MEET: Outside old Irish Press Offices, Burgh Quay, down from Spar shop.

DEPART Sundays 10.00 A.M. (or when the bus is full)

COST: Private bus. Cost €10.00.

NOTE: The leader has the right to refuse anyone who is not adequately equipped (i.e. without adequate rainwear, spare clothes, food, torch and hiking boots). The leader has the right to extend, curtail or alter the route from that described in the program. The leader sets the pace of the hike and walkers are expected to obey his/her instructions at all times.

During winter months it is essential to bring a (head) torch on all Sunday hikes and weekends away. Don’t forget to check your batteries and bulb.

Your club membership card MUST be carried and produced, if requested on all Sunday hikes. Numbered tickets will be given out on the quays by a committee member. People with a valid membership card and ticket will be given preference on the bus.

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. The Committee requests that anyone who is on medication or with a medical condition inform the leader before the start of the hike.

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 feet into the scruff where the ground is untrodden, walking parallel to but not on the track.

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.

In the interest of safety and comfort please keep the pointed end of your walking stick covered, especially when travelling on the bus.

In December 2002, Philip Roche set out as part of an expedition to scale South America's highest mountain. On May 13th, he will recount his experiences of his epic attempt to conquer this famous Argentenian mountain:

Aconcagua

by Philip Roche

Tuesday May 13th, 2003

Venue: Upstairs Lounge, Palace Bar, Fleet Street
Commencing 8.30pm on the given date

Meanwhile, if anyone would like to present a slide show, please contact Donal Finn (01-4530617).

Sunday 25^th May 2003 Annual J. B. Malone Memorial Walk from Ballinastoe Carpark to Knockree Youth Hostel – Co-ordinator Martin Fagan. More details in May issue of the newsletter.

Friday 30^th May – Monday 2^nd June 2003 June Bank Holiday Weekend Walking Trip to Wales - See Separate Itinerary. Note: PAYMENT IN FULL must be made for this trip two weeks before departure.

The Club had an excellent trip to the Lake District on the Easter weekend, but arising out of several last-minute cancellations for the trip, we wish to highlight the Club policy on this. If a person cancels and their place cannot be filled then no refund is possible, unless there was extenuating circumstances (i.e. medical issues).

The person cancelling can arrange directly with someone else to take their place but should propose this to the trip organiser first (as they may be operating a cancellation-list and have to give priority to other people). We have to exercise this approach as the Club may already have paid the hostel in advance (especially on foreign trips).

Wear: Packed lunch, wet weather gear, boots, tracksuit bottoms (no jeans), hat and gloves.

Meet: Messrs Maguire Bar, O’Connell Bridge, Dublin at 8.45am.

May 2^nd to 5^th For further details contact An Óige office 8304555.

Members will have been glued to their tv screens recently to watch RTE’s Treasure Mountain, a mountainous yet equally exotic version of the hit Treasure Island contest show.

Like its more famous parent show, Treasure Mountain involves two teams competing for food in the wild by completing tasks, the ultimate goal being to assemble parts of the treasure map. Eventually the contestants are whittled down to two members. Competition both between the teams for food and parts of the treasure map is fierce, whilst both teams are generally riven with internal feuding over who is in charge and who is going to be eliminated next. Contestants have a chance to speak to the cameras and moan about their team-mates and the lack of food.

The following comments were made by members of the Red and Blue teams after their first challenge:

"Don just lounges around all-day in his hammock sunning himself. We were furious with him, like, when we found out he had traded our part of the treasure map to the Blue Team for a packet of crisp."

Gerry Walsh (Red Team)

"Who put Philip in charge of reading the map? He got us totally lost when we were looking for yesterdays prize. I think I should be the leader. I know where I’m going."

Stephen James (Blue Team)

"I knew I was off course when we ended up in the Pacific. I can’t read those "treasure maps" they give us – there’s no grid numbers or scale, and we never did any of that reading the sun and stars stuff on the Map & Compass course."

Philip Hayden (Blue Team)

"I think Jimmy should be in charge – he’s great."

Angela (Red Team)

"If Angela doesn’t stop talking at night I am going to desert to the Blue Team."

Red Team Member

"I don’t know who to vote in favour of eliminating first: the biggest snorer, the biggest moaner, or the person eating most of our food supply"

Ali McSorley (Blue Team)

"What are the women like on the Red Team? Can we do a trade?"

Mick Heneghan (Blue Team)

"Let the other contestants keep eating - their just fattening themselves up for the kill. Yum, yum."

An unidentified but evidently hungry contestant.

"Has anyone seen Dennis this morning???"

Various members of the Red Team

The actions of Australian Jacinta on Sunday’s walk has necessitated the creation of a new Penalty Point offence. To the misdemeanours first expounded in the December 2002 newsletter must be added:

A horrified Jacinta was later overheard to remark "It wasn't a beautiful sight. How could you let me walk into that den of iniquity?" Mountain Rescue were called in to help the clearly traumatised Jacinta. When asked her surname by the Editor for the purposes of the newsletter she replied "My name is mud."

Talking of which, Annick had us all perplexed on the hills when she came out with the statement "I am dirty". When asked if she was alluding to Christina Aquilera, Annick exclaimed "She does not compare to me!". This caused more raised eyebrows. She later stated "I want to be clean". When quizzed at length by the Editor, Annick tried to pass off her comments as due to her having fallen in bog and wanting the rain to wash the muck off. A likely story.

While I’m denigrating the good reputation of Mná na Óige, I may as well mention Irene’s response to my discrete enquiries as to whether anything had transpired on the Don Reilly Glenmalure Expedition: "What happens on holiday, stays on holiday", she replied. Not since the Gaels wiped out the last English expedition to Glenmalure has so little information come back to Dublin.

But so as to be fair to both sexes, I had better mention Brendan Dempsey. Chatting to us in Brewley’s after the Sunday walk, he innocently remarked how he had lost his trousers down in Knockree (not for the first time, I thought). Brendan assured us they were only his waterproof trousers and they had been found subsequently in the shed beside Knockree hostel. Pat Drew dryly enquired "Was there any hay in the shed Brendan?".

"Thanks a million!! No wonder nobody turned up. Honestly! ever since you started in that Ann Summers place you've completely lost your concentration. If you weren't the editor of the newsletter I'd send in a letter a complaint but you'd probably say you never got it. It was only by sheer luck that a group of Swedish girls with a strong interest in conservation happened to be staying at the hostel. Seeing my plight they kindly offered to do the clean-up with me, so disaster was narrowly averted, no thanks to you."

Philip

Chairperson: Donal Finn
Secretary: Frank Rooney
Treasurer: Prionsias Mac an Bheatha
Editor: Warren Lawless
Sunday Hikes: Jim Barry
Sunday Hikes Assistant: Tom Kenny
Membership Secretary: Barbara Sudrow
Training Officer: Joe Kellegher
Training Assistant: Jimmy McCullagh
Young Hillwalkers: Dave Rooney

Distribution: Cyril McFeeney & Pearse Foley
Webmaster: Matt Geraghty

Email: warrenl@gofree.indigo.ie

http://homepage.eircom.net/~thehillwalker/index.htm

An extended walking weekend in some of the following Snowdonia ranges (Carnedds, Tryfan/Glyders, Snowdon, Cnicht/Moelwyns). Three grades of walk will be provided each day to cater for all interests (long, moderate and short).

NB Remember to bring sufficient sterling spending money.