May 2018 Number 5 Inside This Issue KUDOS for TRAIL MAINTENANCE
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Volume 78 May 2018 Number 5 Inside This Issue KUDOS FOR TRAIL MAINTENANCE Kudos for Trail Maintenance 1 by Janet Jacobsen President’s Notes 1–2 bsidian trail maintenance volunteers were featured for their work Obituary 2 O on the Ridgeline Trail in the online Eugene Outdoors 2017 Year in Review. New Members 2 The article, Hikers that Volunteer: Caring for What you Love, included this acknowl- Obsidians Climb School 3 edgment: This dedicated group does it all. Each month club members hike the Ridge- Obsidians Search & Rescue 4 line trails, scope potential projects, amass community volunteers and do great work. The North Sister Rescue 5 With just a little support from Eugene Outdoors, they do all this independently. They also share their passion for the outdoors by working with Parks and Open Space to FWOC News 6 resurface, brush, rebuild, steward and lead hikes. Though they have officially adopt- April Board Notes 7 ed Spencer Butte Park, they work wherever they are needed most. This year, they Trip Reports 8–15 built new trail alongside youth crews in Wild Iris Ridge, planted recently burned are- 2018 Bus Trip Schedule 16 as, and helped clear debris following winter storms. Thanks to the Obsidians for their Upcoming Events 17 incredible dedication to stewarding Eugene’s emerald necklace over all these years. We can’t do it without you. Potluck 18 Calendar 19 Also in this article is a timeline of eight events, including Obsidians Photo of the Month 20 leading their first hike on Spencer Butte, March 15, 1928, collaborat- ing with the City of Eugene in Dates to Remember 2008, and adopting the Spencer May 18 Potluck Butte Park Trails in 2012. Find out June 1 Bulletin Deadline more with this link: June 2 National Trails Day bit.ly/outdoors2017 June 6 Board Meeting 2017 by the Numbers: 16 events 426 hours 148 volunteers 39,010 feet of trails maintained 506 forbs planted Current schedules at: www.obsidians.org or Register-Guard – Outdoors – Tuesday Obsidians building trail on the west side of Spencer Butte Photo by: Darko Sojak Visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/#!/theobsidians President’s Notes am always delighted when I have a chance to venture out of doors to I see what I can see. With the coming of spring, getting out is so much easier, and has brought me in touch with what our club members do. For example, one day my grandson and I happened by the Lodge via the Ribbon Trail, and saw John Jacobsen No ExploraTalk in May and his crew, like a well-oiled machine, attack the grass and brush that were fighting back from their winter hiatus. Thanks so much for what the Grounds Committee does. At the Potluck the Lodge and grounds were ready to impress. On my twice weekly hike up Spencer Butte I was also made aware of work done by the Obsidians. Matt Bell, his Trail Maintenance Committee, and volunteers have been working on the west trail from the main parking lot. In the past this steep but scenic approach had been overlooked by the City, but gradually improvements have been made. An old rock terrace-like stairway has been cleared and the log fence that (Continued on page 2) Obituary OBSIDIANS, INC P.O. Box 51510, Eugene, OR 97405 Website: www.obsidians.org Suzanne Steussy 1956–2018 Board of Directors John Cooper, President uzanne Steussy was an Obsidian member from 1981–2012. An active mem- Lyndell Wilken, Vice President S ber, she received her 200 Trip Award, attended three summer camps, climbed Maryanne Reiter, Secretary Middle and South Sisters, and led 16 hikes. A reminder of Suzanne’s joy and enthu- Stewart Hoeg, Treasurer siasm for the out of doors are seen in her July, 1997 Black Crater trip report: The Dave Cooper, Sharon Cutsforth, views of the mountains were absolutely breathtaking—some were in clouds and oth- Marci Hansen, Todd Larsen, Lana Lindstrom, Kathy Randall ers sparkled like jewels. She was a kind, cheerful person with an infectious laugh and will be missed by all who knew her. Board meetings are held at 6:00 pm the first Wednesday of each month, except October At the time of her death, she was living in Corvallis. Her father Robin Steussy, when it is the Wednesday after the Annual now deceased, was an Obsidian from 1981–1996. She is survived by her mother, Meeting. There is no August meeting. Edith, and two siblings. A Remembrance Gathering will be held at the Obsidian th Committee Chairpersons Lodge on Saturday, May 19 at 11:00 am. Bus ................................... Sharon Cutsforth Editor’s Note: A complete obituary will be published in the Register-Guard. Climbs .............................. Maryanne Reiter Concessions ........................... Carla Cooper Conservation/SciEd .................. Jorry Rolfe Entertainment ...... L. Lindstrom/Emily Rice Extended Trips ................... Lana Lindstrom Finance .................................. Stewart Hoeg Lodge Building ...................... Dave Cooper Welcome New Members! Lodge Grounds ..................... John Jacobsen Librarian/Historian ....... Lenore McManigal Membership ........................ Diane Schecter Online ................................... Wayne Deeter Michael Dunne Clarence Townsend Publications .............................. Lou Maenz Eugene, OR 97403 Eugene, OR 97405 Publicity ................................ Marci Hansen Safety ................................. Lyndell Wilken Summer Camp ...................... John Jacobsen Summer Trips ........................ Dave Cooper Trail Maintenance ........................ Matt Bell Winter Trips ........................ Dave Lodeesen Membership Count Active 406 Honorary 6 The Junior 11 OBSIDIA N Bulletin Life 16 © 2018 —————— Published monthly, except August and Total 439 December. Articles, story ideas, letters to the editor and other editorial submissions may be emailed to: [email protected] President’s Notes (Continued from page 1) For reprint rights, contact: The Obsidian Bulletin prevents hikers from creating shortcuts has been repaired. Thank you for these im- P.O. Box 51510, Eugene, OR 97405 provements, along with the many other projects you have done on the Butte. Deadline My other recent hikes have been on Mount Pisgah, where members of the Ob- for June Bulletin sidians have quietly helped make an amazing impact on a trail system that is usually Friday, June 1, 2018 near impassable in the winter. Trail #4 is now a beautifully maintained trail encased with small gravel pellets, not mud. No matter the weather or season this trail does Editorial Team its job, so you can get to the top or wherever you choose to roam. Thanks to Bill Writing & Editorial Staff: Montgomery, Larry Dunlap, and Dave Predeek—Obsidians who worked on Trail Janet Jacobsen, Lou Maenz #4 and portions of the North Trailhead network. Copy Editors: I also would like to recognize and applaud what an asset to the club and the Jorry Rolfe, Ethel Weltman community the Climbs Committee has been with the conducting of the 70th Climb Graphics Design & Desktop Publishing: School. Please see the article about the climb school written by Maryanne Reiter, Carla Cooper, Bea Fontana, Stewart Hoeg the Climbs chair. Assembly/Mailing Team I know with every trip I take or event I attend, the great work of Obsidians will be Manager: Lou Maenz evident. I also know that there are so many more members to recognize and thank. April Team: Judy Adamcyk, John Cooper, President Tom Adamcyk, Clara Emlen, Yuan Hopkins and Nancy Raymond Page 2 Obsidian Maryanne gives climbing technique lesson Kimberly Van Winkle working with Hanna Hostick ascending a fixed line to Liz Bouressa and Jen Ablow. Ryan Eberle on climbing. with Marge Huseman watching. he Obsidians Climb School celebrated its T 70th anniversary this year! Seven decades of teaching students the skills needed to safely travel on snow and rock. This year, given the popular demand, we opened it up to 30 students*. On February 16 at 12:01 am registration opened and it was full in minutes. In a couple hours we had 27 people on the wait list. We wish we could have taken everyone, but we just don’t have the capacity for that big of a class. The students had fun tying knots (more than just the four they learned in 1948), learning what to bring on a climb, appropriate clothing and food. Then came the climbing skills with a session at the indoor rock gym at the Bob Keefer Sports and Recreation Center in Springfield, outdoor climbing at the Skinner Butte Columns (how to travel on a fixed line, rappelling and rock climbing) and then finally learning snow skills (self-arrest, traveling as a rope team, snow anchors) at Hayrick Butte. The students and volunteers were en- thusiastic and motivated, making it a fun class. Thomas Ridder (volunteer), Ed Wilson. Maryanne Reiter Climbing: Connor Mowry. Rock photos [6] taken by Laurie Monico. Snow practice [R] taken by Theo Davis. * For a complete list of the class participants, see the trip report on page 14.—Ed. Rappel practice: Danni Harris, Lars Hornlein. Snow practice at Hayrick Butte. May 2018 Page 3 Obsidians Search and Rescue:1927–2018 by Janet Jacobsen im Chase, Lane County Search and Rescue, report- Joseph E. Shelton, president of the Eugene chamber of T ed that over the last few years he has seen a significant commerce, and Dr. John F. Bovard, President of the increase in search and rescue missions. In 2016 there were [Eugene] Outdoor Club, were placed in charge of the search 172 missions, nearly double the previous years that had aver- with Ray Conway, of the Oregon State Motor association, in aged about 90–100 missions. In 2017 there were 165 missions charge at the field base of operations. In sharp contrast to with 3,900 person-hours, most of which were volunteer the unorganized group of Eugeneans who took the field a few hours. Through the years the Obsidians and Eugene Mountain weeks before when they sought Ferry and Cramer, this group Rescue have played a vital role in providing volunteers for of approximately 300 men which assembled in the wilds of these life-saving operations.