Month: June 2016

On June 14 a dozen or so Tuesday Trekkers devoted their regular hiking day to giving back to the WTA by volunteering to work on the White Chuck Bench Trail on the Mountain Loop Highway near Darrington. A favorite trail through some beautiful woods next to a wonderful river, Tuesday Trekkers last hiked here in January of 2016, so was a delight to return. We worked with crew leader Zach McBride, who also led last year’s work party.  We cleared brush, built a new section of trail, and got a tutorial on the art of trail building. Because it is a long drive to the work site, some of us took advantage of staying at the Darrington Bunkhouse, which WTA has available for volunteers.

It was a great day. We all came away with a sense of accomplishment and new trail-building skills.

2016-06-05 Marmot Pass and Glacier Basin, Mt. Rainier N. P.

Wow!  What a hike we had yesterday.  Eleven of us headed to the Olympic Peninsula to hike to Marmot Pass, near Quilcene.  We had light rain as we drove from Kingston to Quilcene but by the time we got to the trailhead, the rain had stopped.

We hiked 11.2 miles with an elevation gain of almost 3600 feet.  Seems like a lot but with all the distractions – flowers, wildlife, conversations – it did not seem so daunting.

The trail is a steady upward traverse along the Big Quilcene River then does a few switchbacks, goes across some rocky slopes and comes to a plateau at Mystery Camp.  We took advantage of a nice big log to sit and have our lunch before continuing up to the Pass.

In the alpine meadow, we came upon a family of mountain goats just 20 feet off the trail.  They did not seem to mind us as they were busy nibbling.  Seeing these beautiful creatures was definitely a high point for us.  On the way down from the Pass, we were being watched by a large marmot atop a rock.  Some of us also saw a beautiful young buck at Mystery Camp.

We had wildflowers the entire way, starting with forest flowers then progressing to sub-alpine and alpine flowers.  What a treat!  It was especially nice to see our beloved Washington State flower – the rhododendrons, in bloom.

We said “au revoir“, not “good-bye”, to Ivona and Tom who will be returning to South Africa soon.  At least we are sending them off with some good hiking memories and hope they will one day join us again.

Thanks to Sandy for leading & planning the hike, to Barbara who organized carpools and to our three drivers – Sandy, Ronda and Alice.

Kathleen Nelson put together another hike for those wanting to stay on this side of the Sound.

..and on the other side of Puget Sound, more boots kissing the trail.  Ten of us explored Glacier Basin in Mt. Rainier N.P. on a sunny lovely cool day.  Nice trail, wonderful company, many more views along the way than I expected, and a lovely basin up at the top, which serves as a base camp for climbers heading to Camp Sherman.

Up on top we saw no mammals, but we disturbed a raven who then perched up on the tallest nearby tree, and listened with admiration to Barbara Holmes and me recite Edgar Allen Poe’s raven poem, “While I nodded nearly napping, suddenly there came a-tapping……”

The snow on the last half mile of trail was challenging; it was enjoyed much more by handfuls of young hikers and climbers we encountered who were not thinking about knees and hips as they slid happily down the steep parts.  Early flowers were out.  Some remnants of last century’s mining near the trail.  A great Medium-sized hike, six and a half or seven miles, 1600′.  A wonderful day.

Carol Hol, our historian took the time to put together some interesting facts about the relationship between University of Washington Club and the UW Faculty Auxiliary. 1916 was an important date for our organization.

100 YEARS UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON CLUB AND UW FACULTY AUXILIARY

      (through the years the names of the UWFA and the UW Club have taken on new names)

• The Faculty Women’s Club was formed in the spring of 1908 and consisted of both Women Faculty and Faculty Wives.
• In the next year, 1909, Seattle hosted its first World’s Fair in June through October… the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Definitely a magnificent occasion! The UW campus was covered with new buildings (many temporary) and marvelous exhibitions and activities. (Photos are available online).
• From the website of the current UW Club, we learn that, following the closing of the Exposition in October of 1909, 40 faculty men purchased the so-called Hoo-Hoo House that had been constructed for the Fair for an organization of lumbermen. (See photos at the UW Club).

This then became the home of Faculty Men’s Club…. just one year after the formation of the Faculty Women’s Club!

Briefly jumping forward….. just as the current Faculty Auxiliary celebrated its Centennial Anniversary in 2008, so did the current UW Club celebrate theirs in 2009!  And returning to the chronology….

• In the year 1916, please note 100 years ago, the two groups making up the Faculty Women’s Club became separate organizations: the Faculty Women’s Association and the Faculty Wives’ Club. (The latter was renamed University of Washington Faculty Auxiliary in 1976.)
• It was also in 1916 that both ladies’ groups were granted access to the men’s Hoo-Hoo House for their meetings, study groups and cultural events.
• Eleven years later, in 1927, when an addition was added to the Men’s Club building, the Faculty Wives provided a financial contribution toward the Club’s furnishings, as did the Clubs of the Faculty Women and Faculty Men. (This renovation included, however, a small door on one side of the building, leading through the narrow hall-like access to the lower level dining room, through which all women were obliged to enter and exit the building!  It took a while, but this situation did become rectified!
• In 1952 the Men’s Club (H-H H) was demolished and replaced with “what this marvelous building is now”! Once again, a considerable donation was provided by the Faculty Wives toward this lovely modern construction. The Club was given a new name: Faculty Center.
• Until completion of the new and much larger facility in 1960, the Faculty Wives had continued many of their activities in the Student Union Building (SUB, later the Husky Union Building).
• Also during the years 1957 through 1967, all three Faculty Clubs joined for the annual Christmas Dinners, first at the SUB and later at the new Faculty Center. Since the completion of the new Club building, the UWFA has continued to hold a great many of its events and activities…. lectures, movies, business meetings, scholarship awards events and receptions in this wonderful facility, which in 2004 was renamed once again, now as the UW Club.
• In 2016 the UW Faculty Auxiliary proudly takes note of, and honors the 100 years of the close association and interactions of our two very special University of Washington organizations.

Carol Hol         UW Faculty Auxiliary Historian          April 11, 2016

Carol Hol is now working on a comprehensive history of the UWFA and hopefully, we will  post excerpts of it as they come along.