Wanderings newsletter of the OUTDOORS CLUB INC. http://www.outdoorsclubny.org ISSUE NUMBER 94 PUBLISHED TRI-ANNUALLY Nov-Feb 2010 The Outdoors Club is a non-profit (c) (3) volunteer-run organization open to all adults 18 and over which engages in hiking, biking, wilderness trekking, canoeing, mountaineering, snowshoeing and skiing, nature and educational city walking tours of varying difficulty. Individual participants are expected to engage in activities suitable to their ability, experience and physical condition. Leaders may refuse to take anyone who lacks ability or is not properly dressed or equipped. These precautions are for your safety and the wellbeing of the group. Your participation is voluntary and at your own risk. Remember to bring lunch and water on all full day activities. Telephone the leader or Lenny if unsure what to wear or bring with you on an activity. Nonmembers pay one-day membership dues of $3. More about our new website… Our vice president, Ray Lin, is responsible for the new website. You will now be able to pay your dues using PayPal. The current schedule will be available on our website to members only. You will need to login with your email address to access the current schedule. To get your password, please click 'need password' on the login page. An email will be sent to your email address to show you how to reset your password. The email address has to be the same as our membership record. Also, please look at the “Members Only” section. More “members only” features will be available there in the future. It is with sorrow that we say goodbye to George Glatz. George was the president of N.Y. Hiking for many years, and a leader for the Outdoors Club. There will be two memorial walks in his honor: Helen Yee and Joan Mendelson will be leading a hike on Sunday, November 8th to Flat Rock Nature Center; and Bob Ward, Bettye Soffer and Pat O’Malley will be leading a walk on Sunday, November 15th in Central Park. Please come and share some memories of our beloved leader. MEMBERSHIP DUES HAVE CHANGED FROM ONE YEAR TO TWO YEARS. One year dues are available at a higher rate. CHECK YOUR MAILING LABEL FOR EXPIRATION DATE! RENEWAL NOTICES WILL NO LONGER BE SENT. It takes 8-10 weeks to process your renewal. Some leaders will be asking members for proof of membership, so please carry your membership card or schedule on activities (the expiration date is on the top line of your mailing label). INQUIRIES, COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS – Mail to the post office box, call Lenny Morgenstern at 917- 842-9490 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. We desperately need leaders for easy outings contact Helen via email or phone 212-348-5344. We have a volunteer job opening for a Treasurer that must be filled by November 2nd for the Club to continue. This is an officer position and you must have accounting experience (financial statements, taxes, A/P, A/R) and e-mail. Please e-mail a copy of your resume to [email protected]. TRANSPORTATION SERVICE DELAYS are a constant problem on the weekends. It is a good idea to confirm transportation information the week of the trip by logging onto: www.mta.nyc.ny.us or calling or checking websites of local transportation companies for bus and train information. Please remember winter walking may involve icy paths and extreme cold. Please dress appropriately to avoid frostbite and falls – wear hiking boots, face protection, a hat, gloves, use a cane, layer clothing, bring a hot beverage. Don’t hibernate! Come and join us often on walks and hikes. You’ll have a wonderful time with fun companions. Happy Holidays! Craig Nunn and Helen Mangione-Yee Wanderings - 2 - Nov 2009 – Feb 2010 10/31 SAT, HALLOWEEN WALK THROUGH GHOSTLY GREENWICH VILLAGE, 3-4 miles, easy pace. We’ll trick or treat around the Village to look for some ghosts and rediscover the neighborhood’s enduring charm. Afterwards we’ll stop for dinner, and perhaps the Halloween Parade. Meet 2 PM (after lunch & bathrooms) outside the IFC Center on 6th Avenue & W. 3rd Street. Take IND A, F, D, C, E subway to W. 4th Street. Rain may cancel, call. Leaders: Helen Yee 212-348-5344 questions call morning of walk 8-9 only, and Joan Mendelson 973-761-1329 before 10 PM. Nonmembers: $3. 11/1 SUN, HASTINGS CIRCULAR, moderate steady pace, trails, 7 miles. Entirely within inter-connected suburban parks: Rowleys Bridge, Old Croton Aqueduct, Lenoir Preserve, Draper Park, Burke Estate, Hillside Woods, Zinnzer Park & back to the diner near the Hastings Station. Take MetroNorth GCT 11:20 AM to Hastings, arr. 11:57 AM. Drivers park/meet in northbound commuter lot. Leader: Hal Kaplan 914-376-3156 (hike message begins Sat. AM) (Google Maps: Southside Ave zip 10706). Inclement weather or ground conditions may cancel. Nonmembers $3. 