Trekking to Great Britain!
Hiking Club members to give talk on trekking in Great Britain Jan. 20
Come join SaddleBrooke Hiking Club members Cheryl and Dean Werstler as they recount their experiences walking United Kingdom trails at the Hiking Club monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 20 at 3:00 p.m. at the HOA One Activity Center. They will share their experiences trekking along Roman fortifications and routes used for thousands of years to walks through pastoral country sides and picturesque villages.
Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom. The 19 national trails in the UK cover a total distance of 3,800 miles and often encompass local public rights of way and follow historic routes.
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act of 2000 grants a right of access on foot to wilderness areas for recreation. Much of this land is under private ownership and marked on Ordnance Survey Explorer maps. Within England, Wales and Scotland, there are about 150,000 miles of public rights of way that permit access to the countryside. This access has also been promoted in cities and has resulted in walking routes such as the Jubilee Walkway that takes in many of London’s major attractions.
Walkers are more likely to follow long distance routes than to plan their own walking tours. These tours may be organized by commercial companies and have professional guides or can be self-guided. A wide variety of ascents are available from gentle rolling lowland hills to very exposed routes in the moorlands and mountains. And although the mountains in Great Britain are modest in height, with Ben Nevis being the highest at 4,409 feet high, the weather conditions can be unpredictable and the terrain can be difficult.
Come and share in exploring this ancient land with its rich historical past. The program is open to all SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents. Afterwards attendees are encouraged to attend a social hour in the Agave Lounge. For more information about the programs, contact Mary Croft at 651-270-660 or e-mail at [email protected].
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area
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Viva Las Vegas
Dave Sorenson
The SaddleBrooke Hiking Club will be heading to the Las Vegas, Nevada, area April 18-20 for its annual trip. The trip will feature a variety of hikes for all hiking levels from D to B. Located about 400 miles from SaddleBrooke, Las Vegas has four principal hiking areas – Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead and Mt. Charleston.
Red Rock Canyon (see picture) is the most popular hiking area in Las Vegas. Red Rock is a national recreation area that resembles the terrain of Moab, Utah. With pristine canyons and terraced red rock formations and a variety of established trails, Red Rock is extremely popular and gets over a million visitors a year.
Valley of Fire is an hour east of Las Vegas and is Nevada’s first state park. Valley of Fire has petroglyphs, arches, white domes and spectacular scenery like a mini Arches National Park. A new hike called Firewave is now the most popular hike in the park. Valley of Fire has been featured in many westerns and TV shows.
Mt. Charleston is located about 30 miles north of Las Vegas and has seasonal waterfalls, canyons and a bristlecone forest of 3000 year old trees. Mt. Charleston hikes will be at 8000 to 9000 feet in elevation. According to the park ranger, April is the ideal time to see the waterfalls.
Lake Mead hiking will have overlooks of Lake Mead and a hike on the Railroad Tunnel Trail that was used in constructing Hoover Dam. Another hike goes to a hot springs through a narrow canyon. A tour of Hoover Dam will be scheduled right after those hikes.
The weather should be ideal as Mt. Charleston will probably be in the high 50s and Red Rock Canyon in the low 80s. And Las Vegas offers a variety of lodging options.
The 12 hiking guides and trips from Zero Expedition that are currently in the preparation stage for a great hiking schedule. The annual trip is open to Saddlebrooke Hiking Club members. If you are not a member you can join the Saddlebrooke Hiking Club now before the hikes fill up. If you want to participate in the annual trip call Dave Sorenson at 777-1994 or drop him an e-mail at [email protected].
Volunteers at the October 28 Arizona Trail maintenance event on the Oracle Passage are back row Fred Norris, Don Grafmiller, Roddy, Wilder, Jim Barrett, Randy Parks, Ray Peale and Shawn Redfield; front row Paul Molgat, Glenda Molgat, Don Taylor, Marilynn Smith, Harriet Pearson and Mary Croft. (Photo by Elisabeth Wheeler).
SaddleBrooke Hiking Club volunteers work on the Arizona National Scenic Trail and tour the American Flag Ranch House November 18.
Pictured back row: Sandra Sowell and Jackie Hall; middle row: Fred Norris, Ray Peale, Roddy Wilder, Frank Earnest, Paul Molgat, Glenda Molgat, Garrett Ressing and Kevin Arbrost (Oracle Historical Society); front row: Elisabeth Wheeler, Linda Green, Marilynn Smith, Mary Croft, Kathy Gish, Claudia Enea and Mike Wolters.
SaddleBrooke Hiking Club members enjoy the view from the “Cow Pies” on the Munds Wagon hike in Sedona; 30 hikers participated in two days of hikes in Sedona on October 26 and 27.