January 2015 - Explorers Club of Pittsburgh

JANUARY GENERAL MEETING
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
Thursday, January 8th – 7:30PM
General Mtg Schedule & Agenda
at The Union Project
801 North Negley Avenue.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Some reminders:


Guests are always welcome
Please arrive early to briefly socialize
so meeting can start promptly at 7:30.
 Bring any loaned library materials or
gear for return.
Upcoming General Mtg. Presentations:


January -Februar --,
AGENDA-January 8
General Meeting
th
BOG Mtg Schedule & Agenda
CONTACT INFORMATION
Officers & Appointees
Activity Coordinators
CLUB BUSINESS
December General Mtg Minutes
December BOG Mtg Minutes
Proposed Statement Change
Reminder: Renew Membership
Activities Calendar
Annual Tasks Schedule
Backpacking School Final Report
Flag Membership Nominations
Muir Valley Funding Report
ALUMNI NOTES
TRIP REPORTS
Mountaineering Schl Report
Dolly Sods Outing
Mountain Medicine
Membership/Renewal Form
Officer Reports
Appointee & Committee Reports
Old & New Business
(Presentation of BOG Actions &
Recommendations)
Post-meeting Presentation – Derek Stuart
will demonstrate care and use of Club Gear Items
1
p1
p2
p2
p3
p4
p 5-6
p7
p7
p8
p 8-9
p 10
p 11
p 12
p 13-14
p 15
p 16
p 17
p 18
NEXT BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING
Thursday, February 19th, 2014 – Gather at 7pm Meeting starts promptly at 7:15
AT:
All ECP Members are welcome to attend and participate in the discussions. We do request that attendees notify
the host/hostess or VP Ron Edwards of their intention to attend. Over the past several years it has become
traditional for attendees to bring snacks, beverages, or covered dishes to be shared pot-luck style
PRELIMINARY AGENDA:
Officer and Appointee Reports
Mountaineering School & Backpacking School Reports
Consideration/Nomination of candidates for Flag Membership.
(Two members have suggested nominees. They may be presenting the reasons for nominating
candidates of their choice )
OFFICERS - 2015
President -- Jeff Maurin
[email protected]
Vice-President – Ron Edwards
[email protected]
Secretary – Dave Martin
[email protected]
Treasurer – Chris Ciesa
[email protected]
Activities Chair – Leslie Horton
[email protected]
Equipment Chair – Derek Stuart
[email protected] 412-956-2123
APPOINTEES
The ECP Appointees are persons appointed by the
president to fill key positions in the club. – In addition
there are appointed Activity Coordinators and
Special Committees
Environmental – Ginette Vinski
[email protected] 412-366-4925
Historian – Phil Sidel
[email protected] 412-521-9570
Librarian – Phil Breidenbach
[email protected] 412-486-1450
Assisted by Bill Baxter
[email protected] 412-926-8261
Membership – Jessica Goelz
Editor – Philip Sidel
[email protected] 412-521-9570
[email protected]
724-944-2209
Webmaster – Tom George
[email protected],
SCHOOL CHAIRPERSONS
Mtneering School 2014-15 – Chris Ciesa
Rock School 2015 – Matt Janick
Backpacking School 2014 – Jamie Billings
2
412-831-4711
ACTIVITY COORDINATORS
Activity
Contact
Email
Backpacking
Biking – Road
Caving
Fly Fishing
Ice Climbing
In-Line Skating
Mountaineering
Paddling – Flat Water
Paddling – White Water
Rock Climbing
Rowing
Ultra and Trail Running*
Sailing
Bethany Melvin *
Bill Brose*
Doug Fulton & Teralyn Iscrupe
Bruce Cox
Tom Prigg
Robin Kamin
Sam Taggart
Tony & Ginette Vinski*
Barry Adams
Ron Edwards
Bob Dezort
Brian Ottinger
Bill Baxter
Jeff Baxter
Barry Smyda*
Kevin Chartier*
Kristin Pytlak*
Allison Pochapin
Elise Nolan
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
SCUBA
Skiing – Downhill
Skiing – Cross-Country
Yoga
[email protected]
[email protected], [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
* New in 2014
We still have eight Activities for which we are seeking coordinators:
Adventure Racing
Triathlon Training
Biking – Mountain
Orienteering
A Rafting
Geocaching
Sea Kayaking
Skydiving
What does an Activity Coordinator do?
