Past Events

August 16th, 2008
Desert Survivors Technical Seminar

Join our trip leaders for a day of workshops on organizing and leading trips!
[Your own and/or Desert Survivors]

Laurel Nook Group Area, Mt Diable State Park
PARK RULES: NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
To sign up & get directions, call Steve Tabor at (510) 769-1706.

LEARN:

The Seminar will be held at Laurel Nook Group Area in Mt. Diablo State Park. We’ll meet at the Group Area at 9:00 AM (sharp!) and begin promptly, following the schedule below. Bring whatever you'll need for the sessions: maps, compass, pencil, notebook, First Aid kit, water bottle, hiking boots, sun protection, trip ideas, questions, answers & plenty of enthusiasm. Also bring food for the potluck lunch and drinks to share, plus a $5 donation for the site and $5 to pay the Park entrance fee.

SCHEDULE: (15-minute break between sessions.)
9:00
 Registration  
9:30
 Welcome & introductions  
9:45
 Hiking skills, supplies & planning Steve Tabor
11:00
 Wilderness First Aid (& prevention!) Fred Parkinson
12:00
 Potluck Lunch  
1:00
 Maps & orienteering, demonstration Bob Lyon
2:30
 Questions & answers  
3:30
 Hiking on a Mt. Diablo loop trail, plus practical orienteering with map & compass.  

 

CALL EARLY! WE ARE LIMITED TO 40 participants AND 10 staff!
You MUST call Steve Tabor to sign up: (510) 769-1706.

 

July 26st, 2008
Desert Survivors Summer Potluck Picnic & Beginner Backpack Seminar

Lake View Picnic Area
Tilden Regional Park in the Berkeley Hills

WE WILL BRING: hot briquettes, picnic supplies, ice & cooler, the badminton set

YOU BRING: $2 for group expenses, food to barbeque, plus a potluck item to share with eight:

LAST NAMES BEGINNING WITH:

A-H, bring a MAIN COURSE
I-O, bring BEVERAGES
R-Z, bring a SALAD, APPETIZERS or BREAD

ALSO:

ACTIVITIES:

ACTIVE GAMES:

  • bring clothes you don't mind getting dirty!
  • we'll have the badminton set on hand --- quite popular last year!
  • if you have other ideas for games, bring them and your equipment!

SCHMOOZING & VISITING:

  • lie and brag about your favorite trips
  • meet new friends
  • make plans for future trips

OPTIONAL HIKE AT 4:00 PM:

  • we'll hike an easy trail in the hills nearby
  • weather could be sunny & hot — or foggy & windy

NOTE: Come early to participate in Bob Lyon’s “Beginner Backpacking Seminar”. The Seminar will start promptly at 9:30 a.m. See below for details.

DIRECTIONS:

To reach Tilden Park from the south or east, take Highway 24 to Fish Ranch Road. Drive north to Grizzly Peak Blvd., where you will turn right. Pass by Lomas Contados Road, then turn right again on South Park Drive where you'll enter the south end of the park. Follow this to a "tee" intersection, adjacent to the Botanical Garden, where you'll bear right again. Follow the contour to the Lake View Picnic Area, which is located where the road takes a wide swing to the right.

To reach Tilden Park from the north or west, locate the University of California campus in Berkeley. Get on Oxford Street, which runs along the Bay side of the campus. Oxford runs into Spruce Street, which will lead you up into the hills. After a bend to the right, you'll come to an complex intersection where several roads come together. Take the one in the middle, Wildcat Canyon Road, and follow it along the contour in a southeasterly direction to the "tee" mentioned above, near the Botanical Garden. Follow the road around the bend to the left and look for the Lake View Picnic Area on your left where the road takes a wide swing to the right.

July 26st, 2008 - 9am - Noon
Bob Lyon's Beginner Backpack Seminar

at the Lakeview Picnic Area, Tilden Park, Berkeley
(preceding the Desert Survivors Annual Summer Picnic)

Come before the Summer Picnic to learn basics of selecting and fitting backpacks, tents, and boots; and how to select a campsite, stay dry and comfortable, cope with emergencies, and be environmentally responsible hikers. Limit 12. Contact Leader: Bob Lyon (415) 674-6885 robtlyon@sbcglobal.net.

