Cascadians News and Events

SPRING/SUMMER HIKE PLANNING MEETING
Maurine Peck will be hosting a Spring/Summer Hike Planning Meeting in her home (107 N. 22nd Ave., Yakima) on Friday, March 5. The meeting will start at 7:00PM and dessert will be served. Maurine reminds attendees to bring ideas.

Yakima Outdoors
The Cascadian Board has decided to provide time at the February general meeting to explain and review the use of the club-sponsored yakimaoutdoors website. Recent site updates, and the addition of a new database should provide a great opportunity for members to share their vast outdoor knowledge with the community. But members need to be encouraged and prompted to use it. Consider this meeting a prompt.
We have made a special effort in designing the website to keep the process of using it as simple and logical as possible. To encourage use of the site a practical demonstration will be presented, which should be helpful for many of our members who use their computers infrequently. We also want to reach out to the community, introducing the use of the website; so our February meeting will be open to the public. Ted Gamlem will bring his laptop to the meeting, and using the Meyer Auditorium internet connection and The Cascadian projector, provide a practical tour of the new website design.
We hope everyone will bring ideas and information to the meeting about outings they would like to see in the database, or topics they would like to have discussed or presented on the website Forum. Dealing with actual outing information will make the demonstration more realistic and practical. Please come and share your knowledge with the community using this exciting new medium.

APPLICATION DEADLINE CHANGES FOR ENCHANTMENT PERMIT

Due to an extreme increase in the number or permit applications for overnight camping in the Enchantment Lakes area of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, applications will now be accepted between February 1st and February 8th. This change moves the entire application process up 3 weeks earlier than in past years.
Hikers are required to have an overnight Wilderness permit from June 15 to October 1 for each of the area's five separate permit zones; the Core Enchantment, Snow Lake, Colchuck Lake, Stuart Lake, and Eightmile/Caroline areas. Those wishing to camp in the Core Enchantment Lakes area must specifically obtain a Core Enchantment Zone permit.
Please be sure to use this year’s (2010) application form and mail applications during this new period. Applications mailed too early (postmarked before February 1st) will be rejected. Applications received after February 8th will not be processed until after all on-time applications have been considered. Permits will continue to be $5 per person per day.
Wilderness permit applications for 2010 are available on-line. at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/passes/enchantments/ You may also call the Wenatchee River Ranger District’s Leavenworth office at (509) 548-2550 to request an application through the mail.

Gold Hill Redux
Clar is putting together another weekend at Gold Hill Cabin on Feb 27-28. See the outings section of this website for more information.

A Time for Renewal
In this newsletter you will find a membership renewal form and release of liability. Be sure to fill it out, sign, and send it in with your dues (or bring to monthly Cascadian meeting) before the end of the year. The cutoff date to be added to the membership roster will be January 31, 2010. Membership dues are $20 for individual and $25 for family.

Going Somewhere?
Virginia Nicholson would like to notify any and all Cascadians that if they will be away from Yakima for an extended period of time (such as a snow-bird) please notify the membership chairman so that the newsletters will
be saved for you. Contact Virginia Nicholson at 965-1913.

Ahtanum Recreation Plan
The BLM has been updating recreation planning in the several thousand acres of public land they manage just west of Yakima. Final Determination for the Ahtanum Recreation Plan, SEPA File No. 09-090901, can be accesses at:
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Topics/SEPANonProject/Pages/amp_sepa_nonpro_ahtanum_dec.aspx

Thanks Karen!
We'd like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Karen Stotsenberg for the countless hours she spent creating the 2008 Cascadian Annual! It's better than ever and a wonderful memoir of stories and photos from a great year. Outstanding job, Karen- Thank you! - Brenda Kelly and the Cascadians Boar.

WHAT IS BACKPACKGEARTEST.ORG?

BackpackGearTest.org is a site where backpackers evaluate new gear in the field over a four month testing period. We report to BackpackGearTest.org in a setting that encourages discussion.
For gear tests, manufacturers provide a set of gear to be evaluated by a broad range of testers. For other evaluations, we provide individual reports on our own gear with which we have had significant field experience. All of our reports are available to hikers seeking to make educated decisions about gear purchases and use, and to manufacturers and retailers seeking research and development feedback, market exposure, and recommendations from third party sources.
There are no fees, charges, or other costs to testers. At the end of the four month test period, the gear is yours to keep.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
Visit www.BackpackGearTest.org and click on “How to Become a Tester.”
We are actively looking for new members as we currently do not have enough testers to test all of the gear that manufacturers want to give us!
If you have questions or would like additional information you can contact David Wilkes at amatbrewer@yahoo.com or 509-930-7620.
- David Wilkes

New Yakima Area Outdoor Website
Yakima Outdoors is a new website devoted to outdoor recreation in the Yakima Valley. It is sponsored by a coalition made up of The Cascadians, The Mighty Tieton, and The Nature Conservancy. It can be accessed at http://www.yakimaoutdoors.org
It's a work-in-progress, but it already contains many valuable links to area outdoor information. With your help, we will add many more, and eventually have specific information on hiking, biking, and ski trails, and much more.
The website invites visitors, and I especially invite Cascadians, to contribute thoughts, articles, essays, poems, pictures, and new links. I hope you will all help make this the valuable resource that it has the potential to be. - Ted Gamlem

Gentle Reminder
As our club continues to grow, please remember that the member directory is a private list for club members to use for Cascadian communication. It should not be used for any solicitation or propaganda purposes, respecting the privacy of all our members. Thank you!

