San Juan Outdoor Club Old Newsletter: September 2009

SEPTEMBER

Meeting

The September meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 3rd at 6:00 p.m.

It will be a potluck at the Sportsmans Campground out Piedra Road.

Bring a side dish or dessert that serves 6 - 8 people. Brats and buns, plates, utensils, and drinks will be provided by the club.

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President's Message

Howdy,

It's hard to believe with this great warm weather we've had that there will soon be snow appearing on the peaks and the Ski Swap is only a month away. If you have old gear that's still usable plan on consigning it to the swap and pick up a little cash for those new toys you want. Thursday is our potluck at the Sportsman Campground and it is always a fun way to wrap up the summer. Saturday is the plant exchange which will be at the Ferguson's house at 303 Butte, just off Aspen Glow on Lake Pagosa. The time is 10-11AM. Bring your seeds and plants and if you're looking for additions for your yard stop by and pick up some new plants, fall is a good time to get those perennials established for next year. Get out and enjoy the camping and hiking activities we have planned and enjoy the upcoming fall.

Barry

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Upcoming Activities

For September, we have a plant swap, ladies walks, pagosa pedalers, mountain bike maintenance clinic, bowling and car camping with optional biking, hiking and kayaking.

Calendar

The Activities Calendar can be found in the sidebar under "Useful Links"It has all the details on each activity. You need to check it several times during the month for any new items that may have been added. You can also look ahead to the next month.

Gregg will be out of town for a couple of weeks. Betsy Cotton has agreed to fill in for him and keep the calendar updated. So, if you have an activity to put on the calendar, e-mail Betsy at yaknandpakn@gmail.com or give her a call.

Gray Wolf Web Site

There is also a link to the Gray Wolf web site for their Tuesday hiking schedule.Two groups of different hiking abilities meet every Tuesday for hikes. Group A is a bit faster and does more strenuous hikes. Group B is a bit easier. This is a separate club that you should join if you like to hike in summer and ski in winter.

Short Notice Backpackers

We have started something new called Short Notice Backpackers. It is a list of people that like to backpack and don't need much time to get ready. Whenever someone dreams up a trip, they notify everyone on the list by e-mail. Those interested reply to the organizer that they would like to go. Short notice planning allows us to take advantage of good weather. We have found that planning weeks and months in advance can sometimes lock us in to a time slot with bad weather. And backpacking is a LOT more fun in good weather. So, if you like to backpack, you should be on this list.

Call or e-mail Susan Milford susanmilford@gmail.com or Betsy Cotton yaknandpakn@gmail.com if you would like to be added to the list.

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August Meeting

The August meeting was held August 6th with Ray Pierotti and Mark Schwantes from LPEA speaking to us about "Green Energy"

Ray Pierotti

Mark Schwantes

Half of the money raised from our 4th of July silent auction was donated to Search and Rescue. The other half was dedicated to the Scholarship Fund. Here, Joyce Ramberg presents a check to Terry, Les, Betsy and Leo from Search and Rescue.

The lucky raffle winners.

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August Activities

Easy Hike to Waterfalls

July 25th

Greg Howard led a group up the drainage that flows from Rock Lakes to several waterfalls.

Posing in front of one of the waterfalls.

Walking through the wildflowers in search of the next waterfall.

Now these are happy hikers!!

Pagosa Pedalers

every Monday

The PP's are still going strong. The first photo is from our foray at Hershey Ranch. We got to go through mud, water, uphill, and, the most fun, downhill. We had two casualties but nothing too serious. They lived to ride another day! We've spent a few Monday mornings on the trails in the Brockover area. It's full of single track and ATV trails to explore. We'll be continuing our regular rides through September 28th. I encourage all those who wish to continue after that date to throw rides up on the calendar as long as weather allows. PP Power!

Betsy

Charleen "happily" changing another flat tire. She promised she would have some new tread on that bike next time out.

Carolyn zipping down the trail.

Suzanne cruising down the road.

San Luis Peak

August 11th

David and Shirley Hunter led a group of 10 hearty souls out to conquer San Luis Peak.(David, Shirley, Bob, Susan, Joan, Terry, Leo, Marvin, Gary and Ken)

We camped beside it for two nights. This allowed us to summit without our packs, going up one side and down the other. Who needs trails? Just go straight up scree slopes until you come to the trail and follow drainages or whatever strikes your fancy to get back to the campsite.

It's always an adventure with the Hunters. And lots of fun.

The group, resting on a saddle before we drop down to our campsite.

San Luis Peak is in the background.

Just cruising along on the Continental Divide Trail

Susan, Ken and Joan bringing up the rear on summit day.

Yikes, it's hard to breathe up here!

We were camped in the valley below.

Success!!!

We all made it to the top. Views were stupendous.

This picture is blown up and it is a little blurry, but you can see our "pet deer" which we named Helen, almost getting Marvin's food bag. He scared her off and raised the bag. She was quite disappointed when she returned a few minutes later with a friend and it was out of reach.

Backpack to Archuleta Lake

August 18th

Five women: Betsy, Susan, Joan, Charleen and Barbara headed out on the Continental Divide Trail from Lobo Overlook toward Archuleta Lake. We had great weather the whole time. Not a drop of rain.

The first night we camped at Spotted Lake. We walked about half a mile the next day and camped at Archuleta Lake. We didn't realize just how close it was. But all was well as we climbed Mt Hope above the lake for fabulous views. The third day we hiked out to Big Meadows.