Family Section
March/April 2005 Newsletter
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Welcome to another month with the San Diego Family Section of the Sierra Club! More people are signing up all the time, so our number of outing participants is increasing, which is great. Please do join us on an outing or three, invite some friends along, and tell other families about our Section!
If you are interested in leading outings in the future, now is the time to sign up for the Chapter's outing leader training (see below for more info). Thank you to our current outing leaders!
Family Section outings are open to everyone, but you must be a Sierra Club member to receive our newsletter and everyone is encouraged to join. Children are also permitted on main Chapter (as opposed to Family Section) outings as long as the outing description does not specify otherwise. Of course, the children will be subject to the same screening (e.g., can he/she really hike 20 miles with 5000' of elevation gain?) as everyone else. |
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Our membership now includes kids of all ages, single dads, single moms, and couples from at least five continents! If you are interested in an outing but only want to go if there are other kids about the same age as yours, just let the leader know ahead of time. It is OK to make your participation contingent on other kids in the right age range signing up. If you have any questions about an outing -- pace, recommended equipment, difficulty, etc. -- just ask the outing leader!
If you would like to receive the Family Section e-newsletter and other information for members, please subscribe by filling out this form. You will need your Sierra Club member number, printed on the address labels of your Hi Sierran newsletter and Sierra magazine.
We always appreciate new ideas of activities for enjoying the outdoors with other families. Any member can publish an event on the Family Section e-mail list any time, and any member who is a COL can publish an outing to the list any time. If you send the information by April 25th, we can include it in the next newsletter.
We are in need of a Family Section speaker for the Chapter's New Member Orientation at the Tierrasanta Recreation Center, which takes place every second Wednesday of the month from 7-9PM. We are also looking for a Newsletter Editor, Treasurer, and Chair for the Section. Please let us know if you are interested in any of these positions.
We look forward to seeing you at a Family Section event soon!
Ensie and Matthias Blume
858-695-9675
March/April Activities and Outings
Notes: Contact information for the outing leaders and event organizers is included in our free newsletter, distributed via e-mail. It is not included on the Web so as to protect the leaders from spammers and to provide you more incentive to join!
Outings and events labeled with an '*' below are primarily Family Section activities. All others are Sierra Club activities that were not particularly designed for families but that definitely accept kids as participants.
MAR 5/SAT/M5A
*Otay Valley Regional Park
Leader: Karen Smith
Assistant: Needed
Let's go for a morning stroll of almost five nearly-flat miles. See Upper and Lower Otay Lakes, flowers, maybe birds, definitely scenery. Learn about plans for great new park. One-way hike: car shuttle required unless you walk back to start on your own. (This means that the drivers all have to get into someone else's car at some point, but passengers do not. Drivers take all cars to a spot further along the trail, then one vehicle brings drivers back to join group at start point.) For signup and directions, contact leader. No pets please. |
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MAR 5/SAT/E2A
Trail Building SE Part of Warner Ranch
Leader: Rob Langsdorf
Assistant: Needed
Join us as we return to building new trail (no experience needed) between the Pacific Crest Trail and the CR and HT. We will work on a hillside with grand views of the Warner Ranch. Work will involve removing roots, building rock walls and carving new tread. Call Rob for REQUIRED signup and directions to meeting point (which will be somewhere on Thomas Guide p409 L9). |
MAR 6/SUN 9:00am - 3:00pm
Endangered Plant Restoration
Sponsor: California Native Plant Society, 619-685-7321, info@cnpssd.org
Sierra Club Coordinator: Carrie Schneider
Willowy monardella, a lavender flowered mint-family species with a wonderful spearmint scent, has the majority of its entire world distribution in only four canyons in San Diego county (San Clemente Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, West Sycamore Canyon, and Spring Canyon), predominantly on USMC Miramar lands. Development projects such as Rancho Encantada threaten the species due to hydrological changes that are typically associated with development. The Lopez Canyon population does not yet qualify as a major population due to the small number of plants in the canyon. We are working to increase the size of this population to a sustainable level, using plants propagated by Recon native plant nursery from seeds collected from the Lopez Canyon population.