11/1 SUN, CITY HALL & DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN. 6-7 miles steady pace, many drop-offs. We will walk from City Hall across the Brooklyn Bridge, through DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, and on to Brooklyn Heights. Lots to see and learn - varied architecture and historical references. Meet at City Hall Park by the fountain. Bring or buy lunch. You must call or email to confirm and get meeting time. Leader: Mike Pollack 718-648-3424, [email protected]. Nonmembers $3. 11/6 FRI, EASY WALK ON MARINE PARKWAY BRIDGE TO THE OCEAN. Take Subway #2 Train (sometimes the #5) to the end of line, Brooklyn College. Take elevator exit to the street. Take Q35 – stops in front of Target on Flatbush Ave. – to Floyd Bennett stop (ask driver to stop). We meet at 11 AM. Leader, Judy Mahler, will be waiting. Please call the day before, 5-8 PM, to confirm. Tel: 718-692-2854. Nonmembers $3. 11/7 SAT, BASHAKILL – SHAWANGUNK TRAIL. 10 miles steady pace, mostly flat with some hills. NO beginners. Hike the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area and Ridge Trail through scenic wetlands on an old rail line and on county roads. Bring lunch and water. Meet Penn Station near NJ Transit ticket windows, 9:00 AM for 9:14 AM train to Otisville. Buy round trip ticket. Cost $23.50/seniors $15. Leader: Ludwig Hendel (718-626-3983, Nov. 6 evening only). Members only. 11/7 SAT, CLOSTER DOCK ROAD TO GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE TO MANHATTAN, 7-9 miles trail walking. Some ups and downs and some steps. Long Path upper trail along the Hudson River and Palisades. Walk back to bridge and walk over bridge. One drop off half way. Wear hiking boots. Bring lunch and water. Meet at Closter Dock Road via bus from either Port Authority (42nd St.) or GW Bridge Bus Terminal. Bus 9A. Call leader for time and location of bus. Leader: Judy (718-482-9659). Call Thurs – Fri after 7 pm. Heavy rain cancels. 11/8 SUN, FLAT ROCK NATURE CENTER (NJ) MEMORIAL WALK FOR GEORGE GLATZ, either 2-3 miles or 5-6 miles, Two groups - one will hike at a slower & easier pace; and the other group will do more miles at a moderate/easy pace. Ups & downs on trails. Bring lunch/water. Dress for poison ivy, ticks, mosquitoes and nature trails. Wear hiking boots! Sneakers okay for easier hike. Rain or muddy trails cancel! Meet 11:15 AM inside George Washington Bus Terminal near information and ticket windows to take NJ Transit bus #171 at 11:45 AM. Take A Train to 175th St. stop. Fare: Approx. $2.50 one-way. Leader: Helen Mangione-Yee, 212-348-5344, questions call morning of walk 8-9 AM only, and Joan Mendelson, 973-761-1329 before 10 PM. 11/8 SUN. KEW GARDENS & FOREST HILLS. 5 miles, easy pace, a few hills. Starting with a stroll through Maple Grove Cemetery (on National Register of Historic Places), then into the private streets of Forest Hills Gardens with many attractive homes, past the tennis stadium (former home of the US Open), to Trader Joes on Woodhaven Blvd. Possible extension to the Shops at Atlas Park. Meet 1:00 PM at Queens Blvd. and 80th Rd. in front of Hot & Tasty (Kew Gardens Stop on E & F Trains). Exit near front of train. Use stairs marked “South Side Queens Blvd. & 80th Rd.”) Leader: Richard Sklar (718-782-7732). Heavy rain cancels. Nonmembers $3. 11/8 SUN, GARRISON CIRCULAR, moderate steady pace, trails, some hills, 7 miles. This time we climb to the abandoned AT view point at White Rock, followed by a 600 foot descent to the Yellow Trail and back to Arden Point before finishing at Garrison Landing. Lunch will be at White Rock off the AT. This was once one of the most spectacular Hudson River Views on the AT but has been allowed to deteriorate. Still has limited viewing in winter. Take Metro-North RR GCT 9:50 AM Hudson line to Garrison. Drivers Park/Meet at commuter lot at 11:10 AM. Call leader Hal Kaplan 914 376-3156, message on answering machine after Fri. PM. Inclement weather cancels. To locate via Google Maps use this address: Lower Station Rd Garrison NY. Nonmembers $3. 11/14 SAT, HARRIMAN STATE PARK. 7.5 mile Tuxedo Circular. North on Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail to Parker Cabin Mountain. A moderate pace with climbs. Flat to mild hills on the return trails provide stops at Lake Skenonto and Claudius Smith Rock and Cave. Bring lunch/water. Meet Penn Station NJ Transit ticket windows before 8:50 to Wanderings - 3 - Nov 2009 – Feb 2010 take 9:14 AM train to Tuxedo (arriving 10:17 AM – note change trains in Secaucus).