General advocacy and point of contact for the activity by helping current, new, or prospective members
get connected with others in the club also interested in the activity and any events planned for it.
Some specific duties/expectations of the Activities Coordinators have been set forth as club policies – so
coordinators will have a clear idea of what is expected of them. (see Minutes of the March 13 th meeting,
below). Those duties can be found in Section 1.5 of the ECP's formal policy statements which are posted on
the club website.
If you are a member interested in an activity, you should contact the coordinator for that
activity and let him/her know of your interest. You can work with the coordinator to keep
informed about trips and events involving that activity and to help in organizing and promoting
events around that activity.
3
MINUTES - ECP GENERAL MEETING – Dec 11th, 2014
At: The Union Project - 801 N. Negley Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15206
Attendance was 28 members, 1 guest
President – Jeff Maurin – Call to Order 7:41 PM
OFFICER REPORTS
Vice President – Ron Edwards Edwards – Meeting presentations for January and February are scheduled.
Anyone who wants to provide a presentation for upcoming meetings contact Ron Edwards at
[email protected].
Treasurer – Chris Ciesa – The 2015 budget has been finalized and submitted for membership approval
Equipment Chairperson – Derek Stuart –
Editor – Phil Sidel – No report
Activities Chairperson – Greg Buzulencia – No report
APPOINTEE REPORTS
Environmental Chair – Ginette Vinski announced an event
Particle Falls Lecture and Reception, Saturday, December 13, 4:00 pm. Fourth Floor, Trust Arts Education
Center, 805-807 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15222.
Membership Coordinator - Martha Gray – Announced that she will be resigning as the coordinator
Webmaster -- Tina Castilla will help with eliminating the spam that is posted on the events calender.
OLD BUSINESS
The proposed rewording of Policy Statement 5.3 was passed by the membership.
NEW BUSINESS
Audit Report – Chris Ciesa described the results of the audit committee as published in the December
newsletter.
ECP 2015 budget was passed by the membership.
Election – The Following Officers were elected:
President: Jeff Maurin
Vice President: Ron Edwards
Treasurer: Chris Ciesa
Secretary: Dave martin
Editor: Phil Sidel
Equipment Chair: Derek Stuart
Activity Chair: Leslie Horton
Meeting Adjourned at 823 PM
Felix Duvallet gave a slide show on rock climbing in Morocco.
-- Dave Martin, Secretary
4
MINUTES - ECP BOG MEETING – Dec. 18th, 2014
Role Call / Quorum
Date/Time: December 18th / 1930 Hours
Location: Ron Edwards' House – 107 Grayfriar Drive, Pgh PA 15215
Attendees:
President- Jeff Maurin (skype)
Vice President – Ron Edwards
Editor – Phil Sidel
Secretary – Dave Martin
Activity Chair (2014)- Greg Buzulencia
Equipment Chair – Derek Stuart
Treasurer - Chris Ciesa
Officer Reports
VP- Ron Edwards- Meeting presentations/slide shows have been scheduled through February 2015.
Going to book the pavilions for all of the outdoor meetings at one time. Recommended that one of
the meetings would be an ECP sponsored potluck food event. The BOG concurred.
Secretary - Dave Martin - No report
Treasurer- Chris Ciesa – Presented a list of Organizations to which the ECP might make Donations
for 2015:
after discussion, the following list was chosen.
SWPACC
Friends of Seneca
Cooper's Rock Foundation
Rachel Carson Trail Council
WV Highlands Conservancy
Western PA Conservancy
New River Alliance of Climbers
Editor – Phil Sidel – Looking to getting access to the web calendar of events to delete spam.
