Sunday
Hikes November 2005
HIKE PROGRAMME |
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MEET: Burgh Quay
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DEPART: Sundays 10.00 am
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COST: Private bus. €10
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Date |
Route
Description |
Distance |
Leader
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Nov 6th |
Route: Oldbridge - Wicklow Way Track - Ballinafunshoge
Mountain - Ballinrush - Lough Dan Track - Knocknacloghoge Mtn - Cloghoge
Brook - Luggala - Military Road Carpark at GR 137 087 |
15km / 900m |
Philip
Roche
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Nov 13th |
Route: Lead Mine Carpark - Brockagh Mountain - Tonelagee -
Lough Ouler - Spot Height 536 - Mall Hill - Forest Track - Lynams of Laragh. |
17km / 750m |
Mark
Campion
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Nov 20th |
Route: Sally Gap - Carrigvore - Gravale - Duff Hill -
Mullaghcleevaun East Top - Mullaghcleevaun Mtn - Black Hill - Ballynultagh
Gap |
18km/ 825m |
Brian
Flynn
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Nov 27th |
Route: Shop River Road - Ravens Rock - Prince Williams
Seat - Knocknagun - Old Boleys - Kippure - Lough Brays - Glencree
Reconciliation Centre |
16km / 700m |
Brian
Madigan
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Dec 3rd |
Christmas Party Leaders: Saturday: Tom Kenny (Hard Hike); Jim Barry (Moderate Hike) Sunday: Garry Byrne Route: Christmas Party Hikes in the Glendalough Area |
Various |
Tom
Kenny / Garry Byrne
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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 Email:
garry_byrne@environ.ie
Mark
Campion: Email: campion@ireland.com
Weekends
Away
Trip
to Donegal & Derry October 2005
An Óige
Hillwalkers Club completed another very successful weekend trip to Donegal and
Derry. At times, it is easy to take such successes for granted and not to pay
too much attention to the huge effort that certain members of the club have to
invest in organising such events. These efforts guaranteed the success of the
Derry trip and the preparatory work goes right back to the early part of the
summer when rekkies were undertaken.
The initial surveying work was carried out in ideal weather conditions,
which at some level could have turned out to be a disadvantage whilst battling
through the ferocious conditions that beset us some four months later when the
Hillwalkers took on Mount Errigal. Some participants claimed that they had
never experienced such severe and unbearable conditions before. Presented with such
a challenging scenario, the leaders had to adapt their styles and, I must
admit, they rose to the occasion. The hike had to be tackled with a slightly
different approach to the norm. As the weather continued to deteriorate, Frank
Rooney set up both a rear and middle marker and also, as part of the overall
strategy, continuously checked with all participants - while things progressed
or regressed - as to whether or not they were willing to continue. At that
stage, it is believed that Paul Carroll told him that he would continue with
the group, but equally, he was happy to return to a lower and safer base.
Thereafter, it
became a team effort that manifested itself from the front of the group, a true
display of leadership skills, and in fact something that Irish Industry could
learn from. Then, and at the most threatening stage of the expedition, one of
the participants got into difficulty when his glasses were blown off. That
situation brought out the best in club members when Garry Byrne came forward and
sacrificed his own walk by offering to accompany Barry O'Sullivan to safety at
the bottom of the mountain.
Further on the heavy conditions dictated that the route had to be
changed and I am happy to report that Frank managed to engineer that aspect of
the day to a successful conclusion as well. Having met some of the locals later
on, they claimed that they "would not put their dogs out in such
conditions". It was suggested to another more senior member that we
were indeed quite brave, a comment that drew the retort of "either that
or you are totally mad".
The media in this country expends most of its energies and coverage on the things that go wrong in our society. As an active member of the Hillwalkers, I can confidently say that this is a club where most things are carried out successfully and I reiterate that to be a true reflection on the people who are running the show.
One would be tempted to say that it was pity that the Irish trip to
Sipan was not organised by An Óige Hillwalkers Club. According to Packie Bonner
in the play “I Keano“ that whole thing went wrong as a result of the fact that
the prawn sandwiches did not arrive on time. During the weekend in Derry, all
things needed and expected to be available on a hillwalking trip were provided.
Whilst the leaders themselves do not comment too much on their
responsibilities it was obvious for everyone to see that both Frank and Eoin
were in even better form in the pub on Sunday night, subconsciously aware that
the walks were effectively over and that the weekend as a whole was a complete
success.
Others were equally as influential. For example, Jim Barry, a regular
member of the Hillwalkers, took on the responsibility of leading the easy walk
on Saturday. Not to take anything away from an easy walk but regular members of
the hillwalkers group prefer difficult or more challenging walks. From that
point of view he would have sacrificed his preferred outing. In addition he
also made a huge administrative contribution and took it upon himself to look after
both the hotel staff and bus driver alike. It is such considerate gestures that
help “An Óige” members to receive more open and welcoming arms on their
travels.
