Louisiana Hiking Club

Si Louisiana Trail Blazer 2011 First Quarter

page 1 - 2 President’s Message

page 3 - 4 CAMPFEST 2011!

page 5 - 6 Kindred Spirits

page 7 - 8 Ft. Pickens, FL

page 9 Pack & Paddle

Spring Adventure Kickoff

page 10 Chicot Trail Maintenance

& Garbage Thoughts

by Pickle

page 11 - 12 Enchanted Rock,

Austin, TX

page 13 - 14 Culinary Corner

page 15 Gear Guide

The President’s Message Happy New Year! The Louisiana Hiking Club had a great 2010. I have gone through our meeting notes and have put together a recap of SOME of this past year’s activities. January – Our monthly meeting was a presentation of the club trip to Olympic National Park in August of 2009. On the second Saturday of the month, members hiked the Wild Azalea Trail near Alexandria. The club participated in a workday at Port Hudson. And, let’s not forget the Big Bend Trip. February – Charlie Fryling presented a program on wildflowers for the membership meeting and our second Saturday hike was at Clear Springs in Mississippi. The club also constructed a new trail at Bayou Teche NWR. March – The topic of the March meeting was hiking in Nepal. Our second Saturday hike was the Valentine Lake to Evangeline Camp section of the Wild Azalea Trail. We had another great CampFest at Chicot State Park. Also, club members manned a booth at Earth Fest which was held at the New Orleans Zoo. April – Greg Grandy, BREC Director of Conservation, spoke at the Bluebonnet Library on local conservation areas, especially the new site off Frenchtown Road at the confluence of the Amite and Comite Rivers. Our second Saturday hike was at Clark Creek near Pond, MS. Our club led two hikes at the Black Bear and Birding Festival in the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, including one on the new trail recently constructed by LA Hiking Club and Friends of BTNWR. Rounding off that very busy weekend was the annual Black Creek cleanup, an outdoor cooking demo at the Backpacker in Baton Rouge, and Earth Day at Vermillionville in Lafayette. At the end of the month was a trip to Roan Mountain in Tennessee. May – The topic for the May meeting was the proposed new Caminada Headland State Seashore. The impetus for the project is Louisiana Wildlife Federation. This area is near Grand Isle and stretches from Elmer’s Island east for 14 miles. The second Saturday hike took place at the Tunica Hills WMA “A” trail. Greg Grandy, who spoke at the April meeting, took club members on a hike to look

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at the area proposed for new trails on the new BREC property at the end

of Frenchtown Road.

June – I had the pleasure of giving a presentation on cooking on the

trail. Thank you for inviting me! Our monthly hike was held at

Fountainbleau State Park near Mandeville.

July - Jordan Smith, an interpretive ranger, gave us an inside look at

the new Bogue Chitto State Park. The park is located in Washington

Parish 6 miles south of Franklinton and 6 miles north of Folsom off

Highway 25. Our second Saturday hike was Burden Research Center off

Essen Lane in Baton Rouge.

August - We played a game of Hiking Jeopardy for our August meeting.

Our monthly outing was held at Clear Springs, Mississippi. The hike was

short due to the summer heat, so members spent the rest of the afternoon

cooling off in the spring fed lake. There was a club trip to Glacier

National Park in Montana and our group camped at the St. Mary Campground

there.

September – The topic of our September meeting was the past, present,

and future of the State Park System with special emphasis on hiking

opportunities. The second Saturday hike was held at CCC camp in

Brooklyn, MS.

October - John Williams of Pack and Paddle in Lafayette gave a

presentation on the John Muir Trail in CA. He included information on

how to divide the 211 miles and resupply. The club’s monthly hike took

place at Sicily Island. Members manned booths at both Wild Things in

Lacombe, and the BSA centennial celebration at Camp Avondale.

November - John Thornhill and Nancy Hall discussed and showed pictures

of their Appalachian Trail hike through CT, MA, and VT. The second

Saturday hike was held at the Natchez Trace in MS. Some members camped

at Natchez State Park following the hike.

