              |
President's Letter This past summer the RMC had a number of club-lead hiking trips, as it usually does. My family and I were able to go on Keith Dempster’s trip up Kearsarge North in July. It was a nice day and we had not hiked that far south for a while, so we all decided to go. The rendezvous was at Randolph East, and the usual eclectic group of RMC’ers showed up. The age range was from the teens to the seventies; there were some locals, some summer folk and many different hiking speeds present.
In a few hours we reached the summit and enjoyed a fine view and a good spot for lunch. After climbing to the top of the fire tower and naming the surrounding mountains, someone, in the normal RMC fashion, remarked that they had never done the trail off the backside of Mt. Kearsarge. A shuttle was arranged, the group was split, and some hikers returned to the cars on the Hurricane Mountain Road. The rest of the party continued down the Weeks Brook trail past Shingle Pond and down to the Evans Notch Road. The Weeks trail was nicely laid out and had a very nice footpath, with lots of soft needles and very little wear. It obviously was a trail that was not used very often. This became more evident as we descended and had to work our way around more and more blow downs. In some places it was a real tangle and a few grunts and curses were heard from some of the shorter-legged members of the group. By the time we had made our way down, I was quite surprised at the condition of the trail. It had been at least a month or more since the last major wind storm, and although this was a Forest Service trail, no one had cleared it. In fact, it might not have even been cleared in a year. It has been a real challenge, due to budget constraints, for the Forest Service to have a summer trail crew this year. We all made it out, a little scratched, but happy that we had explored the “path less taken” and seen a lovely little pond and some trail that none of us had done before. We were picked up and taken back to the cars where we meet up with the rest of the hikers. Hikes like these bring out one aspect of what I enjoy about the RMC. I like the chance to meet some people that I normally would not see, and also to share experiences with them. We are quite flexible; if we want to change what we are doing we can do it quickly, without a lot of fuss, and be on our way. It also showed me how important our club’s work is in maintaining the RMC trail system. By keeping our paths open and in good repair, we are able to share the pleasures of these mountains with other friends, members, and new folks from near and far. The trail crew did a wonderful job once again this year maintaining and improving the club’s trails, and our caretakers did a superb job up at the camps. They both thoroughly enjoyed the new Stearns Lodge, whether hanging out on the porch, cooking dinner, or doing something as simple as washing clothes. A fall trail crew recently wrapped up some excellent work on the upper reaches of Lowe’s Path, re-clearing the Eyrie view near Lookout Ledge, patrolling blow downs on our town paths used in winter, and cleaning RMC’s drainages. They too appreciated Stearns Lodge and, in their case, they especially appreciated the fact that we were able to insulate it! This year was also a time for the club to say goodbye to three life members: Bill Bradley, Jack Stewart and Barbara Wilson. Bill served on the board (as did his wife Paula and two of his sons) and will be fondly remembered for his many charade personae. Jack, a board member for many years between the 1940s and 2000, managed trails for 15 years, trips for another 15, and was the driving force (and principal author) of at least four revisions of Randolph Paths. Barbara Wilson died on October 12, 2007. A long-time board member and an inveterate hiker, Barbara served for years as the "winter representative" of the Club and "den mother" for our winter caretakers. The RMC will miss them all. In the last few years the club has undergone a transition from our most senior generation to our younger members. We have been left quite a legacy: a strong membership, well maintained trails and facilities, and a tradition of volunteering and getting the job done. I hope when a future president looks back at my generation he or she will feel that we have accomplished as much. Members come and go. We are fortunate that new members keep stepping up to keep the RMC a strong and vibrant entity that will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2010.
Jamie Maddock |
The
hike splintered into many small groups, and I found it interesting
to watch people get to know one another and enjoy each other’s
company. It was especially interesting to see a teenager and
an adult, who in normal social circumstances would just greet
each other and then move on to their respective circles, get
to know each other. There were many conversations going on, with
topics ranging from geography to politics to gardening to video
games. One could move back and forth and pick a topic. It was
like being at a conference.