by Jeff Johnson
Again this year, GLS had its holiday party at the Nature Friends clubhouse in Sierra Madre. Before the party, many GLSers started the day with a hike led by Jim Angus up the Mt. Wilson Trail, beginning and ending at the familiar trailhead by Lizzie’s Trail Inn then, after the hike, walking from the trailhead a half mile up to the lodge for the party.
At Nature Friends, we spread out our potluck items on the tables and had our dinner on the outdoor patio. There were a few GLS announcements. Jim, who is President of Nature Friends LA, and Zak, who is manager and caretaker, gave us a brief history of the Nature Friends organization. Then Nancy made a presentation of the GLS Sierran of the Year award to Jen Dooley, who was not actually at the party. No GLS leader and management committee member has been more cheerfully active and involved in recent years than Jen, and we are grateful. Nancy’s presentation speech was recorded and sent to Jen, who will also receive (eventually, at some trailhead) the 2024 GLS Sierran of the Year plaque and a photo collage that Nancy put together of Jen’s GLS hikes.
The traditional GLS photo contest also took place at the party, with a slide show of GLSers photos from 2024, and then a new system for voting for favorites that does not require a time-consuming huddle to tabulate the votes. Wendy was our pre-designated Tie Breaker for the contest, her job being to resolve any ties in the voting — there was only one tie this year. The photo contest entries, and winners, are presented in a separate article, here.
At the end of the ceremonies, we decided to return to Nature Friends for our holiday party in 2025, and we picked a date, Sunday, December 7. Mark your calendar.
