I trust you all had a great Independence Day!

In this month’s newsletter, we have Armand’s  monthly President’s Message and his regular Membership & Jackson Hole report.  Armand’s Jackson Hole trip is proving to be very popular – WELL DONE ARMAND!!!  As a result, our membership numbers are on an upward trend! Perchance, this portends better things to come!

Also in this month’s reportage, we have a Margaret Wong’s write up of Hoyt Nelson’s latest hike, Fall Creek Hike in Cowell State Park on June 22.   Read Margaret’s report  here: Making New Friends at the Fall Creek Hike.
(Editor’s note – seems like they ate more calories than they hiked off in true time honored NSC fashion!)

Don’t forget to volunteer for or attend the Mountain View Obon festival where NSC will be staffing the beer booth – but please, don’t drink up the profits!!!

And last but not least, don’t forget to mark your calendars for the annual NSC picnic at Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale on August 9th.  Practice your ability to keep mustard and ketchup off your shirts! An Evite to members is forthcoming.  Keep your eyeballs peeled and glued to your email!

 Until next month, happy trails…
N.E….

~ Da Prez, Armand Gutierrez ~

Summer is officially here and the recent temperatures in the Bay Area  are a testament to the typical summer weather pattern. By now most everyone is enjoying golfing, hiking, biking, and other outdoor events. For me, well I don’t golf, hike, or bike. Instead, I take to the air for some hang gliding and soar with the local hawks and falcons.

Between membership sign ups and the Jackson Hole sign ups, I am really enthusiastic about this season, and our membership has already surpassed that of last year. With new members, former members, and returning members, our club is off to a good start.  Yes, part of that is due to the popularity of the Jackson Hole trip for next year, but I can’t help but think that with the new and returning members, NSC will continue to grow and our scheduled summer picnic will have a greater attendance, and perhaps we can actually have two weekend bus trips this season. Of course, the latter does depend on a bountiful snowfall, and that is being encouraged by the weather forecasters that are calling for an El Niño season.

Mt. View Obon Festival July 19th and 20th

This festival is coming up soon and if you want to participate as a volunteer then be sure to contact Karen Soo (tripdirector@niseiskiclub.org). As a side note, our community and volunteer efforts are made known to BAC so they can recognize NSC in their newsletters and website.

NSC Picnic, August 9th

Yes, this event is next month and the board is already working on the details (food, drinks, etc.). See the Picnic flyer on the club website plus there will be an Evite invitation in your email by mid-July.

Jackson Hole, a Big NSC Ski Week?

What can I say about Jackson Hole? This trip is turning out to be bigger than I expected, which is great news. So far ,we have close to 50 confirmed sign ups and I expect at least another 10 to sign up before the end of the month. That puts us at 60+ people. With the stream of applications coming in, I increased our head count from 40 to 50, and now it’s up to 60. This kind of attendance is usually found in the ever-popular Vail trips. In fact, our membership is just a little over 60, so it’s possible this trip will be attended by 90+% of the membership. Now, when was the last time that happened? If you haven’t signed up yet then look for the Jackson Hole flyer in the newsletter and other details in the Jackson Hole Report.

~ The Prez, Armand Gutierrez ~

Membership Activity

June was like May, a flurry of renewals, former members re-joining, and new memberships.  There were a total of 33 sign-ups, with seven new members joining NSC for the first time, and 13 former member signups plus 13 renewals.  Currently we have 75 members, which also includes a few signups in July. For the past couple of years our membership has been on a declining trend and this year we have already surpassed our total of 52 members for last season. No doubt that it’s due to the Jackson Hole trip, but it is still encouraging to see our membership on the rise again. Hopefully this trend will continue in the years to come.

I would like to welcome the following new members from Fremont, Sacramento and Saratoga:

Carolyn B. 
Joanne N. 
Patrice L.
Judy and James W. 
Debra and Gilbert L. 

In addition to new members there were 13 former members that have returned to NSC, most likely for the Jackson Hole trip in 2015.

Jackson Hole Ski Week (24-31 January 2-15)

The Jackson Hole trip is turning out to be a very popular trip and bigger than I had expected. At the end of June, there were 33 sign-ups and about 14 more who are planning on going. Originally there were spaces for 40 people, then I increased that to 50 when the applications started streaming in. And now? Well, more people have signed up and once again I’ve increased the available airline seats from 50 to 60.  And, at last count we’ve already hit 59, which means there is one space available. Looks like a waiting list will be started and I will  inquire about the possibility of getting additional airline seats. So, if you haven’t signed up for this trip then what are you waiting for? With a lot of former members on this trip this will be an opportunity to re-connect with old friends and have a mini-reunion.

Info & Sign-up link: Jackson Hole Sign-Up

~ by Margaret Wong ~

The hike at the Fall Creek section of Cowell Redwoods on Sunday, June 22 organized by Hoyt was even better than he had promised in the newsletter.  I was apprehensive about going because I am only a wanna-be hiker and the 5 miles round trip was rather scary for me because I didn’t  want to think that they might have to carry me back to the car.  And then I did not know anybody, not even Hoyt.

But I was brave enough to sign up.  I quickly got rewarded when I entered Hoyt’s house and was greeted by a group from Sacramento assuring me that Nisei hikes are just like walking and do not worry.  Some local folks joined us too and it was like we had known each other forever. Hoyt did a great job transporting us south toward Santa Cruz to Felton Empire Road.  There, at near the Bennett Creek trail head, we found another group waiting for Hoyt, this one from San Jose.  In total, there were 14 of us with Sophia whose home (Shanghai, China) was the most far away.

By then, we were pretty anxious to start walking toward the Redwood, Douglas fir, coyote brush, California coffee-berry and manzanita on the trail.  After a few steps, the chaparral faded and we entered a forest with lots of second growth redwoods.   At 0.16 mile, Bennett Creek Trail met Fall Creek Trail where we heard the tiny roar of the creek waterfall. The trail kept a mostly level course, but there were a few short rolling bits.

Before long, we were at an area with 12 foot high abandoned lime kilns where we took our group photo.  Soon Fall Creek Trail came to a stream crossing, the first of many employing simple planks.  We continued straight on Fall Creek Trail.  The grade picked up noticeably.  At 2.26 mites, a sign on the left marked the Barrel Mill site. We continued a few feet down the trail and found our luncheon place. A sign explained how the downed redwoods were transformed into barrels at this spot, with water-driven staves cutting boards, and hazelnut hoops maintaining the shape of the barrel.

It was a wonderful place for lunch.  We each found our own log.  There was such a variety of food for sharing – homegrown tangerines, homemade cookies, Oreo cookies, farm grown apricots and assorted fruits.  After lunch, Hoyt said we were ready for the return hike.  Because I was so engrossed in conversation, I just kept walking and soon I saw the parking lot.

Since the nearest restroom was at the Hallcrest Vineyards & The Organic Wine Works in Felton, we just had to go there.  We had a wonderful time chatting and tasting their different wines such as cabaret sauvignon, Merlot, zinfandel, and pinot noir.

The trip back to Hoyt’s place was rather fast as we continued chatting and learning more about one another.

Four of us got together for dinner at Shaburi Shabu Shabu in San Jose’s Japantown.

I had a great day.  What a treat for all the senses – beautiful scenery for the eyes, delicious food and wines for our taste, hiking for our bodies, roaring creek water for our ears, and most of all, wonderful people for our hearts. It was so lovely meeting such wonderful people.  Thank you Hoyt for organizing the hike.