In summary I
would like to say that organising such a trip can be quite onerous and demanding.
The leaders of An Óige Hillwalkers Club deserve great credit for their efforts
and the fact that they are willing to accept such responsibilities. They
deserve even more credit for the absolute success of such trips.
Eamonn Coyle
EDITOR'S NOTE: If
you have been on a weekend trip or Sunday hike with the Hillwalkers recently,
why not consider writing a short report for the newsletter?
Christmas
Party
Date: Saturday,
3rd December 2005
Venue: Glendalough Youth Hostel
Cost: €
55 for those travelling independently
€ 65 for those travelling by Club Bus
IMPORTANT!
Club Bus departs on Saturday morning
at 9.30am from Burgh Quay
(former Irish Press Office)
Price includes bus transport to and from
Dublin, light refreshments after Saturday hike, Gala evening dinner in the
Wicklow Heather Restaurant and overnight accommodation in Glendalough Youth
Hostel on Saturday night.
Booking now via An Óige Headquarters.
Social
Corner
Forthcoming Events
Going to the Dogs again!
Thursday, 10th November, Shelbourne Park
€ 10 (includes voucher for one drink)
€ 8 (entry only)
The first race is at 8 pm but those collecting
tickets from Steve need to be there at 7:30 pm (meet at the entrance).
Text messages to Steve Buckney.
Annual Don Reilly Holly, Guinness and
Refreshments Hike
This cheery, annual hike will take place on
Sunday, 18th December, finishing at the Hollywood Inn, Hollywood, Co. Wicklow.
More details in the next edition of the newsletter!
Folk Night
We hope to hold another folk music night in
late January. Watch this space and get in
tune!! Further details in the next edition of the newsletter!
BUY & SELL
Anyone
wishing to sell hiking gear, boots, walking sticks etc. or looking to buy
second-hand equipment, please send item description, name and contact details
for publication in the newsletter to the Editor:
Barbara
Sudrow, 24 Glenmalure Park, S.C.R., Dublin 8 or barbarasudrow@eircom.net
Navigation
Training
Map and Compass Course
2005/2006
The Annual Map and Compass
course started on 1st November 2005 with 21 participants. The course includes
three Tuesday evening sessions, 2 hours' duration each, held in An Óige
Headquarters, Mountjoy Street. In addition, there are two weekend training
sessions as well as one night navigation session, all based in Wicklow.
Accommodation for the two Wicklow weekends is provided in the Glendalough
Hostel. A separate consolidation session will be organised in the Comeragh
Mountains, Co. Waterford, for the weekend of the 28th & 29th January 2006.
Course organiser: Jimmy McCullagh
REMINDER OF
FORTHCOMING DATES:
Second Weekend: November 19th & 20th, Wicklow Mountains, meet
outside Lynam's Pub, Laragh at 9.45am. Accommodation in the Glendalough
International Hostel (Saturday overnight is included in the course cost).
Night Hike: December 11th, meet outside Coach House Pub,
Roundwood at 4.00pm
Consolidation Weekend: January 28th & 29th January 2006, Rathgormack
Mountaineering Hostel, Comeragh Mtns., Co. Waterford. (Costs associated with
this weekend are NOT included in course cost.)
Annual
General Meeting
Chairman’s Report
The AGM was held on
Thursday, 6th October 2005, at the Westmoreland Bar, Westmoreland Street,
Dublin 1.
The attendance were 22
members, down from last year (33).
Stepping down from the
committee were Deidre McMahon, Newsletter Editor; Prionnsias Mac An Bheatha,
Chairman; Tom Kenny, Sunday Hike Organiser; Philip Roche, Sunday Hike
Organiser. The meeting gave big thanks to the members stepping down, particularly
Prionnsias who gave 10 years of service to the committee.
New members Barbara Sudrow,
Mark Campion and Garry Byrne were given a big welcome by the meeting.
Afterwards Eoin Moroney joined the committee.
Financial position of the
Club: Overall the financial position of the club is reasonably strong mainly
due to the diligent work of the Treasurer, Jim Barry.
Membership: The membership is at 134 for the year
ending. Club membership fee for the coming year is at € 30, which is partially
subsidised by the Club funds.
Financial
Donations: The club last
year continued to make a contribution to An óige bed nights and also made
financial donations to Doorus Hostel
and Benlettery. Also Mountain Rescue donations of € 500 each to Dublin/Wicklow
and Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team funds.
We also continued
the Mountain Skills Bursaries fund in which two members received reimbursement
of fees.
Social Events
and Weekends: Social
Events co-ordinator, Stephen Buckney organised many successful events this
year. Including a night at the dogs, and a day’s horse racing in Fairyhouse.
