Minutes for Meeting of 03-05-2003

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:
    -Wolfgang and Curvin joined the Southern Arizona Hiking Club as they
hiked in the Santa Ritas, NW of the Elephant Head area. They hiked along
some trails and bike paths. The scenery was nice and they saw a huge barrel
cactus. It rained for about a minute, but nothing significant. They saw quite
a few birds, but not much else in the wildlife department. On the return
drive back to Tucson they saw a magnificent rainbow and the top of Mt. 
Wrightson covered in snow.

    -Curvin hiked up Pima canyon this past Saturday. He hiked up to the second
dam which is, in reality, filled with sand and dirt instead of H20. However,
the first dam is filled water, as some boy scouts recently dug it out. There
was not much flora and fauna action however, other than a few common birds

    -Robbie joined a few members of the Sky Island Alliance as they taught
a school group about conservation. The group looked for the elusive Chihuahua
frog but did not find one. They also did a little bit of road surveying.
Robbie also hiked up Wasson Peak by way of the Sweetwater Trail. He enjoyed
using this alternate route as the scenery was great and the litter level
was quite low. It was a beautiful day for hiking but once more, the only
wildlife action was a few measly birds. (Not that birds are measly, I just
needed another adjective/adverb other than 'common'.)

    -Hanna ventured up Tumamoc Hill, next to "A" mountain, with the intention
of doing some work, earlier this week. However, she ended up spending the
day 'botanizing'. There were some very interesting plants popping up because
of all the recent rain. She saw some rock daisies, Saguaro's with pot-bellies
(from sucking up all the rain water) and some evening primroses that should
be blooming shortly.

    -Will accompanied his family on a trip to Ramsey Canyon. It was a gorgeous
day and there were quite a few visitors. They saw some sandhill cranes and
the giant Sycamores. There did not notice any other wildlife, as the visiting
humans tend to be a bit distracting for other humans and frightening for
wildlife. He also hiked the Rattlesnake Creek Trail from Sabino Canyon, where
he ran into some deer. Both species were equally startled.

    -Steve drove up the Catalina Hwy, last Saturday when it opened at 10:30am.
There was a small storm in the middle of the canyon but the weather on top
of Mt. Lemmon was quite pleasant and sunny. The prettiest area on the mountain
was near the boy scout camp because most of the snow is still on the trees,
where as in other areas it has been blown off. Steve actually hiked around
the Aspen Loop trail in the fresh snow on top of Mt. Lemmon. It was a bit
difficult to find the way because of all the snow but he managed to arrive
safely at his upon completion of the hike. The trip was very enjoyable and
quite scenic.

FUTURE HIKES:

    -Steve's Plans for Saturday: The spring sale at Summit Hut is this Saturday
and after taking a look at what they have the plan is to go on one of two
hikes.

1) Mt. Lemmon for a short snow hike. The road was closed at 9am last
Sunday, but opened at 10:30a and I made it up there to explore. There
is a section of highway where the snow is clinging to the trees in
large quantities making it very scenic. This is where I'd like to walk
around for awhile and take pictures. People are free to bring sleds to
motor down the slopes.

2) Table Top Mountain. Hanna suggested this as it might be a good place
to look for spring desert flowers. About 2 hrs from Tucson, the trail
to the summit is 3.5 miles one way and 1050 feet elevation gain.
Both of these are a "C" rating and we will return before 6pm.
People interested in doing either hike, please email me with your vote
and I'll post the results before Saturday. sanewcomb@yahoo.com

    -Mary, is planning a trip to the Desert Museum for Sun. March 9th. All
willing participants will meet at the wall on the east side of Tyndall Parking
Garage (across from the garages clock tower) at noon. The price for admission
will depend on how many people go on the trip. We have a donation that will
cover some tickets as well as some donated free passes. So the admission
fee may be free or extremely low. However, be prepared to pitch in a dollar
or so for gas money. We will stay at the museum for as long as people want
to. Although an RSVP isn't necessary it would be greatly appreciated so I
can have a better idea about how far our donation will go. You can email
me at maryft@email.arizona.edu

    -There will be a repelling workshop led by our own Rambler, Hanna, on
March 9th, at 9:00 am. This workshop will not interfere with the trip to
the Desert Museum, so you may do both if you wish. The workshop will cover
basic knot-tying techniques and vocabulary for climbing and repelling. For
more info contact Hanna at haacoy@yahoo.com

    -Steve's Spring Break Trip: Here's an awesome trip! Backpack among the
brilliant orange hoodoos of Bryce Canyon and canyoneer the Subway on the
Left Fork of the Virgin River in Zion over spring break. Hike up to Observation
Point with spectacular views in all directions from atop the rim. Visit Angel's
Landing which involves walking a narrow ridge with thousand foot
dropoffs on both sides! (Don't worry, there are chains). And if that
isn't enough, run barefoot through the Coral Pink Sand Dunes park and
check out the silver back beetles. The trip will be capped off by
visiting Arizona Hot Springs on the Colorado River. There will be
opportunities for all skill levels, from technical canyoneering to
walking "C" rated trails.

We will leave SUNDAY March 16th in the morning and return SATURDAY
March 22nd in the evening, and RSVP is needed. Email me or call
544-4196. Read more below for details and links.

SUNDAY: Drive to Bryce Canyon in southern Utah, possibly visiting
Kodachrome Basin if roads aren't wet. Car camp.
http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/kodachrome_basin/state_park.html

MONDAY: Spend the day in Bryce Canyon day hiking areas like Sunset
Point, Bryce Point, and connecting trails. Backpack to Under the Rim
campground, probably Swamp Canyon.
http://www.nps.gov/brca/home.htm

TUESDAY: Hike out and drive to Zion. Hike the Angel Landing and Emerald
Pools. Pick up permit for Subway. Camp in Watchman Campground.
http://www.nps.gov/zion/home.htm
http://www.davidpettitphotography.com/LandscapeImages.htm

WEDNESDAY: Canyoneer the Left Fork of the Virgin River, and see the
Subway. This trip will require rappelling, swimming through cold pools
(wet suit required) and scrambling along ledges. If too icy, will do
the main Zion Narrows. Camp in Watchman.
http://www.climb-utah.com/Zion/subway.htm

THURSDAY: Hike Observation Point and Hidden Canyon. Camp at Coral Pink
Sand Dune State Park.
http://www.kaneutah.com/coralsand.htm

FRIDAY: Spend the morning in the area, then drive to Arizona Hot
Springs trailhead in Lake Mead Recreational Area. Hike down the canyon with the
springs. Camp at springs.
http://www.nps.gov/lame/visit/azhothike.html
http://hackles.org/photos/lasvegas/hot-spring.html

SATURDAY: Return to Tucson.

    -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.

    -Hanna is organizing a trip to the 3rd annual Yuma birding festival.
In past years it has been described as a "smashing hit". It will include
a series of free lectures on various topics and guided birding tours into
CA, Mexico and of course Southern AZ. She will probably be able to accmodate
lodging for all interested but expect to spend around $50, as the guided
tours do have fees for the guide etc. The dates are April 19-21st, However,
Hanna will probably go down on the 19th and return late the 20th. Watch for
more info from Hanna and check out this website because their is a link to
the festival on it. southwestbirders.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

    -Curvin will be presenting an awesome slideshow of ALASKA next Wednesday
at the meeting.