December - We had our annual Christmas Party - thanks Pickle for

inviting us into your home. For our December outing John Thornhill

graciously catered a lunch for attendees, then led them on a hike on his

tree farm in MS.

Many thanks to all who have volunteered their time and talents to make

this past year a success!

See You on the Trail! Katherine Gividen, President

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CampFest 2011

Friday afternoon, March 18 - thru Sunday afternoon March 20, 2011 LOUISIANA HIKING CLUB

Chicot State Park East Landing Meeting Lodge There will be outdoor seminars, hiking, paddling, and LOTS of door prizes!

The cost is $5.00 per camper (under 12 free). Activity Schedule (Subject to Change): Friday afternoon:

Arrival and sign-in. Used equipment sale, swap and give-away EZ Backpack – Joe Self Campfire – Gilford Bush Saturday morning: Seminars and vendor displays

Up to the Minute Ultra Light Ideas and Dealing with Persistently Bad Weather - Keynote Speaker John Williams of Pack & Paddle Identifying Trees and Wildflowers and how they can help the hiker/backpacker with food, shelter, and navigation – LA State Arboretum How to Make Small Changes in Your Behavior to Make a Positive Difference in Your Environment – Stacey Scarce Poisonous Plants/How to Identify Venomous Reptiles – Stacey Scarce Geocaching - Rachel and Eric Bock

Saturday afternoon: Afternoon hike: Nancy Hall

Chicot paddle: BYOB (Bring Your Own Boat), or use a canoe provided by Chicot State Park. If you choose the latter option you need to make reservations with Darryl Pry or Chuck Cantrell as soon as possible as there are a limited number available. Orienteering course: Dale Mathews

Saturday Evening: Potluck supper with BBQ meat prepared by our very own Chef Craig Watson. LHC provides the meat and you provide the side dish. Prizes will be awarded for the best salad, dessert, etc. Door prizes and announcements. Door prizes have been donated by Academy Sports + Outdoors, the Backpacker, LDP Camping Foods, Pack & Paddle and more!

Night hike

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Sunday Morning:

Pancake breakfast prepared by The Pancake King, Larry Langlois and his motley crew of assistants. “Real” maple syrup provided by Linda Bourgault

Guided hike at the Louisiana State Arboretum

Tent camping is free. There are toilets, a kitchen, and dining hall available. Showers are available for free at the main park area for tent campers. Leave No Trace camping ethics apply. By request of the rangers at Chicot, RV's and campers may not camp in the Day Camping area. RV pads, camper pads, and cabins are available and can be rented by calling Chicot State Park at (337) 363-2403. Directions: From exit 46 on I-49 take 106W. To get to the east landing, turn left at the power plant and continue on the road until you arrive at the meeting lodge. Look for the LHC signs!

CAMPFEST VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for a general coordinator. This volunteer delegates or does the brochure, coordinates the buffet meal, vendor tables, purchases, and general logistics. Basically they oversee all things CampFest. We also need a seminar coordinator to gets speakers, finalize topics, arrange the Saturday schedule, and send out thank you letters to the presenters. Lastly we need a door prize coordinator. This entails going to local businesses to solicit donations for the raffle. So far, Academy Sports + Outdoors, the Backpacker, LDP Camping Foods, and Pack & Paddle have confirmed that they will be providing door prizes again this year. I sent emails to Massey's and Cascade Designs and am awaiting their response. If you would like to volunteer for any of the responsibilities that the committee entails, please let me know. Thanks, Katherine Gividen, President LHC katherine@thehaplesshiker.com

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Kindred Spirits: a new member’s discovery by Rick Fonte

