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TOWN NEWSMark Your Calendar!October 19-22, Camping at Shady Lake
Town Dallas’ annualcampout at Shady LakeRecreation Area in theOuachita National Forestwill be October 19-22.Shady Lake has long beenone of our favorite camp-ing areas because of thetall trees with beautiful fallfoliage, mountains, andlake with waterfalls.
Bring a pumpkin to carveand Halloween decora-tions for our tent decorat-ing contest.
There are miles of trailsto hike and a small lake toput in your canoe orkayak.
The 9-mile Caney Creektrail with its own waterfallbegins in the mountains 31⁄2miles north of Shady Lake,Tall Peak Mountain trailbegins a few feet from ourcamping sites, and there’s atrail around the lake.Shorter hikes are near our
campsites, along the run-ning creek, and the lake.Restrooms, showers, andwater are all nearby.
Shady Lake RecreationArea is a lovely CCC builtcampground with stonebridges and stone pavilionby the lake. The camp-ground and park road arelocated north of Texarkana,southeast of Mena,Arkansas, on the lowersouthern edge of theOuachita National Forestbetween Vandervoort andAthens on Hwy. 246.Please join us in celebrat-ing fall and Halloween inthis wonderful camp-ground. For more informa-tion on the trip, availabilityof space, and food arrange-ments, contact Judy.
Trip Leader: [email protected]
November 9-12, Campingat Huntsville State Park
Come join us for a fallcampout in HuntsvilleState Park. Lose yourselfamong the majestic treesand beauty of the EastTexas Pineywoods. Rent acanoe, kayak or paddle-boat! You can also explorethe hiking trails or justrelax by the lake. Thiscampout will be led byNancy Lee and MJ Steele.Sign up sheet will be at themeetings or contact MJ toget on the list.Trip Leaders:MJ & Nancy [email protected]
What’s Inside!Activities 1How to Lead 2a HikeCamp Mary 3White StoryDog Tips for Trail 4
DALLAS/FORT WORTH OCTOBER 2017
October air, complete with dancing leaves and sighing winds . . . time for camping!
NEXT TOWNMEETINGTUESDAY
OCT. 2, 2017LA MADELEINE
5290 BELT LINE RDADDISON, TX
6:30-7:00 Social HourMeeting 7:00
Shady Lake 2016
Camp Mary White
2 E-mail: [email protected]
How to Leada Hike
Leading others on a hike is a greatway to share your love of the out-doors. There are precautions a hikeleader should take to ensure the outing is safe and fun. Planning isessential in order to make your hike a success. Follow these steps to learn how to lead a group hiking trip.
InstructionsStep 1
Choose the location, length anddifficulty level of the hike. Hike thetrail shortly before it is scheduled to be aware of any pertinent trail conditions or changes (such as miss-ing trail markers). Also watch for natural changes to the trail thatmight require you to take a detour.
Step 2Check the weather forecast and
notify hikers ahead of time of anyweather conditions that may resultin cancelling or postponing the hike.
Step 3Pack all of your gear the night
before so that you know you arefully prepared. If you're bringing aGPS unit or a cell phone make sureit is fully charged. Include a first aidkit in your supplies.
Step 4Show up at the trailhead early to
reassure hikers that they are in thecorrect spot. Casually inspect theirgear to make sure they’re adequate-ly prepared to go on the hike. If youfeel that the hike will be unsafe for aparticipant then gently tell that per-son what the hike entails and whyyou feel concerned that it may notbe suitable.
Step 5Lead the hike. Start out slowly to
give people a chance to sort out intocolumns. Appoint an experiencedhiker who is also familiar with thetrail to bring up the rear and makesure that there are not any stragglersor injured hikers.
Step 6Stop for points of interest. Take
the opportunity to draw your group’sattention to any natural, scenic, his-torical or cultural significance of thearea. Remember to allow the rest ofthe group to catch up if you want toshare something interesting aboutthe location. Choose one of thepoints of interest to stop for lunch ifyou have it scheduled for the hike.
Step 7Stay around after the hike to
thank your group and answer anyquestions. This is also a good timeto let others share their thoughts. Be open to receiving feedback onthe experience and your abilities tolead a hike.
Bear, Sharon and Rosie, had theopportunity to witness the fulleclipse of the sun in the area oftotality. They drove more than 20hours to witness the most spectacu-lar 2½ minutes this country has everseen! Let’s all do it again in our ownstate in 2024!! Submitted by Rosie
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
“The HiddenLife of TREES”
Internationaland New Yorkbest seller “TheHidden Life ofTREES”, WhatThey Feel, How TheyCommunicate,Discoveriesfrom a SecretWorld by PeterWohlleben, forest manager in theEifel Mountains in Germany hascaptured the interest of a couple oflocal book clubs.
The book was originally publishedin German in 2015, and translatedand published in English in 2016.
The author draws on scientific discoveries to describe how treescommunicate with their children,support them, and share nutrientswith trees that are sick or struggling,even warn each other of impendingdangers.