Activity Chair- Greg Buzulencia – No Report
Equipment Chair –Derek Stuart
 Paul Toth donated a bivy sack to the club
 . Requested that the Club purchase 2 pairs of snow shoes and 3 bivy sacks for approximately
$800 from money allocated for purchases from the 2014 equipment fund expenditures.
The BOG concurred.
Membership Coordinator –Jess Goelz was suggested as a replacement for Martha. Jeff Maurin
(President) will inquire with Jess about her interest in the position.
5
Old Business


The replenishment of ECP flags will be completed by Jeff Maurin
Flag Member Nominees – Ron Edwards will ask the membership of any nominees
Scheduled Business (Annual Tasks)





Backpacking Final Report – Submitted by Jamie billings December 7th Will be forwarded to BOG Members for review/acceptance at next meeting.
Confirm Activity Coordinators/appointees – January 2015
Produce a list of end of year members for 2014
Publish the membership directory (Feb. 2015 unless evailable at all times)
– 2014 Directory was published in October
Audit Committee – Completed November 2014
New Business


Mike Brown Expedition Fund – The procedure for awarding of funds to recipients needs to be
better clarified within the policy. Dave Martin and Greg Buzulencia volunteered to review the
policy and create a draft of changes for the BOG to review.
Chris Ciesa suggested scheduling a fund raiser to increase the amount within the MB Fund.
Greg Buzulencia volunteered, as a recipient, to lead the fund raising committee.
Adjourned 9:15
Next Meeting Date and Location: ???
-- Dave Martin, Secretary
6
PROPOSED REWORDING OF POLICY STATEMENT 5.3
My recollection is: This change was tabled at a previous meeting, so the BOG could review and
clarify the wording and intent of the changes – and it was accepted at the December BOG Meeting.
Secretary's record shows that this was PASSED at the December General Meeting. – On the other
hand, The November General Mtg.Minutes indicate: " The constitutional amendment which deleted
text (Article 6 §4) that referred to a paragraph that does not currently exist was reviewed by the
membership. It will be voted on at the December meeting." – December General Meeting Minutes do
not show that Amendment of Article 6§4 was brought up at the December meeting.Phil Sidel, Editor
5.3 Special Funds:
In addition to the general fund and equipment fund, the accounting records and budget of the club shall
recognize the following:

Contingency Fund …[no changes have been proposed for the wording on this fund, but it is noted that
no monies have been allocated to a contingency fund for years,]

George Bogel Memorial Fund, A fund shall be maintained and used for the funding of conservation
related activities of interest to the club. When the balance in the George Bogel Fund is less than
$3000, three dollars 15%from each individual membership dues and $4.00 15% from each family
membership dues shall be allocated to the George Bogel Memorial Fund.

Equipment Fund. A fund shall be established and maintained for the purchase, storage, and
maintenance of equipment for club activities. Revenue for this fund shall be provided on a per-student
basis from club schools and surplus school revenues (as outlined in section 2.2), and from equipment
rentals, and, when Bogel Fund Balance is greater than $3000, three dollars 15% from each individual
membership dues and $4.00 15% from each family membership dues shall be allocated to the Equipment
Fund.

Mike Brown Memorial Expedition Grants Fund. A fund shall be established for grants in support of
worthy club expeditions. Procedures and committees will be set to review applications for these grants and
determine their worthiness and the amounts of the grants to be made. Funds for these grants will be
obtained by allocation of $2.00 10% from each individual membership dues and $2.00 10% from each
family membership dues as well as from school revenues (as outlined in section 2.2) and from donations
and special fund-raising programs.
REMINDER: TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
Attention all active and past members: If you have not already renewed, be sure to renew
your membership for 2015. It is easy to renew on-line using PayPal/CreditCard. The procedure
starts by ctrl-clicking on the following link:
http://www.pittecp.org/content/renewing-members-0
For those who wish to avoid the small charge ($1.50) for renewing on-line, you can print out the
application and waiver form found at the end of this newsletter (or on the pittecp website), and, after
filling it out, mail or deliver it with the dues ($20 or $25 for "Family" membership) to 2014 Membership
Coordinator Martha Gray (7636 Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15218) or deliver it at a General
Meeting.
