Current Events
DESERT SURVIVORS
Summer Potluck Picnic
Saturday, June 20, 2009
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Big Leaf Picnic Area
Tilden Regional Park in the Berkeley Hills
Potluck Dinner at 6:00 PM
Announcements, issues reports at 7:30 PM
Slides & videos at 8:00 PM [BRING YOURS!]
Socializing, etc. ‘til our host ushers us out the door ...
WE WILL BRING: hot briquettes, picnic supplies, ice & cooler, the badminton set
YOU BRING: $2 for group expenses, food to barbeque, plus a potluck item to share with eight:
LAST NAMES BEGINNING WITH:
A-G, bring salad, appetizers or bread
H-R, bring a main course
S-Z, bring beverages
[Yes! someone is bound to bring a dessert!]
ALSO:
*** bring hiking boots/walking shoes plus sun protection/wind protection gear & water for the hike at 3:30 p.m.
*** bring friends & family members
*** bring your map of Berkeley --- these hill venues are tough to find!
ACTIVITIES:
SCHMOOZING & VISITING:
** lie and brag about your favorite trips
** meet new friends
** make plans for future tripsACTIVE GAMES:
** bring clothes you don't mind getting dirty!
** we'll have the badminton set on hand --- quite popular last year!
** if you have other ideas for games, bring them and your equipment!OPTIONAL HIKE AT 3:30 PM:
** we'll hike an easy trail in the hills nearby
** weather could be sunny & hot — or foggy & windy
NOTE: Come early to participate in Bob Lyon’s “Beginner Backpacking Seminar”. The Seminar will start promptly at 9:30 a.m. See the reverse side for details.
Questions? Call Steve Tabor at (510) 769-1706
DIRECTIONS:
To reach the Big Leaf Picnic Area Tilden Park from the north, west or south, approach Berkeley (and Albany) from the Interstate-80 freeway. Get off at the Buchanan Street Exit. Go east on Buchanan Street and bear right at the fire station at San Pablo. You will now be on Marin Avenue. Follow Marin as it winds in an eastward direction through Albany and North Berkeley to Marin Circle (with its fountain in the center). Go right around the circle to the narrow cut opposite, which is still Marin. Drive up the very steep hill to the fourth street on your left, which is Spruce Street. Go north on Spruce around a last bend to a complex intersection where several roads come together (this is about 0.8 mile). Go straight, but immediately after the intersection (30 feet), turn left down a steep road named Canon Drive (watch for traffic coming in from the right on Wildcat Canyon Road, which you must cross). Drive down Canon about 0.4 mile to an intersection where you bear right and stop at a stop sign. Big Leaf Picnic Area is directly across the road and the picnic tables are just below the parking area.
To reach Tilden Park from the east, the shortest way by mileage (though not necessarily by time) is via Highway 24 to the Fish Ranch Road Exit. Once there drive north up Fish Ranch to Grizzly Peak Blvd., where you will turn right. Continue on the winding narrow Grizzly Peak Blvd. for several miles, passing numerous intersections. You’ll pass intersections at Park Drive, Centennial Drive and Shasta Road before you get to Marin Avenue. From Marin it is 0.7 mile to the intersection with Wildcat Canyon Road and Canon Drive described above. Drive down the hill on Canon in a northeast direction to Big Leaf.
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ANNOUNCING:
Saturday, June 20 9:30 a.m. to Noon
Bob Lyon’s Beginner Backpack Seminar
at the Big Leaf Picnic Area, Tilden Park, Berkeley
(preceding the Desert Survivors Annual Summer Picnic)
Although intended as an introductory class it’s a good refresher in case you haven’t been out for a while. This year’s class will emphasize lightweight, inexpensive packing and includes my book. Equipment topics include backpacks, tents, tarps, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes, and accessories. We’ll demonstrate how to start a fire without matches, pitch a tarp, and load and adjust your pack. Learn to carry just what you need with minimum impact on the environment, your back, and your wallet. Limit 12.
To be followed by the Pescadero Ck Beginner Backpack (E), July 11-12 in San Mateo County. Limit 10.
Contact Leader: Bob Lyon (415) 586-6855
DESERT SURVIVORS TECHNICAL SEMINAR
LAUREL NOOK GROUP AREA
MT DIABLO STATE PARK
[call for directions]
Sunday July 26, 2009
JOIN OUR TRIP LEADERS FOR A DAY OF WORKSHOPS
ON ORGANIZING AND LEADING TRIPS!
[your own and/or Desert Survivors]
LEARN:
*** How to plan a trip, where to go, what to take
*** When First Aid is needed, where to get training
*** How to read a topographic map and orient yourself
*** How YOU may be come a DESERT SURVIVORS TRIP LEADER!
The Seminar will be held at Laurel Nook Group Area in Mt. Diablo State Park. We’ll meet at the Group Area at 9:00 AM (sharp!) and begin promptly, following the schedule below. Bring whatever you'll need for the sessions: maps, compass, pencil, notebook, First Aid kit, water bottle, hiking boots, sun protection, trip ideas, questions, answers & plenty of enthusiasm. Also bring food for the potluck lunch and drinks to share, plus a $5 donation for the site and $5 for the Park entrance fee.
SCHEDULE: (15-minute break between sessions.)
9:00 Registration
9:30 Welcome & introductions
9:45 Hiking skills, supplies & planning - Steve Tabor
11:00 Wilderness First Aid (& prevention!) - Steve Tabor
12:00 Potluck Lunch
1:00 Maps & orienteering, demonstration - Bob Lyon
2:30 Questions & answers
3:30 Hiking on a Mt. Diablo loop trail,
plus practical orienteering with map & compass
CALL EARLY! WE ARE LIMITED TO 40 participants and 10 staff!
You MUST call Steve Tabor to sign up: (510) 769-1706.
PARK RULES: NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES