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| Reflections on 2002 by Torsten Mueller With the year 2002 drawing to a fast close, it is a good time to look back and reflect on a year which saw an active Rover membership explore the outdoors. The Rover membership organized a wide variety of short get-aways ranging from biking and hiking in and around the Metro area to canoeing trips on Minnesota Rivers. Besides several trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, extended trips went out west to the Sierra Nevada, Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks or into the Canadian Rockies and Nova Scotia. Early 2003 looks equally exciting with trips to Vietnam, Yosemite National Park and the annual trips to Itasca State Park in January. Throughout the last year, we offered informative programs about basic map and compass skills, wilderness first aid, wilderness skills/equipment and trip planning and will continue those programs into the new year. I look forward to an active year 2003, with trips as diverse as the interests of our membership. Behind the scenes, the board has worked hard to find in Hamline University an alternative meeting location away from the University of Minnesota that, I believe, will be embraced by the majority of members and will provide a winter location for years to come. The Rovers also secured a significant amount of funding from REI for new trail clearing equipment which will be used to maintain the Border Route Trail — a wilderness trail in northern Minnesota that has been designed and built by Rovers with the help of the Forest Service and the Minnesota DNR. The board is currently pursuing the option of a digital presentation system which would allow a greater variety of "slide shows" and presentations to be given at our regular tuesday night meetings. I want to thank the board of directors and everyone who coordinated outings for their efforts in making this last year a success. I also would like to encourage everybody to make their outdoor dreams become a reality in 2003, be it in Minnesota, in the mountains or plains outside Minnesota or abroad. There's no better place to have fun with friends in the outdoors than Minnesota Rovers. Have a safe and happy holidays everyone ! Torsten Mueller |