'd like to spend an hour or so there, then head eastward to Patagonia and the Sonoita Creek Preserve. We can hike a bit inside the preserve and do some more birding, then enjoy lunch either in the preserve or the lovely town of Patagonia.
This is most definitely a "C" hike. You should bring the usual water, lunch, hat, etc. If you have them, you should also bring a pair of binoculars and a field guide to birds (or to anything else you are interested in). If you have a spotting scope, by all means bring it.
We will meet Sunday at 6 am in the usual place (PSU parking lot). I plan to be back in town no later than 5 pm -- probably much earlier. If you wish to come, RSVP and let me know whether you would be willing to drive if necessary. There will be no special vehicular requirements.
Torsten:
I'm organizing a trip to view the Leonids meteor shower on November 17-18. The Leonids shower happens every year on about Nov 17. However, every 33 years the Earth's orbit passes by the source of the meteors, the dust left in the orbit of comet Tempel-Tuttle. If you are in the right place at the right time, it is possible to see thousands of meteors per hour (3,600= 1 meteor every second). This year the prediction (see below) for North America is ~2,500 per hour on the morning of Nov 18. The western Pacific is predicted to see ~10,000 per hour later that day. For more information, see: http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/leonids.html.
In Tucson there are too many lights to see anything except a few bright meteors. I'm planning on going to the Chiricahuas to observe. Before I have set up in a spot in the National Forest, but if that doesn't work we can also go to one of the parking lots in the National Monument. If you are interested in going and have other ideas for a good place, let me know. A clear horizon, especially to the east, is needed. If the weather is looking questionable (cloudy), I will go to Empire Ranch instead, which is slightly under a hour's drive from Tucson to the southeast.
The plan is to leave at noon on Saturday, Nov 17 and car camp that night. The peak time for meteors is going to be sometime between 12am and dawn. The next morning we will probably sleep in and possibly do some short hikes around the area. We should return to Tucson by late afternoon/early evening on sunday. If we go to Empire instead, we will leave later in the afternoon on saturday (4pm).
What to bring:
1) It will be COLD at the peak of the shower (between 12am and dawn). In the Chiricahuas we will be at 7,000-8,000 ft elevation, or 4,000 at Empire. Be prepared for temperatures down to 15 deg F. Bring a sleeping bag, winter coat, long underwear, wool hat, gloves, etc. Warm shoes are also important. If your sleeping bag isn't that warm, bring some blankets as well. You might pick up some of those chemical hand-warmers.
2) (optional) a reclining lawn chair
3) dinner, breakfast/lunch for the next day, and water. I'll bring a stove for cooking and warm drinks.
4) (optional) a tent- not for rain, but for a slightly warmer place to sleep.
5) (optional) other stargazing stuff like binoculars (not needed for meteors). I'll be bringing a telescope along.
Please rsvp (and tell me if you can drive) to tclay@PHYSICS.ARIZONA.EDU
Torsten

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Robbie is hosting poetry/prose reading by Richard Shelton, a famous nature poet, Thursday, November 8th in room 307 at 5:30. He has already sent a mass e-mail to the Listserv about this. Please come, it should be wonderful.

EQUIPMENT ANNOUNCEMENT:

2 Backpacking Stoves
1 Coleman Dual Burner Stove
3 First Aid Kits
1 Large Stuff Sack
1 Compression Stuff Sack (1 Broken Strap?) 1 Fuel Funnel
2 6-Gal. Water Jugs
1 5-Ft. Floppy Roll Mat
1 6-Ft. Firm Roll Mat
1 Air Mat
1 Camp Trails Exterior Frame Pack (Ripped Front Pouch) 1 Kelty Exterior Frame Pack
1 Jansport Exterior Frame Pack
1 Maroon Sleeping Bag (Broken Zipper)
3 Red Kelty Sleeping Bags (Rated 25 Degrees ñ More Like 60) 1 Grey Sleeping Bag
1 5-Man Tent
1 Coleman Gas Lantern
1 Volleyball Net
1 Volleyball
2 Metal Canteens
2 Sets of Camping Utensils
1 Large Silver Tarp
1 Knee Brace

rosslampert@hotmail.com