REPORTS OF COMMITTEES 



REPORT ON 191 5 OUTING 



The 1915 Outing was a radical departure from the usual summer 

 trips taken by the Club. Instead of moving the main camp and having the 

 entire party travel over a rather comprehensive itinerary, a central camp 

 in the Tuolumne Meadows on the Soda Springs property controlled by 

 the Club was selected instead. From this camp side trips were taken to 

 numberless points of interest, for in variety of attractive nearby features 

 the Tuolumne Meadows surpasses any other campground in the entire 

 Sierra. Another departure from our usual custom was keeping this cen- 

 tral camp open for three months instead of the single month which 

 usually covers the duration of our annual trips. Another smaller camp 

 was established at Lake Tenaya for a portion of the time, since this was 

 necessary to add to the convenience of those traveling to and from Yo- 

 semite. A camp was also established in the Yosemite Valley for a couple 

 of weeks prior to the first of July, on which date the Soda Springs camp 

 was opened. The Outing was certainly a success judged from the stand- 

 point of those who enjoyed its advantages. There were more Eastern 

 visitors than usual and their enthusiasm was unbounded. All of us were 

 particularly impressed with the wisdom and advantage to the Club of 

 gaining control of the Soda Springs property. Now that we have the 

 Parsons Memorial Lodge erected there, which will probably be kept 

 open each summer by an attendant, our members will be able to derive a 

 distinct advantage from its acquisition. It is probably the most desirable 

 single piece of property which could be selected in the entire Sierra. 

 The opening of the Tioga Road has made this whole region easily ac- 

 cessible. 



Financially the Outing was a great failure, and one of the members 

 of the Outing Committee was obliged to advance a large sum to cover 

 the shortage, since the By-laws of the Club will not permit any outing 

 deficit to be made good from the regular Club treasury. This shortage is 

 easily accounted for in the light of the experience. The attempt to keep 

 the camp running for so long a period, with the heavy continuing ex- 

 penses, whereas the attendance was more or less concentrated during a 

 portion of this time only, and the greater counter attraction of the Ex- 

 position, which very materially reduced the attendance of our own mem- 

 bers, explains the failure to make good the heavy initial outlay neces- 

 sary to equip such a camp. It may be that some of this shortage can be 

 recovered by either continuing a camp there in the future or by dispos- 

 ing of the equipment on hand. 



Either the Club will have a camp there this next summer or Mr. 

 Desmond, who has the government concession for establishing a chain 



