Scree for February 1993 Scree Newsletter of the Peak Climbing Section, Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter February, 1993 Vol. 26, No. 2 ------------ Next Meeting ------------ Date: Tues., Feb. 9,1993 Time: 8:OO PM Place: Westem Mountaineering 840 Town & Country Village, across from the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose Program: There is no reason to stop climbing in the winter! Our own Eugene Miya will show us why, by introcjucing us to the technology and techniques of ski mountaineering (AKA alpine touring, Randonne skiing, and its child - "extreme" skiing). The sport will be viewed from three perspectives: as a mode of transportation, as an "end-in-itself" (the descent), and as a profession. --------------------- Trip Planning Meeting --------------------- It's time to plan our upcoming season's trips. Without them the best we can do is listen to other people tell us about their adventures. One of the strengths of the PCS has always been an exciting line-up of trips of all classes. To continue this, we need leaders to plan and offer them. To coordinate activities there will be a meeting at Peter Maxwell's house at 7 PM on Tuesday, February 16. Bring money for pizza which we'll order in. If you go for beer, some tasty homebrew will be provided (those who experienced this at the Christmas party will know it's quite drinkable). Otherwise, bring your own drinks lf you are a qualified leader, please consider offering at least one trip this year. But existing leaders are not all we need. We're always in need of new leaders and co-leaders, so if you're interested in participating, please come along. Co-leading trips is part of the straight-forward qualification procedure for leadership, and it's also a way of having some say in where trips go. To help advance planning, see the following article detailing most of the relevant trailheads and where to write to get permits. Hopefully this list will give a better idea of where the access points are to various parts of the Sierras. Remember that permit applications must be postmarked no earlier (and no later, if you want the best chance of getting your permit) than March 1. Directions to Peter's place: ---------------------------- From highway 85 take the Fremont Ave. exit. Take the Sunnyvale direction on Fremont and turn left at the very first stop light past the freeway (it's very close - about 25 yards). This is South Bernado Ave. Blackberry Terrace is the first street on the left, but it looks more like a driveway than a street because it's private. If you come to a real street you've gone too far. 1180 is right by a fire hydrant. Please park outside, on Bernado, because parking is very limited. --------------------------------- Wilderness Permits and Trailheads --------------------------------- In order to camp overnight at any of the locations we're likely to want to go to, a wilderness permit is required. Wilderness permit requests by mail are accepted from March 1 through May 31. Most trails have entry quotas associated with them, the quota period being the last Friday in June through September 15. The exception is the Mt. Whitney trail, whose quota period is May 22 through October 15. A permit application should include a reservation fee of $3 per person in the party, together with the date of entry, date of exit, entry trail name, exit trail name, number of people in the party, number of pack or saddle stock (for us this is usually zero) and the location of each overnight camp. A second and third choice should be given, if possible, especially for popular weekends such as July 4 and Labor Day, since there is a strong demand for permits and frequently the first choice is not available. The Sierras are divided into a number of jurisdictions, each of which has its own ranger station. Wilderness permits are obtained from the ranger station nearest to the entry trailhead. Just about every-thing is included in Yosemite, Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks, and Inyo and Toyabe National Forests. To help people plan, and have the necessary information available, what follows is a list of ranger stations, their addresses and phone numbers, and the names of trailheads which fall into each respective ranger district. EASTSIDE TRAILHEADS =================== Note that this list includes eastside entry to Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP. TOYABE NATIONAL. FOREST ----------------------- BRIDGEPORT RANGER DISTRICT P.O. Box 595 Bridgeport, CA 935 17 (6 19) 932-7070 HOOVER WILDERNESS Virginia Creek Green Creek Tamarack Creek Twin Lakes Eagle Creek Buckeye Molybdenite Burt Canyon Emma Lake Leavitt Meadows Leavitt Lake Sonora Pass INYO NATIONAL. FOREST --------------------- MONO LAKE RANGER DISTRICT P.O. Box 429 Lee Vining, CA 93541 (619) 647-6525 ANSEL ADAMS WILDERNESS Rush Creek Trail HOOVER WILDERNESS Saddlebag Lake Yost Creek/Fern Lake Parker Lake