January
11, 2009, Valle Grande Cross-Country Ski Tour
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Leader: Norbert Ensslin,
lynn.norbert@comcast.net
(B-I/E-M)
This will be an easy or moderate cross-country ski tour in the
Valle Grande near the Visitor Center. We've changed to name from "ski
clinic" just to emphasize that this trip is open to any skiers who want to go.
Beginners can stay in the vicinity of the Visitor Center and do short tours on
the groomed tracks around La Jara hill or over to the ranch headquarters, and we
will be happy to provide advice or assistance to anyone who is just starting
out. Intermediate skiers can do a variety of longer tours. Depending
on interest, two very nice 10-mile (round trip) tours are the route to the top
of South Mountain and the route out to the Buffalo Girls movie set on the way to
the old Cerro Abrigo yurt.
Let's meet at the Sullivan Field parking lot across from the High
School at 8:30 AM Sunday to coordinate transportation. If feasible (but
not essential), please e-mail me so we will have a rough idea of whom to expect
at the parking lot. The Valle use fee is $10, or $8 for seniors or
children.
If there is enough interest, this trip could also be shifted to
do a full-moon ski tour in the Valle. They will be open that night from 6
to 10 PM for night-time skiing. For full-moon skiing the fee is $15, or
$12 for seniors.
January
15-19, 2009, Pagosa Downhill/XC/Snowshow and Soak
Leader: Bill Priedhorsky,
bill@priedhorsky.net
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(B-A/E-M)
Continuing a successful tradition from past years, I
would like to propose a multi-sport long weekend based in Pagosa Springs, CO.
We would drive up on the evening of Thursday, January 15, and spend the next
three days on whatever combination of the three winter activities suits the
participants. Friday the 16th is an "A" day off, and we would drive back
on the Martin Luther King holiday, Monday the 19th. We'd like to take full
advantage of the wrapup holiday after Christmas. Besides the outdoor fun
("Most Snow in Colorado" is Wolf Creek's honest motto), we have the hot springs
in town for evening soaks.
Knowing that there is one and perhaps another Mountaineer trip
planned for the weekend, I'd still like to add this Pagosa trip, if the interest
is there. I'll organize lodging - one big house is my favorite - depending
on the number of folks who are ready to commit with a $50 deposit by January
3rd. Please let me know by e-mail of your interest, followed by a check to
380 Rim Road, Los Alamos 87544.
If the conflict over this weekend is too severe, I will try
another date - or maybe go twice! But we have four probable participants
to start, so let's see if there is a trip to be had.
January
17-19, 2009, Brazos Cabin X-C Three day Trip
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Leader: David Yeamans,
d.yeamans@comcast.net,
(505)662-7747. Payments for reserved space can be made to David
Yeamans, 392 Navajo Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544.
(I/M-S)
Once again the LAMC will ski into the 8-person cabin
maintained by David Yeamans for a 3-day X-C extravaganza supported by
snowmobile. On day one we will ski or snowshoe in with day packs
from 8,000 feet to 10,600 and back to 10,000 feet over an 8-mile trail
to a cabin with propane lights and stove, wood heating stove, sleeping
loft, powder room, and well-appointed kitchen. The snowmobile will
tow in food, water, and heavier back packing items and can give sagging
skiers a lift.
Day two is devoted to recovery, light
touring, and/or exploring farther out to Grouse Mesa and Brazos Peak on
day trips and spending our second night in the cabin.
The last day we will pack up and ski or
snowshoe out. Again, the snowmobile can make travel down the
steep, icy road more secure.
Trip cost is $50 each which covers
snowmobile services (including secure parking and driver shuttle service
between Chama and the road head) and cabin services but not food or
transportation to near Chama. We will eat communal suppers and
breakfasts. Crews and menus will be arranged near the launch date.
Depending on anticipated trail
conditions, people may have to meet Trip Leader Dave in Chama at about
9:00 on the 17th. We'll keep you posted.
January 18-22, 2009, Tenth Mountain Hut System Ski and Snowshoe Trip
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Leader: Kathleen Gruetzmacher,
gkathleen1048@msn.com 505-662-0770 h,
505-665-4356 w,
1525 Los Pueblos, Los Alamos, NM 87544,
Note: this trip is currently
full, but names are being accepted for a waiting list.
(B-A/M-S)
A ski/snowshoe trip to the Tenth Mountain Hut Division -
Froelicher Hut is planned for January 18-22, 2009. Sixteen people can be
accommodated in the hut.
The Froelicher Hut was formerly the privately owned Belvedere Hut
northeast of Leadville on Hwy 91. The hut is reserved for Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday January 19, 20, and 21, 2009. The preliminary cost estimate
is $195 for hotel and hut accommodations plus Sunday night dinner and Monday
morning breakfast at the hotel. Click
here for a map of the whole area, click
here for a topo map of the area near the hut, or click
here for hut details.
