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 €9.00.

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.

The hike co-ordinator has asked that we take note of the following points of safety for the late Autumn & Winter walks, especially hike leaders:

All hike participants should carry suitable waterproof torches, reflective armbands or strips and adequate winter attire from the end of October until the end of the winter period. Leaders should insist that all participants are suitably attired and using torches when required. Leaders should plan to finish all hikes between 1700 and 1730hrs (earlier if severe adverse weather conditions prevail). Every effort should be made (without dragging or hurrying the group) to reach a recognised safe track or road way before the onset of darkness. Leaders should slow the pace down when encountering any type of awkward or difficult terrain, steep or slippery inclines etc. Extra vigilance should be exercised during the periods of dusk, darkness, dense fog or mist, snow and icy conditions etc. Walks should be altered or shortened  to take account of adverse weather conditions e.g. possible flooding or icy roads.

Tuesday, October 22^nd 8.30pm, Upstairs Lounge, Palace Bar

Tuesday, November 12^rd 8.30pm, Upstairs Lounge, Palace Bar

Tuesday, December 3^th 8.30pm, Upstairs Lounge, Palace Bar

Meanwhile, if anyone would like to present a slide show, please contact Donal Finn.

Don Reilly was kind enough to supply a mere 172 photographs of his recent Corsica expedition. Sorry Don, this does not entitle you to 172 chances of winning the ‘Best Cover Photo’ award at the end of the year.

Alas, no account having accompanied Don Reilly’s excellent photos, I am forced to surmise what may have occurred. Here follows extracts from the Corsican Diary of Don Reilly:

"Day 1: Meet the other members of the Explorer holiday trip. Some cute ones from Ireland and England. Ooooohh…

Day 2: Group begins hiking the GR 20. Weather predicted to be rain storms and lightning. Put my shorts on none the less.

Day 5: Down to my last packet of crisp. Hope they sell Cheese & Onion Hunky-Dorys in Vizzavona.

Day 7: Views are spectacular and weather blissful, but lack of crisps spoiling enjoyment. Luckily I have saved my empty crisp bags and am subsisting on sniffing and licking the bags until I can restock.

Day 10: Its funny how the craggy mountain tops remind you of Hunky-Dory crisps. HmmmMm.

Day 11: Guinness and crisp, Guinness and crisp, Guinness and crisp, give us a crisp, give us a crisp, give us a crisp. Am coping well with the lack of essential foods.

Day 12: Stay in village. Go to local sessiún of Corsican folk music. Christy Moore drops in unexpectedly. Discover they serve stout and crisp. Am in total heaven.

Last Day: Complete the GR20 and fly back to Dublin, The Palace, Hunky-Dorys, Guinness & civilisation. Hope Stevo and Dennis are there so I can tell them about that Corsican girl I met last night. Must remind them to avoid the Editor and keep stum."

Saturday Hike – 12^th October Crone & Djouce

Meet at Messrs Maguire Bar, O’Connell Bridge, Dublin at 8.45 a.m.

Bring: Packed lunch, wet weather gear and torch

Wear: Boots, tracksuit bottoms (no jeans), hat and gloves

Donal Finn

Dr. Pierre Marsborn’s shuttle entered Earth gravity smoothly and transferred him to the archaeological ocean research vessel. As his boat glided along the east coast of Wicklow Island, the doctor listened to the craw-craw of seagulls nesting on Drumgoff Rock. The boat turned slowly up the majestic Lough Glenmalure, carved out in the second last ice-age and filled with water in the thaw following the Mini Ice Age of 1000 years ago.

He was excited about the call he had received regarding the discovery of an ice-bound body in a well-preserved state on Lugnaquila, the highest point of Wicklow Island. The body was apparently found near a stone cairn beneath which was found the entrance to an underground bunker.

From their mooring point in Glenmalure Lough the scientist and his team strapped on their short-range jet-packs and flew a few kilometres south east to the top of Lugnaquila. Dr. Pierre touched down near the excavation site and stopped briefly to survey the seascape to the west of him: the Inner Irish Sea, stretched to the horizon, with islands dotted hear and there. If memory served him right, the waters to the west of him covered what was once rich farming land of County Awfully or Killdeer or something like that. The undersea ruins of the great city of Doubling lay further to the north.

Entering the taped-off excavation area, his attention was immediately directed to a large block of ice: Within could be discerned the shape of human! His team eagerly got to work, carefully thawing out the body inside. It turned out to be that of a young man, with a backpack and heavy boots. An inspection of the backpack revealed a pricelessly old map of this part of Pre-Flood Ireland. The Doctor looked at it with wonder, reading the names of villages that had long since disappeared under the sea: Laragh, Roundwood, Bray. Amazing stuff. The bag also contained a primitive direction-finding device called a compass, a drinking flask full of alcohol, a so-called ‘water-proof’ jacket, and bags full of money from the early period of the European Federation. The final item was very exciting: an ancient ‘Motorola’ communication device. Activating it, Dr. Pierre was amazed to find it still functioned and that its messaging service was working. Perhaps it was linked to one of the old satellites in the Orbital Museum? He listened carefully to the only message on the device: "Hi Warren, Donal here. Was that you banging on the bunker door earlier? Sorry, but we, the Committee, have decided to shut the door now, as the fewer we are the longer our supplies will last. We will emerge to conquer and repopulate the world in a few years time. By the way, do you know what happened to all the money in our club bank account?". The doctor gasped in realisation of the betrayal that had left this ‘Ice Man’ trapped outside the bunker whilst his compatriots sheltered safe from the chaos outside. Well, thought Pierre, at least it will make an interesting programme on the ReDiscovery Channel.

