Archive: 2003 PCS Meetings	This Year's Meetings

This interesting and informative presentation will focus on our trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro's Machame Route; often referred to as the "Whiskey Route" for its intoxicating views.  We will also discuss what it was like for us as "weekend warriors" to try to tackle something as difficult as Kilimanjaro.  We're also happy to show pictures and discuss our safari to the Serengeti.

February 2003

Program:	Aconcagua, the Stone Sentinel / Kilimanjaro, the Roof of Africa -- by Bob Gross
When:	Tuesday, February 11, 2003 (7:30 PM)
Where:	The Peninsula Conservation Center  [map]

Bob Gross will be presenting two short slide shows:

Aconcagua, the Stone Sentinel:  In 1996, Warren Storkman rounded up the usual suspects for a successful jaunt up the highest peak in the entire Western Hemisphere.  Although the peak is not technically difficult, the almost-23,000 foot altitude stressed the party to the max.

Kilimanjaro, the Roof of Africa:  In 2000, Bob trekked up a slightly unusual route, the Arrow Glacier-Western Breach.  Then it turned out to be a cakewalk to the 19,000 foot summit.

The california desert
Besides ski and snowshoe trips, winter is also the best time to explore the beautiful parks in the California desert. In this slideshow, I'll show some of my favorite photos of canyons, sand dunes, rock formations, and sunsets from Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego, and the Mojave National Preserve.

Winter Birdwatching in northern California
Winter also presents the opportunity to see the amazing variety of birds (as well as other wildlife) that migrate south for the winter.  In part 2,I'll show photos of creatures small and large (mostly birds and butterflies) from the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge,Elkhorn Slough, Morro Bay, Point Reyes, Crater Lake, and our own local Shoreline Park.  I'll also be happy to discuss the equipment/techniques for bird photography.

Hal will show slides of a semi-technical backpacking trip in the Escalante area of Utah.  The backpacking involved climbing up to 5.4.

Looking for Ansel Adams:  the peaks he bagged, the places he shot, the mystery revealed, from his first snap shot in Yosemite to the end of his active mountaineering, presented by Bob Evans

Bruce will show slides from a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer of 2001, including a climb of the 5.10a route up the diamond on Longs peak, plus a couple of other local classics.

As usual, the July meeting is our annual BBQ and gear swap meet at Serra Park in Sunnyvale. The park has been reserved from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. All family members are welcome. Bring your own food and drink. Alcoholic beverages are permitted. Don't forget a plate, glass, cutlery, and maybe a big roll of paper towels. The charcoal for the BBQ will be provided.

Please bring $3 to contribute to the park reservation fee and the charcoal.

Historically, a gear sale and/or swap meet activity has been a part of the BBQ. Please bring your extra gear if you wish to participate in this event.

The locals go to Kalalau, the visitors hike the Na Pali Coast Trail; how can those two be the same thing? Listen for the story and see the sites of this famous Kauai hike.

Gautam will describe each leg of Denali's West Buttress route by (a) pointing to the route on a large poster (b) showing his expedition's photos of the same and (c) showing a quick time movie of each leg. He may also discuss the best time of year to go, type of gear to take, and resources to refer to.

Also note that Any Mountain is having a sale at this time, and the management of the store has decided to extend an additional "substantial discount" on camping and climbing gear to event attendees, that night only. Sounds like a good deal.

I’ve climbed in a lot of different areas of the Sierra, but there are a few that I’m drawn back to because of the scenic beauty of the area, the ruggedness of the mountains, and/or the quality of the climbing. For this slide show I propose to focus on a few of these areas. And to heck with a story line, I’ll let my pictures do the talking.

"The Hidden" Alps of France.  Hikes and climbs in the Ecrins region of France.  While most N. American climbers think of Chamonix when they think of the French Alps, there is another, less visited, strikingly beautiful area 100km SE of there that's worth a look.  Join Tim Hult as he presents a slide show on climbs and hikes in this area.  Also shown will be a selection of some of his best "art" photos from the Sierras this past season.

In addition to the program, the annual PCS Elections will also be held. Becoming a PCS officer is a great way to get involved with the climbing community and give back to the club which taught you so much about climbing. The positions to fill are:
Chair
Vice Chair
Treasurer
This year our nominating committee is Arun Mahajan (650)-823-9058, arun.mahajan@att.net, Dee Booth (408)-354-7291, rdbooth@att.net, and Debbie Benham (650)-964-0558, deborah4@pacbell.net. Please contact them if you are interested in any of these positions. 

The December meeting is our annual Christmas Party where we ignore the usual formalities of meetings and indulge in a potluck dinner and other wild, devil may care antics.  We'll have a slide show, where everyone is invited to bring about a dozen of their best shots.  Please bring something for the potluck either from the list below (using the first letter of your last name or the last letter of your first name).  Also, please bring your own utensils, drinking glasses, napkins or paper towels, and paper plates (or washable).

	A-F:	Main Course
	G-L:	Drinks
	M-R:	Desserts
	S-Z:	Snacks, Appetizers, Salads

However, if you have a really special dish you would like share with us that is outside your category, by all means bring it!

Note that the meeting room is equipped with PC and LCD projector, so feel free to bring digital pictures if you want, but please put the files on a CD and bring it with you. Please do not email the large files to Stephane.