NOTE: Starting with 2015, members may renew
5 year membership at x4 the current annual cost
10 year membership at x7 the current annual cost
7
ECP CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
Note: The Activities descriptions presented below have been radically abbreviated. Check the Activities List on ECP
Website (www.old.pittecp.org, or email the contact person for more details. There are also some notes on some
upcoming events later in this newsletter.
Date / When
Contact / Info Source & Sponsoring
Organization
Activity / Description
JANUARY 2015
Jan 23-25
Cross-country Ski Weekend at Wilderness
Lodge, -- Sign up Early because these ski weekends
fill up fast.
Contact: Joyce Appel
[email protected]
724-526-5407
Sponsor: Butler Outdoors Club
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2015
Feb 27 - Mar 2
Cross-country Ski Weekend – Allegheny State
Park: Reason for extra evening Sunday is so we don't
have to be out of the cabins by 11 AM on Sunday.
(Therefore, you have the option to go home anytime
Sunday or stay over, be out of cabins by 11 AM Monday.
You could still ski longer if you wish.)
Contact: Joyce Appel
[email protected]
724-526-5407
Sponsor: Butler Outdoors Club
Contact: WPOC
Sunday - Mar 22 Raccoongaine – Orienteering/Scavenger Hunt
At: Raccoon Creek State Park
Sign In 8a.m.
Individuals or teams have a fixed time (3 or 6 hours in
Start 10 a.m.
Sponsor: Western Pa. Orienteering
this event) to visit as many checkpoints as possible;
Club
walking, running and resting as they see fit.
For information (Fees, registration, etc,.) go to:
http://www.wpoc.org/raccoongaine2015.htm
Annual Tasks Schedule
A useful tool in club administration has been a month-by-month schedule of tasks to
be accomplished by ECP Officers and Appointees. Over the years, as conditions and
policies have changed, this schedule has been modified, but it remains a good guide to
ensure that necessary actions (appointments, announcements, and other actions) are
performed on time, and each officer and appointee knows his/her responsibilities.
VP Ron Edwards (Chairman of the BOG) has been especially active in assuring that
the task schedule is kept up-to-date and followed (especially important as the BOG
now meets bi-monthly rather than monthly as was necessary in the pre-computer era).
The Current Tasks Schedule is shown on the page below.
8
Month
Task
Responsible Party
January
Annual audit (with past year's Treasurer)
Audit Committee
Name/Confirm Activities Coordinators
Activities Chair
Name/Confirm Appointees (advertising, environment, historian, President
librarian, membership, web)
February
Name Annual Party/Roast committee
VP
Drop unpaid members (inactivate in Member DB, etc.)
Membership Coord
Distribute Membership Directory to all members
Membership Coord
(unless available at all times)
Decide & arrange for locations for summer meetings
and August cookout (or appoint people to handle it)
VP/Pres
IMPORTANT: Book them all on "Permit Day," at the Citparks
office on the 3rd or 4th Saturday in March. Suspend indoor
meeting place reservations.
March
April
Name Backpacking School Chair/Committee [policy]
President
Inventory equipment, set and publish rental rates
Equipment Chair
Name Mountain School Chair/Committee [policy]
President
Publish Flag & Life Member Qualifications (and invite/call
Editor
for nominations)
May
Propose list of environmental contributions
Environmental Coord
June
Final Mountaineering School report to BOG
Mountain School Chair
Name Budget Committee [policy]
President
Final Rock School report to BOG
Rock School Chair
Inventory Equipment
Equipment Chair
Name Nominating Committee
President
Submit Proposed Budget to BOG
Budget Committee
Publish reminder of membership renewal in newsletter
Editor
Name Rock Climbing School Chair/Committee
[policy]
Publish proposed budget
President
Submit proposed budget to membership
BOG
Final school report to BOG
Produce List of Members – place in club archives
Backpacking School Chair
Editor
July
October
November
December
Editor
-
(incl. offices held & other bio information)
Publish BOG Candidates Statements
Editor
Name Audit committee [policy]
President
9
BACKPACKING SCHOOL – FINAL REPORT
The Backpacking School Committee has submitted (posted to the BOG group-site) a final report for 2014.