When I got out of the Marine Corps in California (about a hundred years ago) I swore I’d never sleep on the ground or in a tent ever again. But I soon learned that the only way to experience the full grandeur of the Sierras was to hike up and out, far into the backcountry. My first weeklong trip out of Yosemite spurred a lifelong love of backpacking into wild places. When I married my present wife, Mona, I introduced her to the lifestyle and she found it dovetailed nicely with her love of nature. Over the years we backpacked into many mountain ranges across the country and Canada. However, several years ago we were grounded by my wife’s worsening Multiple Sclerosis. About a year ago Mona saw an article in the Baton Rouge Advocate about the club and suggested (cajoled, actually) that I hook up with the group and resume my love affair with backpacking. I had no idea that any group like this existed locally. I reluctantly agreed to check it out, so I contacted Linda Bourgalt via information listed in the article to see what it was all about. She invited me to attend the upcoming 2010 CampFest. I really didn’t know what to expect; I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to be associated with the group because I didn’t know what kind of outdoorsmen they were. At one end of the continuum of “hikers” are the hardcore, hard charging, 20 miles-per-day folks who never slow down enough to notice, let alone savor, the glories of nature, but measure success by how many miles they’ve traveled that day (even though I may have resembled that animal at some time in the remote past). At the other of the spectrum, my worst fear, are folks for whom a memorial adventure in the great outdoors is a short, leisurely stroll down the boardwalk at Bluebonnet Swamp (if it’s not too hot, or too cold, and if they don’t have to go too far - and heaven forbid that they get any dirt on their stylish new hiking boots). I had a super time at CampFest. I met a lot of people who seemed to have a genuine love of the great outdoors. Even though much of the small group conversations focused on gear comparisons, and recounting trials

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and tribulations of previous trips, there seemed to be an unstated but underlying, almost palpable presence of a deep appreciation of the natural world. And, I found that many members have hiked and backpacked places that I’ve only dreamed of experiencing; and they are still going, always either in the midst of an interesting trip or actively planning for the next one. Wow! Was it possible that I had discovered some folks who are nearly as weird about preservation of the environment, and the conservation and enjoyment of wild places, as I am? Who’d a thunk it! Even though I was still somewhat skeptical at that point, I was beginning to have a glimmer of hope that I had blundered into a gathering of kindred spirits. Throughout the following year I was able to make only one of the monthly meetings and a couple of hikes due to work travel and other commitments. While the meeting was informative and the hikes provided welcome opportunities for experiencing new local trails, neither provided an opportunity to really get to know the members very well. The trail maintenance trip to Chicot sealed the deal for me. I witnessed the camaraderie of shared labor and sweat equity. Side bar conversations revealed passions for and dedication to the natural environment, as well as the depth of experience of the crews I worked with. I enjoyed and learned from the frequent good natured bickering among some of the curmudgeonly knowledgeable, bearded toilers (who shall remain nameless) concerning differing (but equally compelling) opinions about the serious topics of trail construction, maintenance, and marking (of which each had considerable hands-on, Pulaski-to-the-ground experience). Conversations were liberally sprinkled with discussions among the crew about the difficulty of satisfying the duality of the raisons d’etre of trails (keeping directional-challenged doofus hikers from waddling off into oblivion, while preserving the quality of the “wilderness experience” for the more experienced and environmentally conscious folks). This outing convinced me that I would be proud to be a member of this association. I would like to thank all the gracious folks who welcomed me into the club. I’ll strive to be a solid contributing member.

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Fort Pickens, Florida by John Engelsman Nestled at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola Beach, Fl. is a wonderful federal park that is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. It is named after Ft. Pickens, which was built early in the nineteenth century to protect Pensacola Pass during time of war. Fortifications continued to be built as recently as World War ll. Hurricanes in the last 10 years have devastated the area, destroying the access road and causing major damage to the campground. Hundreds of dead pine trees and much less vegetation remain as evidence of nature's wrath. Fortunately, all facilities have been repaired or reconstructed and the park is again fully open for business.

