Add to that a roaring campfire to warm up by and to gaze into (no tires please), a guitar strumming, a good songbook with all of your favorite songs, a fine wine or stout beer to quench your thirst and what more could you ask for?
Friends you say? Camaraderie? Absolutely! Desert peakbaggers are a much more social and friendly lot than other climbers. Out of this dry desert has grown many a long lasting relationship.
The desert has a way of growing on you. One may have only come to climb at first but now it has you hooked. Even if you've never really thought about it - I'm sure that upon close examination of your reasons for climbing in the desert you will find that you come to the desert because of the way it makes you feel. It has a cleansing effect.. .a rejuvenating power. This is why we come... because of our love of the desert!
Welcome to Desert Peak Climbing season. We have much to look forward to in the next months. Don't forget about monthly meetings. We have a great lineup of programs this year. Hope to see you all at the October meeting!
Since becoming the Conservation Chair for the DPS, I have attended the two Conservation Committee meetings. The Issues so far have been mostly local, location of landfills (dumps), establishment or protection of some natural area as a park, and also seashore and wetlands protection. The Desert Protection Act at this point is dormant. We should continue to prod Sen. Wilson to support it, by writing letters to him.
There are however, several concerns that we should be writing to our representatives and urging their support:
A. Spotted Owl and Clearcutting of Ancient Forests. - President Bush and other Administration Officials are trying to change the endangered species act and other environmental laws, making them considerably less effective, and more to the whims of various politicians. Please write Mr. Bush and your elected representatives asking them not to weaken our environmental laws, and do endangered species and our natural resources.
B. Barstow-Las Vegas Motorcycle Race - Once again BLM will have to consider approval/disapproval of the above named race because of a court order initiated by the motorcycle association. Please write to: BLM, Needles Resource Area, P.O. Box 888, Needles, CA 92363, asking them to disapprove it. This race not only destroys the immediate area, but effectively damages or destroys 3-4 times the use area, and of course kills many animals. It is said that after the race one has found very few dead animals, but they fail to note that many more animals are killed in their burrows.