Wanted: Leader Liability Sheets
More outings than are listed in the Annual did take place in 2007, but the record sheets were not completed or got lost. Cascadians are urged to turn in those liability sheets so that at year end there is a printed record of outing destinations; which is very useful as years go by and new leaders search for places to go. (Besides, lawyers advise us that we should hang on to those liability sheets for several years – just in case.) ~ Clar Pratt

Trail and Campground Volunteers Sought
Sue Ranger, from the Naches Ranger District, has indicated a need for volunteer assistance with trail and campground maintenance at various times throughout the year. Participants usually meet at the District Station in Naches at 8 am and are back by 4 pm. Interested Cascadians contact Bill Munson @ 697-7128 or Munsonjb@charter .net. The District will contact munson regarding time/place and activity and he will notify interested members.

Winter Requires Extra Precautions in Backcountry
Skiing and snowshoeing are great ways to get out and enjoy the backcountry in winter, but the harsh weather and shorter days do require extra precautions. 1) Always make sure someone knows where you are going. This is true year-round, but especially so in winter. One unprepared night out could be the death of you. 2) Check the avalanche forecast before you leave. The Northwest Avalanche Center website is http://www.nwac.noaa.gov. 3) Avoid avalanche prone areas. Open slopes from 30 to 45 degrees are especially hazardous. 4) Always pack the 13 Essentials and know how to use them. It could be the difference between an uncomfortable night and a funeral casket. 5) Know how to use your map and compass. Winter weather can blot out tracks and recognizable landmarks in a matter of moments. GPS units are great, but cold temperatures can render the batteries useless. Best stick to the classics. 6) Dress correctly. Cotton has no place in the backcountry. Synthetic fleece is lightweight, warm, and won’t absorb much water. Wool has been under development for nearly 4 billion years and is hard to beat. Its warm even if its wet. 7) Make sure your flashlights have good batteries. In fact, bring along an extra set. Nights are long this time of year. 8) Extra clothing and food are part of the 13 Essentials, but you may want to beef these two essentials up in winter. A bit more calorie-rich food and heavier extra clothing are in order. 9) Have fun, but be prepared.

Keep in Touch with Cascadian Forum
Now you can keep in touch with your Cascadian friends, plan hikes, ask directions, seek out hiking destinations, or discuss outdoor topics by signing up as a member of the Cascadians Forum.
Here is how it works. Subscribers to Cascadians Forum send an email message to the forum which will automatically be sent to all other members of the forum. Anyone interested can respond. All subscribers will also get this response.
Its kind of like a conference call via email, and a heck of a lot easier and faster than phoning everyone in the club.
To sign up, simply send a blank email message to: cascadiansforum-subscribe@topica.com
To send a message to everyone on the list, send it to : cascadiansforum@topica.com
To read all the Cascadians Forum messages visit: http://www.topica.com/lists/cascadiansforum/read

Share the Snow, Not the Tracks
Eileen Ray writes to remind us about the importance of snow shoe wearers setting separate tracks from those made by cross country skiers. All of the snow parks in the Mt. Bachelor Oregon area have signs at the trail heads that read, "Share the Snow, Not the Tracks". These signs include photos of side by side snow shoe and XC ski tracks. Skiers expend a lot of energy setting tracks on the way into a destination so that they can kick & glide on the way out. Snow shoes destroy these carefully made tracks, leaving holes at uneven depths which make it difficult and sometimes dangerous for skiers to reuse the tracks. Eileen notes that this has only become a problem in the past few years, with the growing popularity of redesigned/user-friendly snow shoes among novice users.

Tips for Cold Weather Activities
* Drink 16 to 24 ounces of water more than one hour before outdoor exercise.
* Brink before you are thirsty. Studies suggest you are already 2% dehydrated before you feel thirsty.
* Drink 6 to 10 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes.
* Watch your urine. It should be no darker than a pale yellow.
* Alcohol dehydrates you. Donít drink it until you are safe back home or in the lodge, and then only after you are well rehydrated.
* Contrary to all those sports-drinks ads, water will rehydrate you just fine. Life got along fine on this planet for 3.5 billion years without    Gatorade. However, sports drinks are absorbed a tad bit faster, and contain carbohydrates and electrolytes lost during exercise.

Bulletin Board at Meetings
There is a bulletin board erected at our monthly meetings and on it will be posted the multitude of literature, newsletters, and various other mailings we receive from other clubs and agencies. These mailings are free for the taking. Please donít be shy. Take a look-see and grab whatever strikes your fancy.