We spent New Year's there at the RV campground. Tent camping is also available with water and electric hookups. It's a good park to bring a bicycle. A section of the Florida National Trail runs through part of the park and much of the access road has a bike lane. Hikers can walk the trail from the campground to the fort and beyond to the pass. They can

also hike along the gulf seashore and along the bay seashore. It is easier to walk on the bay side since the beach is much more level but the dynamic roar of the surf always draws me to the gulf side even if the beach is somewhat angled. One day we walked 2.5 miles from the campground to the pass on the gulf side. Sea shells and driftwood were the treasures we picked up. Pelicans and seagulls kept us company along the way. We chanced upon two fishermen

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when we reached the pass. They had had no luck. It was windy and the surf was roaring. They couldn't keep their bait from washing ashore. I made several hikes along the bay shoreline. Once I glanced up to see an osprey clutching his breakfast. It looked like a needlefish. There were a number of osprey nests in the dead pine trees. I wonder why they don't

choose a living tree? From the naval air station across the bay came the sounds of the various bugle calls, retreat and reveille. I'm never up long enough to hear taps. We had a thrill one day as we hiked along the trail near the fort. A roaring noise made us look up to see 6 jets in a precise, tight formation zoom across the sky from the base to the gulf. It was the Blue Angels in a practice run. If you want to spend a week on a beautiful beach at modest expense, give Ft. Pickens a try.

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Pack & Paddle Spring Adventure Kickoff - February 26, 2011 601 E. Pinhook Rd Lafayette, LA 70501 Call: 337-232-5854 The show will be held at Pack & Paddle and will run from 10am until 3pm. Please note that our on-water demo day will be on Sunday February 27th at Lake Martin. Our second annual Pack & Paddle Spring Adventure Kickoff is the perfect event to vault you into spring activities in Louisiana. Check out all the New Gear for 2011 This show will allow you to view kayaks, canoes and backpacking gear from all of our major manufacturers. The regional reps for many vendors including Native Watercraft, Hobie, Wilderness Systems, Hurricane Kayaks, Yakima, Yak Gear, Big Agnes, Osprey, Cascade Designs and others will be on hand. Adventure Seminars New for 2011, we will host a series of "how to" and "where to" seminars from 10am-3pm at P&P. Stay tuned for a full slate of interesting seminars. Connect with Local Adventure Clubs Meet and talk to members of local clubs to see all the new trips and events they will be hosting for 2011. We hope to have representatives of the Louisiana Hiking Club, Lafayette Paddle Club, The Lafayette Kayak Fishing Club and the Acadiana Chapter of the Sierra Club. This is the perfect opportunity to get involved with these great groups of outdoor enthusiasts! Win Prizes! All attendees will be eligible to win door prizes donated by our participating vendors. You need not be present to win - but you must attend the event in order to register. View new gear. Learn from the Factory Reps. Connect with local clubs. This event is the perfect way to kick off the spring hiking and paddling season!

