Hi Hiking Freethinkers,

There will be a hike this coming Saturday, March 1st starting at 10:00 AM. We will meet at the parking lot just south of an outhouse (closed in winter) located at 3650 Mark Dabling Blvd. (Yes the address is on the small building.) It is 0.7 miles north of Fillmore St. and 0.9 miles south of Garden of the Gods Rd. on the west side of the street. We will head south on the Front Range Trail for a short distance to the Templeton Gap Trail then head east towards Palmer Park.

Rich (594-4506)

The March 8th Social will take place at Ann and Andy's house in Northeast Colorado Springs. They are new to the Freethinkers and have been active in the Free Thoughts--Free Kids group. This is a kid-friendly home, so all ages are more than welcome to attend! Just remember to bring one of your favorite dishes and a beverage for yourself or to share with the rest of the group. For the address and/or directions email ftfk@freethinkerscs.com or call (719) 210-9332.

Hi Freethinking Hikers,

There may be a hike on Sunday, March 9th depending on the weather.

Hi Hiking Freethinkers,

The hike this Saturday, March 15th will be the Homestead Trail which I consider a moderately easy hike. There should be no ice or snow on the trail. It is one of the most interesting "city" hikes that I have come across. The hike starts from North Penrose Park then climbs up to the top of a ridge that winds around the east part of town, passing thru Village Seven and Old Farm. After several miles, the trail ends at Stetson Hills Blvd just a bit west of Powers Blvd.

Rich (594-4506)

Start the evening looking at chromosomes through a microscope and end with a view of the night sky! Parents and kids can learn about the science of microbiology and view the craters of the moon (weather permitting).
Registered FTFK members can find the address in the group section of the website. For more information on attending a FTFK event call Stefanie at (719) 210-9332 or email ftfk@freethinkerscs.com

Everybody welcome!

The third Wednesday of each month

from

3:00 to 5:30 PM

in the

East Library Conference Room

at

5550 North Union Blvd

in

Colorado Springs. 

Details

The following event information was provided to the Meetup.com Colorado Springs Skeptics group. I thought I would pass it on for those who might be interested.

I'd like to invite you to a one-day regional skeptics conference on Saturday March 22nd called "skepticamp." It'll take place in CastleRock.

ET, ESP and Erections
7-9 PM
The Gill Foundation
315 East Costilla
Colorado Springs

Do you think that being a freethinker stops after you dismiss other people's
supernatural notions? If so, think again. For every "Jesus is My Co-pilot"
bumper sticker, there's one saying something like "I Slept with ET." When was
the last time you took your sister-in-law to task for claiming that she had a
paranormal experience after watching an episode of Montel? Join Steven Mahone,
past president of the Freethinkers of Colorado Springs, board member of Colorado
Citizens for Science, and long-time engineer for a discussion of these questions
and many more. Then the next time you hear someone claim that Shania Twain has a
paranormal thing for them you'll know it's probably just the "male enhancement"
medication talking!

Waldo Canyon Trail and beyond, Saturday, March 29th. This hike is for extremely fit hikers ONLY. We will start the hike by doing part of the Waldo Canyon loop and then head up to Rampart Range Road on a very steep trail. We will head north on Rampart Range Road then go down a different very steep trail to Cascade. From there we will go back up yet another trail to a saddle between Cascade and Waldo Canyon and then head back down to Waldo Canyon. Then we will finish the Waldo Canyon loop. There are spots of ice, mud and snow (up to 1 to 2 feet deep) on parts of the trail.

Palmer Park Trail, Sunday, March 30th. We would be starting the hike at a small parking lot off Paseo Road and winding our way up to the top of the park. Then returning back to the parking lot. The paths taken will depend on the desires of the group that attends this hike. I consider this hike a relatively easy hike. The trail may be icy and/or muddy in spots. To get to the parking lot from Union Blvd, go east on Circle Drive to the first left turn onto Paseo Road. You will be entering Palmer Park in about 0.8 mile.