Providing members a variety of hiking, social and stewardship opportunities

Fall 2016

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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Fall 2016