The Terrapin Trail Club days...
Those
were the days...college days at the University of Maryland in the mid-70's! Most
of what I remember about college revolves around memories of trail club trips --
backpacking, hiking, bicycling, rock climbing. I got involved with the Terrapin
Trail Club almost the day I set foot on campus. I think I studied some and know
for sure I managed to get my degree, a BS in Conservation and Resource
Development, Fish and Wildlife Management, but college was all about Trail Club,
plain and simple.
By the Spring of 1975 I was up to my ears in leading backpacking and
bicycling trips and all club activities. I was elected Vice President of the
club that semester. Took second seat to good ol' Celia Greenberg whose
canoeing/caving contingent easily swung the election her way. But heck, being VP
was fun and I was absolutely immersed in Trail Club, no matter what.
In the Fall of 1975 my good buddy
Mark Trent and I taught a Free University
Class in backpacking.
Almost every weekend I would be somewhere in the outdoors -- Shenandoah,
Dolly Sods, Cranberry Backcountry, Appalachian Trail or the byways of the
Eastern Shore on my bike. And almost always I was with a bunch of fellow
Trial-clubbers. Gosh, they were some cool guys and gals -- Mark Trent, my best
buddy; Bob Enagonio, my roommate for a while and resident meteorologist;
Paulette Wood, a sweetie and Bob's girlfriend at the time; Eric Erbe and Linda (Locke) Erbe, an
inseparable pair; Mark Garland; Doug Perkins; Dennis O'Neill; John and Bob Meiller; Sharon Lindauer;
Clare Schoomer; Jo Smith, and last but not least,
Darlene Rice, I married her
eventually, but that's another story...
One of my passions has always been writing about my adventures. I don't claim
to be a great writer, but I am prolific! I found the perfect outlet for my
stories in the club newsletter, The Anteater. This little monthly rag was
a wild collection of trip reports, tips, club news, satire, poetry and even
cartoons. As time permits I'll post some of those goodies here for posterity. I
wonder if anyone else on this earth has copies of the Anteater from those years.
Here's what I've got in my collection:
And just in case you're interested I came across an old copy (1968 & 1970) of the Constitution
of the Terrapin Trail Club (will post here as time permits.)
I continued my involvement long after I graduated. In fact, some of us 'ol
timers formed a splinter group in those later years we called FEATS which
stood for Fortnight Exploring and Tramping Society. I don't know how long
that little group continued after I moved away and was unable to participate.
Any old FEATS members out there that could give me the scoop? Those were
the days...
Return to Rick's Home Page
From the CanmoreLeader.com 6/3/04
Climber Lived for Mountain Adventure
Enagonio, 48, fell 60 feet to his death in a crevasse in the Selkirk
Mountains on Thursday while ski touring on the Deville Glacier in Glacier
National Park. He and four male friends from Canmore were traversing from
Battle Abbey to Rogers Pass when the accident happened. Enagonio, an
experienced mountaineer who was in the lead, noticed the crevasse and
when he went to check it for the safety of the group, he fell.
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Those
were the days...college days at the University of Maryland in the mid-70's! Most
of what I remember about college revolves around memories of trail club trips --
backpacking, hiking, bicycling, rock climbing. I got involved with the Terrapin
Trail Club almost the day I set foot on campus. I think I studied some and know
for sure I managed to get my degree, a BS in Conservation and Resource
Development, Fish and Wildlife Management, but college was all about Trail Club,
plain and simple.