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Chicot State Park Trail Maintenance by John Engelsman Chuck Cantrell, Trail Maintenance Coordinator, arranged a weekend of trail work on December 4-5 at Chicot State Park. We had a good turnout of 14 LHC members. Chuck got permission for us to use the conference center on the east side of the park. Having the use of those comfortable facilities sure makes primitive camping a lot easier. Under the leadership of Arboretum boss, Jim Robinson, we divided into 3 groups Saturday morning and went to work. The engineers were assigned to bridge repair. Another group was sent to do trail clearing and trail marker repainting. As the work supplies were handed out, a puzzled Aggie questioned: "How come that big ping pong paddle has a hole in the middle ?" My group was sent to do trail rerouting on the west side. Our first assignment involved relocating a section of trail that crossed a drainage. Erosion from heavy use and weather had made it treacherous. Darryl The Venerable Pry surveyed the proposed relocation and suggested some modifications to the young ranger in charge. Darryl's reasoning made good sense so we relocated the relocation and laid it out. We did two more trail relocations on Saturday. That night, Burgie generously provided a duck and oyster gumbo that made an excellent supper. On Sunday we bushwhacked in to the trail from the south end of the park. We worked half a day doing trail maintenance and repainting. It was a very enjoyable weekend and we got a lot done. On a recent trip to Florida, we drove from Pensacola Beach to Navarre Beach along Santa Rosa Island. We stopped at a brand new picnic area at Opal Beach. This is part of the federal Gulf Islands National Seashore. The park had multiple covered picnic tables, nice new bathrooms, frontage on the sound for swimming and fishing, and ample parking. There were no trash cans. A sign stated that all park users should pack out their own trash, that no trash cans would be provided. A lavatory sink in the men's room was full of crushed beer cans. I know the feds are trying to save money wherever possible, but I think this is a dumb idea. In the best of all possible worlds, everyone would do the right thing and pack out all their trash. This is not the best of all possible worlds. The peabrains who litter when there are trash cans will continue to do so. What about the folks who are now being asked to pack out their dirty disposable diapers and crab shells who aren't particularly passionate about the environment. What are they going to do? What about the responsible people who help clean up other people's messes? Where do they dump the stuff? I think this is an unrealistic approach which will make the litter problem worse rather than better. What do you think? Pickle

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Enchanted Rock State Natural Area by Katherine Gividen

Meeting the members of Team Backpacker has inspired me to try my hand at adventure racing. After watching several Eco-Challenges, I decided I needed to improve my skills for the ropes course. I looked online for a rock climbing school and found one in Austin, Texas. Mountain Madness was described as being “one of the oldest and most experienced climbing schools in the United States”. I signed my son-in-law (who is always eager for an adventure!) and myself up and off we went to the Lone Star State. We were very fortunate to have the owner and founder of the school, Scott Harris, as our guide. Scott co-authored the book, The Dome Driver’s Manual – a Climber’s Guide to Enchanted Rock, so when I found out the park would be our

classroom, I felt we were in capable hands. Our day started when we loaded up our packs with gear and rock shoes, slung a bundle of climbing rope on our backs, and headed up Summit Trail for a 20 minute hike through the canyon to our destination. Each rock face seemed to have a name, though I’m not sure how, “In the

beginning there were ducks…” came by its monicker. I can, however, tell you why one of the

slabs we climbed, “Beginners’ Bitch” got its name! BB is 30 feet tall and has a difficulty rating of 5.7. If, say, the climbing grade would have been rated a 1, then in theory, there would be a little chance of injury. Since this route was graded a 5, that meant that our route was considered true rock climbing on a near-vertical surface, and that in order to avoid severe injury

Scott Preparing the Climbing Gear

Army Navy Crack

Climbing up the Practice Slab

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or death, ropes were needed to proceed safely. Categories are subdivided according to their difficulty. For instance, 5.10 used to be the highest technical grade, but now an open-ended sytem is used and grades can be as high as 5.15. We climbed both sides of the 30 foot tall Practice Slab that had a 5.7 rating. We scaled the 90’ tall Jack Knife (5.5) and scrambled up the 30’ Army/Navy Crack (5.7). We also did rappelling and Jumaring on a 40’ rock face. Jumaring is a method of ascending up a cliff with the use of a

mechanical device. I had two Jumars. One was attached to a webbing ladder,

and the other was attached to my harness. When seated in the harness, I was able to move up on the rope by sliding the device attached to the ladder in an upward motion. I would then step on the ladder with my leg releasing the weight off my harness and moving the ascender attached to it up and so on until I reached the top of the face. There was plenty of wildlife. We encountered deer that didn’t seem to mind our presence as long as we kept our distance, we could hear the bats chirping in the caves, and we were introduced to the rock squirrel mafia as they were rummaging through our backpacks and eating our snacks! The views were beautiful, the sky was blue, and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. We concluded our day by meeting at Bejas Grill in Fredericksburg for a relaxing dinner. James and I are already planning another trip to the area!

