Dallas Sierra Club Calendar

This class ideal for those who want to learn all about backpacking and for those who want to refresh your backpacking knowledge and skills. Topics include: wilderness ethics, outdoor clothing, boots, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, cookware, food, preparing for a trip and even a short, late afternoon breakout session to discuss men's and women's outdoor 'issues'.  Instructors are experienced Dallas Sierra Club leaders. There will be time for questions and a hands-on look at outdoor gear. You will also have the opportunity to learn about, and sign up for, several beginner backpacking trips. Lunch of backpacking food is included. (Feel free to bring anything else you prefer to eat.) The fee is $20 for Sierra Club members and $30 for non-members (CASH or CHECK ONLY). No reservations are necessary, just show up. The class will be held at the Dallas REI store, 4515 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, TX 75244 (north side of LBJ between Welch and Midway). Please arrive by 10:15am to register and get settled. The class will begin promptly at 10:30 AM and end about 4:45pm PM. Handouts will be provided. PLEASE BRING a writing utensil and your water bottle.  Coordinator: Liz Wheelan 214-368-2306

Social/snacks at 6:30 pm, meeting at 7:00 pm. Inner City Outings ("ICO") is an outreach program of the Sierra Club comprised of adult volunteers who provide wilderness experiences such as day hikes and camping for disadvantaged youth. ICO meets on the fourth Tuesdays, Feb - June and Aug - Nov at the Dallas REI store, 4515 LBJ Freeway, Farmers Branch, TX 75244 (north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch). Meetings are open to all. Those newly interested please RSVP so they can sign up to attend a new volunteer orientation. To receive future announcements and meeting information you may sign up for our email list.  Contact: Liz Wheelan 214-368-2306

The Executive Committee (or Excom) is the elected governing body of the Dallas Sierra Club and meets at REI, 4515 LBJ Freeway, Farmers Branch, TX 75244 (north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch). Contact the Dallas Group Chair for more information.

Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables at the Sierra Club's adopted section of White Rock Lake Park. Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you. Brunch afterwards. Trip rated: Easy. Leader: Carol Nash 214-824-0244

This will be an easy hike in a pleasant, little used forest. The area is designated as a natural scenic recreation area and has thick woods, scenic bluffs, and interesting trails going down to the lake. Saturday morning we'll hike about 1.5 flat miles to camp, then leave our big pack for an optional dayhike. Sunday will feature another dayhike to a nice overlook, then we'll take a different route back to our cars. McGee is close enough to leave Dallas for the trailhead Saturday morning. Trip rated: Easy. Leaders: Sue Greer 972-247-0446 and Bill Greer

Don't miss our March General Meeting, Experiencing John Muir's Sierra: A Photographer's Story. Photographer/videographer Scot Miller talks about his experiences creating and selecting the photographs for My First Summer in the Sierra: 100th Anniversary Illustrated Edition, a new edition of John Muir's classic.  Full details are on our Home Page.

Learn the fundamentals of finding your way in the wilderness in this two evening class. Among the subjects covered are: purchasing maps, how to read maps, how not to get lost, what to do if you do get lost, GPS, different kinds of compasses, and how to use your compass. If you have a compass, bring it to the class. If you don't have one, we will show you what to look for when you purchase one. The class will be held at the Dallas REI store (second floor program room). 4515 LBJ Freeway, north side, between Midway and Welch. This two-night class (second night March 15) will start promptly at 6:30 PM and will finish at about 8:45 PM. The fee for the class is $15 for Sierra Club members and $20 for non-members (CASH or CHECK ONLY). No reservations are necessary; just show up. Contact: Bill Greer 972-964-1781(h)

This is the second night a two part class.  See the class listing above (March 14) for details. Contact: Bill Greer 972-964-1781(h)