Bloody Canyon/ Walker Lake Gibbs Lake Glacier Canyon Entering Yosemite NP through McCabe Lakes from Saddlebag Lake Lundy Canyon Lakes Canyon MAMMOTH RANGER DISTRICT P.O. Box 148 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 (619) 934-2505 ANSEL ADAMS WILDERNESS High Trail River Trail Shadow Lake John Muir Trail Minaret Lake Beck Lakes Fern Lakes JOHN MUIR WILDERNESS Deer Lakes Valentine Lake Laurel Lake Red Cones Fish Creek Convict Canyon Duck Pass WHITE MT. RANGER DISTRICT 798 North Main St. Bishop, CA 935 14 (619) 873-4207 or 873-2500 (visitor center) JOHN MUIR WILDERNESS Bishop Pass Hilton Lakes Treasure Lakes Sabrina Lakes Basin Piute Pass Lamarck Lakes Baker/Green Lakes Tyee/George Lakes Horton Lakes Little Lakes Valley : MonoPass Baker Creek Tamarack Lakes McGee Creek Pine Creek Pass Italy Pass Gable Pass Big Pine Creek, North Fork Big Pine Creek, South Fork MT. WHITNEY RANGER DISTRICT P.O. Box 8 Lone Pine, CA 93545 (619) 876-5542 JOHN MUIR WILDERNESS Mt. Whitney Trail Kearsarge Pass Golden Trout Lakes Taboose Pass Sawmill Pass Baxter Pass Shepherd Pass Meysan Lake Cottonwood Lakes GOLDEN TROUT WILDERNESS Cottonwood Pass CA. BIGHORN SHEEP ZOOLOGICAL AREA George Creek YOSEMITE NATIONAL. PARK Backcountry Permit Office P.O. Box 577 Yosemite, CA 95389 (209) 372-0310 or 372-0307 SEQUOIA & KING'S CANYON NATIONAL PARKS WESTSIDE TRAILHEADS =================== Sierra District Office Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Three Rivers, CA 93271 (209) 565-3306 or 3307 Lady Bug Crescent Meadow Garfield Grove Wolverton Franklin Pass Pear Lake Sawtooth Pass Twin Lakes Glacier Pass Redwood Canyon Timber Gap JO Pass Paradise Ridge Belle Canyon Atwell/Hockett sugarloaf Tar Gap White Chief Mosquito/Mineral Eagle Lake Kaweah/Md. Meadow Bubbs Creek Woods Creek Copper Creek Lewis Creek OTHER TRAILHEADS ================ Pineridge Ranger District P.O. Box 300 Shaver Lake, CA 93664 (209) 841-3311 Maxson (Courtwright) Piute (Florence) (Thanks to Peter Maxwell for the above information.) ----------------- First Aid Classes ----------------- One of the requirements for leadersbip in the PCS is current first aid certification. Take advantage of one of the following opportu-nities to become certified or to update an expired certification: Red Cross (415) 322-2143 (Palo Alto) or (408) 292-6242 (San Jose): Feb. 17,22,24 7-10 PM Feb. 20,27 9 AM-l:30 PM Feb. 23,25, Mar. 2 7-10 PM Mar. 1,3, 8 7-10 PM Mar. 6,13 9 AM-l:30 PM Mar. 11,16,18 7-10 PM Medic First Aid (415) 321-6500 is sponsoring the following classes for $35 at the Peninsula Con-versation Center (Palo Alto): Feb. 27,28 8 AM-5:30 PM ------------- Private Trips ------------- Private trips are not insured, sponsored, or supervised by the Sierra Club or the PCS. They are listed here because they may be of interest to PCS climbers. Mount Shasta Climb Date: Feb. 13-15 (SaL-Mon.) Leader: Kelly Maas Home: (408) 279-2054 Work: (408) 944-2078 Let's do a winter climb of the majestic, windswept wonderland known as Mount Shasta. With Kai out of commission, I'm picking up the leadership duties. The route will be Casaval Ridge, just left of Avalanche.Gulch. Participants should be very motivated, and should have snow camping, ice axe, and crampon experience. If you like that wind-in-your-face feeling, this trip's for you. Co-leader needed (I won't lead without one). Adventurers Wanted Mt. Elbrus Date: Aug. 1993 Where: Russia via Istanbul Contact: Warren Storkman (415) 493-8959 Room for two more persons. Mera Peak (21,000') and Kala Pattar (18,000') Date: March 12-14 Date: Oct. 1993 Where: Nepal Contact: Warren Storkman (415) 493-8959 Participate in dedication of Tengboche Monastery and Mani Rimdu festival. ------------------------------------------ Desert Survivors Spring 1993 Trip Schedule ------------------------------------------ DESERT SURVIVORS is an affiliation of desert lovers committed to experiencing, sharing, and protecting desert wilderness wherever they find it. Their trip schedule is listed here as a courtesy for interested PCSers. Date: February 12-15 Where: Inyos in Winter, Beveridge/Keynot Mine Leader: Bob Ellis Phone: (5 10) 482-0466 Strenuous 4-day hike. Date: February 13-15 Where: Old Woman Mountains Carcamp Leader: Steve Tabor Phone: (510) 357-6585 Easy to strenuous 3-day carcamp includes long hike up Old Woman Mountain (5326'). Date: February 27-March 1 Where: The Big Marias Leader: Marty Dickes Phone: (510) 482-4159 Rated strenuous. Date: March 12-14 Where: Soda Mountains Backpack Leader: Steve Tabor Phone: (510) 357-6585 Easy 20-mile ramble. Date: March 13-15 Where: White Cliffs Canyon-Saline Peak Leader: Bob Ellis Phone: (510) 482-0466 Moderate 3-day backpack. Date: March 20-22 Where: Coso Petroglyphs Leader: David McMullen Phone: (510) 549-2645 Rated moderate. May include hike up Owens Peak. Date: March 26-28 Where: Joshua Tree Quiet Weekend Leader: Rochelle Gerratt Phone: (5 10) 769- 1706 Easy weekend of