Chairperson: Donal Finn
Secretary: Frank Rooney
Treasurer Prionsias Mac an Bheatha
Editor Warren Lawless
Sunday Hikes: Jim Barry
Membership Secretary: Gerry Walshe
Training Officer: Joe Kellegher
Young Hillwalkers: Dave Rooney

Distribution: Cyril McFeeney & Pearse Foley
Webmaster: Matt Geraghty

The Hillwalkers Club annual membership fee is €19.

The club intends giving preference to members for places on the Sunday bus, so please be sure to renew your membership now. An application form is enclosed and should be sent to the membership secretary at the following address: Mr. Donal Finn, 24 Glenmalure Park, South Circular Road, Dublin 8.

Walking holiday articles and pictures must be in electronic form where possible or at least typed, and should be a maximum of 500 words. A stamped addressed envelope should accompany any photographs or printed articles to ensure their return. Articles will generally be published in order of receipt. A prize will be awarded for the best article and best cover photo featured in the newsletter at the annual club Christmas party.

Current and back issues of the Hillwalker available at online at:

Since its founding in 1993, the Hillwalker's Club has organised a popular Map and Compass programme each year. The course aims to provide a comprehensive grounding in Mountain Skills and it typically involves three indoor evening sessions followed by three outdoor training weekends. The syllabus covered in the course is similar to the Mountain Skills courses (MS1 and MS2) prescribed by Bord Oiliunt Sleibhe - Irish Mountain Training Board and offered by the various Irish outdoor adventure centres (eg, Tiglin, Delphi, etc).

In order to further promote and develop mountain skills amongst club members, financial support in the form of bursaries will be made available to members who successfully complete a Mountain Skills Assessment in 2002.

The Mountain Skills Assessment (MSA) is based on a skills evaluation programme and is held over a weekend. It involves a number of stages as follows:

1. A written (multiple choice type) assessment on general navigation issues.
2. Practical assessment of day navigation skills.
3. Practical assessment of night navigation skills.
4. Near and far feature recognition.
5. Steep ground awareness.

To undertake the Mountain Skills Assessment (MSA), it is necessary to fulfil the following requirements:

1. to have completed at least 30 hill walks in Ireland or Britain over a period of 24 months,
2. to present a Mountain Skills log book detailing the above walks,
3. to hold a valid Rescue and Emergency Care (REC2) certificate or its equivalent (Basic First Aid Certificate).

The National Adventure Centre at Tiglin, Wicklow (www.tiglin.com) amongst others, organises the MSA at a current cost of £125.

The financial resources to support these bursaries will be made available from the surplus associated with the Club's annual Map and Compass training programme. Support in future years is contingent on sufficient funds being available from this source.

Further enquiries from Donal Finn or Joseph Kellegher.

The Club will be running its annual Mountain Skills course commencing in October 2002. The course will include three Tuesday evening introductory sessions, each of duration of 2 hours, to be held in the An Óige Headquarters, Mountjoy Street. In addition, there will be two weekend training sessions as well as one night navigation session, all based in Wicklow. Accommodation for the two Wicklow weekends will be provided in the Glendalough Hostel. A separate consolidation session will be organised in the Commeragh Mountains, Co. Waterford, for the weekend of Jan 31^st to Feb 2^nd 2003.

Evening Sessions (3): Room 102, 7.30 pm, October 15^th & 29^th, November 5^th (Tuesdays)

Evening Venue: An Óige Headquarters, 61 Mountjoy Street, Dublin 3

Requirements: (1) Ordnance Survey Map, Sheet 56 - Wicklow (Scale 1:50,000) Laminated version is recommended (€15)

(2) Compass, Silva Expedition 4 graduated into 360 degrees (€40)

NB: A 10% discount is available on all outdoor equipment in either The Great Outdoors, Chatham Street, off Grafton Street, or The Outdoor Adventure Centre, Liffey St. (opposite Arnotts) on production of a valid An Óige or MCI membership card.

First Weekend: October 19^th & 20^th, Wicklow Mountains

Accommodation in the Glendalough International Hostel
(Saturday overnight) is included in the course cost.

Second Weekend: November 9th & 10th, Wicklow Mountains

Accommodation in the Glendalough International Hostel
(Saturday overnight) is included in the course cost.

Night Hike: December 8^th, meet outside Lynam's Pub, Laragh at 5.00 pm

Course Cost: €70

Cost includes
- Course
- 2 overnights in the Glendalough Hostel

Cost excludes

Booking: It is essential that interested persons book in advance through the An Óige Head Office, Tel (01) 830 4555.

Consolidation Weekend: January 31^st – February 2^nd, 2003, Commeragh Mtns., Co. Waterford.

(Costs associated with this weekend are not included in course cost)

Course Organisers: Joseph Kellegher and Donal Finn.