Do you like to lead nature hikes? If so the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta Planning Committee needs you. The 18th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta planned for September 24-25 will include a special day of hikes at Tom May Park in the Franklin Mountains. Many of our readers are familiar with this section of Franklin Mountains State Park where there is a new visitor center and all kinds of picnic areas, trails and overnight camping.

A schedule of guided hikes is planned for Sunday, September 25. Because of the expected demand for these hikes people who want to attend will be asked to pre-register. To be a hike leader you need several of the following skills: enthusiasm, First Aid training, hiking experience, friendliness teaching background, desire to help others, patience, a sense of humor, map reading/route finding skills, be a good listener, attention to detail (You do not need all of them!! You can be paired with another leader that has complementary skills.)

If you would like to be a hike leader at the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta please send Rick LoBello at lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov the following information and a picture of you before July 15.  Once we know who will be leading hikes this year we will create a special hike sign up page and start promoting the hikes online in late July.  We hope that by promoting the hikes months in advance we will get more participants.

1. Your name and title (park volunteer? Organization affiliation etc.)
2. A nice picture of you as a profile or in an outside setting at least 1800 pixels in size
3. A short bio about you up to 100 words in length.
4. A description of your hike including start time, start location, length, what participants will see, your overall theme, what to bring and difficulty – easy, moderate, for advanced hikers.  Will you be going uphill or for the most part on level ground?

Thanks for your support of this event and in helping more people connect with the great outdoors.

Sincerely, Rick LoBello
Education Curator