Past Events

updated 01-Sep-2006 15:56:38 -0500

03

The current Board stands as follows:

Doug Nering, President
John Nanke, Vice President
Hank Schnieder, Treasurer
Cindy Kleist, Secretary
John Azar
Cliff Beck
Pat Davis
Tom Martin
Bob Ribokas

newly elected to the board. Board term is two years.

Cindy Kleist
Secretary

Fall 2003 Service Project-Indian Garden

October 19, 2003

After the GCHBA meeting, we hiked down to IG and worked with Deb and Jamie from GC ReVeg, Monday and Tuesday. We again were trying to rid Garden Creek and the stream below the Indian Garden pump house of Blackberry vines. Pat, Lynn and Chris Davis, Joan Gladson and myself were involved. Cliff Beck helped the first day, then headed west on the
Tonto to Monument.

We are very close to getting this invasive and non native plant under control.

Ranger K.J. was at IG during our stay there and it was good to meet her. Another special person ranger.

Many thanks to Pat Davis for her arranging and cooking the meals. A special surprise in the Trail Crew kitchen freezer. ICE CREAM! Hey Gene....You are "THE MAN".

Dick Gladson

Joint Service Project - GCHBA and GC Historical Society

August 16, 2003

On August 16th the Annual Cleanup was held at the South Rim Cemetery. Once again, the GC Hikers and Backpackers Association and the GC Historical Society teamed up for the event.

Before getting started, Ranger Stew Fritts treated us all to tour of the grounds in his humorous yet informative style.

Deb Shannon and Jayme Frazier of the Re-Veg team then explained our chores for the day. Since most of the heavy work had already been done and the grounds were already in excellent shape they suggested a somewhat different operation than we were expecting.

Our first task was to harvest seed stems from the patches of Western Wheat Grass growing wild in the cemetery. These seeds will be used at a later date to re-seed bare patches of land at other spots on the Rim.

After gathering a good sample of these seeds we were shuttled to the Railroad Station. There our chore was a little different. Our project was to cut and bag as many of the intrusive Rush Skeleton Weed plants as we could find.

When we were finished with this assignment we were treated to snacks and refreshments then turned loose to spend the balance of the day enjoying the South Rim Village.

Participants at the Cleanup were: Janece, Jim, TJ, Robert, Jon and Sarah Olman, Dick and Joan Gladson, Lee Albertson, Robert and Mary Simpson, Gene Fowler, Chuck Wahler, Hank Schnieder, Will and Steve Shumaker, Mike Coltrin and Bev Loomis.

Thanks go to Deb, Jayme and Stew for treating us to a fun and productive day at Grand Canyon.'

Mike Coltrin

Spring 2003 Board Meeting

Sunday, April 27, 2003:

The Spring Board meeting was held at the Recreation Center, Grand Canyon Village

10AM to 2PM

Spring 2003 GCHBA Cottonwood Project

April 28, 2003

A group of ten GCHBA volunteers contributed two working days at Cottonwood Campground under the supervision of Ranger Peggy Kolar.

The volunteers hiked in on the North Kaibab trail on Monday, April 28th and out again on Thursday, May first.

While at Cottonwood the volunteers improved the rock borders of several of the sites to discourage social trailing, stained and painted fences and sign posts and cleaned the toilets.

The volunteers were: Mary Simpson, Mike, Kathy and Dan Hayes, Dick and Joan Gladson, Cliff Beck, Lynn and Pat Davis and Mike Coltrin. (Gene Fowler wasn't able to attend so an alternate plan was implemented to get ice cream!)

Future GCHBA service outings include: Trails Day June 7th at the North Rim, the annual cemetery cleanup at the South Rim on August 16th and a yet to be announced project in October.

Mike Coltrin
GCHBA Projects Coordinator

National Trails Day - Transept Trail

Saturday June 7, 2003

Thanks to everyone who came to the North Rim for National Trails Day last weekend.

Dick and Joan with Pat and Laura from Tucson

Jim and son TJ and his friend Chris from Kayenta

Gene from Flagstaff

Merle from Phoenix

Liz from Phoenix

Evar - my Dad

Five of us were returns from last year. Gene hiked from the South Rim with all his gear and arrived at 5am Saturday and returned the same way on Monday; what a crazy guy. It was a super opportunity to quiz Jim Ohlman for some of his extensive backcountry knowledge.

Thanks to Bill Orman for scheduling and Jim Boucher for coordinating. Jim and NPS ranger McFarland gave guidance and worked with us all day.

