Well the weather is finally spring like here and it's feeling more like the desert planet of Tatooine than the ice-world of Hoth. The recent salmonella outbreak in Alamosa did not affect "the Wranch", as it has a well-- and as a matter of fact, a couple Alamosa friends came out to fill jugs with "The Wright Wranch's" pure, delicious well water!

The temperatures have risen into the 50's and 60's recently, although the night time lows are still in the teens. Our usual warm, high westerly winds have begun, and they will continue through the snow melt out above treeline, probably sometime in June. I am looking forward to summer break.

Last month, the Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue Team Director resigned (personal business time conflicts), and I was elected the new President. If you'd like to see some information about the team, check out: www.geocities.com/alamosavolunteersearchandrescue (bookmark it so you don't have to retype that long http again).

Also, Adams State College okayed the new course I'll be teaching next fall, ID 179 Introduction to Search and Rescue, and the students who have already signed up for it seem to be top notch, outstanding folks genuinely interested in learning the hardcore skills to rescue people in wilderness emergencies.

Tenzing, my kid, is growing up quickly and isn't quite the size of his older brothers Edmund and Reinhold, but he's a stocky little fellow, and I'm really excited to get the boys (goats and dog) out packing to some alpine trout lakes. Lastly, I just found out that I'll be reassigned next year from 7th grade English to 8th grade English! I'm very happy about the switch! Outside of this, things are beautiful, peaceful, and utopic. Thanks for reading the latest from the valley, and I'll try and post more often over the summer as I have a little bit more free time!