 

June 21st, 2008
Desert Survivors Summer Solstice Party!

Beginning a new annual tradition, we'll share a BBQ and potluck meal, horse-shoes, drinks, stories, slides and videos, as well as music — bring your instruments. Also, on this longest day of the year and first full day of summer, we will celebrate the sun with an offering: Bring a simple sun-inspired gift to exchange — costumes and hats are encouraged! Party with new and old members, until the tequila worm speaks to you!!!

Kenneth Logan's House: 1004 - 61st Street, Oakland, CA
For more information & directions, call Kenneth Logan at (510) 420-1442.

Potluck Dinner & BBQ at 6:00 PM
Gift exchange at 8:30 PM
Slides & videos 9:00-9:30 PM [BRING YOURS!]
Socializing, music etc. until 11:00 PM or after...

LAST NAMES BEGINNING WITH:

A-G, bring a DESSERT
H-M, bring SALAD or APPETIZERS
N-Z, bring a MAIN DISH FOR 8

Everybody: bring DRINKS to share (your choice)
Everybody: bring grillables, as the BBQ pit will be aflame
Everybody: bring a $2.00 donation to pay for paper plates, utensils, this mailing, etc.
Everybody: bring a simple Sun-inspired gift to exchange, as well as wearing something Sun-inspired – and don’t forget your inner child

April 19th, 2008
Desert Survivors Earth Day Fair & Party!

Join your fellow Desert Survivors at our 2008 Earth Day Party! We’ll enjoy plenty of good cheer and conversation. Meet your fellow members, talk about trips and experiences, find out about new destinations, meet new hiking buddies. We’ll also have the latest information on desert issues we’re concerned about. We’ll have slideshows and laptop presentations illustrating desert trips, so bring your slides or your laptop, plus photos, etc.

If you’re in the Bay Area and are out on a Spring wildflower hike, stop by afterward at our Earth Day Party in Berkeley. This party ends our Spring hiking season and begins our Summer in the high desert. Our new Summer Trip Schedule will be ready, introducing desert trips to come. Join us for a good show.

793 Vincente Avenue, Berkeley [north of Solano Avenue]
For more directions, call Judy Kendall at (510) 612-1124

Potluck Dinner at 6:00 PM
Announcements, issues reports at 7:30 PM
Slides & videos at 8:00 PM [BRING YOURS!]
Socializing, etc. ‘til our hostess ushers us out the door ...

LAST NAMES BEGINNING WITH:

A-H, bring a SALAD or APPETIZERS
I-R, bring MAIN DISH FOR 8
S-Z, bring a DESSERT

Everybody: bring DRINKS to share (your choice)
Everybody: bring a $2.00 donation to pay for paper plates, utensils, this mailing, etc.

Note: This year’s Earth Day Party will follow the local Earth Day Fair in Berkeley on Saturday morning and afternoon. We’re looking for volunteers at the fair --- to staff our table, talk to visitors about trips and issues, and explain the desert’s unique beauty to the uninformed. It’s a great way to teach about the desert. If you want to help, call Steve Tabor at (510) 769-1706. The fair runs all day, 11 am to 5 pm.

For more information, call Steve Tabor at (510) 769-1706.

HELP DESERT SURVIVORS at the EARTH DAY FAIR in BERKELEY!!

SATURDAY APRIL 19, 2008

Once again this year Desert Survivors will be staffing a table at the Berkeley Earth Day Fair in the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on MLK Way. We’ll be meeting the public, talking to folks who are interested in the desert and in desert hiking. It’s a great way to meet new people, generate new members, and show your love and enthusiasm for the desert. You may help for all or part of the day.

Look for the DS table with our displays and banner. We’ll have Seymour the Snake there, too — just in case we have enough members to take him around the park to thrill the kids and scare the adults. Wear your Desert Survivors hat and tee-shirt to “show your colors”. We’ll go to the Earth Day Party in Berkeley when we’re through.

WHEN: Saturday, April 19, 2008

WHERE: Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on MLK Way, Berkeley

If you can come, please call Steve Tabor at (510) 769-1706.

Thank you, and see you on Earth Day!