Please join us for a leisurely backpack trip to Fairfield State Park primitive camping area.  Fairfield SP is approximately 2 hours south east of Dallas. It is a pretty little man-made Texas Lake, flat trails and perfect for a beginner backpacker. We will meet at 10am in the parking lot near the park office on Saturday morning to begin an easy 2 mile hike to camp, and hike out Sunday morning about 9 am. There is a nominal fee (less than $5 per person) for one night of camping in the state park. On Sunday if you’d like to hike more there is a 6 mile hiking trail that surrounds the area and the lake that you may explore on your own or with others in the group. Please email Faith for any further questions.  Trip rated: Easy. Leaders: Faith Casale-Mauk 972-519-5420 and Kay Gowdy 214-732-6630

Meet in the upstairs program room at REI (on north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch), at 6:30 PM. Bring your ideas for the Dallas Sierra Club Outings program. We will be planning local outings and bus trips. All outings leaders, future outings leaders, and interested Sierrans welcome. Ask Bill to be placed on the email list for an agenda. Contact: Bill Greer 972-247-0446

You’ve got a few local weekend backpacks under your belt; now you want to do more: a fly-drive or multi-night outing, or even try a cold weather trip. This class will cover advanced backpacking tips and skills including winter camping, fly-drive planning and equipment, bear barrel packing, and week-long trekking. Location: upstairs clinic room at Dallas REI, 4515 LBJ Freeway, Farmers Branch, TX 75244 (north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch). This class will start promptly at 6:30 PM and finish about 8:45 PM. The fee for the class is $15 for Sierra Club members and $20 for non-members (CASH or CHECK ONLY - NO CHARGES). No reservations are necessary; just show up. Contact: Bill Greer 972-247-0446

Join us for our annual, leisurely 1 1/2 or 2 hour walk through Turtle Creek and Flippen Park.  Meet at 2 PM in the shopping strip on Oak Lawn (4200 block) just north of Wycliff. Take Oak Lawn Exit off I35 or Fitzhugh exit off Central Expressway.  No reservations needed. Trip rated: Easy. Leader: Austin Brouns 214-528-3812

The Executive Committee (or Excom) is the elected governing body of the Dallas Sierra Club and meets at REI, 4515 LBJ Freeway, Farmers Branch, TX 75244 (north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch). Contact the Dallas Group Chair for more information.

Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables at the Sierra Club's adopted section of White Rock Lake Park. Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you. Brunch afterwards. Trip rated: Easy. Leader: Carol Nash 214-824-0244

Meet in the upstairs program room at REI (on north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch), at 6:30 PM. Bring your ideas for the Dallas Sierra Club Outings program. We will be planning local outings and bus trips. All outings leaders, future outings leaders, and interested Sierrans welcome. Ask Bill to be placed on the email list for an agenda. Contact: Bill Greer 972-247-0446

Its fun and its helpful to get out to the Cedar Ridge Preserve in Dallas to help upgrade some of the beautiful walking trails. The address is 7171 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75249. It’s a great morning workout, and the scenery is exceptional. No tools are required, (maybe gloves) just show up and be ready to lend a hand or two. We'll work from 9 AM to 12 or so, and then walk around the preserve and admire the wildflowers and fauna! Bring some water for sure. Its on Saturday the 21st of April, please see their website www.audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html  for directions and info. Their number is 972-709-7784.  If you wish to carpool, then let me know, and we'll arrange a meeting spot. Come on out and stay green, people!  Organizer: Ginger Bradley Trip rated: Easy. Contact: Ginger Bradley 469-223-7902

The Executive Committee (or Excom) is the elected governing body of the Dallas Sierra Club and meets at REI, 4515 LBJ Freeway, Farmers Branch, TX 75244 (north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch). Contact the Dallas Group Chair for more information.

Walk and talk while helping to pick up trash and recyclables at the Sierra Club's adopted section of White Rock Lake Park. Meet at 8:15 AM at the Love of the Lake office on the Northeast corner of Garland Rd. and Buckner Blvd. Look for a crowd of people drinking free juice and coffee. Gloves, trash bags, etc. provided. Our area includes one of the wonderful prairie restoration areas, so there are always birds and wildflowers to enjoy. The lake and your karma will thank you. Brunch afterwards. Trip rated: Easy. Leader: Carol Nash 214-824-0244