The club
organised four successful weekend away last year in South Wales, Kerry, Sligo
and Derry/Donegal as well as a successful Christmas Party.
Map and
Compass Course: Training
Officer Jimmy McCullagh gave a substantial account of the training for last
year. The map and compass course was held successfully with 24 participants
attending the course. He is again hoping for another successful course this
year.
Overall View: While it can be seen that the overall
health of the club is in reasonable good shape both at a financial and at an
activity level, the fall-off in membership from two years ago of 160 members to
now of 134 is a concern.
A greater concern
is the fall-off in Sunday hike attendance. This fall-off impacts on the cost of
running the Sunday Bus. Over the last two years the Sunday bus has been
subsidised by over € 2000. If this trend continues it has the potential to
derail the club.
Even at the
present level of membership of 134 if every member came out once every five
weeks the bus would be full each week.
Frank Rooney, Chairman
Over the next few months,
we will be taking a look behind the scenes: In turn, each member will talk
about his or her work on the Hillwalkers' Committee. And - watch out for more
photos of committee members - we might even manage a group photograph!
Easter
Weekend 2006
This is an early
announcement of the Easter Weekend Trip 2006. Jim Barry is currently working
behind the scenes to organise a trip to Wales. Travel will be by ferry and bus;
the group will be based in accommodation in Llanberis, and shuttle bus
transport will be provided to and from the start/finish of the hikes.
Full details in the next
newsletter!
Out on
the Trails
Hiking Adventures
CHAMONIX TO ZERMATT
The Walkers' High Route
By Noel Kerley & Frank
O’Rourke
During September 2005 two
(reasonably) stalwart members of the An Oige Hillwalkers Club (Noel Kerley and
Frank O’Rourke) did the traverse of the Chamonix to Zermatt Walkers High Route.
By any standards, this is a spectacular route – it is also a very tough one,
and while we started out with the purest of thoughts and intentions regarding
the taking of shortcuts, using mechanical aids, etc., this very commendable
line of thinking came to be modified by practicalities as the trek progressed.
As we both arrived in Zermatt whole and entire – if somewhat the worse for wear
– we assume we did most things right. Kev Reynolds’ book on the route was our
staple guide.
The weather throughout
consisted of wall-to-wall sunshine (most days) so it was shorts, t-shirt and
sun-lotion (lots of) all the way. There was a hell of a lot of climbing
involved to cross many mountain passes and the subsequent long descents over
rough tracks were just as strenuous. We saw many parts of Switzerland which
were well off the beaten track which were scenes of total devastation due to
glacial action, rock falls, etc. These areas bore no resemblance whatever to
the chocolate-box image tourists usually have of Switzerland. Also, in the
earlier stages there were times when we both felt we had bitten off more than
we could chew, but this feeling passed as the trek progressed and we both
settled into it.
Frank flew to Geneva and
caught a bus to Chamonix while Noel travelled overland (as he usually does),
via Holyhead, London, Eurostar to Paris, and overnight train to the Alps. We
both met up at Chamonix railway station about 09:30 hours, ready to commence
Day 1. After full and weighty deliberation we decided to have a “cuppa” first
while we wound up our willpower to face the perils ahead. The scenery was
already terrific and we hadn’t yet covered one metre of the trip.
DAY 1 was an easy
“breaking-in-gently” day as far as Argentiere, mainly through woods alongside
the River Arve. DAYS 2 & 3 were
serious stuff and taxed us fully. From Argentiere we had a long uphill slog to
the Col de Balme where we stood with one foot in France and the other in
Switzerland – this was the border and we were in Switzerland for the rest of the
trip. After a comfortable overnight in Trient we faced another brute of a day
to get to Champex. We went the hard way via the Fenêtre D’Arpette involving
about 1,400 metres of height-gain alongside the Glacier du Trient – quite a
sight, but in hot sunshine all day. A short break at the top for a snack, then
a long strenuous descent to Champex, a delightful village alongside a small
lake. It is probably true to say that at this point our morale was at it’s
lowest and we both felt in poor shape.
What helped hugely at this
stage was that DAY 4 to Le Chable was a relatively easy day – short distance
(13k), very pleasant pastoral terrain and little uphill stuff – in fact, quite
the contrary as our destination was 700 metres lower than our starting point,
and trees provided much shelter from the sun. This evening we stayed in a small
hotel and enjoyed a little bit of luxury – very, very nice. Things were looking
up.
DAY 5 to Cabane du Mont
Fort was 9k and – on paper at least – looked a very tough day with a long steep
climb straight from Le Chable to Les Ruinettes, about halfway along. At this
point we decided to get practical and had no difficulty whatever in agreeing to
say “up yours” to that long climb and letting a bus and cablecar do the hard
work instead of our legs and lungs. These brought us as far as Les Ruinettes
and we then thoroughly enjoyed a magnificent walk along the tops to the Cabane
du Mont Fort where we arrived during the afternoon. We had a very pleasant hour
or two sitting on the terrace in the sunshine with the Mont Blanc range spread
out in the distance. The day was terrific and the sunset was excellent.
