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President's Letter
In the same way, the RMC is entering a new season and the same changes serve to renew and reinvigorate our club. We have built the Stearns Lodge and completed quite a task. Much of the club’s time and energy has gone into the construction effort. Our continuing challenge is to keep the RMC healthy and vibrant for the future. In some ways it is a harder job since there is no final goal, just a lot of things to take care of. We are a diverse club with camps, hikes, trails, and social events, and it takes many people with different talents to keep the RMC running. With our new crew and caretaker lodge, we are now able to adapt to the increasing year round requirements of the club and the ever evolving demands of trail and resource management. The RMC is evolving to meet these challenges, so take some time this summer to talk to a board member or send an email and tell us what you want the RMC to be -- or better yet volunteer and help make the club what it should be. It’s your club! Winter use of the camps was down a little, but having a caretaker at Gray Knob once again proved its worth this winter. We had a rescue involving two hikers who were lost at the top of the Great Gully trail, and this might have had a very different ending if Gray Knob had not been open, manned and heated. Bowman Builders has been finishing up the Stearns Lodge, getting it ready for our summer trail crew and caretakers. It has really turned into quite a building! Please save Sunday, July 15th to join us in celebrating its completion. Details for the day are being worked out now. It will be a day of visiting, food, contests, and a chance to see the new building. Please check the RMC web site (www.randolpmountainclub.org) and the Randolph Weekly for celebration details as the time approaches. The Stearns Lodge is wrapping up on time and on budget. Thanks to everyone involved we will have a fantastic new facility and a healthy reserve fund to go with it. Nonetheless our annual budget is going to need some work. Last year we raised dues and camps fees to cover the operating costs of the Stearns Lodge, but with camp visits and memberships down we will need to cut some expenses and raise our income. We will try to have more fund raisers this year and also update our membership list, but there is not much else we can do to increase our income. The RMC is a lean organization, so every dollar counts and if we have to cut something, it really hurts. Your gifts truly help; please consider an additional gift if possible. Hope to see you on the trails or at an RMC event this summer!
Jamie Maddock |
Another
winter is behind us and the RMC has come through in great shape.
Now it is getting warm outside and summer is around the corner.
In our house, we observe this change by storing away the skiing
gear and hauling out the hiking boots, bikes and other warm weather
stuff. The winter gear is put away with a little regret as there
is always some adventure left undone, but this feeling quickly
disappears as we dig out our summer equipment and start putting
it back into shape. The new plans and challenges of the coming
season start to take shape and we reacquaint ourselves with our
summer friends.