FALL 2007 TRIPS
September 21-23 (Fri-Sun)
Annual Benton Hot Springs Gathering (E/M)
Eastern Sierra
We'll do geology and plant hikes, visit historical sites, practice art, and enjoy other activities during the day, star-gazing and campfire sing-alongs at night. Nine hot tubs for soaking anytime. There'll be games for the kids and a desert hat fashion show for the adults, plus more. The Annual Membership Meeting will be Sunday morning. Members will receive a detailed flyer to sign up. This event was great last year. Organizer Janet Schraer.
For information, call: Steve Tabor (510) 769-1706
September 29-30 (Sat-Sun)
Public Lands Day Service Trip Carcamp (M)
Mojave National Preserve
We'll work with the National Park Service and other volunteers to clean up trash and maintain trails and campsites in Caruthers Canyon. It's a location used heavily by hikers, hunters, and other visitors but receives minimal park maintenance. We can make a real difference by improving the visitor experience and protecting the fragile canyon. No special skills are required, but trail rehab experience is a plus. NPS will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, and vegan fixings, and we'll provide side dishes, music, and stories for our Saturday night potluck and campfire. Limit 15.
Contact Leader: Bob Lyon (415) 674-6885
robtlyon (at sign here) sbcglobal.net
October 5-8 (Fri-Mon)
South Reveille Wilderness Area Backpack (M/S)
Central Nevada
Explore a remote and pristine wilderness area replete with stunning geology, abundant animal populations, archeological sites, and solitude. This place just plain rocks! Easy access off the Extraterrestrial Highway. Be prepared for the unexpected, as we may discover the Mother Ship, and there's a good chance of spotting pronghorn antelope and petroglyphs. Carry all water. Limit 12.
Contact Leader: Kenneth Logan (510) 420-1442
kenneth.logan (at sign here) sf.frb.org
October 6-7 (Sat-Sun)
Eastern California Petroglyphs Carcamp (E/M)
Southern Owens Valley
Comfortable fall weather is an ideal time to go exploring. Saturday we visit three rock art sites in the southern Owens Valley area bordering the Coso Mountains. Sunday we will be escorted to the astonishing Little Petroglyph Canyon on the China Lake Naval Weapons Station. As government restrictions apply here, all arrangements and confirmations must be completed by September 15. High-clearance 2WD sufficient. Saturday evening potluck. Limit 14.
Contact Leader: Craig Deutsche (310) 477-6670
deutsche (at sign here) earthlink.net
October 7 (Sun)
Route Finding Seminar (E)
Briones Park, Bay Area
Our first all-day seminar on route finding will cover map reading, compass skills, and GPS. Briones Park features rolling hills, little peaks, and small valleys, good terrain to test our skills. Meet at picnic tables under the spreading oaks in the morning, then hike to practice what we've learned in the afternoon. Please sign up in advance. A small charge will help defray costs of renting the park. Call early for this one; it's bound to be popular.
Contact Leader: Steve Tabor (510) 769-1706
October 19-25 (Fri-Thurs)
Saline Valley Carcamp (E/M)
Death Valley National Park
Join us for all or part of this carcamp. We will start in northern Saline Valley with a climb of Waucoba Mt. and camp there Friday night. We will play it by ear depending on the weather, taking our time to drive into Saline Valley. We will be doing dayhikes, some potlucks, soaking, and relaxing. Sturdy car in good shape with spare tire needed for 100 miles total of dirt-road driving. Limit 15. Leader Jerry Goss.
Sign-up Contact: Lynne Buckner (415) 824-5454
lynne (at sign here) woolstreet.org
November 3 (Sat)
Preservation Issues Conference (E)
Live Oak Park, Berkeley
This all-day conference will explore current issues throughout the desert. Many are old: grazing, mining, off-road vehicles. Others are new: border patrol and border intrusions, global warming, the impact of solar and wind energy. We have offers from many groups who want to do presentations: the Center for Biological Diversity, the Desert Protective Council, the California Wilderness Coalition, and others. Lunch included. Members will receive a detailed flyer.