DAY 6 to Cabane de
Prafleuri was the first day of the trek spent in totally wild and desolate
terrain. We went over 3 passes (or cols) and each involved quite an amount of
uphill slogging. The downhill stretches that followed were equally strenuous.
The final col – Col de Prafleuri at 2,965m – was the highest point on the trek.
We didn’t quite hit 3,000m anywhere. The Cabane de Prafleuri is located in what
remains of a vast derelict quarry and the terrain all around has been totally
eroded by glacial action over the years. The entire area was a scene of utter
devastation.
DAY 7 (16k) brought us to Arolla via Lac des Dix
and a diversion to the Cabane des Dix, where we had a lunch stop. We then
crossed a glacier via a marked route and had a tough climb to the Col de
Riedmatten, a difficult stretch over a chaos of rocks and boulders carrying
backpacks. It was then downhill all the way to Arolla to our next little bit of
luxury in the Hotel du Glacier.
DAY 8 was a relatively short (10k) and easy day to
La Sage. We use the word “relatively” because there was nothing short or easy
on this trip, but compared to the others this was not a bad day.
DAY 9 to Cabane de Moiry
was a case of “back to normal”. A steep climb to the Col du Tsate, downhill to
the Val de Moiry, then a tough and long slog up to the cabane, spectacularly
situated overlooking the Moiry Glacier which is right alongside. The cabane was
rather basic – no hot water for showers and outside loos, but we were well fed
and slept soundly.
DAY 10 was 14k to Zinal and
our first day to suffer rain, but this happened right at the very end of the
day. Again, not a bad day with a couple of hundred metres climbing to the Col
de Sorebois. We then used a cable car to avoid a steep, knee-jarring descent
through the forest to Zinal and had another little “fix” of luxury in a hotel.
DAY 11 was back to bright
sunshine again and several hours of climbing to the Forcletta pass, at 2,874m.
The descent brought us into the German-speaking part of Switzerland for an
overnight in Gruben.
DAY 12 was a “missed” day.
It was raining heavily from early morning and visibility was very poor. As we
had 1,000m to climb to the Augstbordpass we decided to by-pass this stage using
a taxi, a cable car, two trains and a bus, and eventually ended up in Gasenried
for our next overnight. Gasenried is situated near the start of the Europaweg,
a 31k high route which runs all the way along the side of the valley called the
Mattertal to Zermatt, and this comprised our final two days on the High Route.
DAY 13 was 14k of
high-level walking, along the Europaweg to the Europa Hut, situated at 2,220m
above the Mattertal. This should have been a spectacular walk but for the
entire day (bar the final hour) we saw absolutely nothing but thick cloud and
mist – it was sitting on top of us all day long. The frequent waymarks were the
only thing that kept us going in the right direction.
DAY 14 brought us back to
sunshine again for our final day on the High Route, which comprised 18k of very
pleasant walking with Zermatt in the distance steadily getting nearer, and the
Matterhorn putting in an appearance at long last. We had a lunch stop halfway
along at a lovely Alpine hamlet, and on arrival at Sunnegga, high above
Zermatt, we used the Sunnegga Express funicular railway to bring us down to
Zermatt, which it did in minutes as against a couple of hours of descending on
foot.
It was with a sense of
great satisfaction that we spent our final night in Zermatt, the Chamonix to
Zermatt High Route now behind us. A memorable experience.
Noel Kerley & Frank
O’Rourke
MCI News
The Future of Tiglin
The MCI wishes to advise its members that the directors of the Irish
Adventure Sports Training Trust (IASTT) met with the Irish Sports Council (ISC)
on Tues 25th Oct 2005. The ISC has decided to undertake a review of the
operation of Tiglin before making a decision on future capital and operational
funding. In the context of the possible closure of Tiglin, the MCI is reviewing
its own policy and approach to training. To this end the MCI Executive will
shortly invite all interested members to put forward their views and
recommendations for consideration. Source: www.mountaineering.ie
Editor’s
Notes
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., Dublin 8, barbarasudrow@eircom.net
Membership
2005 – 2006
This is a gentle
reminder for those who haven't renewed their Hillwalkers Club membership for
2005-2006. The annual fee of € 30.00 covers access to Sunday hikes and the
receipt of the newsletter. It also includes MCI membership (including the
Mountain Log magazine) as well as the MCI insurance. The insurance cover starts
from the date on your receipt - one very good reason not to wait any longer:
the membership form is attached to this newsletter!
In the
next Edition…
December & January Hike
Programme;
Easter 2006 Trip to Wales;
suggestions for Stocking Fillers; Mountain Trivia and more!