VOLUME 71 MAY 2011 NUMBER 5 Saturday, June 4: Inside This Issue National Trails Day 1 National Trails Day Leader‘s Lament 2 By Janet Jacobsen and Elle Weaver RE YOU READY Welcome 2 for National Meet the Committee Chairs 3 A Trails Day? Board Notes 4 Did you know the Unit- Fire Lookouts 5 ed States celebrates Trip Reports & Activities 6-9 such an event? Since Upcoming 9-12 1993, the first Saturday 2011 Annual Trip Schedule 11-12 of every June is known Natural Desert 13 as National Trails Day, Concessions 13 inspiring the public and At the Lodge 14 trail enthusiasts nation- Classifieds 15 wide to seek out, dis- Calendar 15 cover, learn about, and celebrate America‘s Picture of the Month 16 trail system. And Satur- day, June 4th, marks the 17th annual National Trails Day! Obsidians will cele- brate the American Hik- Dates to Remember May 17 ExploraTalk—Antarctica ing Society‘s National May 27 Potluck—Biker Boys Trails Day with three June 1 Board Meeting trips. The theme - Made With All Natural Ingre- June 4 National Trails Day dients - encourages eve- Complete current schedules at: ryone to get outside and www.obsidians.org or to connect with local Register-Guard – Outdoors – Tuesday outdoor clubs and other groups to ―experience, appreciate and celebrate the natural places where we can find a spread of scenery, a plateful of peace, and a heap of happiness and health.‖ Brice Creek: Jim Pierce will lead an easy 5.5-mile hike with 500 ft. elevation gain. Ferns and mosses carpet the forests, lacy falls splash over the black rocky creek 2011 Activities sides, making for many photo-ops on this beautiful relatively close-in hike. Schedule Available Goodman Creek: Paul Flashenberg will lead a moderate hike, just a 30-minute drive on Highway 58. The 6-mile trail with 500 ft. elevation gain starts in an old growth Douglas fir forest, with a stop at a lovely waterfall. Spencer Butte: Janet Jacobsen will offer a trail maintenance project to pick up litter and fill in cuts in switchbacks while hiking to the summit. The 6.2-mile hike with See Bulletin Cutout Pages 11-12 1,530 ft. elevation gain will begin at the Martin Street trailhead. If you want a shorter trip, it will be possible for you to participate in the trail project only on the Amazon Headwater section. Save the date! June 4! Sign up online! OBSIDIANS, INC Leader’s Lament P.O. Box 322, Eugene, OR 97440 Website: www.obsidians.org By Joanne Ledet and Chris Cunningham Board of Directors John Jacobsen, President ON’T WE ALL HAVE AT LEAST What wildflowers did you see? Lyn Gilman-Garrick, Vice President ONE EXCUSE for not wanting While the trips committee needs the Kathy Hoeg, Secretary to lead a hike? For some Ob- Stewart Hoeg, Treasurer D basic facts – date, location, participants Matt Bell, Larry Huff, Verna Kocken, sidians, just the idea of writing the post- – include some of the following to Elle Weaver & Nancy Whitfield hike report is more irritating than make the article more interesting: Board meetings are held at 6 pm the first stones in their hiking boots. the history of the area if you Wednesday of each month, except October They might know it, sightings of when it is the Wednesday after the Annual say, ―I unusual birds or Meeting, and no meeting in August. have to do the topography, Committee Chairpersons WHAT after any unique cir- Byways By Bus ....................... Liz Reanier Climbs ..................................... Larry Huff the trip? cumstance in Concessions................ Lyn Gilman-Garrick Write a report?‖ arranging the trip Conservation/SciEd .................... Joella Ewing or getting to your Entertainment ...................... Susan Wanser Or, ―Oh no, I Extended Trips ........................Jim Duncan couldn‘t do that. destination or even Finance ................................ Stewart Hoeg I‘m not a writer, an interesting per- Librarian/Historian .......Lenore McManigal and I wouldn‘t son the group met on Lodge Building ..................... Doug Nelson the trail. Any one-of-a-kind experi- Lodge Grounds .................... John Jacobsen know what to say.‖ Membership ........................... Barb Revere ence on the trip is fair game in writing Online ................................. Wayne Deeter Haven‘t we all heard that before or your report. Publications ........................... Joanne Ledet had those kind of thoughts ourselves? Publicity ................................. Elle Weaver While being in the great outdoors and For an extended trip where more Safety .................................... Sue Sullivan sharing some of our favorite hikes with planning is involved, include some tips Summer Camp .................. Lana Lindstrom good hiking companions is a major ben- on how far in advance to start planning, Summer Trips .................... Brian Hamilton who good