Jack Knife

Jumaring

Siesta Time!

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Culinary Corner by Katherine Gividen

Here are some recipes to warm you up on those cold winter nights on the trail. Bon Appétit!

SERVES 2

1 2/3 cups wide egg noodles 1 tablespoons Wyler’s® chicken flavored bouillon granules ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup Original Bisquick® mix 1 tablespoon Nestle® dry whole milk 3 ounces (foil pouch) Sweet Sue® chicken breast At home: Write on Ziploc® pint bag, “Add three cups of boiling water.” Place pasta, chicken bouillon granules, pepper and salt in a pint storage bag. On another Ziploc® pint bag write, "Add 1/4 cup water on bag." Place bisquick and dry milk in bag. Place bag of noodles, bag of Bisquick® and foil of chicken in Ziploc® quart bag. On the trail: Place bag of noodles in large pan with water. Bring to boil. Add chicken (not necessary to drain). In the meantime, add water to Bisquick® package and knead until ingredients form dough. Snip off bottom corner of bag. Squeeze dough into soup, pinching off at intervals to form dumplings. Cover and simmer. After 5 minutes, turn dumplings over in broth to cook other side. Return cover and cook for 10 more minutes.

SERVES 6 - 9

2 2/3 tablespoons Community Coffee Dark Roast instant coffee 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup Nestle® dry whole milk 4 teaspoon India Tree vanilla powder At home: Write on Ziploc® pint bag, “Add 4 – 6 teaspoons to 8 ounces of hot water.” Add ingredients to the bag and shake to mix. On the trail: Add recommended amount of mix to cup of hot water. Stir.

CHICKEN 'n DUMPLINGS SOUP

VANILLA LATTE

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SERVES 4

4 1.1 ounce packets Oregon Chai Tea Latte Mix 2 tablespoons India Tree vanilla powder 2 tablespoons Original Coffeemate® Powdered Coffee Creamer At home: Write on Ziploc® pint bag, “Add 3 tablespoons to 8 ounces of hot water.” Add ingredients to the bag and shake to mix. On the trail: Add recommended amount of mix to cup of hot water. Stir and enjoy!

SERVES 16

1 cup powdered sugar ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ cup Original Coffeemate® Powdered Coffee Creamer ¼ teaspoon salt 2 ¾ cups Nestle® dry whole milk 1 cup marshmallows At home: Write on Ziploc® pint bag, “Add 3 – 4 tablespoons to 8 ounces of hot water.” Add ingredients to the bag and shake to mix. On the trail: Add recommended amount of mix to cup of hot water. Stir and enjoy!

VANILLA CHAI TEA LATTE

HOT CHOCOLATE

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Gear Guide

by Katherine Gividen These are a few of my favorite things… Chap-Grip Lip Balm Holder I clip this puppy to my sternum strap for easy access on the trail. Retail about $4.49 with Chapstick. (Picture from amazon.com)

Band-Aid® Brand Antibiotic Adhesive Bandages

The antibiotic ointment is right on the bandage so I can leave the Neosporin at home. One less thing to carry. Retail about $3.67 (Picture from amazon.com)

Charmin™ To Go

There are some things I am just not willing to compromise on, and toilet paper is one of them! As an added bonus; it comes in a convenient dispenser. 1 ounce. Retail $1.40 (Picture from REI.com)

Soto Pocket Torch My new play toy. I purchased it from REI. You take a Scripto lighter (available in the check-out aisle of WalMart) pop it in the housing and you have an instant blow torch! Great for lighting fire starters. 4.3 x 2.4 x 0.9. 1.8 ounces. Retail $19.95 (Picture from REI.com)

Sea to Summit Pocket Handwash Just got this in! The case has 50 paper thin leaves of biodegradable soap. Just slide out a leaf (make sure your hands are dry!), add water and wash up. 2.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 inches. 0.5 ounces. Retail $3.95. (Picture from REI.com)