This month’s meeting will be a hike led by vice president Jenny Baker at the Pilchuck Tree Farm. Meet Jenny at the east side of the 300th Street Exit (exit 215 on I-5, about 10 miles south of Mt. Vernon) at 6:00 pm. Any club business discussion can occur there for a few minutes and then everyone will drive a short distance to the trailhead and hike for a about 1.5-2 hours on easy trails. (Elevation gain is about 900 feet.) Questions? Call or e-mail Jenny at 360-474-8435 or baker_1240@yahoo.com.

Secretary’s Report - May meeting

At the May 3 meeting the minutes were taken by SAC vice president Jenny Baker.

New Biz: Welcome and call to order by prez Wade.

Mt Erie: The May 6th "Adopt A Crag" was to begin at 10 am. Dallas Kloke is organizing this event to get local climbers together for half a day at Mt. Erie for climbing trail maintenance,

litter cleanup, route improvement, and general camaraderie. He was to buy pizza afterwards at Village Pizza. Some concern has been expressed about this event by the Evergreen

Islands, a local conservation organization. Club members were encouraged to learn more and consider participating to find out what this is all about. Solid Rock Climbers for Christ

sponsored for this event, which is part of the nationwide “Adopt A Crag” program, promoted by Access Fund.

Success story! Richard Nelson, a past SAC member, was able to provide old climbing info and photos to the family of recently deceased past SAC member, Jack Newcomer.

Trailwork: Lynn provided the following planned trailwork days for the Pacific Northwest Trail Association: June 3 (National Trails Day), June 17, July 1, July 15, August 5, August 19,

September 2, September 16, October 7, and October 21.

In-kind Hikes: We were hoping to have a pre-meeting class available to the public prior to the May meeting. The announcement, however, was not printed in the paper and so no one

showed up except for a few existing SAC members. Wade will keep working in this.  Hikes to local lowland areas for the community were also scheduled. Although these also didn’t

make it into the paper, they are posted on the SAC website and provide a great opportunity for SAC members to get out and share some trail time. They were May 6th, 7th and 8th.

Presentation: A big thanks to Jon Riedel, a glaciologist from the North Cascades National Park, who gave a great presentation on the state of the glaciers in Washington. He

has been monitoring glaciers in North Cascades National Park since 1993, and in 2002 also began monitoring glaciers in Washington’s two other national parks. Glacial advance

or retreat is an indicator of climate patterns. His work shows that glaciers are generally receding at a rapid rate in our area. Thanks again Jon!

Highlights

Blanchard Mountain information correction to the last newsletter: What was printed up in last month's newsletter was misleading, so this should clear it up! The DNR has created a panel of community organizations to discuss the fate of Blanchard Mt. (see Skagit Valley Herald- April 25, 2006). There won't be any new timber harvests until the panel has finished their discussions, probably by the end of 2006. Sen. Harriett Spanel, our state legislator, told us writing letters to our public officials is an excellent way to be heard. If you planned on writing a letter, now is the time to do it! Visit the web site of the Friends of Blanchard Mountain www.blanchardmountain.org for information on Blanchard Mountain, help on writing letters - (by SAC member Lee Mann), who all to send it to, and how to submit it to the SVH (if you want to really make an impact!). It's very important to send a copy to Friends of Blanchard Mountain. Questions? Call Harold Mead at 299-8196 - SAC representative to Friends of Blanchard Mountain.

SAC Newsletter editor needed, starting in August. Marta has gotten too busy to continue in this role. For information, call her at 360-336-2643 or e-mail murvosh@netscape.com or Wade at 360-770-0250 or bessettw@hotmail.com

To participate, call the trip leader. Space may be limited or there could be additional skill or gear requirements.

Anytime: Mountain biking and trail running in the Anacortes Forest Lands. Call George Reeves at 360-293-3417.

Memorial Day weekend: Backcountry hike/climb to Buckindy or a through hike to the Cascade River from Green Mountain, possibly to have two parties hiking opposite directions. Call George Reeves at 360-293-3417 or climbingfool2000@yahoo.com.

June 21-23: Backpack trip, location TBA to celebrate the summer solstice and club member Corrina Marote’s 40th birthday. Call Corrina at 360-856-1828 or corrina_marote@yahoo.com.

Late June: Climb Mt Baker, three-day trip. Call Rick Rogers at 360-220-3122 or stillyfish@valleyint.com.

June 21-23: Backpack trip, location TBA to celebrate the summer solstice and club member Corrina Marote’s 40th birthday. Call Corrina at 360-856-1828 or corrina_marote@yahoo.com.

Interested in being a trip leader? Submit your trip to outings chair Lynn Postler at 360-428-4237 or sancho999@comcast.net. Please include leader’s name, phone number and e-mail, date to trip, total distance to be hiked/biked/skied, elevation gain, travel time to trailhead, days gone, cost, if any, and skill and gear requirements.