February 6, 2010, Ski/Snowshoe Orienteering at the Valles Caldera
Trip Menu | Search
Contact and More Information: Judy
or Dick Opsahl,
opsahlr@mac.com
(B-A/M-S)
The New Mexico Orienteers will put on their
annual Ski/Snowshoe Orienteering meet at the Valles Caldera Preserve on
Saturday, February 6th, from 10 AM to 3:30 PM. Short, Medium, and Long
courses will be offered. The start and finish will be at the staging
area warming hut at the Valles Caldera. Orienteering is a sport of
finding a series of markers across the landscape using a detailed
1:10,000 map and a compass. In winter this can be done on snow shoes or
skis. Each participant, pair or family group, registers and gets an
individual start time. Participants may register and start between 10 AM
and 1 PM. Instruction will be given to newcomers to the sport.
Participants must pay the entrance fee to the Valles ($10/adult,
$8/senior, $5/child; children under 5 are free) plus $5 for a map. Maps
with the courses pre-marked on them will be given to everyone who
e-mails Meet Director, Peter
Ridlington, stating your name and the course you plan to do. Others
can copy their course on an unmarked map on registration at the Valles.
For further information e-mail Dick or Judy Opsahl.
February 7, 2010, Pipeline Road to Pajarito Ski Lodge Snowshoe Hike
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Leader:
Dick Opsahl,
opsahlr@mac.com
(B-I/M-S)
We will meet at the origin of the Pipeline
Road (trailhead), on Quemazon Road in the Quemazon Community at 8:15 AM
and promptly start the hike. The route will be up the Pipeline to the
Guaje Ridge intersection where we eat our lunch, then on up Pipeline
across the Cañada Bonita to the Ski Lodge parking area. Expect
others who have gone downhill skiing to provide the pick-up for the down
hill ride. We will beg for a ride down , perhaps to Starbucks.
Expect the hike to take about 6 hours. Length is 13.3 Km. Climb is
about 950 M. Bring sturdy shoes, tall gaiters, warm water proof
clothing, water and some snack food. Dick has some lender snow
shoes, available if you need them. Please make arrangements with
Dick Opsahl using e-mail NOT phone. No
dogs unless owner provides down transportation for the dog or dogs.
If you sign up and cancel, PLEASE cancel using the e-mail and NOT the
telephone. Note:this trip will be cancelled if there are not at
least 3 participants. Help will be needed to do trail breaking on
the way up. Weather forecast for Sunday: a
few snow showers, with a high of 35 degrees.
February 11-15, 2010,
Monarch Downhill and X-Country Ski Trip
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Leaders:
Contact Melanee Hand,
m_maree@msn.com, 505-490-1960, to sign up for this trip, with a cc:
to Bill Priedhorsky at
bill@priedhorsky.net.
(B-A/E-M)
Enjoy an extended ski weekend at Monarch Pass with cross
country and alpine skiing; families are welcome! Those who have a
season pass at Pajarito Mountain get 3 free days of skiing at Monarch
Mountain in Colorado near Salida. If you have to buy a ski pass, Monarch
prices are quite reasonable, especially purchased online in advance.
This is a 4 day weekend for those on the LANL "A" schedule, a holiday
weekend for those who get President's Day as a holiday, and a new
mid-winter break for kids in the Los Alamos Public Schools, who get
Friday through Tuesday off. For those that cannot spend the entire time
in Monarch and prefer a shorter Monarch trip, carpools for a shorter
weekend might be possible.
We plan to depart Thursday PM, February 11,
adventuring Friday, February 12 through President's Day Monday, February
15th, with an optional extension to Tuesday, February 16th.
Monarch ski area is about a 4-5 hour drive from Los
Alamos, offers a variety of skill levels for downhill skiing, small lift
lines. It is slightly bigger than Pajarito, with big views from the
Continental Divide, and a backcountry bowl. Cross Country skiing and
snowshoeing are options in the area, for those who prefer to mix up the
types of activities over a long weekend. Based on those who sign up, we
will divide up into sub-groups to best meet skill levels and interests.
This trip will be left somewhat flexible and open to meet a variety of
interests and capabilities.
