Fox Valley Group of Sierra Club Public meeting
Date: November 8, 2007 Time: 7:00pm Place: click here for directions
A Grand Canyon hiking slide presentation by award-winning author and noted hiker Eric Hansen with a sidebar update on Save the Wild UP and sulfide mining.
Moderate temperatures, spectacular low-angle sunlight and lack of crowds make winter the perfect season to visit the Grand Canyon. Author Eric Hansen, a veteran of 24 Grand Canyon treks, will outline the attractions that make this a must-do outing for any hiker’s life list. He will also highlight savvy strategies and logistics that make it a reasonable outing for average hikers – not just the superfit.
Tactics such as using mules to carry loads or reserving Phantom Ranch housing allow hikers to visit the canyon bottom without carrying heavy loads. While the slide show presentation will center on inner canyon hiking and backpacking, there will also be information on day hikes from the rim and trout fishing within the canyon. A handout will steer prospective hikers to resources helpful in planning your own Grand Canyon visit.
Eric Hansen is the author of Hiking Wisconsin and Hiking Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – A Guide to the Greatest Hiking Adventures in the U.P. His writing credits also include extensive work for Backpacker Magazine and other journals. Eric’s op-ed essay on the U.P.’s Coaster Brook Trout and the threat of sulfide mining won the Outdoor Writers Association of America’s first prize for 2005 newspaper conservation writing. That essay is available as a pdf at www.eric-hansen.com
U.P. Sulfide Mine Proposals Threaten Our Headwaters and the Great Lakes
Eric will also offer an update on the robust citizen’s campaign to counter ill-advised proposals for sulfide mining to our north. Richard Milliken, Michigan’s longest-serving governor, has joined that campaign and has taken a strong stand against the mine proposals. For more information see SaveTheWildUP.org
Eric’s books will be available for purchase. They make excellent holiday gifts.