History of the Palm Creek Hiking Club - Report to Palm Creek by Skip Emerson - 2017

In November 2002, a meeting was held in a meeting room that is now the Bistro, to see if there was any interest in starting a hiking club. Someone offered to lead a group on Tuesdays. That group failed to materialize. Diane Sandival offered to lead a group on Fridays. Skip Emerson Volunteered to help Diane. 

The first hike by the Palm Creek Hiking Club was to the top of Table Top Mountain west of Casa Grande. The second was in Box Canyon east of Florence. Unfortunately, about this time Diane left Palm Creek to go back to her job of flying 747's across the Atlantic! Skip then become the Hiking Club Coordinator for that year. 

In 2003 Peter Hughes moved to Palm Creek and expressed an interest in being involved in the leadership of the club. Peter was a great asset to the Club. Skip, Peter and others have researched and scouted out possible new hikes on many Mondays over the years. Peter then documents the best hikes, and writes them up in his hiking notes on each of the hikes we consider viable for the Palm Creek Hiking Club. We have now developed 115 different, very good hikes within about a 70 miles radius of Palm Creek. Peter also builds the weekly hike schedule a year in advance. We also developed longer and shorter hikes in the same areas so hikers with different abilities can successfully participate. 

Peter also instigated the purchase of three Personal Locator Beacons (PLB). They work off a satellite to give exact location coordinates. In a non-emergency, these devices can tell someone at home via computer where we are at any given time during the hike. And, in case of emergency, we can push the 911 button on the PLB to summon immediate help. The emergency receiving station first calls the Palm Creek Front gate (they are given our planned route) to confirm the signal, then dispatches an emergency response). 

This system has only had to be used once. On 21 Feb 2014, a hiker suffered a fatal heart attack. Several fellow hikers immediately started CPR, and the hike leader used the PLB to call for help. Within a half-hour, a Medi-Vac Helicopter and a Maricopa County Sheriff Helicopter arrived a the scene, which was in the middle of the Superstition Mountains over five miles of rough terrain from the nearest road. The Medi-Vac landed nearby and transported the victim. 

Peter started collecting a $5.00 annual donation from hikers to pay for the PLBs, the annual fee paid for PLBs, the 4 walkie Talkies and miscellaneous club expenses. 

Connie Emerson is another great asset to the club. She and Skip organize and apply for an annual hike down the Grand Canyon for 20 of the hikers each year. We request any two nights at the Phantom Ranch during the month of March. We were unsuccessful only once in the past nine years. This trip provided many of our hikers with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She also leads some short hikes as needed. She also researches, prints and hands out distance awards to hikers that have hiked 50, 75, or 100 miles during the season. She also gives an orientation session to hikers going on the Grande Canyon Hike. 

Skip Emerson developed the Announcements Information Sheets that are posted weekly on the Activities Board. He also develops the hiker's handout with information and directions to the next week's hike and sent it out via 168 emails on the hiker list. 

Skip and Peter have developed four hiker handouts including a hiker guide, and information on local hikes, including 3-6 mile hikes, the Flag Pole/Tower Hke, and a suggested 6.3-mile Assessment Hike at Casa Grande Mountain (so visitors can find out their capabilities before setting out on, say an A- hike or a D= hike, for instance). These are in the carousel by the Activities back door. 

Skip also had a couple of wonderful picture albums of many previous Palm Creek Hikes on display, but the disappeared from the activities office last summer? 

Nellie Cummins planned and reserved the San Tan Room each March for our Annual Palm Creek Hikers Pot luck and awards ceremony. And has organized the Annual Last Hike BBQ at Casa Grande Mountain Park but had to go home early this year. Connie Emerson is organizing it this year. 

As a highlight of our hiking club, we arrange an overnight hike at Sedona or Chiricahua National Monument near Willcox in alternate years. This year we have just completed our annual hike through the fantastic rock formation at Chiricahua. Next year it in the Beautiful Sedona Red Rock Area. 

Interesting facts about the Palm Creek Hiking Club:

4801.1 total miles were hiked his season by a total of 133 different hikes 

All at now cost to Palm Creek excerpt for some xerox copies during the year.

Many residents return primarily because of the excellent hiking program at Palm Creek