Minutes for Meeting of 11-13-2002

HOWDY RAMBLERS-
    -Ramblers meet every Wednesday at 5pm in the Forbes Bldg. in room 307.


    -Hikes meet in the parking lot behind Park Student Union (PSU) unless
otherwise stated. During the weekend these spaces are available for public
use.


    -Don't worry if you don't have a car. We carpool from PSU.


PAST HIKES:
    -Joe and some friends took a spur of the moment hike Monday afternoon.
They left around three and hiked a few miles into Romero canyon.


    -Erich took a short hike in lower Pima canyon on Wednesday. There weren't
any remarkable flora or fauna along the way.


    -Hanna, while in Yuma for the weekend, drove to California. There, off
the Sidewinder Road and east of the famous sand dunes, she did some hiking
in the desert that was scattered with large chunks of quartz. It was incredibly
dry and all the vegetation was either dead or extremely water stressed. She
thought she spotted a mouse and tried to prod it out of a hole, but was unable
to get a response.


    -Wolfgang has been on many hikes this past semester. He was on 2 trips
in
the Galiuro Mountains, during the past 2 weekends, with the Southern
Arizona Hiking Club. On one trip they hiked up to Bassett Peak, which is
the high point in that range. They started at the north fork of Ash Creek.
Along the way they saw 2 Tarantulas and the red-colored leaves of some of
the trees. On the 2nd trip, they hiked up Kennedy Peak. There were lots of
grasshoppers along the trail. Both trips had lots of fabulous and
interesting scenery.
     Several weeks ago, he did a long (about 20 miles) hike, going up Esperaro
Canyon, past Cathedral Rock, behind the front range of the Santa Catalinas,
past Hutchess pool, and down Sabino Canyon. He saw 5 white tail deer, lots
of insects, including grasshoppers, and a rattlesnake. In addition, along
the trail, there were lots of thorny catclaw shrubs.
     About a month ago, he was also in the Chiricahuas, where he spent the
night
car camping and doing a day hike in the Chiricahua National Monument. He
saw a coatimundi.
     Also, he did 2 hikes on different weekends up Mt. Wrightson, in the
Santa
Rita Mountains. One hike started up Florida Canyon, and the other hike
started at Madera Canyon. Near the Florida Canyon, on the crest, where
there was a clearing with lots of bushes and shrubs, he saw a bear.
     Last, he made 3 more visits to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, visiting
the aviary, observing the cats, coatimundi, wolves, javelina, and bear, and
reading books in the library.


FUTURE HIKES:
    -Joe will be leading a stargazing/meteor-watching party on Monday night.
This year will probably be the last year the Leonids meteor shower will be
visible for some time. The next time they will be visible will be in about
90 years. The shower begins at midnight and should peak around 3-4am. Joe
will be leading an outing for those that would like to go out of the city
to watch this phenomenon. He will be at PSU at 10pm. Bring a sleeping bag,
sleeping pad and blankets. Joe will bring a stove for heating water for coffee,
cocoa, tea etc. The intended sight for watching the showers is the corral
at Reddington Pass. If you would like to meet the group up at Reddington
Pass, follow Tanque Verde all the way east and go up Reddington Pass and
it is 4-6 miles up the road. Contact Joe for more info at jleisz@ag.arizona.edu


    -Mitch will be hiking up Blacketts Ridge, this Friday, starting about
4PM, from the ramada in front of the Sabino Canyon Visitors Center. He'll
return on the Phone Line trail and the road. Then off to eat, perhaps at
Gavi's Italian restaurant. If interested, let him know so you can agree on
a specific time.
Contact him at 574-2996.


    -Dan is planning an overnight trip for Thanksgiving weekend, Sat. November
30th and Sun. December 1st. The location will be the Turkey Creek area in
the Gila Wilderness. If you are interested contact Dan no later than this
weekend. Dan's email is dcarroll@u.arizona.edu. His phone number is 271-6916.


ANNOUNCEMENTS:
    -If you have pictures of any of the Ramblers outings, please bring them
to a meeting ASAP. We are looking for pictures, preferably ones with people
in it, for our ASUA funded flyers.


    -If you have an idea for a T-shirt design please email Dan or bring it
to a meeting ASAP. It can be a drawing, humorous slogan, etc. There will
be a prize for the winning design. Dan's email is dcarroll@u.arizona.edu


    - Please join the Summit Hut for the following FREE event.
Friday, November 15 7-9 p.m., at Summit Hut, 605 E. Wetmore Rd. at First
Avenue. Backpacker Magazine's Boot Camp with Phil Oren. Join
world-reknowned boot and foot expert Phil Oren at this free and informative
lecture on how to get a great boot fit. Learn some basics of foot
biomechanics, boot construction, fit issues, and the importance of socks.
Door prizes. For more details on this Wetmore store presentation please
call (520)-888-1000 or email [sharon@summithut.com].
The Summit Hut is a locally-owned Tucson business that has been equipping
backpackers, climbers, campers, hikers, adventure travelers and outdoor
enthusiasts with quality gear and clothing for over 30 years. For
additional information, call Terri Gay or Sharon Scott at (520)-325-1554
or
email [sharon@summithut.com].