our paths cross again - desert trails hiking club · fall 2016 page 1 it is that time. a new season...
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Providing members a variety of hiking, social and stewardship opportunities
Fall 2016
Page 1
It is that time. A new season of hiking, socializing and trail stewardship, for the Desert Trails Hik-
ing Club. Looking forward to having our paths cross again!
You may have noticed
The DTHC website continues to be updated all the time. Continue checking our website for all current
and updated DTHC news, especially the hike schedule. The schedule is an ongoing process that should
be reviewed frequently.
Council Members 2016/17
Charlene Hope (hiatus)
Jack Hope (hiatus)
Rich Jarvinen
Cathy Luckwell
Dave Luckwell
Dave McGuire
Mike Ovesen
Gary Ward
Mark your Calendars
December 6 - Palm Desert Country
Club - You should have already RSVP ‘d
December 31 - New Years Eve Day
hikes and pot-luck. Look for an evite
March 5, 2017—Hike 4 Hope
March 7, 2017 - Annual Dinner. Look
for evite
March 2017—Getaway—details will
appear on website in the near future
Trail Updates
Make sure and DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING OF VALUE lying around in your car when hiking. It just
entices individuals to break into your car.
Check on page 2 of this newsletter for an article with regard to trail maintenance and graffiti removal that
DTHC is doing in connection with Friends of the Desert Mountains.
….Our Paths Cross Again
Page 2
There are many things that individuals do with their retirement years. For those who fre-
quent Coachella Valley either as full or part time residents, hiking is a popular and grow-
ing way to enjoy the great outdoors and keep in shape both physically and mentally. An extension of that love
of the trails is trail stewardship. This is a wonderful way to give back to the mountains that bring so much joy
to all of us. Desert Trails Hiking Club has had trail stewardship in its DNA from its beginning years.
As part of the evolving and inclusive efforts of the Valley’s Hiking Clubs, Friends of the Desert Mountains has
benefited greatly from the volunteers routinely standing ready to do their part to steward the trails with both
Brawn and Brains. This relationship has been a win-win for both Friends of the Desert Mountains and Desert
Trails Hiking Club.
A few years back, Friends of the Desert Mountains formalized the trail stewardship programs. The titles of
Trail Steward and Trail Ambassador were created to make best use of the talents and energies of the volun-
teers.
Effectively, the Trail Steward is the Brawn that actually makes the improvements on the trails. Their work
through Friends of the Desert Mountains is organized and focused on specific goals for the work needing
done. Whether the task is trail maintenance, erosion control, shortcut elimination, trail building or managing
vegetation, Trail Stewards have the knowledge and muscle to get the job done.
Trail Ambassadors are just that. They are the Ambassador of the trails. They are the eyes, ears and voice of
the trails. Trail Ambassadors know the trails that they regularly use. They can recognize changes both good
and bad. For those exceptions found on their trails, they know how to document with pictures, locate the site
on a map and have the ability to inform others where the exact site is.
Trail Ambassadors routinely carry a compass, snacks, first aid kit, trash bags, latex gloves, cell phone, maps
and supplies for simple fixes on the spot. They are the good Boy and Girl Scouts. They know the particulars of
the trails [length, difficulty, elevation gain and ability to estimate distances]. They know how to interpret the
trail markers. They know the trail etiquette of trails shared with equestrians and mountain bikers [bikes yield
to horses and hikers, hikers yield to horses].
When on the trail, Trail Ambassadors set a good example to all users especially children and dogs. These in-
dividuals know the rules on dog friendly trails and handle exceptions in a friendly and non-threatening way.
They evaluate the condition of the trail and identify hazards, shortcuts, erosion, vandalism, trash and damage
from use. Graffiti and homeless camps should be located on maps so the exception can be eliminated later
unless it can be fixed on the spot. They report all exceptions back to Friends of the Desert Mountains. FODM
actually does already have a "pdf based electronic TA Report form." It works well for Windows 8; not quite as
well for other platforms. Developing a future App will make reporting much easier, quicker, and be more ef-
fective at getting problems addressed on a timely basis.