If you are tired and sore at the end of a strenuous
day, a side trip to Princeton Hot Springs can improve your spirits.
Historic downtown Salida offers for art, music, antiques, and great
shopping and dining experiences on the Arkansas River. And the truly
hardcore can try winter fly fishing on the Arkansa.
Dinners will be a joint effort, with participants
contributing to the meals. Once trip members are signed up, we will
coordinate in more detail to determine who brings what for which days of
the trip. Breakfasts and lunches are on your own.
Lodging is available at a reasonable rate in nearby
Salida or Mayfield. Based on interest, we will rent a house and divide
the cost; experience has shown this to be significantly more economical
than motel rooms. To hold a spot in the rental house, please send a
deposit of $100 per person to Bill Priedhorsky by direct transfer or by
mailing a check to him at 380 Rim Road, Los Alamos NM.
We will coordinate carpools and times of departure
based on participant requirements. We recommend leaving Thursday late
afternoon to allow a full day of skiing on Friday. Please let us know
if you prefer to drive, how many extra spaces you would have for
carpoolers, or if you need a ride.
February 20 or 21, 2010, Cerro Medio Exploratory Ski Trip
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Leader: Norbert
Ensslin, lynn.norbert@comcast.net
(I-A/S)
First, my apologies if you’ve already seen this
announcement, which was sent yesterday to those skiers who went on Zack
Baker’s Jan. 24th trip in the Valle. Jan Studebaker recommended that we
send it out to the whole club already, because there is no other club
trip scheduled for that weekend. Second, if you are interested in this
trip, please e-mail to Norbert in the next few days so we can see if
there are enough possible skiers to do the trip. This trip is contingent
on approval by the Valles Caldera staff, which requires a minimum of 10
people.
During the January 24th Valle ski tour, Norbert asked
some of the skiers if they might be interested in a later, longer ski
tour to Redondito Peak or Cerro Medio. Some said that they were, and so
Norbert checked with the Valles Caldera staff about those options.
Unfortunately, the first choice -- Redondito Peak -- is considered off
limits. But the second choice, Cerro Medio, can probably be approved if
we can get at least 10 skiers to go. The stated reason for this minimum
number is safety, and the need to have a reasonable number of people to
get approval for a "sanctioned group event."
The top of Cerro Medio is a place that none of us have
ever been to, and it should have some good views of the Valle Grande and
all the surrounding peaks. The ski tour would start at Camp May and
descend into the Valle de los Posos, just as we did on the last trip.
Then we would go west for a couple of miles to the northern edge of
Cerro Medio and pick up a jeep road that goes south to the top of this
broad peak. The total round trip is in the range of 18 to 19 miles, with
an estimated 9 to 10 hours of skiing time, so we would try to get an
early start.
Any skiers who do not want to go all the way to the
top of Cerro Medio, or who just want to see more of the Valle de los
Posos, are very welcome to come along. Skiers can come along part way
and turn back at any point because all of us will be retracing our
approach route exactly to return to Camp May. For those of you who
joined us for Zack Baker's Valle trip on January 24th, this trip will
not be technically harder, but will be 3 to 4 hours longer for those who
go all the way to the top of Cerro Medio. The route will be along major
forest roads, and will have a total elevation gain of roughly 1200 feet
on the way out and 600 feet on the way back. If snow conditions are
good, we should have some nice long downhill glides, especially on the
way back.
This would be a Los Alamos Mountaineers trip, but
would also be open to members of the Pajarito Ski Club and other guests
who are known to the trip participants from these clubs. All skiers must
sign a Valles Caldera Preserve waiver, a Los Alamos Mountaineers Club
trip waiver, and pay the $10 access fee.
Please reply to Norbert if interested in this trip.
(And please specify if you prefer Saturday, Feb. 20 or Sunday, Feb. 21.)
If there is enough interest, Norbert will seek formal approval from the
Valles Caldera staff and let you all know right away so you can keep
this day open on your calendar.
