HIKE PROGRAMME
April 2006
MEET:
Burgh Quay
|
DEPART:
Sundays
|
COST:
Private bus. €10
|
|
9 April: Annamoe Delight Leader: Tom Milligan Route: Distance: 19km
Ascent: 760m |
|
16 April: Easter
Trip to |
|
23 April: Ballinabarney
Gap Leader: Philip Hayden Route: Rathdangan * Carrig Mt * Keadeen * Ballinabarney Gap * Ballineddan * Slievemaan * Camara Hill * Fentons. Distance: 19km
Ascent: 980m |
|
30 April: MOUNTAINS OF
MOURNE Cost: € 15.00 Leaders: Garry Byrne & Mark Campion Route: Car
Park(J234278) * Hen Mt * Cock Mt * Pigeon Rock * Slieve Moughanmore * Eagle Mt *
Shanlieve * NB: This walk will be split: the shorter walk will avoid Eagle Mt and Shanlieve. Distance: 17km
Ascent: 1200m There will be an opportunity to stop for a meal on
the return journey |
|
7 May: Leader: Brian Madden Route: Ballylusk (GR 245960) * Distance: 17km
Ascent: 600m |
GENERAL HIKE NOTES
PARTICIPATION Mountaineering is an activity with a
danger of personal injury or death. Participants should be aware of and accept
these risks. People who take part in our club activities do so at their own
risk and are responsible for their own actions and involvement.
INTRODUCTORY HIKES An Introductory Hike is organised once
per month for aspirant members. Participants on these hikes must be a member of
An Óige.
CO-ORDINATION Tickets are given out on Sundays to
ensure that participants reserve a bus place as they arrive.
LEADER The leader has the right to refuse anyone
who is not adequately equipped (e.g.,
without appropriate boots, rainwear, food, torch, hat, gloves, etc). The leader
may alter the route from that described in the program. The leader sets the
pace of the hike and walkers are expected to obey the leader’s instructions at
all times.
TORCH During winter months it is essential to bring a
(head) torch on all Sunday hikes. Check your batteries / bulb.
ENVIRONMENT Try to reduce the erosion and widening of trails,
e.g. do not walk on the edge of worn tracks; walk through the centre of the
original track or go several meters into the scruff where the ground is untrodden, walking parallel to but not on the track.
LITTER Litter is unsightly and dangerous to animals. Even
bio-degradable items like orange peels and banana skins take years to
disappear. Bring all your litter home and try to include at least one extra
item from each day out. Do not bury litter – animals will dig it up.
WALKING STICKS In the interest of safety and comfort please keep the
pointed end of your walking stick covered, especially when travelling on the
bus.
HIKE LEADERS If any
member is interested in leading a hike, please contact:
Garry Byrne
Mark Campion
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We would like to
hear from you!
Whether you …
• wish to contribute an article …
• have read an
interesting book you'd like to recommend to club members …
• would like to share your favourite
hikes …
• want to comment on any club matters …
Why not get in
touch? Write or email to:
Barbara Sudrow, 24 Glenmalure Park,
S.C.R.,
EMAIL ALERT: in cases where the electronic newsletter bounces
back, we will send the paper version by post. We would therefore ask any
members who currently do not receive this newsletter in ELECTRONIC FORMAT but
wish to do so in future, to send a short message to the above email address
from a VALID EMAIL ACCOUNT.
CLUB NEWS
FOR
HI-TEC Apex
Women’s, size 40 (
Nubuck leather and mesh with breathable
waterproof membrane and vibram soles.
Worn
about 4 times. Original price €110. Selling price €45.
Contact: Deirdre.
FOR
Membership 2005-2006
So far, 107
members have renewed their membership for the current year (
• … you have to be a member of the Hillwalkers' Club to avail of the special bus for Sunday
Hikes.
• … only paid-up members will receive
the newsletter by post, email or both.
• … the renewal form is located at the
end of the printed newsletter and on the website.
An Óige Ring of Imaal :
This event has
been scheduled for
Base Venue:
Volunteers needed
to help run the event. Anyone interested, please contact Jim Barry.
