NOVEMBER!!
Good stuff coming down the pike! Our club meeting is November 6th with Brad Cochennet, CEO of the Pagosa Mountain Hospital. Of course, Thanksgiving with lots of goodies. And surely we'll see snow! Oh yeah, snow! After the Ski Swap, we should all be ready for that white stuff.
Speaking of snow, be thinking of winter outings that you, yes you, can coordinate. Remember that anybody in the club is fully capable of organizing an outing. It's easy. Just pick a day, a time, and what you want to do. Call or email Gregg Howard and ask him to put it on the calendar. He'll make up an activity sheet for the next meeting. It can be an hour long outing or a multi-day outing. It doesn't matter as long as it is something you want to do and want others to join in. Don't be shy. The more people that are willing to organize something fun, the more fun stuff there is for everyone to do. So pull out your calendar and start planning! Don't wait for someone else to do it because they might be waiting for YOU to do it!
There is a new link in the "Useful Links" section in the sidebar ---> that might help you when describing an outing. It also has useful information about participating in an outing. Check it out under "SJOC Activity Info."
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Speaking of snow, be thinking of winter outings that you, yes you, can coordinate. Remember that anybody in the club is fully capable of organizing an outing. It's easy. Just pick a day, a time, and what you want to do. Call or email Gregg Howard and ask him to put it on the calendar. He'll make up an activity sheet for the next meeting. It can be an hour long outing or a multi-day outing. It doesn't matter as long as it is something you want to do and want others to join in. Don't be shy. The more people that are willing to organize something fun, the more fun stuff there is for everyone to do. So pull out your calendar and start planning! Don't wait for someone else to do it because they might be waiting for YOU to do it!
There is a new link in the "Useful Links" section in the sidebar ---> that might help you when describing an outing. It also has useful information about participating in an outing. Check it out under "SJOC Activity Info."
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And now a message from President Joyce. . .
By the time you read this, the Ski Swap will be over and, hopefully, we will have made some money for educational purposes and for search and rescue. Thank you to all who worked so hard to make this a success.
We as a Board are working on a slate of officers for next year. If you have an interest in serving on the Board please contact Doug Farmer 731-2212 or douglasfarmer@centurytel.net. We would love to see some of you step forward and volunteer for a position.
The holidays are just around the corner. That means our annual Party which will be held on December 4th. Joyce Ramberg and Toosje Lamoreaux will be in charge of the party this year. The club will be providing the meat and you will bring a side dish, salad or dessert. Look for sign up sheets at the November meeting. We will also be bringing a gift for a child in the community.
As I look back on the past year I can't help but be proud of the things that the club has done. A general thank you goes out to all who have worked so hard to make the past year a success. Joyce
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Joyce mentioned needing volunteers to become officers of the Board. It seems folks avoid this type of commitment BUT I just want to say, speaking as Secretary to the Board and Newsletter Editor, it is a rewarding experience, doesn't take boocoos of time, and is well worth your time. We meet once a month for a couple of hours. Every position has it's duties but nobody spends a ton of time on it. For instance, as Secretary, I take notes during the meeting, type them up when I get home, and email them to the other members for review. That's it. No big deal. Each position is different, it doesn't consume your life, AND it's important to have new folks with new ideas come in each year.
I have created a link under "Useful Links" called SJOC By-Laws for your information. They're pretty short and straight forward. Give them a read then
give Doug a call and volunteer. That is what makes our club strong, when everyone pitches in.
Betsy Cotton
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October Meeting
Mike, Joan, Shirley, & Ron are pleased with their raffle winnings.
Joyce presents a check to Joanne Irons for the 4th Grade XC Ski Project
Nancy Cole getting the group excited about the Ski Swap on the 25th.
Mike Reid, Division of Wildlife, educates and entertains the crowd.******************************************
Quartz Lake Backpack
October 4th
Despite a winter storm watch in effect, four of us, Gary Brewer, Terry Baker, and Donna and Leo Milner, decided to go to Quartz Lake on the scheduled overnight back pack. The morning was overcast and windy. As we climbed up to the “key hole”, we were treated to spectacular displays of fall colors. Around noon, it started snowing. By the time we got to the lake there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. We set up our tents, and started collecting firewood. But before we could get a fire started, we were in full blizzard mode, heavy snowfall and strong winds. By 4 p.m. we were all in our tents for the start of a long night. As the night went on, the space inside our tents got smaller as the walls of the tents collapsed under the weight of the snow. But at least the snow helped insulate the tents, and we were fairly warm. It snowed until about 8 a.m., with an accumulation of 8-10 inches of snow. The hike back to the cars was more reminiscent of a David and Shirley Hunter snowshoe, minus the snowshoes. The trail back to the key hole was hard to follow and we lost the trail twice. The going was slow, and we had to be careful on the narrow parts of the trail. Once again we were treated to spectacular scenery, this time with the golden aspens standing out against the white foreground.