March 11-14, 2010, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
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Leader: Bill Priedhorsky,
bill@priedhorsky.net
(B-I/M)
Instead of doing a Bluff trip once again next year, let's
try something different and explore the Canyons of the Ancients National
Monument, west of Cortez. I am seeking commitments to make a
deposit at the Kelly Place B&B, which is uniquely located along McElmo
Creek in the heart of this country. We will go a little later in
the year than our previous Bluff trips, in order for the weather to warm
up a bit, and to keep a good ski weekend open. We will therefore
visit the Canyons of the Ancients from Thursday, March 11 (leaving Los
Alamos after work) through Sunday the 14th ("A" weekend).
Jan, Dennis, and I hiked Sand Canyon
recently. This is one of the monument's premiere hikes, although
there are many other possibilities including wilderness study areas, and
even the Kelly Place backyard. We found the richest collection of
ruins that any of us had ever seen, with something in almost every
south-facing alcove, and a round watch tower overlooking the canyon rim.
Jan's photos can be found
here, and Dennis' are
here.
Our hike possibilities are many. We
can hike Sand Canyon and neighboring Rock Canyon either as a loop, or
one way shuttling from Sand Canyon Pueblo at the north end. We can
start hiking from Kelly Place and head north into the monument. We
can hike the wilderness canyons in the monument, including
Cross Canyon and Cahone Canyon. Or we can arrange a guided
tour into the
Ute
Tribal Park country. Bottom line: a very rich set of
opportunities in exciting new country, most of them non-technical and of
moderate difficulty.
Starting Thursday March 11, we will spend
3 nights at the
Kelly Place B&B. This is an "A" weekend, so no vacation is
needed for those on that schedule. Kelly Place advertises
themselves as a both a B&B and an archeological preserve. We have
not yet negotiated a group price; their non-group rates for a shared
room and breakfast are $50-75 per person per night. Once we
assemble our party, I will negotiate a group rate to include dinner.
Given that we don't particularly want to
camp out in early March, Kelly Place is a unique lodging opportunity.
The other motels in Cortez are large, chain motels aimed at the Mesa
Verde tourist crowd.
In order to pin down our plan, we need a
core of folks committed to the trip (6 to 10), so we can assemble a $300
deposit for the B&B. Please let me know if you are interested, and
willing to put down $50 as a charter member of this adventure. The
2010 spring season is booking up, we need to make a reservation
soon. There is no guarantee
that we will be able to add participants after the initial round, so
please join now if you are interested. I'll call the B&B around
April 10 to make an initial reservation.
April
10-23, 2010, Pilgrimage Hike in Western Spain
Trip Menu | Search
Leader:
Dick Opsahl, opsahlr@mac.com or
505-662 9404
(B/M-S)
Join Dick Opsahl on his pilgrimage hike north from
Seville, Spain to Merida, Spain. Leave Seville on 10 April and arrive at
Merida April 23. Hiking about 10-15 miles each day with minimum backpack
and staying at pilgrim refuges along the way. Total walk is about 140
miles. Route is called Via de la Plata (check Google). Except for air
fare, trip is very cheap. An added benefit is easier entry through the
Pearly Gates. Contact Dick by email or phone if interested. Space for 1
or 2 people.
An alternate to flying directly to
Seville is to fly to Madrid and take the bullet train to Seville.
May 8, 2010, Cabezon Peak
Climb
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Leader:
Dennis Brandt,
denniskarenb@gmail.com, 505-661-4240
More info from
past trip, with photos: click here.
(I/M)
We will climb Cabezon Peak, one of a number of striking
volcanic necks in the desert country west of the Jemez Mountains. We
will drive to the west shoulder of the mountain before beginning the
hike, which starts with a steep trail that traverses around the south
face to a crack system that leads to the top. Cabezon features colorful
columns of basalt that would make challenging 5th class climbs. However,
our plan is to climb a one-pitch 4th class route to the top. I will
bring a rope for anyone wishing a belay. Once on top, Cabezon offers
spectacular 360-degree views.
Come prepared for a full day outing.
Bring lunch, water, and layered clothing. Be prepared for windy and
chilly conditions. If you have a climbing helmet please bring it along
for the short climbing section. Let me know if you don’t have one and I
will try to locate one for you.