SUNDAY HIKES – SUNDAY BUS
Over the past few
months, there has been some concern regarding the relatively low number of club
members who come out on Sunday Hikes. Despite the obvious cost to the club, the
committee has decided not to raise the bus fare; we may have to do so later in
the year.
Instead, we would
like to invite all members to support the club by taking part in Sunday Hikes.
Over the next few weeks, we will send Sunday Hike details by text message to
members, on a trial basis.
We would also
like to survey our members to get your feedback on club activities. If you have
any suggestions for questions to be included in the survey, please email them
to Barbara Sudrow before 21st April.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
2006
The Banff
Mountain Film Festival World Tour is presented in
Venue: Astra Hall, Students building, UCD
Date & Time: 5th and 6th April. Start:
Tickets: €15 from Great Outdoors,
Films range from
3 minutes to 52 minutes in length. For programme details go to:
http://www.irishmountainfilmfestival.com
SOCIAL CORNER
INDIAN FOOD NIGHT
21 people came
together on Friday night at the Shan Restaurant. It was a nice crowd, able to
be accommodated by the restaurant. The food was good and as far as I know,
everyone was happy. We finished the night at the Forum pub.
Steve Buckney
The next event
will be a night out at the IFC, probably in early May. Other suggestions
welcome! Please contact our Social Organiser Steve Buckney.
Text to: 086-1591842
EXHIBITION: An Óige
Photographic Group
Annual Exhibition
Members of An Óige are invited to submit photographs and/or slides in the
Hostelling Section of the above Exhibition.
The rules for
entry are as follows:
Photographs: Black & White and/or colour
1. Maximum number of photographs which may
be entered by each member is 8.
2. Minimum photograph size is 10” x 7”;
maximum size including mount is 16” x 12”.
Entries which do not comply with these sizes will not be accepted.
3. Black and white photographs must be
mounted on white board. Coloured
photographs must be mounted on black board.
4. Name and An Óige
Membership Number should appear on the back of the mount.
5. Each photograph should be given a title
which should also appear on the back of the mount.
6. No lettering of any kind is permitted
on the front of the photograph or the front of the mount.
Slides
1. Maximum number which may be entered by
each member is 6.
2. Slides must be “spotted” on the top
right hand corner when ready for projection.
3. Name and An Óige
Membership Number should appear on the slide mount.
4. Each slide must be given a title which
should also appear on the slide mount.
The closing date for the receipt of entries is
Entries should be sent to the An Óige
Photographic Group,
For further information contact Marie
McDonald on 01-8377411 (H) or 01 8822560 (An Óige
afternoons).
NO ENTRY FEE
WORKSHOP: Photographing Irish
Landscapes
A weekend
seminar/workshop concentrating on photographing Irish landscapes will take
place in
For more
information on the weekend, please check the following address:
http://www.mountainviews.ie/features/photocourses.htm
TRIP UPDATE (1)
Scottish Highlands
Dates: Sat, 22 July –
Leader: Mark Campion
Area: Glencoe /
Cost: In the region of €400, excluding food.
Accommodation: Hostels and
Transport: Private cars or minibus, depending again on people
involved.
Numbers: Only 6 places available;
cut-off date is 19th April.
Possible hikes in
Meall Chuaidh (short
hike for day 1 off the A9) / Ben Macdui / Easains / Creag Meagaidh /
These hikes may
change. It is likely that we will do seven hikes weather permitting, with a
rest day or two in the middle. There will obviously be scope for those who want
extra rest days. Also, there may be scope to do two grades of hikes depending
on the make-up of the party.
The average
length of the hikes will be 20km with plenty of ascent, so a good level of
mountain fitness and stamina will be required.
Interested? Please contact:
Mark Campion
TRIP UPDATE (2)
Spain: Camino de Santiago
"It’s hard
to imagine a better way to enjoy
Eoin Moroney is
planning a small walking trip to the old pilgrim route of the Camino de
Santiago de Compostela in northern
This walk on a
dedicated walking trail will cross the beautiful mountain scenery at the north
of
However,
conditions on this walk will be quite difficult. Walkers will have to carry all their
supplies including
clothes for ten days. Temperatures may be quite warm (in the high 20's to low
30's). We will not have prearranged accommodation although there are refuges
along the way offering accommodation to Pilgrims.
