Minutes for Meeting of 04-9-2003

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 two other Ramblers hiked up Mt. Wrightson this past Sunday.
They did not use the traditional approach through Madera Canyon but instead
approached the peak from Gardner Canyon on the east side of the mountain.
Because their vehicle was had no clearance they were not able to get very
close to the Gardner Canyon Trailhead, so their 8 mile hike turned into about
15 miles. As usual there was a great view from the top and they saw some
lizards and birds.

      -Dan and Shannon went skiing and hiking in the Sunrise area two weeks
ago. They skied for a day at sunrise, which had a nice snow base but was
iced over on top. On the second day they drove to Pine Top and hiked along
one of the Blue Ridge Trails which led to a lava flow, an ice cave, and a
lake.

    -Erich took a short jaunt up the Pontotoc Trail recently. He saw lots
of interesting wildlife, such as a large (aprox. 12inches) shiny green lizard,
a bull snake and a Gila monster.

    -Jean-Paul hiked along Burrow Creek in the area north of Phoenix. It
is a nice riparian area with interesting mineral deposits. He saw very nice
travertine deposits, fish swimming in the creek, and a snake.

FUTURE HIKES:

    -Hanna's weekend: I am still interested in going to the birding
festival, if I can get a ride. I'd like to head down on Friday night and
return Sunday night. One of the events I'd like to attend is a tour of fossil
locations at the mouth of the Colorado River in Mexico. This is 7am~1pm on
Saturday. It isn't necessary for everyone to agree on what to do, though.
For more information, here's the website: http://www/yumabirding.org

     -Will is leading a hike to Attascosa Lookout this Saturday. It is a
scenic hike with views into Mexico and across Arizona. The hike will be 5
miles round trip, but it is a 1.5 hour drive south of Tucson. He will be
meeting those who plan to join him at 9am at the wall directly east of the
clock tower on Tyndall parking garage. The intensity of the hike is a B-.
Bring lunch, plenty of H20, and sun protection.

    -Jean-Paul?s hikes:This is just an FYI to let you know that the Escabrosa
grotto, a chapter of the National Speleological Society and of which I am
a member, will be having its meeting at Colossal cave this Friday the 11th
at 7:30 p.m. usually the first ? hour or so entails grotto business but soon
after that there is free/open access to the cave for family and friends of
grotto members. Thus, I would like to extend an invitation to anyone who
would be interested. This is a great opportunity for kids to come out and
see Colossal cave, (hey its free). Also for those feeling more venturesome
and have proper gear, the ?latter? routes will be open as well. These are
routes not included in the  standard cave tour, passages that go into the
back side of the cave, where the bandits were and may be exited from etc.,
also who knows we may traverse by the area where the ?treasure? may be buried
(old stories J).If you do just the tour area don?t even need a helmet, 
otherwise just expect, and be ready for a late night. We?ll do our best (I know I 
certainly will) to get done with Grotto business ASAP.  Look forward to seeing you
there, if you like it may be will cross path again for what a grotto is meant
for Caving Fun. For ethics refer to 
http://www.lnt.org/LNTPublications/s&e.pdf.docs/S&ECaving.pdf

    -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:

    -Thanks Curvin for the slide show!
    -Hanna's Posting:World party! World SPACE party :)
>*69 parties, in 34 countries on 6 continents around
> the world!* On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first human
> to see the Earth from space -- to realize its awesome and fragile beauty.
> 20 years later to the day, the US launched its first Space Shuttle,Columbia,
and opened the door to space even wider. Now it's time to celebrate these
amazing events and/or just have an excuse to play...)This Sat. April 12 at
Club Congress:http://mcc.yurisnight.net/locatordetails.php?pid=31
>Or Check out http://yurisnight.net/ for all the info.
    -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