Health benefits of older Koreanwomen who walk in the woods asopposed to walking in urban areasare described. A walk in the woodswill never be the same after readingthis book!
Perhaps our ancient forests wouldbe saved if we all understand theimportance of diversified forests.
“The Hidden Life of Trees” is asmall book and an easy read. ShadyLake would make an excellent studyin conjunction with a discussion ofthe book.
Submitted by Judy Shaw
We’re on the web! www.towndallas.org Look for us on Facebook! 3
TOWN NEWS
Earlier this year I had the pleasureof attending CAMP MARY WHITEin New Mexico along with 9 otherTOWN members and two trans-plants from Scotland (friends ofmine and now of TOWN).
We averaged 12 hours drivingtime going there and back but waswell worth it. The cabins weremade of wood, 3.5 walls to beexact the other half wall was opento the sky, Much like camping real-ly, no electricity in the cabins andthe toilets were down the hill. Theonly places that had electric werethe main lodge, showers and artsand craft room.
There was a different activity/artproject every day, everything frompainting wine bottles (my personalfavorite) to making bracelets andjewelry. Hiking every day for thosethat wanted too. Trips to WhiteSands and Carlsbad were alsoundertaken. A professionalmasseuse on hand for these achedand pains or just plain spoiling.
We had a SPA evening, a campingcookout on the grill, a night or twoaround the fire and on the frontporch. Lots of casual evening activi-ties from jigsaw puzzles to just plaingood old fashioned conversation.
The horseback riding was prettyawesome, you could go morning orafternoon. Two well-seasoned andknowledgeable cowboys both lead-ing and bringing up the rear. Thecowboys were attached to the localgoat ranch, corrals within easy dis-tance from the main lodge andmore importantly to many of usthere were dogs, lots of PyreneanMountain dogs, 23 to be exact. Andwhen they were not working or
sleeping they were all round ourhuge outside porch, all perfectlymannered but enjoying their treatsanyway.
The meals were three times a dayby a dedicated cook and staff, plen-tiful and varied, snacks availableconstantly and as we all know thisgroup moves on their stomachs,which were well filled.
The good news is that we havebeen asked back for next year ANDmore importantly we can bring ourTENTS. Date to be determined butdefinitely in June 2018. Hope to seeyou there.By Robbie ChandlerProud TOWN member
Camp Mary White
Mission StatementThe TOWN mission is to provide all women the opportunity to learn and experience outdoor activities in natural surroundings through a non-threatening,safe and supportive environment.
Perfect Dog Tips for the TrailUse a few everyday items to keep your dog and
yourself hiking happy. Refining the way you tackle thewild together only enhances that. Whether it’s keepingyour dog safe, or simply making their shed fur lessannoying, getting creative with available materials willmake you a better trail team.
Prevent snow clumping.Furry dogs love winter, but winter doesn’t always love
them. Clumps of snow love to attach themselves to theundersides and foot pads of our doggos, especially long-haired ones. The solution is right on the kitchen shelf: ahealthy application of vegetable shortening to the feetand belly should keep cold snow from getting tooattached. Clipping the fur between their toes will alsohelp keep ice out.
Prevent carsickness.Reaching a trailhead often involves driving for many
hours, which can turn tummies, particularly those ofpuppies and younger dogs. Avoid starting a trip withvomit cleanup duty by getting your dog comfortablewith cars in advance, postponing meals until after theride, and keeping your pup at ease with plentiful coolair, or a blindfold for reducing visual stimulation. You can also try an over-the-counter medication for carsickness, but always check with your vet first.
Make a harness.Instead of carrying yet another piece of dog-related
gear, make your leash pull some extra weight. There are several ways to turn it into a harness, but the moststraight forward involves attaching the leash to the collarlike normal, bringing it down straight along the dog’sspine, then running it behind the legs and up over thechest, finally looping the leash back over itself to tie it in place. When your dog needs to be controlled morethan usual because of wildlife or heavy foot traffic,you’ll be ready. (You will need an extra leash obviously.)
DIY booties.Rough rocks, extreme temperatures, pesticides –
there’s no shortage of dangers underfoot on the trail.Rather than buying and depending on one type ofbootie, make your own to fit the conditions. For snow,sew small pouches made of fleece, which will insulateand provide traction. Cordura is great for rough terrain,and denim will protect against heat and chemical runoffon roads. (Patterns are available online). Sew velcro onahead of time, or bring vet wrap to secure.
Find Fido.In camp or other areas where dogs are allowed off-
leash, let your pup roam with a bear bell attached to hiscollar. At night, affix a light to his collar to keep him vis-ible. (Make sure your dog’s training is unbreakablebefore you let him off leash.)
Protect your tent.Use a lightweight tarp as a barrier between sensitive
nylon tent floors and your dog’s sharp nails. As a bonus,you can throw the tarp over the car seat to protect yourinterior against shedding and muddy paws.
by Ali Wunderman
Taken from Backpacker Online
