April 14-15, 2012 | El Vado Lake/Heron Lake Hiking and Camping Weekend
Trip Leader:
Melanee Hand, m_maree@msn.com or
505-490-1960
Trip Menu | Search
Update:
We'd like to offer a day trip option, also. This involves leaving with
the main party, and driving back after the hike and perhaps dinner. Bill
Priedhorsky will provide one car that is returning Saturday evening, and
can help organize others. Please let
Melanee and Bill know if
you would like to join for the day trip option.
(B/M-S)
Enjoy an overnight camping and hiking weekend in
the El Vado Lake/Heron Lake area. Two hours from Los Alamos, this scenic
drive to the Tierra Amarilla area is an easier camping experience with
equipped campsites, coin-operated showers, and toilets nearby to
campsites. Hook-ups for campers are available to make this overnight a
comfortable camping experience, or car/tent camp. Campsites on the water
are available on the south part of El Vado that offer beautiful pine
forest lakeside views. Campsite permits are up to $10.
There are 3 trails to explore in the area of Lake
Heron and El Vado. Go
here for more information about small fees, maps, and facilities.
Moderate to strenuous difficulty. This trip is
flexible enough for dogs (on leashes) and families to join. While
Melanee has not confirmed, there may be an option to join part of this
outing as a day trip.
The Plan: Start
travel at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 14th. Stop at Bode's for a breakfast
burrito and souvenirs. Park at the El Vado/Heron Trailhead (Salmon Run
trail) around 10:30 a.m. and commence the 5-1/4 mile hike, Salmon Run
Trail. Car placement will depend on group decision to park vehicles at
trail end points for 5 mile hikers. For those who are interested in
longer hiking options, add the Heron Lake East Meadow trail in the area
(2.4 miles one way).
Bring snacks and a lunch, hydration, layered clothing,
hiking shoes and poles, hats, sunscreen and cameras.
Campsites together are optional and abundant. Local
restaurants are in the area, with Chama about 20 minutes away.
On Sunday morning, eat breakfast, break camp, and
convene at 10 a.m. at the trailhead of the El Vado Rio Chama Trail (5
miles one way). Complete the hike by about 2 p.m., then head back to Los
Alamos by around 4 p.m.
Contact Melanee to sign up, plan meeting points, and
travel arrangements.
August 30-September 3, 2012 | Tenth Mountain Division Hut Trip
Trip Menu | Search
Leaders:
Felicia Orth and Evan Rose,
orthf@yahoo.com, with a cc to Bill,
bill@priedhorsky.net
(B/E-S)
The sixth annual summer weekend trip to a 10th Mountain Division
Hut will be to the
10th Mountain Division Hut, August 31-September 2, 2012 (Friday,
Saturday and Sunday nights. We will pack up and return to Los
Alamos on Monday, the 3rd of September (Labor Day holiday). The
10th Mountain Hut, at 11,370 ft, is nestled at timberline just east of
the Continental Divide, and offers many opportunities to hike at various
levels, from gentle to moderate, and, if some are ambitious and want to
get up early for a long day, climbing Mt. Massive or another nearby
14er. There are numerous lakes near the Hut as well, for those who want
to bring fishing equipment. This will be the second visit by the
Mountaineers to 10th Mountain Hut.
As in previous years, we will drive
up to Leadville the day before, on August 30, and stay overnight.
Participants will make their own reservations in Leadville or nearby
for that night. The Columbine Inn has been cooperative about
letting some of us leave cars while we are at the Hut. The Delaware
Hotel is a notable and comfortable place to stay. A group dinner can be
planned for those who are in Leadville by dinner time on August 30.
Participants meet at the Columbine Inn at 9:00 AM on August 31, and
carpool to the trailhead parking lot, on the road up to the Hut. One or
more 4x4 cars/trucks will drive to the Hut with the coolers and heavy
items. The rest of us will hike to the hut with day packs. Felicia and
Evan will have a planning pot luck dinner meeting in August before the
trip.
The 10th Mountain huts sleep 16 and
are fully equipped with propane cooking stoves, cooking and eating
equipment, photovoltaic lighting, etc. Six places for next September's
trip have already been spoken for, so ten places remain. You may e-mail
your interest in joining us next year to Felicia (see above) with a cc
to Bill (bill@priedhorsky.net).
The cost this year, as last year, is $100/person. Checks can be sent
to Bill Priedhorsky at 380 Rim Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544, made out to
Bill Priedhorsky/Canyon Adventures. Your reservation is made when your
check is in Bill’s hand. After filling the trip we will maintain a
standby list to accommodate cancellations. In case of cancellation,
refunds will be made when the spot is filled. Let us know if you would
like to join us next Labor Day weekend. We're looking forward to another
great Hut trip!
November 7-12, 2012 | Biking and Hiking in
Moab, Utah
Trip Menu | Search
Trip Leader: Bill
Priedhorsky, bill@priedhorsky.net
(B-I/M)
I would like to announce the fifth
edition of our very successful trip to Moab. We came back recently from
the 2011 edition of the trip, and it was a great adventure as usual.
Despite my saying that we wouldn't go back in 2012, I changed my mind -
there is too much to do that we still didn't get to.
As before, we will establish a base
in a large, comfortable house in Moab, and from there mountain bike,
hike, and scramble in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and the wild
country immediately around Moab like Behind the Rocks. Some of our most
rugged adventures took us no more than two miles from home, yet \ we
were deep in the wilderness. A report of the 2010 trip can be found
here. I hope to publish a report of the 2011 trip
soon.
The activity level can 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. Not to mention the mountain bikers thrashing here, there,
and everywhere.
The trip will run from Wednesday
Nov. 7 through Monday Nov. 12, 2012, getting away on Wednesday at times
that will vary car to car. Monday the 12th is a Lab holiday, and Friday
is a "B" day off (trade your Friday?).
After 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 both sides of the house, north and south, with five bedrooms
each.
Please let me know if you are
interested in this outing. To hold a spot, please send me a deposit of
$75 per person. Early signups will get preferred bedroom spots. The
planning site for the 2011 trip, and some idea of the room arrangements,
can be found
here.
Final payment will be due by August
1. We've had a great deal on the house in past years, but unfortunately
the rate is going up by 20%. The place is still a bargain. Depending on
the quality of accommodation and just how full we fill the house, costs
should be between $100 and $200 per person for the 5 nights (generally
no discount for shorter stays, and why would you want to miss the fun
anyway?).
Note that Moab is about 4 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
driving straight through.