Meet at 9:00am at Lopez Ridge Park on the South side of Calle Cristobal (east of Camino Santa Fe) in Mira Mesa (Thomas Guide 1208 H3). Items to bring, if possible: drinking water, work gloves, work clothes, sturdy shoes, and any favorite tools for planting. |
MAR 12/SAT/6:00-9:00PM
Ray At Night
Ray at Night is an art event held at the Sierra Club office on Ray St. The office is open and surrounded by art galleries and delightful shops. Our whole street is alive with visitors, music, food and untold surprises. For more information, check out these Union Tribune and North County Times articles or call the Sierra Club office at 619-299-1743. Please join us for a delightful evening! |
MAR 19/SAT
"Support Anza Borrego" Wild Flower Bus Trip
Coordinator: Lois Day
This year the Park promises a rare vintage wildflower display. We’ll stop at various locations to identify blooms and understand their requirements to produce seed: attract pollinators, moisture at the right times and required amounts and in temperature variants. Wildflowers speak to us in Nature’s most eloquent voice. Humans would not be on earth if there were no flowering plants! How did the flash floods of last September affect plants? Send your $30 check made out to the Sierra Club to Lois Day, 4654 Glacier Ave, San Diego 92120 by March 10. More details in the March-April Hi Sierran or call Lois. |
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MAR 19-20/SAT-SUN/E2A backpack E6B dayhikes
*Blair Valley Pictograph Trail Backpack
Leader: Ellen Feeney
Assistant: Needed
Short, easy backpack in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Flowers should be starting. Once camp is set up, dayhikes to see a dry waterfall and older pictographs. Need equipment to come? Contact leader early. Must call leader for signup and what to bring. Good way to let the family try backpacking for the first time. 10AM meeting time. |
MAR 24/THU/E6A 4:30PM
*Los Penasquitos Canyon Evening Sunset/Full Moon Hike--CANCELLED--CONTACT FOR ALTERNATIVE HIKE
Leader: Ensie Blume
Assistant: Matthias Blume
Come and enjoy an evening hike through meadows in Los Penasquitos Canyon-West side located in Sorrento Valley at 4:30pm. Midway through the hike, we’ll reach a nice set of waterfalls in the canyon, where we stop for a break. Enjoy the flowers, birds. Bring 1-2 qts water and a snack. Please e-mail leader for required sign up. Rain cancels. |
APR 2/SAT/E2A
Trail Building SE Part of Warner Ranch
Leader: Rob Langsdorf
Assistant: Needed
Join us as we return to building new trail (no experience needed) between the Pacific Crest Trail and the CR and HT. We will work on a hillside with grand views of the Warner Ranch. Work will involve removing roots, building rock walls and carving new tread. Call Rob for REQUIRED signup and directions to meeting point (which will be somewhere on Thomas Guide p409 L9). |
APR 2-3/SAT-SUN
*Agua Caliente Car Camp
Leader: Matthias Blume
Assistant: Ensie Blume
Best known for its geothermal hot springs, Agua Caliente Regional Park (http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/camping/agua_caliente.html) in our local desert attracts visitors eager to soak in the soothing mineral waters. But the park offers far more than therapeutic pools. Spectacular vistas await campers and picnickers alike, and hikers will enjoy miles of trails that meander through the park's canyons and across its hillsides. We will dayhike Saturday and Sunday (optional, see below), share two adjacent campsites on Saturday night, and set up a telescope for stargazing after dark. A $12 per person fee will cover dinner on Saturday night and the campground cost. Fun for all, bring your bathing suits! Please e-mail leader for signup and details. |
APR 2/SAT/M3B
*Moonlight Canyon Loop Hike
Leader: Matthias Blume
Assistant: Ensie Blume
Our loop climbs over a rock-strewn saddle, drops into a small wash mysteriously named Moonlight Canyon, and descends past some seeps and a little oasis of willows. Along the way, we'll climb Peak 1882 and optionally Caliente Peak, both with superb views of Carrizo Valley and the Vallecito Mountains. 1:30PM departure time from Agua Caliente campground. Please e-mail leader for signup and details. |
APR 3/SUN/M7C
*Inner Pasture Exploration
Leader: Matthias Blume
Assistant: Ensie Blume
We'll hike the upper part of Moonlight Canyon to Inner Pasture, an isolated valley ringed by the Tierra Blanca and Sawtooth Mountains near Agua Caliente Regional Park (see above). Once there, we'll keep our eyes open for signs of past Native American habitation and optionally climb Stage Peak (but will not cross Back Stage Pass to the adjacent Back Stage Peak). 8AM departure time from Agua Caliente campground. Please e-mail leader for signup and details. |
APR 9/SAT/6:00-9:00PM
Ray At Night
Ray at Night is an art event held at the Sierra Club office on Ray St. The office is open and surrounded by art galleries and delightful shops. Our whole street is alive with visitors, music, food and untold surprises. For more information, check out these Union Tribune and North County Times articles or call the Sierra Club office at 619-299-1743. Please join us for a delightful evening! |
APR 16-17/SAT-SUN/M5A
Yuha Desert Car Camp
Leader: Geoffrey Smith
Assistant: Needed
At the base of the Jacumba Mtns Wilderness in western Imperial County, this arid region is home to many treasures, including the Yuha geoglyph, the Painted Gorge, and a rare stand of Crucifixion Thorn. Base camp with vehicles Saturday night, with short hikes on Saturday and Sunday. Call or write for more details and to sign up. |
APR 22/FRI/E6A 4:30PM
*CANCELLED--Los Penasquitos Canyon Evening Sunset/Full Moon Hike
Leader: Ensie Blume
Assistant: Matthias Blume
Come and enjoy an evening hike through meadows in Los Penasquitos Canyon-West side located in Sorrento Valley at 4:30pm. Midway through the hike, we’ll reach a nice set of waterfalls in the canyon, where we stop for a break. Enjoy the flowers, birds. Bring 1-2 qts water and a snack. Please e-mail leader for required sign up. Rain cancels. |
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MAY 14/SAT
Chapter Outing Leader (COL I) Training
If you want to be an outing leader, sign up now by sending your full name, telephone number, and Sierra Club member number to SDCOLsignup@yahoo.com! Training will be conducted in one intense, very full day. Plan on 8AM to 6PM; you must attend the entire session. Any Sierra Club member at least 18 years of age can take the training and lead outings. You don't have to be a super athlete. You should have gone on at least four outings first, so that you are familiar with our way of doing things. If you miss this training, the next one is in fall. |
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