Northern Arizona University Elderhostel Quarterly Winter/Spring 2007

Dear Elderhostel Friend,
During summer we had a lot of fun hosting our Intergenerational programs. We always have a great time with these dynamic groups of grandparents and grandchildren. This summer we hosted seven weeks of Intergenerational fun! The energy level of this place definitely goes up a notch this time of the year. We hope all of you that attended had a wonderful time. We sure did!

Next is Fall and we are already up and running for an amazing 94 program weeks through December. Be sure to check out our online program calendar if you are ready to make some travel plans. Currently programs through March are open for registration and are included on our calendar.

In this issue, we feature:
- Perry Crampton, a Passionate Coordinator
- New program - Hiking Grand Canyon: An Incredible Experience
- "Surfing" the Southwest
- News, Tips & Ideas and Recommended Reading

As always, we love hearing from you! Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have a story or photo you would like to share, or think of a topic you would like us to cover. Just send an email to: elderhostel@nau.edu

If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in the future you will find information on unsubscribing at the bottom of this page.

Happy Travels!
The Staff at NAU Elderhostel

Perry Crampton, a Passionate Coordinator

Perry Crampton has spent his entire life traveling and exploring the world as a marine geologist for Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA. A native- born Californian, he recently retired from the ocean and moved back to a mountainous region similar to where he grew up. Having grown up in Big Bear Lake, CA he finds Flagstaff has many similarities to the Big Bear he remembers.

Presently, Perry is a docent at The Arboretum in Flagstaff, (where he works with High Country Raptors, a birds of prey rehabilitation and rescue organization), as well as at the Museum of Northern Arizona, where he interned as a college student. He has a wide range of interests including rock art, geology, archaeology, hiking, birding, and reserves a special passion for wolf reintroduction efforts.

Perry is currently part of a coalition studying the possible reintroduction of wolves on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. He has spent much time working with reintroduction programs in Yellowstone and the White Mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. Perry is a Master Naturalist and Master Gardener. He also spent two years with the bison reintroduction project at the Tallgrass Prairie in Northern Oklahoma.

A lifelong learner, Perry enjoys taking classes and in his spare time, he can be found hiking and biking with his wife Terra, visiting Chaco Canyon or going on geology field trips with his college friends.

Gerry Beady, Elderhostel participant, says about Perry:
"Of the 140 programs I have attended, Perry ranks as one of several outstanding coordinators. My main reason for doing this program was because of Chaco Canyon, but the entire week exceeded my expectations. One of the main reasons for this was Perry's leadership. His broad knowledge, passion for the nature and culture of the region and eagerness to share all of this with the participants make him an outstanding leader!"

Perry's programs this fall season:
Color Country Natl. Parks: Zion, Bryce & Grand Canyon North Rim FULL
Pueblo Heritage: The Anasazi, Hopi, Zuni and Chaco Canyon, Oct 14-20

New - Hiking Grand Canyon: An Incredible Experience

Explore the Grand Canyon from its very beginnings at Lee’s Ferry and Marble Canyon to its heart along the South Rim. Spend four nights in Marble Canyon, beneath the spectacular Vermilion Cliffs where we hike off-the-beaten-path treasures in magnificent side canyons and along the Colorado River. Explore historic Lee’s Ferry and challenge yourself with a hike up the Paria Plateau. Then travel to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for two nights while enjoying hikes along the rim and into the canyon’s depths. End your week with a canyon sunset while reflecting upon a week of in-depth discovery hiking this world wonder.
Learn more

Dates: Mar 16-22 and Apr 6-12, 2008
Cost: $695 Single +$185

"Surfing" the Southwest

In preparation for your visit to the Southwest you probably take out some time to do advanced research by surfing the web. Here are a few of the sites I have come across recently that provide some more in-depth information about places, people or, in one case, the majestic condor, that we know and love.

The National Park website www.nps.gov has links to all of the sites in the system and is easy to navigate. One part of the Grand Canyon N.P. site -- www.nps.gov/grca -- even has short educational videos where a park ranger introduces you to different aspects of the park. Check them out! http://www.nps.gov/grca/photosmultimedia/rangerminute.htm

Another of my favorite video clips is about the California condors, produced by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. This link provides information about the threats to condors from lead ammunition http://www.azgfd.gov/video/CaliforniaCondors.shtml.
From here you can link to other videos about Arizona wildlife and nature.

We love the site www.hitthetrail.com. It was developed and is maintained by Denise Traver, a former Grand Canyon National Park Ranger and longtime hiker/backpacker in the Southwest. Besides providing excellent information on hiking in canyon and desert country, it provides links to sites where hikers recount their trip experiences. A great way to live vicariously for those of us not quite up to a backpacking challenge!

For some excellent historic black and white photos taken on the Navajo Nation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mufL9y1P96k

For a great footage of Navajo Code Talkers, link to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZuOiqo1glk

If you've never used YouTube, it's a great place to search for clips about just about anything. However, beware! There are lots of things you'd never want to see as well. Enjoy surfing the web! It's easy and there is no threat of a shark attack!

Do you know of a web site(s) that fellow hostelers might enjoy? Or do you have a MySpace page or your own Web page with pictures or narrative of a Southwestern Elderhostel adventure? Email it to us and we may post the link on our next newsletter.

-Jennifer Beltz, Asst. Director

*NAU Elderhostel does not endorse or support any opinions expressed on these sites.

Quarterly Newsletter - Summer/Fall 2007