Here is a summary of some main points of this 11 page document:
Committee: Jamie Billings (Chairman/Gear) and Co-Directors Mark Wolf, Jessica Goeltz, and Bethany Melvin.
Instructors: Bill Baxter, Leslie Horton, Paul Toth, Lauren Kester, Shane Shin, Tina Castillo
Students: (** - Indicates Completed courses and outings)
Fritz Wicker
Nicole Nesbitt
Kathy Leonard
Ruta Desai**
Eric Morgan**
Dale
Pallavi Baljekar**
Kyle Williamson
Justin Fender**
Tara Goe
Kirkpatrick**
Mollie Walter**
William
Nonnie Toth**
Ronald Hatt
Lara Alexandra
Gina Mahood
Whitaker**
Jerry Goodrick**
Alok Sharma
Hein**
Cindy Blair
Arun Srivatsan**
Lisa Goodrick**
COURSE SYLLABUS
Intro Party (August 27th)
Week 1: Clothing and Gear.
Week 2: Travel
Week 3: Trip Planning
Week 4: Trip Planning/First Aid
Outing at Quebec Run
Outing on Laurel Highlands Trail
Grad Trip – Student choice
2 day trip Black Moshannon State Park/AFT
3 day trip Shenandoah National Forest
FINANCES
Description
21 students x $40.00=
Equipment Fund contribution ($5 x 21)
Mike Brown Grant Fund contribution ($5 x 23)
Laurel Highlands Shelters
TOTAL
$840.00-$305.00=$535.00
Amount
Payee
Expenses
840.00
Ohiopyle State park
This was followed by a lengthy list of
Notes and Recommendations to Future Committee
Including recommendations in such areas as
Development of manuals, especially a manual for Committee/Directors,
Ensuring ECP active membership of both students and instructors
Optimizing student applications and selection
(the effectiveness of using Paypal for collecting student fees was noted)
Enhancing the Google Group to encourage post-school activities
Selection of outing locations/routes
Finding a standard way to share photos
10
$105
$105
$100
$305
Call For Flag Membership Nominations
As Vice President Ron Edwards indicated in a recent posting to our active members, the BOG is
now ready to consider nominations of worthy members for the honor of Flag Membership.
In our Constitution (http://www.pittecp.org/content/constitution), Article 3 you'll find the specifics
on Flag Members:
To warrant the second highest honor the club can bestow, the person under
consideration for Flag Membership must have made significant contributions towards
achieving the club's goals of research, education, and adventure. Flag membership is
a lifetime honor and may be extended to members who have been active for a
minimum of five years, approved by the BOG and ratified by a majority of the active
members present at the next club meeting. There shall be no more than two voting
Flag Members at any time. Flag members shall retain a vote on the BOG for twelve
months following their ratification by the membership. Each Flag Member shall
receive a flag, bearing his or her number, at the club's expense. Any member can
present to the BOG candidates for Flag Membership. The nomination shall include a
written description of the candidate's qualifications and worthiness for this high honor.
If ratified, the candidates qualifications shall be published in the EXPLORER.
We note that it is now more than a year since we last awarded Flag Membership, so the
Constitutional restriction that:" There shall be no more than two voting Flag Members at
any time." does not now preclude the awarding of Flag Membership to one or two qualified
nominees. Vice President Edwards notes, quite correctly, that by no means does this mean that
we should rush to make/approve nominations just because there is an opening. Flag
Membership is a serious honor, and the award must be carefully considered and only given to
most highly qualified members. Because the qualifications specified in the constitution are
somewhat vague, it is often difficult to identify, from all the worthy members, who is the most
qualified. It is therefore important that the person making the nomination present and illustrate
to the BOG " the candidate's qualifications and worthiness for this high honor." (in
writing as required by the constitution and preferably with a direct personal presentation).
