Minutes for Meeting of 03-26-2003

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 explored the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico over
Spring Break. He especially enjoyed the alkali flats and camping out under
the stars. The blooming plants in the area were also quite nice. This past
Saturday Wolfgang hiked around the Renaissance Festival and took in all the
sights. On Sunday he took a pleasant day hike in the Northern Santa Catalinas.
He hiked along the Oracle Ridge Trail for some time, where he saw some 
wildflowers in the burned area and a few turkey vultures.

    -Robbie had a Cholla bud collecting adventure in the foothills last Sunday.
After collecting the buds he ate a few and said they tasted like Broccoli.
[Fun  Fact: cholla buds were an important source of calcium for the Native
Americans who exploited them.] Yesterday Robbie took a trip to the Desert
Museum where he surveyed some plants.

    -Steve, Curvin, Chad, and Mary spent Spring Break hiking, camping and
canyoneering in Bryce and Zion Canyons. Besides hiking some of the famous
trails such as Angel's Landing, Observation Point, and Hidden Canyon in Zion,
the group explored the Coral Pink Sand Dunes south of Zion, as well. The
highlight of the trip was the day in Zion spent canyoneering in Keyhole Canyon
and Pine Creek. On the return trip to Tucson, the group spent the night at
the Arizona Hot Springs, alongside the Colorado River.

    -Hanna and Lenny did some hiking in the Magdalena Mountains in New Mexico
during Spring Break. They hiked into Water Canyon where they saw some wild
Turkeys playing in the snow. Upon reaching the top of the canyon, they hiked
along the ridge for a while and enjoyed the view, which included Wheeler
Peak. On Sunday, Hanna, Curvin, and a local caving group, explored Onyx Cave.
There were many interesting formations, and overall a very different cave
than Peppersauce.

    -Leena and some others hiked up Baboquivari Peak on Saturday. Although
they only reached the saddle, they plan to return in the near future and
get up to the top. They noticed many seeps and blooming wildflowers.

FUTURE HIKES:

    -If anyone would like me to repost Steve's canyoneering trip planned
for Sunday please send me an email and I will try to accommodate you.

    -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.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

    -Steve will be presenting a slide show on his recent trip to Zion and
Bryce Canyons next Wednesday.

    -If you need the list of Ramblers gear or wants to borrow some, please
contact myself or Dan.

      maryft@email.arizona.edu and dcarroll@u.arizona.edu