Cost of the
flights to
Anyone
interested, please contact Eoin Moroney
by Monday, 10th April.
CLUB TRAVEL
EASTER TRIP 2006
REMINDER
Meeting Place:
Thursday, 13th April,
Stena Line Departure Terminal,
NEW: JUNE BANK
Weekend Trip to
Killarney
Details of hike
itinerary, cost, booking arrangements, etc. on page 8!
INSIDE THE COMMITTEE
Secretary
I have been a
member of the Hillwalkers since it started, in
January 1993. Since then I have seen many members come and go, but a good many
of the original members are still around, perhaps not as active as before. As Secretary to the Hillwalkers,
I do the minutes and general correspondence for the Club. I also organise the Sunday walks on alternate
months, together with Mark Campion. I am making a conscious effort to use new
routes or routes which have not been used for some time. This should add
interest to the Club's activities and increase numbers attending. In doing this I am greatly assisted by my
knowledge of routes built up over the years and by advice from other Club
members, some of whom also help out in reckies I do
in the hills.
Garry Byrne
TRAVEL ABROAD
Himalayan Trek
A Rewarding Climb
I had made it! I
was on top of the world. It was cold and windy but I felt so exhilarated by the
view that I didn’t even care. I was at the top of Kala
Patthar. I was sitting on a steeply sloping rock with
a sheer drop on each side. I was terrified. However, the superb close-up views
of
So what was I doing
here?
In October 2003,
I signed up to become part of an expedition to climb to Mount Everest Base Camp
in April 2004 in aid of Refugee Trust International. To participate in the
expedition I had to raise €4,500 for the ‘Trust’s Rwanda Street Children
Appeal. Refugee Trust is a registered Irish Aid Organisation and Charity which
specialises in providing emergency relief and long-term assistance to the
people of the third world.
Having raised and
paid all the money into the Refugee Trust account I joined a wonderful group of
16 like-minded strangers (15 men and 1 other woman!) at
The trip was full
of new and, for me, wonderful experiences.
Having flown from
We ascended
steeply to Namche Bazaar (3,440m or 11,286 feet) a
little traditional Sherpa town built into the side of
the mountains. At this stage the thinning air, strong sunshine, heat, dry air
and tracks clouded with choking dust (we breathed in mouthfuls of dust) made
climbing conditions difficult. Some of the group began to feel unwell. We spent
two nights in Namche (for acclimatisation). During
our stay we climbed steeply out of the town to Shyangboche
(3,720m or 12,205 feet). As we trekked along the cliff edge we saw an eagle
gliding over the deep and dark valley. Then suddenly we saw it -
On the morning of
day four we left Namche to join the main trail
emerging onto a precipitous canyon wall 610m above the Dudh
Kosi. After Namche the
vegetation began to thin out as altitude was gained. Above the tree line the
scenery changed to stark glacial moraine, beautiful lakes and snow-covered
Himalayan giants. We arrived at Thyangboche, a tiny
village at 3860m or 12,664 feet with its spectacular views of Everest, Nuptse,
It was a
beautiful sunny day as we arrived at Base Camp and the sun-covered Himalayan
giants towering above us looked exquisite. Yet, standing there on the rocky bed
of base camp, one could not but be reminded of the danger element attached to
this incredible landscape. I heard five avalanches on the way in and saw the
wreckage of a crashed helicopter strewn across the Khumbu
Glacier. I thought about the lure of Everest, how it has consumed so many lives
and how climbers continue to risk their lives because of their fascination with
the world’s highest mountain. I thought of Odell (Mallory’s friend and fellow
climber in 1924) and his sentiments outlined in Breashears
and Salkeld’s ‘Last Climb’ in which he confessed to
feeling the allure of its towering presence and how no mountaineer could but be
fascinated. I quote: “He who approaches close must ever be led on, and oblivious of all obstacles seek to reach that most
sacred and highest place of all.”
Base Camp was a
scene of colourful tents and prayer flags, a climber shaving, the sound of a
radio playing music, people looking very fit, different languages and
nationalities, porters, trekkers and real climbers. We had achieved what we had
set out to do – climb to Base Camp. It was no mean achievement. We gathered
around the Irish tent and had hoped to meet the members of another Irish
expedition – Pat Falvey and Dr. Clare O’Leary - but
they had already gone off up into the mountains to make history!