Itinerary as follows:
Sunday, January 18, dinner and hotel room at the Delaware Hotel in Leadville,
CO, approx. a 5 hour drive from Los Alamos, Monday-Wednesday nights, January
19-21, Froelicher Hut, Thursday, January 22, ski or snowshoe out and drive home.
January 24, 2009,
Sandia Mountain Snowshoe Race
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Coordinators: Friends of the
Sandia Mountains, Matt or Joy Bosquez
(B-A/M)
The 7th Annual Sandia Mountain Snowshoe Race is scheduled
for Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009. The race begins at 10:00 am in the lower
level parking lot of the Sandia Crest House. The race will traverse 4
miles of beautiful Cibola National Forest trails. Participation is limited
to 150, but racers of all skill levels are invited. The registration fee
of $25 (after Jan. 10 fee is $35) includes a long-sleeved T-shirt, pre- and
post-race refreshments and prizes. Registration begins Dec. 1 at REI in
Albuquerque or you may mail in registration. Go to
www.sandiasnowshoe.com
to download registration form and for complete information. Come join the
fun and enjoy the winter beauty of the Sandia Mountains!
January 25, 2009, Ski Tour from Pajarito Mountain to the Valle Grande Visitor
Center
Leader: Norbert Ensslin,
lynn.norbert@comcast.net
(I-A/M-S)
This Sunday tour will be a repeat of last winter's popular
11-mile ski tour from Pajarito Mt. to Pipeline Road and then down into the Valle
de los Posos and over to the Valle Grande Visitor Center. More details
will be forthcoming later. Also, later in the season, the
Pajarito Ski Club may
organize several guided trips from the top of the Big Mother Chairlift down into
the Valle Grande. Please check their website for further information.
February 13-16, 2009, Utah Canyon Country Day Hikes near Bluff
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Leader: Bill Priedhorsky,
bill@priedhorsky.net
(B-I/E-M)
Our President's Day trips to Bluff, Utah have been a
great success for several years running. Many of you know the routine: stay in
this small Utah town on the San Juan River, day hike to Comb Ridge, John's
Canyon, Muley Point, Cedar Mesa, and other nearby locations, and have great time
together in the evenings at dinner and in the hot tub. A description of the
February 2004 trip can be found by clicking here. For Feb. 2009, our plan will
be similar.
The schedule is as follows: We will drive up to Bluff, Utah,
about 5 1/2 hours from Los Alamos, on Friday February 13. I expect that some
folks will go up in the evening; folks who have a "A" Friday holiday might go up
in the morning and take a short hike on arrival. You will be on your own for
dinner the first night. One can cook in one of our kitchens, eat en route (e.g.
at the 3 Rivers Brew Pub in Farmington), or eat at the one restaurant in Bluff,
the Twin Rocks Cafe (rather good, but need to get there before they close at
about 8 PM).
On Saturday, Sunday, and the morning of the Monday President's
Day holiday, we will organize day hikes of up to 10-12 participants each,
exploring the many intricacies of the surrounding territory. I will be
recruiting trip leaders for each of the day hikes. Expect intriguing petroglyphs,
impressive ruins, open expanses of slick rock, and broad winter vistas across
the Utah canyon country. Most hikes will be easy, although we might organize
some more strenuous and challenging outings for the hard core few. Once again,
we will add some new destinations for this year. We will drive back sometime on
the Monday the 16th. To save resources we will try to carpool as efficiently as
possible.
Please let me know if you are interested in a commercial rock art
tour on Saturday the 14th or Sunday the 15th, led by
Vaughn Hadenfeldt of
Far Out Expeditions.
We are hoping that Vaughn will give the Mountaineers program in January 2009. He
has an extraordinary knowledge of Anasazi rock art, and is is familiar with
petroglyphs that date from the Archaic and Basketmaker periods, more than 2000
years old. I have not discussed price with Vaughn this year, but last year he
charged $75 plus tax per person for a group of between eight and eleven.
There are 2 opportunities for lodging, the
Far Out Expeditions
guest house or the
Recapture Lodge.
The Far Out guest house will be the site of our dinner parties,
using their commercial-sized kitchen. There are two sleeping rooms, each with 3
bunkbeds, for a total sleeping capacity of 12. This will be the cheapest place
to stay, perhaps $50 per person for the whole trip, and folks staying elsewhere
will chip in to reflect their use of the kitchen. Don't count on buying
groceries in Bluff.
I would like a deposit of $50 per person for folks staying at the
Far Out, mailable to me at 380 Rim Road, Los Alamos 87544.
For a more private option, please reserve your own room at the
Recapture Lodge (435-672-2281). Their rooms are clean and run $40-60 per night.
The potluck dinner is for everyone, no matter where they are staying. I would
like a deposit of $20 per person from the folks staying at the Recapture, to
help with the cost of the kitchen we will share for two nights at the FarOut.
In summary, I would like to:
1. Receive your deposits and
lodging preference (Far Out or Recapture).
2. Know if you are interested
in Vaughn's rock art tour.