The BOG has heard of two planned nominations and has noted that there are even more worthy
potential nominees among the membership, but the BOG still awaits any formal complete
nominations with the written presentation of nominees' qualifications,
11
Friends of Muir Valley Achieves its Fundraising Goal
At the end of 2014 – EPC members had donated $725 to the Friends of Muir
Valley Fundraising Drive and the EPC matched that donation with a check
for that same amount. Happily, we received the following announcement
from Friends of Muir Valley http://friendsofmuirvalley.org/ :
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE FRIENDS OF MUIR VALLEY IS ELATED TO
ANNOUNCE THAT THE 2014 $200,000 FUNDRAISING GOAL HAS BEEN ACHIEVED! AS A
RESULT, FOMV WILL BECOME THE NEW OWNER OF MUIR VALLEY.
Early in 2014, Muir Valley founders and owners, Rick and Liz Weber, issued a challenge:
that if FOMV could demonstrate the commitment and ability to fund future operation and
maintenance of Muir by raising $200,000 in 2014 they would make a permanent gift of
Muir Valley to Friends of Muir Valley.
Over the past 11 years, the Webers spent more than $1 million of their own funds and
years of work to purchase the land, develop it into the treasure it is today, and manage
its operation. Their goal was to ensure that Muir Valley would continue to exist and to be
available as a climbing resource beyond their lifetimes.
This $200,000 goal was to include all donations made directly to Muir Valley in 2014, as
well as all donations and grants to Friends of Muir Valley. This challenge was met with an
incredible response from YOU, the climbing community. In a short period of 9 months,
the masses of climbers who frequent and cherish Muir Valley have, through their own
generosity, blown way past the goal! A noteworthy aspect of this success is that the
majority of the funds raised (more than 85%) were from hundreds of individual donors.
At the end of March 2015, the Webers will transfer the deed for Muir Valley to Friends of
Muir Valley. From that point forward, FOMV will be responsible for owning, operating,
and maintaining Muir Valley. We fully accept the fact that ownership comes with great
responsibilities.
To you—the many thousands of climbers who have loved and wholeheartedly supported
Muir Valley through the years, we cannot thank you enough. You have demonstrated how
much this place means to you and have spoken, not just with words, but also with your
donations of money and effort in making this dream come true.
12
ALUMNI NOTES
OBITUARY
Carol Hammer
March 24, 1929 - December 20, 2014
Carol M. Hammer, age 85 of Oakmont, on December 20, 2014.
Beloved life companion of David Hornig. Former wife of the late
Sigmund L. Hammer. Mother of Leif E. Hammer of Arnold,
Kirsten Hammer Aguirre (Dana F. Asherman) of Baden, Nils K.
Hammer of Squirrel Hill, Anders K. (Carol) Hammer of
Monroeville, Sigrid M. Wolf of Moreno Valley, CA and the late
Rolf J. Hammer. Sister of James K. King. Grandmother of
Kirsten J. Aguirre, Emily Gilligan, Leonard Santos, greatgrandmother of Ava Maxine Mucino and Alexandra Mucino.
Carol was a world traveler and a long-time member of the Explorers Club. She taught
English to foreign students and volunteered at the Carnegie Museum. She was an avid folk
dancer. She loved animals and loved spending time with her cats.
David Hornig writes:
"Carol had been a member of the ECP for over 35 years. The club was always a source of
pride, inspiration, and friendship to her. Carol's fondest memory was the mountaineering
school that she attended around 1978, followed by a stint as base camp guard in Peru. She
also loved the club's scuba trip to Chinchorro Reef, and the Peterborough ice flow races."
Bob Goetchkes
(Now living in Omaha Nebraska, teaching
at Brownell-Talbot Secondary School)
Announces that his son Robert (Keoni)
has been appointed as a cadet to the
Coast Guard Academy. A new member
of their household is Ethan, an
international exchange student from
Shanghai.
