CHAIRMAN'S CORNER John Robinson
December is probably a poor month to mail out a Newsletter, with the Christmas season resulting in overworked postmen, overstaffed post offices and overstuffed post boxes-- However, with a two month accumulation of trip reports, news items, and miscellaneous bits and bites of information (including a recipe for home-made beef jerky), your chairman decided to risk the postman's wrath anyway.
Instead of a long dissertation on one subject, this month's column will attempt to cover several topics of interest to you all. So, here goes...
The question of peak qualifications in general and Pinacate Peak in particular continues to interest Desert Peakers. A Lengthy discussion of this subject at the October 18th meeting resulted in the consensus that the section remain flexible on peak qualifications, allowing each proposed addition to stand on its own merits rather than being required to hew to a fixed set of standards. The fate of Pinacate should be settled at the next meeting (Feb. 14). In accordance with our by-Laws, a motion to remove it was made at the October Meeting, with a vote to follow at the next consecutive meeting.
Speaking of by-Laws, I plan to introduce an amendment in February to change our election procedure. Currently election of officers is held at our annual March meeting, requiring a majority of the members present at that meeting to elect. Our last election saw merely 10 of our 82 active members exercising their franchise. My proposal is to mail out the ballot to all active members after the nomination meeting, there-by allowing all of you the opportunity to exercise your franchise, whether or not you can attend the business meeting.
Trudie Hunt is again handling our annual banquet, planned for Wednesday, April 3rd, at the Black Watch Steak House in Temple City. The speaker will be Howard Gulick, author of the Baja California Guidebook. Mark this date on your calendar; It should be an interesting program.
Bob Greenawalt is again leading one of his superb bus trips, this time to the Grand Canyon over the four day Memorial Day weekend (May 30-June 2) Plans call for a north rim to south rim traverse, 25 miles of non-rush knapsacking. This "classic", one of life's great hikes, should be a sell-out soon after the next schedule appears in March. Since the bus holds but 39 persons, it's wise to get your $25 reservation in now. A check payable to Greenawalt will save a seat for you.
Vice-Chairman Walt Wheelock's Desert Peaks Guide (Part 1), covering the Mono, White, Inyo, Coso, and Argus Ranges, is still available. This interesting and informative booklet is a "must" for all active desert peakers. if you haven't obtained your copy yet, send one dollar to Walt Wheelock, La Siesta Press, Box 403, Glendale, California.