contact sources are, and Trail Maintenance ....................... Matt Bell efit of being an Obsidian member, writ- Winter Trips .................. Tom Musselwhite ing a report afterwards can leave even some of the highlights – or hazards – an experienced leader weak in the along the way. These tips can be bene- The knees. Staring at a blank computer ficial to other extended trip leaders. OBSIDIA N Bulletin screen can be intimidating, but it Lastly, take pictures, not with a cell © 2011 doesn‘t need to be. With a few tips and phone but with a digital camera of at Published monthly, except August and De- suggestions, writing a trip report might least 7 megapixels. Action pictures cember. Articles, story ideas, letters to the editor and other editorial submissions should even be an enjoyable part of the trip. show better than a lineup of all partici- be emailed to: pants, but any picture is welcome. You [email protected] First, relax. No one is expecting an award-winning article. might want to consider submitting a For reprint rights, contact: couple of shots to the bulletin so the The Obsidian Bulletin Second, think about five basic ele- staff can pick what will work best for P.O. Box 51424, Eugene, OR 97405 ments when writing a report or an article: the newsletter. Who (Obsidian members) Deadline Now, the next time you are asked to for June 2011 Bulletin What (A hike) lead a trip, just say ―Yes, I‘ll give it a Saturday, May 28, 2011 When (Not just the date, but season) go!‖ Where (Sweet Creek Falls) Assembly/Mailing Team For April Bulletin Why (To explore the falls) Assembly & Mail Manager - Lou Maenz Example: You can begin with a Assembly Team - Tom Adamcyk, Yuan rough statement such as, ―Six Obsidians Hopkins, John & Lenore McManigal hiked along the Sweet Creek trail on a Welcome! and Janet & Richard Speelman recent spring day to view waterfalls and Editorial Team wildflowers.‖ New Member Writing & Editorial Staff - Bea Fontana, Ken Frazer, John Jacobsen, Joanne Le- There‘s the foundation. Now con- TAUB, BARRY (Active) det, Beth Roy and Ethel Weltman tinue by filling in the blanks by answer- 36515 Star Rd, Pleasant Hill 97455 Copy Editors - Beth Roy & Ethel Weltman Graphics Design & Desktop Publishing - ing the following: Was the terrain 746-6345 [email protected] smooth? Where is Sweet Creek? What Stewart Hoeg & John Jacobsen are the waterfalls like in the spring? Page 2 www.obsidians.org The Obsidian Bulletin Meet the Committee Chairs Lyn Gilman-Garrick, Concessions Chair F YOU DON’T KNOW ME, I‘m the chairwoman of the Concessions Com- mittee. You‘ll often find me standing behind the concessions table at the I potlucks hawking vests, caps, cards and t-shirts. When I‘m not selling Obisdians merchandise, you‘ll see me cycling the back roads of Lane County. I love to bike, and perhaps my proudest achievement is bicycling cross country from San Diego to Saint Augustine in 2008 with my good friends and fellow Obsidians Royal Murdock and Bill Aspegren. I‘m married to Paul Garrick, as Hyman Kaplan would say ―the love from mine life‖. He‘s a local bankruptcy lawyer and one of the nicest guys you‘d ever want to meet. We met the first day of law school in 1979. (As fate would have it, they sat us alphabetically in all our classes.) After graduating, I went on to practice juvenile law for several years in Portland. When we moved to Eu- gene, I switched careers completely and managed a local holistic veterinary practice and pet supply store. Since retiring, I‘ve volunteered for lots of non- profits including Pro-Bone-O, which provides free veterinary services to the homeless, Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah, which restores habitat, and builds and maintains trails in the Buford Park area, and Cascade Health Solu- tions Hospice, which assists families when a loved one is dying. What else can I say… I am crazy about dogs. We have a Portuguese water dog named Maisie who is a wild child and a little mutt named Daisy who rules the roost. I also love reading, hiking, taking photos, swimming in the mountain lakes in August, and eating, though I am always on a diet. I really enjoy being a member of the Obsidians…such an amazing, interesting, and fun bunch of peo- ple. My only regret is that I waited so long to join. Barb Revere, Membership Chair Y FIRST FORAYS INTO THE WOODS were probably high up on my dad‘s shoulders, but I can recall, at M about five, trying hard to climb after my older sisters up the steep canyon near home in Santa Barbara. My parents shared a deep passion for the outdoors and passed it on to all six of us kids. When my husband and I retired to Springfield in 2002, searching out the Obsidians was in the top ten on my to-do list, but that had to wait until 2004, as I was suddenly plunged into two years of family caregiving.