It was quite an adventure. Good thing Search and Rescue didn’t have to come get us.
Leo Milner
Photos by Donna Milner
Do you think it was cold?
The Good (Donna, who's taking the picture), the Bad, & the Ugly.hehehe, I couldn't resist. You know I'm kiddin', guys.
A rare glimpse at Autumn and Winter side by side.
The trail home****************************************
Wild Rivers Recreation Area Backpack
October 15-17
Remember when I was talking about flexibility in my last backpack article? Well, we got to flex again. This trip was originally planned for 13-15 but we decided the weather was a bit hostile with an improving trend toward the middle of the week. It's kind of like watching the stock market, you have to adjust and take a bit of a gamble. Anyway, our gamble paid off big with beautiful blue skies and cool temperatures in the Wild River gorge.
Joan, Barb, Susan, and I (otherwise known as The Women) began our outing with a scrumptious meal at Graham's in Taos. Now, that is the way to begin a backpack! We headed on down the Big Arsenic Trail switchbacking about 800 feet down. After toodling along the Rio Grande river, we made camp at our luxury accommodations known as Little Arsenic Springs campsite. I say luxury since we had a sheltered picnic table and a CLEAN pit toilet with LOTS of toilet paper. You could leave the door open and view the scenery if you so chose. It doesn't get any better than that.
The switchback trail into the gorge
Thursday was spent hiking to La Junta where the Rio Grande and the Red rivers meet. We also ventured upriver to view some petroglyphs. It was a lovely, relaxing day with a hint of breeze and only wispy clouds in the sky.
Confluence of the Rio Grande River and the Red River
Petroglyphs
Since we began our outing with a meal in Taos, we decided to end it in the same fashion. I can really recommend that strategy. It takes the edge off the backpack meals and makes the entire experience feel more like a vacation! And fortunately Taos has a lot of open air eating areas for the more aromatic of its visitors.
Betsy Cotton
Photos by Susan Milford and Joan Harris
Local wildlife
More local wildlife
A group packing out with llamas.
The Women posing near the campsite
Barb setting up her new tent with Susan looking on
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That's it for this month, kids. Get outdoors and have fun. Come to the meeting and sign up for stuff. Pull out your warm clothes. Enjoy your November!
Wild Rivers Recreation Area Backpack
October 15-17
Remember when I was talking about flexibility in my last backpack article? Well, we got to flex again. This trip was originally planned for 13-15 but we decided the weather was a bit hostile with an improving trend toward the middle of the week. It's kind of like watching the stock market, you have to adjust and take a bit of a gamble. Anyway, our gamble paid off big with beautiful blue skies and cool temperatures in the Wild River gorge.
Joan, Barb, Susan, and I (otherwise known as The Women) began our outing with a scrumptious meal at Graham's in Taos. Now, that is the way to begin a backpack! We headed on down the Big Arsenic Trail switchbacking about 800 feet down. After toodling along the Rio Grande river, we made camp at our luxury accommodations known as Little Arsenic Springs campsite. I say luxury since we had a sheltered picnic table and a CLEAN pit toilet with LOTS of toilet paper. You could leave the door open and view the scenery if you so chose. It doesn't get any better than that.
The switchback trail into the gorgeThursday was spent hiking to La Junta where the Rio Grande and the Red rivers meet. We also ventured upriver to view some petroglyphs. It was a lovely, relaxing day with a hint of breeze and only wispy clouds in the sky.
Confluence of the Rio Grande River and the Red River
PetroglyphsSince we began our outing with a meal in Taos, we decided to end it in the same fashion. I can really recommend that strategy. It takes the edge off the backpack meals and makes the entire experience feel more like a vacation! And fortunately Taos has a lot of open air eating areas for the more aromatic of its visitors.
Betsy Cotton
Photos by Susan Milford and Joan Harris
Local wildlife
More local wildlife
A group packing out with llamas.
The Women posing near the campsite
Barb setting up her new tent with Susan looking on****************************************
That's it for this month, kids. Get outdoors and have fun. Come to the meeting and sign up for stuff. Pull out your warm clothes. Enjoy your November!