As part of the Friends of the Desert Mountain Trail Ambassador training PLUS as a bonus for all interested De-
sert Trails Hiking Club Members who have not been previously trained, Rich Jarvinen is conducting a Graffiti
Elimination Class on Friday, December 2, 2016 as a DTHC Trail Work Day. This class is taking place at Painted
Canyon in the Mecca Hills. If interested, you can contact Rich Jarvinen for particulars on the training.
Trail Ambassador and Graffiti Removal Class
Fall 2016
Page 3
Trivia helps keep our minds sharp and entertain us with useless information. Listed below are
some statistics to extremes in the world and around us in the Coachella Valley.
It took about 30 minutes to gather all these facts from internet searches. Reliability of the num-
bers was not double checked with alternative sites but it was good enough to provide this writ-
er with some relationships I did not know before.
Put your hometown into Google and check out its elevation relative to sea level. Compare that
to the list. Obviously, some of these numbers will change. As an example, the surface area of
the Salton Sea will very likely change downward in the next couple of years.
Enjoy the journey and react to your feelings.
Fall 2016 HMMMMM….I DID NOT KNOW THAT
FEET Elevation of Mount Everest 29029
Elevation of Denali-highest in USA 20310 Mount Logan-highest in Canada 19541 Mount Fairweather-highest in British Columbia 15325 Elevation of Mount Whitney-highest in California 14505 Mount Columbia-tallest in Alberta 12293
Elevation of San Gorgonio Mountain [San Bernadino County] 11503 Aspen Mountain 11212 Elevation of San Jacinto Peak [Riverside County] 10834 Whistler Blackcomb 7493 Elevation of Hot Springs Mountain [San Diego County] 6536 Elevation of Quail Mountain [Joshua Tree] 5816 Elevation of Kelowna 1129 Elevation of Palm Springs 479 Elevation of Palm Desert 220 Salton Sea Maximum Depth 51 Elevation of Indio -13.12 Elevation of Mecca, CA -187 Salton Sea elevation -234 Lowest Exposed Land on Earth: Dead Sea Elevation -1355
ACRES Lake Ontario 4697600
Yellowstone National Park 2219791 Great Salt Lake 1088000 Joshua Tree National Park 792510 Santa Rosa San Jacinto Mountains National Monument 280000 Salton Sea 219648 Sand to Snow National Monument 154000 Okanagan Lake 87040
SALINITY Great Salt Lake Salinity 25.0 oz./gal Salton Sea Salinity 9.0 oz./gal Pacific Ocean Salinity 5.6 oz./gal
Page 4
Summary of DTHC Coordinating Council Meeting
November 14, 2016
Other than Jack and Char Hope’ presence, the first meeting of your Club’s Coordinating Council was held
on Monday, November 14, with all other members present Rich Jarvinen, Cathy Luckwell, Dave Luckwell,
Dave McGuire, Mike Ovesen and Gary Ward. Member Dianne Delong attended to observe the meeting.
As for Jack and Char, they are taking a well-deserved sabbatical from the Desert this year. Rich Jarvinen
is filling in for Jack [workdays] and Dave McGuire is substituting for Char [secretary].
TREASURY/MEMBERSHIP
Gary reported that we now have 493 active Members in the Club versus 461 last year at this time. Cash
flow is positive. Financial Report was reviewed and passed unanimously.
SOCIAL
Rich reported that the Social Calendar for 2016-2017 is starting off exceptionally. Attendance at the Octo-ber and November Socials was encouraging and every participant still remembers how to have fun. The
December Social at the Palm Desert Country Club is looking for packed house of 100. Rich continues to
praise Jane Udall and her team (Alta Hester, Helen Mandry, Patricia Byrd and Suzanne Jarvinen) for find-
ing great venues and organizing the events. Watch for your Evite for details.
