Skagit Alpine

Skagit Alpine Club – February 2009 Newsletter

Skagit Alpine Club mission statement:  "To promote the use and prevent the abuse of outdoor recreation areas"....SAC Articles of Incorporation

Meeting:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  Our February meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on February 3rd at Skagit Valley College in Angst Hall A-22. The following shortcut is to a campus map http://www.skagit.edu/images/color_mvCampus.pdf. 

Secretary‘s Report:

Old Business:

Ginny Darvill (our new treasurer) gave a friendly reminder that some members have not yet paid their membership dues.

Please sign up to bring food and beverages to the meetings.

Food and Drink Schedule:

New Business:

·       Jason Griffith informed us that our special guest and presenter Todd Johnson from the NPS fire management office, was unable to give his presentation to the club due to some technical difficulties and lack of power at his location in Marblemount. So instead, Jason put together a remarkable slide show of climbs he and others have done over the years in the Cascade Pass area.

·       Dave Myers, the Auto Hobby and Outdoor Program Manager from the Navy base on Whidbey, was at the meeting. He was looking for anyone interested in either guiding or being an assistant to a guide for the upcoming outings for Navy personnel. "Outdoor recreation programs are integral to physical fitness, single Sailor and teen programs.  Navy’s focus in outdoor recreation is “human powered” activities where program elements include instruction, special events and guided trips.  Outdoor recreation leads to increased self confidence, readiness and retention" says Dave M. More information is available upon request. Contact phone is (360) 257-0853 or email Dave.Myers@navy.mil 

·       Chris Danilson says that he spoke with Steve Barnett (AKA; Father Time) and that he (Steve) would be willing to give a slide show to the club. There was some discussion about whether or not there were any slots open for presenters in the next year.  Jason Griffith said that if one opens up then he will let Chris Danilson know.

·       Jason Griffith brought up the annual Glacier Ski Getaway. We all decided that we should do it again in 2009. Jason is going to look into some accommodation options. In the past the club has taken up shelter at Snow Line, just outside of Glacier. It's close to Mt. Baker ski area and offers countless back country skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and of course, sledding opportunities. The cost is usually between $500-$1000. We will try to get a Friday night and a Saturday night. Typically we do this in late February or early March. This year it will be sometime during the first couple weeks of February. The official date will be announced by Jason as he finds out more information about the accommodations. Chris Danilson made a motion that the Alpine Club hold this event and pay for it. Corrina Marote seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

·       We also discussed the Icicle Creek camp out in the spring. The SAC mountaineering class is usually in Leavenworth for an outing and its a great time for ALL members to come out and join in on some fabulous rock climbing and more. Chris Danilson will make the reservation for the group camp site at Icicle Creek near Leavenworth.

·       Chris Danilson went on to say that we are expecting to do the Mountaineering Class this year. The tuition has been reduced to $150.00 this year in hopes of recruiting enough students to put on the class. The class starts on the 31st of March and goes for 10 weeks.

·       Chris Noskoff brought up the idea of having another SAC outing in the fall sometime. Many ideas were passed along on where to do it and what to do. We all seemed to like the idea of going to the Washington Pass area and renting a group campsite (if they exist) somewhere in that vicinity. There is an abundance of hiking and climbing to do there so it seemed a good fit. We have some time to figure this out so think of ideas for a Fall/Autumn club outing.

·       Snail mail VS. Email. The members discussed the option of abolishing the practice of sending newsletters out via snail mail and moving to a paperless, digital form only. However, there are some members who can not receive a digital form of the newsletter. There was question on whether or not we can set up some sort of authentication on the SAC website to prevent unauthorized users (aka: non paying members) from viewing the online newsletter. President Jason Griffith will speak to our webmaster Steve Trent about the website authentication options. We will discuss this further at the next meeting.

·       Ginny Darvill made announced an invitation to the members of the Alpine Club to party to show her appreciation to the club and all who helped with Fred Darvill's memorial and the Park Butte lookout/trail maintenance. The party will be held on January 24Th at the Darvill residence. An email will be passed out as the official invitation.

Program:

Steph Abegg

“Sunset to Sunrise: Climbing and Night Photography in the Cascades and Canada”

Skagit Alpine Club, February 3, 2009 - 7pm

Skagit Valley College, Angst Hall, Room 22

Campus Map:   http://www.skagit.edu/images/color_mvCampus.pdf

Please join us at this month’s alpine club meeting as we welcome climber and photographer Steph Abegg to share stories and images from her adventures in the Cascades and Canada.  A grad student in Civil Engineering at UW during the school year, she has spent the last several summers in the hills, climbing and linking some stout alpine traverses.  On her adventures,  Steph’s camera always comes along, regardless of how many other items she is leaving behind to save weight.  Drawn to the technical challenge and potential for creativity, Steph has put a lot of time and effort into her night photography.   We hope you will join us as she shares some of these unique and beautiful images!

For some of Steph’s great images and stories, check out her website:  http://sabegg.googlepages.com/

Lookout:

Submitted by Marie Erbstoeszer

Here's an end of the Calendar Year Summary for the Park Butte Lookout:  Donations totaled $298.  Most of the donations were received in the fall shortly after the work parties were up at the Lookout.  Other hikers really are impressed seeing the volunteers from the Skagit Alpine Club working on the Lookout.  Usually the end of the year brings in a few more donations but this year none came in after 10/31/08.  Maybe that is a sign of what is going on with the economy.

In 2008, 21 volunteers logged 64 hours of work at the Park Butte Lookout not counting the time for hiking in and out.  The 2008 expenses for Park Butte Lookout paint supplies, maintenance, etc. amounted to $199.

If anyone gets up to the Lookout this winter or spring, we'd appreciate hearing a report.

It's been a great year and we look forward to working with many of you again in 2009.

Outing(s):

Conservation Report:

Special Announcement/Event:

From Steve Trent, our website guru:  I will be out of the country from the end of February to the beginning of June, and the website will not be maintained during this time.  Please submit any desired changes to the website by mid-Feb.

Trip Report:

Climbing Class:

Submitted by Chris Danilson

Gear up and clear your schedules for the 2009 SAC Mountaineering Course!!! Skagit Valley College will begin registering students in late February (exact date not yet available) and the Tuesday evening classes will begin on March 31st. The course tuition for this 10-week extravaganza is $150 (+$20 gear fee) - that's friggin' cheap. Pretty much looking at the same format and same folks as we had arranged for last years' course. However, there are opportunities for club members to to help out with presentations and outings. Contact Chris (cdanilson@yahoo.com), if you are interested.   

Since the class didn't fly last year due to lack of students, it is critical to get the word out. An advertising blitz will soon commence, but more importantly let your "climber wannabe" friends, family, co-workers etc... know about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Officers:

President – Jason Griffith (360) 419-7480 jkgriffith@gmail.com

Vice President – Jonathan Frostad jonathanfrostad@hotmail.com

Treasurer – Ginny Darvill gdarvill@fidalgo.net

Secretary - Chris Noskoff cnoskoff@gmail.com

Newsletter - Corrina Marote corrina.marote@gmail.com

Webmaster - Steve Trent skagitalpineclub@comcast.net

Programs – Jason Griffith (360) 419-7480 jkgriffith@gmail.com

Lookout - John and Marie Erbstoeszer erbst@cnw.com

Outings - Lynn Postler sancho999@comcast.net

Conservation Com- Maggie Sullivan 724-3158

Social Com- Wade Bessett bessettw@hotmail.com