We will meet at 8:00am, Saturday, at
Sullivan Field in Los Alamos and car pool through the Jemez to Cabezon
Peak. We will pick up interested Jemez residents along the way and
should arrive at the peak around 10:00. If there is time after returning
to the cars we may check out some interesting geologic attractions in
the area before returning through Jemez Springs, where we will have
dinner before driving home.
May 15-23, 2010, Escalante/Grand Staircase Canyon Country Adventure
Trip Menu | Search
Leader: Bill Priedhorsky,
bill@priedhorsky.net
(B-I/M-S)
As is our custom, we will spend a week in the canyon country in
May, exploring out of a base camp. Our gear will be hauled to camp on
llamas, probably supplied by BJ's new business. I don't know the details
of the packing cost, but expect that they will be comparable to previous trips,
in the range of $200-250 per person for the llama hauling.
Although some of the details are still up
in the air, I guarantee that we will have our usual wonderful adventure.
Our destination will be in the Escalante/Grand Staircase National
Monument, and somewhere that we haven't been before, at least for the
last several years. The most likely destination will be in the lower
reaches of Harris Wash, which allows a great deal of exploration from
Egypt to Red Breaks and everywhere between. Our schedule will be
similar to past week-long trips:
-
Saturday,
May 15: Drive to Boulder, Utah, and stay overnight at
Pole's Place or the Boulder Mountain Lodge,
-
Sunday, May
16: Hike into the canyon and establish base camp,
-
Monday-Friday: Five wonderful days of exploratory hikes,
-
Saturday,
May 22: Hike out of the canyon and overnight in Boulder,
-
Sunday, May
23: Drive back home.
Overnight reservations for the two
Saturday nights in Boulder are your responsibility. Pole's Place
can be reached by phone at (800) 730-7422. Contact details for
Boulder Mountain Lodge can be found
here.
If you would like to join us - and I hope you can - please send a $100
deposit to Bill Priedhorsky, 380 Rim Road, Los Alamos 87544 or contact
me for my LANB number for direct transfer.
May
28-31, 2010, White Mountains Wilderness Backpack
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Leader:
Jan Studebaker,
jstudebaker@gmail.com Photos of South
Fork Rio Bonito :
here
Map with points
of interest: click
here Interactive
USGS topo: click
here
(I/M)
Last year we were forced to make an
'emergency' cancellation of our planned trip to the White Mountains due
to an unusually strong Spring storm; this year we aim to succeed!
I had always been intrigued by the White Mountains near Ruidoso since
they are home to Sierra Blanca, one of the most amazing mountains in the
country, standing over 6OOO' above the desert floor. Unfortunately, I
have never visited the wilderness there. Upon asking around, I found
few Mountaineers who had either. It's time to change that!
I'm leading a 3-4 mile backpack
(Trailhead ~7400') up the deepest and most beautiful canyon in the
wilderness on South Fork Trail #19 which generally follows the South
Fork Rio Bonito, and setup a base camp at around 8400' (multiple stream
crossings required). We will day hike out of that camp for the rest of
the trip. We hope to have time for a short but beautiful hike on day one
to lower Crest Trail with a great view at ~9400'. On day two we will
hike up canyon and intersect the top part of the Crest Trail #25 at
~10,400', and probably do a return loop by returning on Trail #33
through Bluefront Canyon. Day three will be a hike to Lookout Mountain
at ~11,500' where we will get a close-up view of Sierra Blanca, and day
four we will pack out and return home.
July 2-4,
2010,Tenth Mountain Skinner Hut Trip
Trip Menu | Search
Leader: Judy Opsahl,
opsahlr@mac.com
(B-I/M)
Our 4th annual 4th of July weekend trip to a
!0th Mountain Hut next summer will be to Skinner Hut, July 2, 3, & 4,
2010. Those dates are Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Monday
is a holiday, and we will hike out and drive back to Los Alamos on
Monday. Skinner Hut, at 11,600 ft, offers many opportunities to
hike at various levels, from gentle, to moderate, and, if some are
really ambitious and want to get up early for a long day, climbing Mt
Massive.