On the sage advice of Jane Udall, Rich decided not to hold a January Social. Since the Art Smith Parking
Lot Pot Luck on New Year’s Eve morning is so well attended and enjoyed, holding another Social three
days later is overkill knowing that you might be doing some celebrating for New Year’s Eve.
Our Annual Dinner [March Social] is scheduled for March 7 and taking place at Cimarron Golf Resort in
Cathedral City. Jane and her team have planned Italian as the theme with dancing afterwards allowing all
of us to relive our youth for an evening. This will be one to remember. More information on the website
as time gets closer.
HIKE LEADERS
Mike there is a scheduled Hike Leaders meeting on Friday, January 20 at the Palm Desert Library. All
Hike Leaders should attend. On the planned agenda is an introduction/update on the Trail Ambassador
program of the Friends of the Desert Mountains. Mike will confirm timing for the meeting.
Another meeting will take place on Friday, February 3, for Hike Leaders. Rich Peregrin will deliver a
thorough presentation on trail safety and handling emergencies. Details on the actual time and place will
be shared by Mike.
WORKDAYS
Rich reviewed the history of trail stewardship at Desert Trails Hiking Club and considers trail mainte-
nance as part of our DNA. With the evolution of the very effective trail stewardship program of Friends of
the Desert Mountains, Rich is reviewing opportunities for our Desert Trails Hiking Club to be true to our
roots and still be a major volunteer provider for Friends. There can be only good outcomes as a result!
Fall 2016
HIKE SCHEDULER and WEBSITE
Dave Luckwell reported the website’s Hike Scheduler is working well with all Hike Leaders. The ability
to input hikes at the discretion of the Hike Leaders has been a plus for most but there are always those
who need a deadline. Continue to provide suggestions to Dave on improving the process for everyone.
One feature that is gaining in usage is the Direction Finder.
COMMUNICATIONS
Cathy distributed Desert Trails Hiking Club business cards for Like Leaders and the Council to use to en-
courage visitors and guests to easily access and join our Club. Cathy also said the program of listing hike
in the Desert Sun is worth the effort and getting easier to do. Cathy is focusing more on our Facebook
page with less and less help from Suzanne Jarvinen-the original Facebook guru.
Our Newsletter is a cooperative effort of Cathy and Dave McGuire with the creative from Dave and the
editing from Cathy. Coordinating Council meeting summaries and special interest articles will be the
focus.
DESERT TRAILS COALITION [DTC]
BLM has a new local Manager replacing Jim Foote. Ashley Adams is looking forward to working with DTC
in her new assignment. She is approaching her new role with much energy, enthusiasm and optimism.
The BLM/Indian Land Exchange is still unfinished business but is still moving forward.
There have been a few new trails created in La Quinta, and others proposed in Cathedral City and Palm
Springs but the overall Trails Plan is still under review by the various Wildlife Agencies.
Last year’s Desert Trails Hiking Club donation to the DTC has not been utilized as the planned use for the
East Indio Hill Trail is now expected to be fully funded by CVMC. Both DTC and our Club are looking for
alternative uses for these funds should it be confirmed that they are no longer needed for the Trail.
ONGOING BUSINESS
A total of four meetings are planned by your Coordinating Council for the 2016-2017 season. Future
dates are 1/13/17; 2/13/17 and 3/13/17.
NEW BUSINESS
2017 Getaway plans are starting to come together. Rochelle Carlton and Jane Udall volunteered several
locations but the Council thought distance from the desert and lateness in the year created participation
issues. An alternative venue has been identified and is currently being explored. Timing is mid-March
but details are still not set. Key planners are Rich Jarvinen and Dave Luckwell. Rich is focusing on the
planned hiking areas and hikes and Dave is handling the lodging and social aspects [….now does that
surprise anyone?] Thanks to both of them for stepping forward!
Page 5
Fall 2016
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