Annual Mountaineers Potpourri

The Los Alamos Mountaineers will host the annual Potpourri at Fuller Lodge, with doors opening at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.  Potpourri is a stew that consists of one part potluck and six parts ten-minute talks, simmered slowly in conversation and camaraderie. This is by far the most popular Mountaineers meeting of the year. Make your own early New Year's resolution to attend! The potpourri is a strictly in-person event, with no hybrid adjunct, held at Fuller Lodge rather than the usual Nature Center venue.

This is a Members Only event, so it is an excellent opportunity to renew or initiate your annual membership if you have not already done so.  You can do this in person at the Lodge with cash or check, or to avoid the line at the door, ahead of time with PayPal or credit card at http://lamountaineers.org/drupal7/Member_Benefits.html 

You can also print out and sign the waiver and deliver it to us.

Membership for 2025 is still a bargain at $15 for individuals or $20 for families.

Because this is a potluck, please bring a dish to share. The Club will provide chicken and vegetarian enchiladas, non-alcoholic drinks, and a large chocolate cake. You provide the salads, vegetables, breads, additional desserts (but there will be a lot of cake), and main course alternatives.

Dinner will begin at 6:30. Please bring a place setting to reduce waste - cup, plates, utensils. A tablecloth for your table would be festive.  Bring your kit to Fuller Lodge. There will be soapy water for clean-up.

To benefit the homeless, we will be collecting for the St. Elizabeth Shelter in Santa Fe and for the Espanola Pathways Shelter:  tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, winter hats and gloves, and warm jackets for men and women. We will not accept any gear or clothing items other than those.  Please bring only clean and intact items.  Contain sleeping bags in a stuff bag or similar bag, or with straps. As well, please put clothing (jackets, hats and gloves) in plastic bags such as trash bags.

Bring your appetite, stories to share with your table mates and your enthusiasm for the six 10-minute talks, following directly after the potluck dinner. The lineup includes:

Jan Velechovsky, “Backpacking the Colorado Divide Trail from Cumbres Pass to Wolf Creek”

Jan and Irena took this 68-mile section of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) during the 4th of July weekend. Most of the trail is above treeline, crossing the South San Juan Wilderness. Sunny weather, abundant water sources, and a technically easy trail made for a pleasant remote experience. Jan, originally from the Czech Republic, moved to Los Alamos in 2015. He joined Los Alamos Mountaineers (LAM) after graduating from LAM Climbing School in 2017.

Olivia Li, “Exploring badlands in Northwest New Mexico (beyond Bisti)”      

In Northwestern New Mexico lies vast areas of badlands, heavily eroded into fascinating formations that attract many visitors from all over the world. I will share my exploration of several non-Bisti areas in the past few years via day hikes and car camping trips. Lessons learned and practical tips will be discussed. Olivia lives in Los Alamos and enjoys hiking, backpacking and snowshoeing. She loves to explore the great outdoors in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and beyond. She also traveled overseas and hiked in Torre Del Paine and Patagonia, Swiss Alps, Italian Dolomite, Hong Kong and China.

Robin Gurule , “Birding the Bootheel”

The "Sky Islands" of SW NM are a unique habitat type where birds and animals migrate from semi-tropical areas in Mexico. Access is tricky.

Clay Moseley, “Los Alamos' Backyard Winter Trails”

The Canada Bonita trail at Pajarito Mountain is used by many outdoors enthusiasts in Los Alamos for cross country skiing and snowshoeing.  The preparation and maintenance of good winter trails is a major undertaking of the Los Alamos-based Southwest Nordic Ski Club. Clay Moseley leads the efforts, and will share how he and his crew manage to create the conditions so many of us enjoy. Clay grew up in Ruidoso, NM, graduated from Ruidoso High School, participating in football, cycling, and Alpine ski racing. He attended UNM for both undergrad and graduate school, and was a member of their national championship collegiate cycling team, and twice an individual national cycling champion, winning the 1995 Pan American Games gold medal in 50km time trial. After a 5-year professional cycling career, Clay moved to Los Alamos, and currently is the Deputy Utilities Director, GWS Operations for Department of Public Utilities.

Michael Altherr, “Four Days Three Nights and Lunch with an Orangutang”

In October of this year three Mountaineers and two fellow travelers embarked on a tour of Southeast Asia. Their travels included several days in Singapore, two weeks in Vietnam, and a four day excursion through the Indonesian National Park, Tanjung Puting, on Borneo.       

Bill Priedhorsky, “Canyon Explorations and New Discoveries”

Taken by the intricate splendor of the country, he has returned with other Mountaineers again and again since the 1970’s. The canyon country is so convoluted that it deserves a lifetime of exploration. We returned four times in 2024, exploring the Moab, Blanding, Trachyte, and Grand Staircase/Escalante areas, making for trips number 138 to 142 on Bill’s life list. Each trip was full of “wows", as we encountered vistas that were new to us.

We look forward to seeing you there.