Our trails projects included raking loose rock from the Transept trail that connects the campground with the lodge. For this we used a trail tool called a McCloud that is kind of a huge combination rake and hoe. We also covered extensive areas where inappropriate side-trailing had developed along the rim, and graveled a section of trail on the east rim of Bright Angel point where the pavement had crumbled beyond repair.

Facilities manager and host Jim Boucher was obviously in a good mood by the end of the day with what was accomplished. A little extra time put in Sunday morning finished things up. Time for some day hikes in the area afterward. North Rim conditions are better than last year with everything looking much greener. It was warmer too.

I was taking advantage of the plumbing at the lodge restroom after we had finished and I was sitting in one of the stalls and I hear a conversation at the sink, a boy saying to his dad, "I admire those people that make the trails nice, the ones who volunteer." No kidding, this is true. It made me realize that doing these projects has effects beyond just the physical improvements. It reminds people that Grand Canyon really does belong to all of us in a way they might not otherwise recognize.

National Trails Day next year will be June 5.

Doug Nering

Work Party at Indian Garden

October 20 - October 23, 2002

The goal of the re-veg project is to try to keep the blackberries under control and isolated in Garden Canyon. They are non-native and could easily spread throughout Grand Canyon. Other groups have been involved and quite a bit of work has already been done. We were assigned to mop up a few areas.

The eight of us had a wonderful time at Indian Garden. Special thanks to Mary Simpson for managing the kitchen, Gene Fowler for making another 'heroic' run to the rim for ice cream and to the two re-veg team members who put up with our antics. Dick and Joan Gladson, Pat and Lynn Davis and Cliff Beck rounded out our group of GCHBA volunteers.

GCHBA will schedule more service projects in the spring so stay tuned for the announcements!

Mike Coltrin
GCHBA Service Projects Coordinator

Board Meeting

Sunday, October 20, 2002

The Fall Board meeting was held at the Recreation Center, Grand Canyon Village

National Trails Day - North Rim Trail Maintenance

Saturday June 1, 2002

Back from the North Rim, where our group of 14, plus one NPS employee, helped celebrate June 1st, National Trails Day, by clearing the Old Bright Angel Trail from the rim down to the top of the Redwall. The trail was heavily overgrown, especially with maple, oak, and manzanita. We had a long and successful day, and left the trail looking great. Lots of hiking, lopping, snipping, and sawing. The lower portions of the trail will still need work, but the upper portions are usable again. I think everyone came away happy, participants and NPS as well. The North Rim staff seemed very pleased with our efforts, and it is my hope to continue to coordinate volunteer opportunities with them under the auspices of the GCHBA. Many thanks again to all our outstanding volunteers and to the Park Service. .

Bill Orman

Work Party at Indian Garden
Sunday, April 21, 2002 through Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Ranger Chuck invited us back this spring to do some more work at Indian Garden and the surrounding area. The project began after the GCHBA board meeting on Sunday, April 21st, and continued until the morning of Wednesday, April 24th.

What we did:

campsite monitoring in the Horn Creek and Salt Creek areas;

clean up the trail at Pipe creek and Tonto Trail crossing;

pick up trash at the base of the Tapeats cliff below Plateau Point

Click here for photos from the project.

Work Party at Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch and Clear Creek

Monday October 22, 2001 through Friday, October 26, 2001

The Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch Work Party took place between Monday, October 22, 2001 and Friday, October 26, 2001. Ten members from the Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association spent several in the inner Canyon at working on various projects Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch and Clear Creek. This work consisted of: laying new irrigation tubing; digging holes for planting; weeding irrigation ditches; moving compost and dirt to the nursery; and learning how to perform backcountry campsite surveys.

Click here for photos from the project.

Work Party at Indian Garden

Thursday, March 29, 2001 through Saturday March 31, 2001

The Indian Garden Spring Cleaning project ran from Thursday, March 29th through Saturday, 31st, 2001. Twelve members from the Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association spent two days at the Indian Garden campground doing: painting, pruning, picnic table repair, trail work including - hauling dirt, water bar building, lining trails and planting cactus.

Click here for photos from the project.

Cemetery Clean-Up
Saturday October 7, 2000
From 10 AM to 2 PM the Grand Canyon Hikers and Backpackers Association, and the Grand Canyon Pioneers along with the Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association participated in a clean-up project at the historic cemetery in Grand Canyon Village at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.