The trekking at
high altitude was much tougher than I had ever expected. Kala
Patthar came at the end of 8 days of climbing. It was
considered a very strenuous climb. Only 8 of the group attempted the climb. The
prospect of a 12 hour round trip to Base Camp - scheduled to take place the
following day - prompted the remainder to conserve their energy. However, some
of us were gluttons for punishment!
Up to then the
trekking was tough but always rewarding. Apart from the incredible beauty of
the scenery, eight days trekking/climbing was time well spent.
It was very good training because acclimatisation was sufficiently gradual. Too
sudden a gain in height can lead to altitude sickness.
The effort in
climbing at this altitude is extremely gruelling. Steep slopes at over 17,000
feet exhaust you very quickly. But the pressure was on us to get to the top as
quickly as possible in order to avoid cloud cover. We could only do a few steps
at a time and only take short shallow breaths – it was difficult to get a
really deep satisfying breath. Despite the discomfort our determination and
perseverance were rewarded by the sensational views of the highest mountain in
the world and its neighbouring giants.
A visit to a
street children school and orphanage project outside
For those of you
who are wondering about the ‘night life’ on the Everest trail in the lodging
houses we usually sat around the dining room stove (fuelled by yak dung),
chatted and exchanged stories from the day’s trekking, wrote diaries, read
books or played cards. However, a very dim light bulb overhead (not always
reliable) made reading and writing difficult. Once the sun went down in the
late afternoon it got very cold and after dark it was freezing. It was at this
stage that the thermals and the ‘Michelin man’ gear came out. We only went near
our bedrooms when it was absolutely necessary! It was always a dreaded thought
after dinner to leave the relatively warm ambience of the dining room for the
freezing cold air of the bedroom!
On the way down
we celebrated the Nepalese New Year in the lodging house in Pangboche
(3,930m or 12,893 feet) with the porters, guides, locals and other tourists. It
was a great impromptu session with music, sing song and dance (traditional
Nepalese style - or at least we tried to). We drank the local brew ‘Chang’
served in mugs from flasks. It resembled milk with little lumps of rice
floating on top. It was disgusting to taste at first but after a few sips (out
of politeness) and several top ups we seemed to acquire a taste for it and even
worried whenever the orange flask was not in view.
In conclusion, I
have to say that was the most exciting trip I have ever taken in my life. I
experienced things I could never imagine – whether the high mountains or the
back streets of Kathmandu or the sound of distant avalanches or the looks on
the faces of the little children of the orphanage or the stars on frosty nights
in the clear air of high altitude or the camaraderie of a bunch of strangers
who became friends or the generosity of my friends and colleagues. The downside
of all of this is that it has given me an incurable wanderlust and a longing
for more of the same!
Betty Kehoe
JUNE BANK
An Óige Hillwalkers Club
June Bank
Friday 2nd
June – Monday 5th June
Visit to the Wild and
Beautiful
Aghadoe Y.H., Killarney, Co Kerry
Moderate/Hard
Walkers Welcome
Two grades of
walk each day on Saturday, Sunday & Monday
Leader: Tom Kenny
Strictly Bus Trip
Only
Weekend Walking Itinerary
- Ridge Walk to
-
- Paps
of Dana
- Social Events
Ordnance Survey Maps: 1:50.000 Discovery Series
Sheets 71, 78 and 79
Notes
Hostel accommodation:
Booking: €100 NON REFUNDABLE deposit to An Óige Head Office by credit card or cash deposit (8304555). Booking facilities available now.
Total Cost: €160 (includes 3 Bednights,
2 Dinners, 3 Continental Breakfasts, Packed Lunches & Transport costs).
Balance payable to Head Office by 19th May.
Extra Food etc: Large local Supermarket
Bring: Mountain rain wear/change of warm
clothing/towels/toilet gear/flask/torch/first aid kit/camera/binoculars/valid
An Óige membership card.
Departure: Friday evening from George’s Quay (adjacent to Tara
Street Railway Station) at
Return: Monday evening/arriving
Please note that
the walking programme may be altered or curtailed at the discretion of the
leader to take account of adverse weather conditions and walkers capabilities.
Welcome Aboard