Michael Caryl
SaddleBrooke is very fortunate to have the Hiking Club’s very own Karen Gray as our presenter for the April 15, 2020 program. Karen hardly needs any introduction to club members. She has lived in SaddleBrooke since October of 1997. She is now especially active in the club, not only as a member, but also as a hiking guide. Karen can be found either leading a club hike or participating in one or more a week, and often hikes with friends.
The title of Karen’s presentation is “Hiking Arizona Through the Eons.” Karen worked as a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. She received her B.S. in geology from George Mason University in 1984, while working full-time at the U.S.G.S. She finished her M.S. in geochemistry and petrology from George Washington University, going to school full-time, while doing a teaching assistantship and working 20 hours a week at the U.S.G.S.
Program chairman, Michael Caryl, states, “I first met Karen a few years ago when taking her class on the geology of Arizona. She is a fine teacher and especially adept at simplifying her presentation of geology for people like me with little background or aptitude for hard science. In one of Karen’s classes, we all drove up to Mount Lemmon, making various stops for Karen to point out the geological significance of that particular geological feature.”
Karen’s presentation will cover five or six major geological events that took place in Arizona and how these events have formed the topography we see today. She will then identify some great hikes here in Arizona where all can experience the impact of those geological processes over the eons. This is a presentation that should not be missed.