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President's Letter My aunt, Judy Hudson, wrote her exposé in the last newsletter on my family's penchant for taking our offspring on long forced marches across mountain ridges. This year being no exception, we headed off one beautiful August morning to traverse the Presidentials. Different groups I have hiked with have several interpretations of what constitutes a Presidential traverse. Our Maddock family definition is to start at the Pine Link off the Pinkham B Road, the farthest north and highest one can start. One then climbs Madison and proceeds down the range. All summits must be climbed, with no dodging around on the Gulfside. At the end of the day one cannot merely bail out onto the Crawford path, but must continue down the range to go over Clinton, Jackson, and the dreaded Webster Cliffs.
I feel like we are at now at this stage with the Stearns Lodge. We have gone very nearly the whole distance. There is only the last mile or so to go, but we need to keep at it. The lot has been cleared, the foundation excavated and poured, the well drilled, and now the building is rising. If you would like to see the Stearns Lodge being built, just visit the RMC website at www.randolphmountainclub.org, and click on "construction update." There are weekly updates and pictures of the construction. There will also be posted opportunities for people to volunteer their time, later next spring. We still need plenty of help moving and installing tent platforms, landscaping and many other tasks. We are also looking for donated furnishings. (See the article on that topic, elsewhere in this newsletter.) Please lend a hand if you can. In this newsletter there is a list of every donor to the project. Once again, I thank you each and all very much. It is very impressive that a club the size of ours has been able successfully to conclude a campaign of this magnitude, raising over $360,000! It is truly a tribute to how much we care about these mountains. We are planning to have a dedication for the Stearns Lodge on Sunday, July 15, 2007. Please save the date! It will be a full day of RMC events. We hope you can drop by to check out the new Lodge, and meet all the other people responsible for making this happen along with other RMC members and friends. In addition, we are hoping to have an RMC history display on the walls of the Lodge, perhaps even an RMC trail crew-caretaker alumni softball game and other events!
This summer was very successful for the club as a whole. The Fourth of July Tea was a vibrant event. All ages were represented in the festive crowd. The Board and I had the honor of accepting the deed for the Stearns Lodge land from the Tuckers. The weather was less cooperative for a number of RMC hikes this year, and the gourmet hike ended up indoors. However, the rain held off for the annual picnic - we were able to hold the charades at Mossy Glen this year! It was great to see so many members there. The day continued with the annual softball game and then a benefit square dance at the Beringer's barn on Randolph Hill. A number of club members have approached me and asked that the annual picnic be moved from the third weekend to the second weekend in August. Schools are starting classes earlier and earlier in recent years, and many members are on their way home by the traditional date. Your Board talked this over briefly at its fall meeting and would like to hear what the membership thinks. Please email me your thoughts via the RMC web site. I wish you well this winter, and hope your schedule allows time for you to find yourself on RMC's paths and in the camps.
Jamie Maddock |
By
the time you reach Webster Cliffs, you have done twenty miles
or so, your feet are aching from walking above tree line on the
rocks all day, and your body is quite ready to call it a day.
It does not help that you have just recently passed Mizpah Hut,
smelled dinner on the stove and seen all the guests relaxing
outside. Once on Webster Cliffs you can see the Willey house
site right underneath you. It looks as if with a good running
start you could dive into the pond out front, have a nice swim
and call it a day. However, from previous hikes, I know there
is a paradox at this point. The more you hike, the farther you
seem to get from the sharp left turn off the top of the cliffs.
Once you are finally at this turn, the worst is over and it is
only a quick run down to the trailhead. The trail across the
cliffs is quite rugged, and compared to the previous couple of
miles, this section takes forever. However, by putting one foot
in front of the other, and with lots of bribes in the form of
food for the kids, the end of the trail finally comes into sight.
In
other news, I would like to welcome our new board members, Mike
Micucci, Sue Wemyss, Bill Parlett, and Derek Schott. Mike has
been on the RMC board before, and is well known to many of us
as a former caretaker and the owner of Moriah Sports in Gorham.
Sue, one of the managers of Great Glen Trails at the base of
Mount Washington, brings a zeal for outdoors activities and plenty
of energy. Bill Parlett worked for AMC many years ago, and has
recently moved to Randolph. A three-year caretaker of Blackburn
Lodge on the Appalachian Trail along with his wife Sarah and
daughter Kai, Bill has already assumed the role of Treasurer
in club. Finally, many of us who have visited Gray Knob in winter
are well acquainted with Derek "Storm" Schott, a former
Gray Knob winter caretaker. Derek currently works for AMC on
their construction crew, and brings a wealth of backcountry maintenance
knowledge to RMC. This new contingent brings a lot of experience
and know-how to the board, and they have already been put to
work! Our longtime treasurer Michele Cormier is going off the
board, but is picking up the membership chair. Both John Eusden
and Mike Pelchat will be stepping down, but continue to help
with trips and camps respectively. Gail Scott is also stepping
down, due to conflicts with her new reporting job. Her skill
at taking our minutes will be missed. Lydia Goetze has graciously
volunteered to take over the role of secretary. We thank Michele,
John, Mike, and Gail for their years of service to RMC and their
continuing efforts.