13
Salim Kayhan
(Teaching Electrical Engineering at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey)
Writes:
I did not fly [paraglide – in the past decade or so, paragliding has become one of Salim's favorite
activities] in 2014, I went to a local hill once but the wind conditions were not good so I came
back without flying. I was not able to go again. I went to Ölüdeniz on the coast for a week, but
did not fly there either.
I went to Aladağlar I a major range in Southern-Eastern Turkey, aka The Anti-Taurus Mountains]
twice. In May, we had a couple day trip, one day we hiked up to a 2400m alpine meadow, where
we were lucky to see a few ibexes.
In late July, we wanted to camp at the end of a valley (Emli) and climb a peak there, but halfway
through the valley the rain started. We pitched the tent, after the rain stopped we had to decide
stay there that night. There used to be a water source nearby but the water was brought down
using pipes by the villagers (who used to bring their sheep there for the summer). This year the
national park administration did not allow the villagers to move there for the summer. So the
water was somewhere under the rocks (in Aladağlar, water appears at one point and disappears
a few meters down - limestone) we did not remember the exact location. We could not find the
water. The next day we were not sure if we would be able to find water at the higher
campground either, so we decided to return to the village.
In late August we had a one week trip
to the eastern Blacksea region, we
stayed at 2300m in Karçal mountains
and had day trips around. We ate
plenty of blueberries, raspberries and
able to find a few wild strawberries.
We had planned the summit for the
last day but it was rainy that day, we
cancelled the summit trip.
We went to the northern forests
couple times in the summer for
camping.
Finally, in early October there was a
national holiday, we went to Rhodes
island for 3 days, weather was nice ,
we were even able to swim.
That sums up the interesting parts of
2014.
I wish you all a happy holiday season and a new year.
14
MOUNTAINEERING SCHOOL
Update from the Directors – 12/18/2014
The focus of this week was on Mountain Medicine. Dr. Bob Coblenz kicked us off with an
engaging presentation on Tuesday discussing the various first aid scenarios that can
happen in the mountains and how to respond.
On Saturday we headed to North Park where Kevin Chartier did a great job of organizing
scenarios for the students to practice their first aid skills. Thanks to Bill Baxter, Brian
Dunlavey, Brian Ottinger, Erika Erica Karapandi, and Ginette Walker Vinski for acting
out hypothermia, broken bones, and head injuries, and bee stings. Paul Toth also joined us
at North Park and played a convincing fallen climber. Thanks Paul!
The presentation and scenarios were a good refresher for all of us.
This coming Saturday will be an off-week hike along the Rachel Carson Trail led by
Derek. Later in the evening will be our annual Christmas Party hosted by Bobby Mullin.
Party starts at 8pm at 4510 Minerva St in Bloomfield. Don't forget your present for the
reused gift exchange!
15
TRIP REPORT
Mountaineering School – Dolly Sods Outing
by Robert Mullin
On the night of Friday, November 21st, teams departed the Pittsburgh area to meet at the
Red Creek Campground in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Elkins, WV. Students and
instructors arrived to discover blazing stars above with the Milky Way streaking across the open
sky. The objective of this outing was to practice land navigation by compass and topographic
maps, using the skills we practiced in class earlier that week. Our leader, Mr. Shane Shin had
provided students with the UTM coordinates of 5 locations that he had identified months before.
Shane marked the locations in the field before students arrived Friday night, leaving a sweet
treat at each location.
After sleeping through a frigid night in the low teens (oF) teams woke up between 6 -7 am to
prepare for a long day of orienteering, but more importantly, some intense bushwhacking. Once
camp was broken down, breakfast prepared, and bags repacked, the teams departed on a
staggered start schedule.
The day was enjoyed by all, as students navigated their way across the forests, fields, bogs and
streams of the Dolly Sods Wilderness, setting bearings from one checkpoint to the next. Groups
crossed paths with one another throughout the day as checkpoint after checkpoint was located.