Meet in the upstairs program room at REI (on north side of LBJ between Midway and Welch), at 6:30 PM. Bring your ideas for the Dallas Sierra Club Outings program. We will be planning local outings and bus trips. All outings leaders, future outings leaders, and interested Sierrans welcome. Ask Bill to be placed on the email list for an agenda. Contact: Bill Greer 972-247-0446

Its fun and its helpful to get out to the Cedar Ridge Preserve in Dallas to help upgrade some of the beautiful walking trails. The address is 7171 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75249. It’s a great morning workout, and the scenery is exceptional. No tools are required, (maybe gloves) just show up and be ready to lend a hand or two. We'll work from 9 AM to 12 or so, and then walk around the preserve and admire the wildflowers and fauna! Bring some water for sure. Its on Saturday the 19th of May, please see their website www.audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html  for directions and info. Their number is 972-709-7784.  If you wish to carpool, then let me know, and we'll arrange a meeting spot. Come on out and stay green, people!  Organizer: Ginger Bradley Trip rated: Easy. Leader: Ginger Bradley 469-223-7902

Wa-hoo!  This destination, near Ruidoso, New Mexico, is perfect for beginner backpackers with at least one overnight backpacking experience who want to move up to a 3-day, 2-night trip at altitude.  Veteran backpackers will love it, too.  Ascend the eastern slopes of the Sierra Blanca Mountains to the Crest Trail for amazing views of White Sands National Monument and the black Malpais lava fields on the desert floor far below.  Choose from four consistently popular hikes and a route never before offered.  Hop on a sleeper bus Friday evening and return Tuesday morning before work. Full details are in this PDF document. Bus trip leader: Mark Stein 214-526-3733

SAVE THESE DATES for a good time on an extended July 4 weekend in the high, cool Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico.  With our overnight sleeper bus, you leave Dallas in the evening of July 3 and return at dawn on July 9.  Choose a backpacking and hiking adventure from five trail options.  Even the starting trailheads will be new this year!  Traverse the awesome Divide from north to south, day hike to Santa Fe Baldy or spend one night in Santa Fe.  Some itineraries are suitable for most beginners with a recent overnight backpacking experience.  Email the bus trip leader for details before the full trip description packet is posted here in early spring.  You'll love the Pecos!  Bus trip leader: Mark Stein or 214-526-3733

SAVE THE DATE so you can escape the Texas heat this Labor Day weekend and join us for our trip to the cool Colorado mountains of the Weminuche Wilderness. This trip has mountains, lakes, streams, and valleys. Trips will range from car camping with day hikes to strenuous long hikes. The Weminuche Wilderness offers a great diversity and all the miles you want to hike. It is a hidden jewel and one of our most popular trips. Send email with your name if you want to be notified when reservations open. Bus trip leader: Kathryn Hurn 214-321-4030(c)

Our fall 2011 campout here was such a success we've already reserved the site to return same time in 2012! Save the date so you can plan to join us to enjoy the scenic beauty and fall colors of Beavers Bend State Park in southeast Oklahoma. Our group camp area offers your choice of shared rustic cabins or tent camping. The site also includes a dining hall with fire place so we can have s'mores rain or shine and yes, even a bath house with hot showers. Activity options will include various hikes with our group or you can be on your own to enjoy a number of options including horseback riding, renting a canoe, tossing some horseshoes or just relaxing by the river. Complete trip information will be posted here mid summer. To receive notification when the trip details are available and reservations open, send an email with your name to the trip leader.  Leader: Liz Wheelan 214-368-2306

SAVE THE DATE! We're changing our 30+ year tradition and heading to Big Bend a few weeks before Thanksgiving this year. Now all of you who have wanted to go but couldn't miss the family turkey time, here's your chance! There will be a variety of hikes that will visit different parts of this very scenic and lone National Park in Texas. If you've never been to Big Bend National Park, you owe it to yourself to discover this unique part of Texas. If you've been before, come on back and explore another area! Our chartered sleeper bus leaves Dallas around dinner time Wednesday and returns early morning on Monday. Some backpacking experience is required. Send an email with your name to be notified when reservations open. Coordinator: Liz Wheelan 214-368-2306