Minutes for Meeting of 02-05-2003

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

    -FYI: THE PARKING LOT BEHIND PARK STUDENT UNION IS CLOSED DUE TO 
CONSTRUCTION
(IMAGINE THAT) SO SPECIFIC MEETING PLACES WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE HIKE
LEADER.

    -Don't worry if you don't have a car. We carpool from our meeting place.


PAST HIKES:

    -Curvin and visiting friend did some hiking in the Mule Mountains around
Bisbee, last weekend. They did not see much wildlife, just a rabbit. However,
they were spotted by the border patrol and, after a short pursuit, determined
not to be illegal aliens.

    -Robbie, after a rough ride over some nasty roads, made the short hike
up Sardina Peak in the Tumacacori area. From the top of the peak, fantastic
views were available, although it was quite windy and rocky. Among the sycamore
trees Robbie saw quite a few white tail deer, cattle (grazing on private
lands, not wild), and a couple hawks.

    -Wolfgang, last weekend, joined the Southern Arizona Hiking Club on a
trip up the Sawmill Canyon trail, past the Sawmill and Aliso Springs, to
the Florida Saddle, and finally down the Cave Creek Trail. The only wildlife
that made an appearance were some rabbits. Two weeks ago, Wolfgang hiked
along the Hugh Morris Trail in the Tucson Mountains and then followed up
with a visit to the Desert Museum. He also participated in a Peace March
from Old Main to DeAnza Park.

    -Steve led a strapping group of 10 Ramblers along Blackitts ridge last
Saturday. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the warm day, although there
was no shade along the trail. They saw 2 hawks and some more rabbits (the
current theme for this week).

    -Ross and company made the 24 mile trek to a friends house last weekend
where they enjoyed some blueberry pancakes. During the trek they walked through
Santa Cruz Park where they saw a burrowing owl and thankfully no more rabbits.

    -Erich recently went skiing in the Austrian Alps for 8 days. The only
wildlife he saw were of the Homo genus. All in all a wonderful trip.

    -Shannon and Dan made the grueling hike around Reid Park Zoo last weekend.
They definitely saw a variety of wildlife, too many to name here. The Giraffe
got pretty close to them and the elephants were quite interesting. There
was some construction going on at the front entrance so you had to drive
around behind the zoo to park. The entrance fee is only $5 for those of you
interested.

FUTURE HIKES:

    -Ross and Tina are planning to walk to Grandma's house this Sat.or Sun.
(I always do this to Ross) I'm sorry. Anyway, the trek will be about 25 miles
and they will be meeting at Tina's house at 6:45 at 105 West 17th
street. For more info and the correct day please contact Ross at 241-2022.

    -There will is a war protest in Phoenix next Saturday and Ross and Tina
will be carpooling so if you would like to carpool with them please contact
Ross at 241-2022. The demonstration begins at 10am, so they will probably
leave around 8am.

    -Hanna has a few spots available on a ski trip to Sunrise that leaves
tomorrow afternoon, Friday the 7th. If you really want to get in one last
ski trip before the slopes close contact her for more info. The approximate
cost per day is $50 which includes rentals. Lodging will be a total of $60.
Contact Hanna at haacoy@yahoo.com.

    -Steve's hike for Rodeo Weekend:
The Blue Range Primitive Area in the east part of the Apache Sitgreaves
National Forest is one of the best wilderness places in Arizona. Mary
Lyons and I plan to do an ambitious backpack trip of some 42 miles over
4 days completing a loop from Strayhorse Trail #20 to the Blue River
Trail #101 to Hannah Hot Spring back up the Blue River and out the AD
Bar Trail #14. We are hoping to get a few more people to do a car
shuttle to save 7 extra miles. Each day should be a "B" class hike,
from 8 to 12 miles and less than 2300 ft climbing elevation change.
We will start in pine forests and work our way down to juniper and
pinyons and then the Blue River basin. The map indicates there will be
impressive canyon walls to walk through along the river. Plan on
numerous crossings, probably up to thigh high. The destination is
Hannah Hot Springs, a beautiful spring in a narrow canyon next to a
cool creek with crystal clear water.
The trip will take place over the Rodeo Holiday, Feb 19-23. Email me
for more details.

    -Robbie invites you to join the Sky Island Alliance this Fri., Sat.,
and Sun. as they preform road inventory on Turtle Mountain. Fri. and Sun.
are usually spent exploring the area, while Sat. is used for the actual 
volunteer
activity. Call Trevor for more info @ 624-7087.

    -George Wuethers will be speaking about "Welfare Ranching" at 127 E.
Congress tomorrow night, Feb. 7th, from 7:30-9:00.

    -Steve will be leading a backpacking/carcamping trip to Bryce and Zion
Canyons in Utah over Spring Break. The trip will depart on Sunday, March
16th and return on Saturday, March 22nd. Most of the trip will be spent in
Zion Canyon. There will be an alternate plan for inclement weather. This
is a trip for everyone, as the level of difficulty is quite variable and
can be somewhat tailored to individual needs. Watch for more information.
Contact Steve if you are interested. An RSVP will be required. 
sanewcomb@yahoo.com

    -Curvin will be spending the entire summer exploring Alaska. If you would
like to spend any amount of time hiking, camping, and exploring Alaska this
summer, and you can transport yourself to Seward's Folly (the state of Alaska)
please feel free to check out Curvin's website and contact him to set up
some trips. www.redundancydept.com.

    -Ross is planning to walk from Tucson to Washington DC in protest of
a war with Iraq. His group will be taking a southerly route through the 
contiguous
48 and will be walking approximately 25 miles a day. The entire trip should
take about 110 days. They are planning rallies in front of the governors
mansion
in Austin, Texas and Tallahassee, Florida. They are departing Tucson Saturday
Feb. 22nd, after the Tucson Peace Rally at Reid Park. They intend to arrive
in DC on June 12th. If you are interested in participating in this walk for
peace as either a walker, monetary/ material supporter please contact Ross
at 241-2022. If you know people in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi,
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, or Virginia and you think
they would be willing to support the group in any way during their walk through
those states, contact Ross as well. This is a great cause and it needs your
support!

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