As in previous years, we will drive up to
Leadville on July 1, stay overnight in Leadville. Each participant
will make their own reservations in Leadville or nearby for that night,
and it is best to make them early. In the past, most people have
stayed at the Columbine Inn, which has been cooperative about letting
some of us leave cars there while we are at the Hut. A group
dinner can be planned for those who are in Leadville by dinner time on
July 1. All participants then meet at the Columbine Inn at 8:00 AM
on July 2, and carpool to the trailhead parking lot on the road up to
Skinner. One or more 4x4 cars/trucks will drive to Skinner with
the coolers and heavy items. The rest of us will hike to the hut with
day packs. We will have a planning pot luck dinner/meeting in June
before the trip.
The 10th Mountain huts sleep 16 and are
fully equipped with propane cooking stoves, cooking and eating
equipment, photovoltaic lighting, etc. Eight places for next
July's trip have already been filled by people from this year's trip, so
eight places remain. You may e-mail your interest in joining us next
year to Judy (see above). The cost this year is $100/person. Checks can be sent to Judy Opsahl at 141
Chamisa Street, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Your reservation is made when your
check is in Judy's hand. After filling the trip we will maintain a
standby list to accommodate cancellations.
Let us know if you would like to join us
next July 4 weekend. We're looking forward to another great Hut trip.
October 29-31, 2010, Wilderness Leadership Training at Ghost Ranch
Trip Menu | Search
Contact: Bill Priedhorsky,
bill@priedhorsky.net.
Ghost Ranch Rates: click
here.
Note that this is a
rescheduled date. The club is pleased to again offer an exciting
opportunity for members: wilderness leadership training, conducted by
former Colorado Mountain Club president Bill Houghton, with the
assistance of our own Rick Light. The objective of the training is to
refine the skills of our trip leaders, whether novice or veteran. We are
excited by the opportunity to conduct this exercise at Ghost Ranch,
which offers both the facilities we need, and a spectacular outdoor
setting for training exercises.
While the Mountaineers do not certify
trip leaders, we encourage our leaders to continuously seek ways to
build on their leadership strengths, whatever their level of experience.
This class will focus on trip planning,
safety, and team building. It will include both indoor discussions and
outdoor exercises. The class will go beyond the Mountaineers' last such
exercise, which took place in May 2005. There will be new exercises and
handouts, based on part in the CMC leader's handbook that is under
development. The outdoor exercises (hikes) will build on the classroom
discussions, including the contents of a leader's pack.
Ghost Ranch
offers lodging in a remote northern New Mexico location, nestled below
sandstone cliffs and formations. Lodging information is attached;
lodging prices run from about $166 to $230 per person for the two-day
weekend (double occupancy). The class fee will be $40. The exercise will
begin with dinner and a brief session on Friday evening, and will
conclude Sunday afternoon. Our detailed scheduled will be announced
later.
Note that the lodging price includes
three meals per day. This will make for an easy weekend - just bring
your clothes, toothbrush, and hiking gear.
We are aiming for a class size around 12
to 16, with an absolute upper limit of 20. Space allowing, non class
participants are welcome to join us for the weekend, and will pay only
the lodging fee.
I look forward to a thought-provoking and
fun weekend. Participation will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
To reserve a slot, please contact me at
bill@priedhorsky.net,
including an indication of your lodging preference. Your reservation
will be held with a $100 deposit, with payment in full by August 15th, mailed to me at 380 Rim Road, Los
Alamos 87544.
October 30 - November 7, 2010, LA Mountaineer's Sea Kayak Trip
Trip Menu | Search
Leader:
Dick Opsahl, opsahlr@mac.com,
505-662 9404
(I/M)
Let's go on a Sea Kayak trip in the Gulf of
California during the fall of 2010. Participants should be reasonably
fit and good swimmers. We will Kayak along the East coast of Baha
California. Expect lots of sea mammal sighting, bird watching and
snorkeling most afternoons. I've found a good outfitter living at Moab,
Nichols Expeditions, for a sea kayak trip starting next October. The
program detail is described in the URL below. But basically we would
kayak from Loreto, Mexico to La Paz, Mexico in the Sea of Cortez, also
called the Gulf of California. It will be something like a "sag wagon"
bicycle trip only with the kayak trip we will have "sag boats". The
boats will carry the tents and the Mexican crew to set up our camp and
feed us each night as we camp and paddle our way south. Read a full
description of the trip
here.