Many folks have told me about the wonderful time that they had in
past years. We are going to do it again, and it would be a pleasure to have you.
Contact me at bill@priedhorsky.net to
sign up.
February 21, 2009, (Tentative) Circumnavigation of
Redondo Peak
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Leader: Norbert Ensslin,
lynn.norbert@comcast.net
(I-A/S)
Depending on the success of the January 25th trip, weather, and
snow conditions, we may receive permission to do a 17-mile tour on Saturday that
does a circumnavigation of Redondo Peak. More details will be provided
later.
February 27-March 1, 2009, Snowshoeing/Skiing Yurt Trip near Chama
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Leader: Momo Vuyisich,
vuyisich@hotmail.com
(B-I/E-M)
We will drive to Cumbres pass on Friday,2/27, and
snowshoe/ski to the
Grouse Creek Yurt (4 miles). On Saturday, we will climb to the mesa
top behind the yurt, with great 360 views, and explore the area. On
Sunday, we'll come back to the cars and drive home.
Note: the trip is now full. Anyone
interested can ask to be put on a stand-by list.
March 7,
2009, (Tentative) Pajarito Mountain to La Cueva
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Leader: Norbert Ensslin,
lynn.norbert@comcast.net
(M-A/S)
Again depending on the success of previous trips, weather, and
snow conditions, we may receive permission to do the classic 25-mile ski tour
from Pajarito Mountain to La Cueva on Saturday. This could be either a
long one-day trip, if it's a strong fast party, as was done by the Mountaineers
in the past, or as an overnight trip with one winter camping night. More
details will be provided later.
Spring, 2009 - Bhutan and
India Commercial Adventure Travel
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Leaders:
Dick and Judy Opsahl, opsahl@losalamos.com
(B-I/E-M)
Consider a trip to Bhutan and India with Dick and Judy
Opsahl departing mid April 2009. This trip, with "Overseas
Adventure Travel", will have lots of emphasis on cultural interaction
with the local people. Trip limit is 16 people.
The India trip is 17 days in Northern
India, visiting the Taj Mahal, Agra, Old and New Delhi, the "pink city"
of Jaipur with its ancient palaces and forts, and Rathambhore National
Park, known for its wildlife viewing, among other places. The main
trip is preceded by an 8 day visit to Bhutan. The Himalayan
kingdom of Bhutan is slowly opening it's borders to foreign tourism
after being closed to foreigners until recent years. It is like
visiting Nepal 100 years ago, with spectacular Himalayan scenery,
centuries old customs and traditions, ancient forts, temples, and
monasteries. The main India trip is also followed by an optional 6
day post-trip to Southern India, visiting Bombay, Cochin, and cruising
the Cochin backwaters by houseboat. You can get more information
at "Overseas
Adventure Travel".
The exact departure date for our group
will be determined sometime during May of this year. The number of
departures to Bhutan is quite limited so we need trip deposits to help
secure our position. The deposit is $350 per person and we have 2
paid so far. Total cost (2008 prices; 2009 might be higher) is
about $5500/person for Bhutan and India, airfare included. The
optional South India extension is about $1300.
July 2-6,
2009, Annual Summer Trip to the "10th Mountain Hut"
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Leaders: Dick and Judy Opsahl
opsahl@losalamos.com
(B-I/E-M)
Our 4th of July weekend trips to a 10th Mountain Hut have
been a great success for several years running. Many of you know the
routine: Drive up to Leadville the day before and motel for the night, then
early on the next morning load up a pick-up truck or two with coolers and and
clothing/supplies for the three days. While the trucks drive up to the
hut, others hike. In July 2009, we will go to the hut known as The Tenth
Mountain Hut, located a few miles north of Uncle Bud's Hut, where we were last
year. As in the past, we have taken the entire hut, capacity 16. The
schedule is as follows: Drive up to Leadville, CO, about 5 1/2 hours from Los
Alamos, on Thursday 2 July. You will be on your own for dinner and lodging
the first night. There is lots of good eating in Leadville and even a brew
pub. Early on the 3rd we leave to go up to the Hut. The nights of
July 3,4,5 are at the hut where we will prepare our own gourmet meals.
There is lots to do in the area of this 10th hut: Peaks to climb, lakes to visit
and so on. We will have several "led" hikes each day. On Monday the
6th, we hike out and drive home to Los Alamos. To save resources we will
try to carpool as efficiently as possible. There will be organized meal
and activity planning at Opsahl's home during the month before the trip.
Those who have participated in the trip over the last 4th holiday
have already had the opportunity to sign up, and many have re-upped. To
sign up for the still existing open spots on this trip send a check for $ 100
per person made out to Dick or Judy Opsahl, and follow up with an e-mail to
opsahl@losalamos.com. The covers
lodging at the hut but not food and booze. We will organize cook groups
for the gourmet meals and wines. Send your checks to D&J Opsahl, 141
Chamisa, Los Alamos 87544.
Note: the trip is now full. Anyone
interested can ask to be put on a stand-by list.