Each location was marked by blaze orange tape and a bag of Halloween candy for each team
member. Instructors quizzed students along the way, asking open ended questions like, "so
where do you think we are?" Or what do you think the best way would be to get from here to
there?" The goal was to force students to discuss their strategies, evaluate ideas and make a
plan in order to move closer to the final objective. Students were not allowed to use trails, only
employing them in order to locate one’s location or use as a handrail or a landmark. The
weather warmed up through the day, providing a great day to be out hiking.
Before leaving camp Saturday morning instructors were provided with the coordinates for camp
for the night,but given strict instructions to not reveal them until towards the end of the day.
Upon reaching the fourth of five coordinate locations, instructors revealed the location of camp
for the night. For many teams, this mean traversing southwest across the wilderness in order to
reach camp, as the final coordinate locations were located in the northern sections of the
wilderness area. All but two teams made it to camp before sunset. Once at camp, the students
and instructors set up tents and prepared their dinners. . The students and instructors
chatted about gear and ate dinner before relaxing and socializing around the
campfire. The temperature stayed hovered near freezing throughout the night, offering a
welcome reprieve from the frigid temperatures the night before.
The next morning, students tore down camp and were on the trail by 8 am. The campsite
location left a brisk 2.5 mile hike along the Blackbird Knob Trail to the Red Creek Campground.
Everyone made it back to the parking lot by 11:30, affording plenty of time to enjoy a refreshing
celebration beer before heading back home
- Bobby Mullin
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TRIP REPORT
Mountaineering School - Mountain Medicine
By Bethany Melvin
On December 13, 2014 students in the mountaineering school gathered at North Park to do
some practical training in wilderness first aid. The day kicked off with a 3.5 mile hike leaving off from
the boathouse parking lot. Students took turns leading the hike which began with a wrong turn onto
what we assumed to be the trail on our mapped route, but which turned out to be a dead end and not a
trail at all—a familiar start for a hike. When the “trail” became a dead end, the students decided to
return to their last point of known reference and look for the trail once again. Upon return, the
trailhead was easily spotted and we were all reminded how easy it is to assume that because you see a
trail, it must be the trail you are seeking. Fortunately, this was a short detour and the rest of the hike
went according to plan. Our destination was the Old Firehouse where we gathered inside for mountain
medicine instruction.
Kevin Chartier led the discussion, sharing his expertise and experience treating mountain injuries
as a ski patroller, to reinforce the information we learned in class earlier in the week from Dr. Bob.
Students were given information on how to handle wilderness first aid emergencies from sizing up the
scene to addressing immediate threats, gathering patient history, monitoring vital signs, checking for
secondary injuries, stabilizing the spine, and making a decision or plan to evacuate. After the verbal
instruction and discussions, students broke into groups of three to practice mock scenarios.
Students were confronted with problems such as severe hypothermia, injuries resulting from
falls while climbing, severe allergic reactions, and serious complications resulting from poor nutrition
and hydration. Each student had the opportunity to be the first aid leader and take charge of the
situation as he or she might if it occurred in reality. The old adage, “practice makes perfect,” rings true
here; in most cases, the more we practiced, the more natural and rapid our actions became. It also
became apparent that reviewing the Seven Steps in Accident Response and taking Wilderness First Aid
training regularly to hone these skills and keep them sharp is a must.
A short discussion followed the practicum to answer questions and gain valuable feedback on
what we could do to improve upon our initial reactions. Several instructors offered their knowledge and
personal experience, in addition to their acting skills. On behalf of the students, I would like to thank Dr.
Bob Coblenz, Kevin Chartier, Greg Buzulencia, Shane Shin, Martha Gray, Bill Baxter, Brian Ottinger, Erika
Karapandi, Ginette Walker Vinski, and Paul Toth for all of their help on this important subject.
As a final act of mountaineering preparation, students were again divided into small groups and
told to make their own route back to the vehicles using anything but roads. This made for a speedy
return with the standard anticipation that accompanies the end of a hike—booze, food, and fellowship.
-- Bethany Melvin
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