For information, call: Elena Gogoleva: (415) 307-8324
elenagogoleva (at sign here) yahoo.com
November 9-11 (Fri-Sun)
The Green Festival (E)
Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco
Join us in celebrating the desert and its "green" treasures by coming by and schmoozing with all those watery green folks who have no clue how to find the desert in the desert. Around 40,000 persons are expected. If you can help, please join the crew. We'll need about 15-20 volunteers to staff our booth for the three days and talk to folks about keeping our desert wild, protected from off-road vehicles, free of toxic waste, and joining our talented and diverse group of hikers and backpackers.
Contact Organizer: Judy Kendall (510) 612-1124
November 12-13 (Mon-Tues)
Backpacking the Border--One (M/S)
Fish Creek Mountains Wilderness
This is the first of three short backpacks immediately north of the Mexican border. The route is exploratory in a rugged land of jagged ridges and peaks, twisting canyons, sandy washes, and small valleys immediately east of Anza Borrego Desert State Park. This is low desert with ocotillo, creosote, and desert willow. December weather should be cool. Travel is cross-country, and long views eastward look over the Salton Sea. A 16-mi. loop. Carry water. Limit 10.
Contact Leader: Craig Deutsche (310) 477-6670
deutsche (at sign here) earthlink.net
November 14-15 (Wed-Thurs)
Backpacking the Border--Two (M/S)
Coyote Mountains Wilderness
This second borderland backpack is notable for the rugged, colorful mountains through which deep canyons find their way. Midway in the trip, we leave the canyons briefly to climb the highest point nearby, Carrizo Peak, before descending northward into an alluvial badlands where twisting gullies give the land an austere and forbidding character. We negotiate several steep climbs, travel a total of 16 mi., and carry water. The trip is exploratory and requires a short shuttle. Limit 10.
Contact Leader: Craig Deutsche (310) 477-6670
deutsche (at sign here) earthlink.net
November 16-17 (Fri-Sat)
Backpacking the Border--Three (M/S)
Jacumba Mountains Wilderness
This last of the three trips traverses a small range lying immediately north of the Mexican border. This is an exploratory trip beginning with an ascent of an eastside canyon. The geography of the interior valleys will then allow us to choose from several possible routes. From the highest point we will see the mountains of the two previous trips as well as the Yuha Desert to the east, and mountains to the south in Mexico. Total distance 14-19 mi. Carry water. Limit 10.
Contact Leader: Craig Deutsche (310) 477-6670
deutsche (at sign here) earthlink.net
November 16-18 (Fri-Sun)
Cougar Canyon Service Trip Carcamp (M)
Inyo Mountains and Saline Valley
Return to Saline Valley with Friends of the Inyos, this time to clear tamarisk from a remote canyon. There will be plenty of rock scrambling to get above the falls in Cougar Canyon. We'll have time to monitor last year's work and scout Beaveridge, Pat Keyes, and Daisy Canyons. We'll camp one quiet night in a canyon, another at the hot springs. Limit 15.
Contact Leader: Bob Lyon (415) 674-6885
robtlyon (at sign here) sbcglobal.net
November 22-24 (Thurs-Sat)
China Ranch/Amargosa Canyon Carcamp (M)
Southern Inyo County, Mojave Desert
This Gobble Day explore a southern Utah-style canyon, dubbed the "Grand Canyon of the Mojave," with adjoining narrows, as well as a desert wonderland near China Ranch (an operating date ranch oasis), then explore throughout the Amargosa Canyon, along the Amargosa River (eligible for National Wild and Scenic River protection -- the first in the desert). This is easy-to-moderate hiking, but the lengths each day will be 7-12 mi. Optional Tecopa hot springs Saturday night. Limit 12.
Contact Leader: Kenneth Logan (510) 420-1442
kenneth.logan (at sign here) sf.frb.org
November 22-25 (Thu-Sun)
Chuckwalla Mountains Carcamp (M)
Southeastern Riverside County
Last Thanksgiving we enjoyed a great trip on old prospector trails in the Chuckwalla Wilderness south of Joshua Tree. This year we'll do it again, searching out new trails in the interior. We'll camp at the BLM's Corn Springs Campground and Corn Springs Wash. Features include granite and metamorphic rock, washes, petroglyphs, Sonoran vegetation, and outstanding views. Also, the thrill of discovery as we search out old routes. Winter weather should be cool, and we'll enjoy good campfires. Participants must stay behind the leader while hiking. Limit 15.
Contact Leader: Steve Tabor (510) 769-1706