A rough idea about the
cost:
-
Kayak trip $1500. Includes food and
tents etc.,
-
Tips $200,
-
Round trip air $800 or round trip
auto (assuming 5 in car) $250.
The deal by air is to fly ABQ to La Paz
then take the local bus north to Loreto. Return directly from La Paz.
The deal by car is to drive to Mexico via
Douglas, Arizona (closer than Tucson). Overnight at Hermosillo, Mexico;
then ferry across to the Baja (with car) at Guaymas . Then drive to
Loreto. We would hire a Mexican driver to drive the car to our finish
hotel near La Paz. BTW 1, Opsahl is quite willing to take his own car,
old Ford SUV with Mexican insurance. BTW 2, A local friend (White Rock)
has a condo near to Guaymas, Mexico and drives the round trip regularly,
sometimes even with a trailer.
So, to join the trip, send a check for
$100 per person to Dick Opsahl, 141 Chamisa. The maximum group size is
14. We have 5 signed up so far (1 Jan). If we do not fill the trip with
our people the outfitter will fill the rest of the spots. The trip will
remain "private" to us until mid January. Please indicate in reply
double or single kayak preference. Also indicate Air or Auto and
willingness to take your car into Mexico. E-mail to
opsahlr@mac.com. Phone 505-662
9404. Need to pay the remaining $200 deposit by mid January.
All participants would have to have valid
USA passport. Might also be good to have some emergency medical
evacuation insurance. A 100 word vocabulary in Spanish would add a lot
to the enjoyment of the trip. For example "Mas cerveza, por favor". "¿Cuanto
cuesta eso?"
November 9-14, 2010,
Moab Bike/Hike 3
Trip Menu | Search
Leader: Bill Priedhorsky,
bill@priedhorsky.net
(B-I/M)
I would like to announce the third edition of
our a very successful trip to Moab. In November 2008 and again in
November 2009, we established a base in a large, comfortable house in
Moab, and from there mountain biked, hiked, and scrambled in Arches and
Canyonlands National Parks and the wild country immediately around Moab.
Some of our most rugged adventures took us no more than two miles from
our base, yet we were deep in the wilderness. A report of the 2009 trip
can be found here.
A high point of the Moab trips has been
the traverse of the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park, which is an
intricate maze of fins and slot canyons. The complexity of this terrain
is obvious in an aerial photo, such as those found
here
and
here.
The activity level will be moderately
strenuous and includes optional semi- technical activities, up to
low-angle rope work, but there will be less strenuous and non-technical
options also.
The trip will run from Wednesday Nov. 10
through Sunday Nov. 14, with a departure on the evening of Tuesday Nov.
9. Thursday the 11th is a Lab holiday, and Friday is a "B" day off
(trade your Friday?). Unlike last year, we will not split the trip into
two waves, but will look for everyone to travel to Moab and return
together.
Besides the daytime adventuring, we will
socialize in the evening with dinners together, either potluck or
hitting the town. We will carpool to Moab to minimize driving expenses
and not overstrain the parking.
The lodging is called the Moab Retreat
House, and details can be found
here. I have
rented the south side of the house, which has five bedrooms. The north
half of the house is what is described on the web page, but floor plan
is identical (the south side side is equivalent to the north upstairs
and downstairs put together). If the trip grows in size, we can expand
into the north side.
Please let me know if you are interested
in this outing. To hold a spot, please send me
a deposit of $50 per person to 380 Rim Road, Los Alamos 87544.
Early signups will get preferred bedroom spots. Final payment will be
due by Oct. 1. Depending on the quality of lodging, last year's lodging
costs ran between $20 and $40 per person per night.
Note that Moab is about 3 (?) hours from
Salt Lake, making this an unusually accessible canyon outing for folks
who want to fly in. The drive from Los Alamos is about 6 1/2 hours.
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