contemplation and day hikes. Date: April 3-11 Where: Superstition Mountains Backpack (Arizona) Leader: Steve Tabor Phone: (510) 357-6585 Six days of moderate backpacking totaling 35 miles. Date: April 3-11 Where: Death Valley Area Backpacks (Owlshead Mountains, Queer Mountain WSA, Kingston Mountains) Leader: Bob Ellis Phone: (510) 482-0466 Three separate 3-day backpacks rated moderate to strenuous. Date: April 9-11 Where: Focus on Art in the East Mojave Leader: Karen Rusiniak Phone: (510) 778-1879 Carcamping for artists of all skills levels. Date: April 15-18 Where: Panamint Valley Carcamp Leader: David McMullen Phone: (510) 549-2645 Includes two moderate to strenuous day hikes. Date: April 30-May 2 Where: Last Chance Mountain/Eureka Dunes Carcamp Leader: Steve Tabor Phone: (510) 357-5585 Spring desert hiking includes 8456' peak. Date: May 1-3 Where: High Rock Canyons North (NW Nevada) Leader: Bob Ellis Phone: (510) 482-0466 Moderate to strenuous backpack. Date: May 14-16 Where: Pyramid Lake Quiet Weekend (Nevada) Leader: Rochelle Gerratt Phone: (510) 769-1706 Possible climb of 8174' Tohakum Peak included on this 3-day carcamp. Date: May 29-31 (Memorial Day) Where: Abert Rim Backpack (Oregon) Leader: Steve Tabor Phone: (510) 357-6585 Three-day 20-mile backpack. ------------------ Official PCS trips ------------------ Yikes! Sure hope that Trip Planning Meeting is well attended... Advance Trips ------------- March Crater Lake ski March Dewey Point ski May Ridge Winery conditioning hike ---------------- Plant a Register ---------------- The Sierra Register Committee (SRC) is casting new aluminum register boxes for the coming year. Are you interested in carrying a brand new box to the summit of a peak? The peaks are already named or numbered, but the SRC is taking suggestions for castings right now. You can suggest peaks to Eugene Miya. Candidate peaks must first fit one of two criteria: 1) The peak should either be listed in Roper or appear as an elevation on a Sierra Topo. 2) The peak should NOT appear on the Sierra Peaks Section (SPS) peak list (a peak climbing section of the LA chapter). The peak will then be checked against known records. If the peak is known not to have a register box or is not in certain sensitive areas, we will cast the box for next summer. A sensitive area would include any easily reachable peak near Tuolumne Meadows where vandalism is easy. If you suggest a peak, and if we cast a box, we will then coordinate a wilderness permit for you with the Park or Forest Service. You will not have to compete against normal wilderness permit holders. Maximum SRC party size is four people. The box is then yours for placement on the designated peak. Most of the peaks in Roper are not on the SPS list. Look closely, and you can help place one of these time capsules. Phone your suggested peaks to Eugene at (415) 962-6772 or email to eugene@nas.nasa.gov. Do not suggest a peak which you will not be able to ascend during the year yourself. We have other peaks we need to get other boxes carried up. (Another of our members adds that Milestone's notebook is full and that Mt. LeConte sports a Tupperware register with no pen...) ----------- Trip report ----------- Simmons in the Snow August 28-30, 1992 -------------------------------------- Noreen Ford led this trip on the last weekend in August, and it was intended to develop navigation skills acquired at a pre-trip navigation seminar at Noreen's house. (Yes, believe it or not, a PCS trip actually intended to improve the mind.) After a restful camp-out Friday night near May Lake, six of us met early Saturday morning at the Tuolumne Meadows Ranger kiosk: Noreen, Tawna Wilsey, Laura Sefchick, David Ryan, Petra Wiedman (sister of the infamous PCS hardman Kai), and myself (Jim Ramaker). Clouds slowly built up in the sky as we hiked across Tuolumne Meadows and up the Rafferty Creek trail, and a mild hail storm hit us as we crossed Tuolumne Pass and stopped for lunch. The weather then turned cool and cloudy, and we continued up to Vogelsang Pass (10,700'), and headed southeastward off trail toward Gallison Lake. Traversing a large area of downsloping waterstained granite, a couple of us amused the group by taking stylish pratfalls. yourself. Gallison Lake basin is an alpine playground of spacio;ls meadows and half a dozen beautiful lakes, just a day's hike from Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows. But go there, even on a summer weekend as we did, and you're likely to have the whole vast basin to Scree But enough poetry - there was climbing to be done, or at least camping and eating in preparation for climbing. Around 4:30 PM, we camped by one of the few pine groves in the area, above one of the basin's unnamed lakes. Laura, who lives a self-sufficient life with her husband in a cabin in Yosemite, wowed us with her homemade pizza and delicious homemade crackers (maybe we were craving the salt). Drill sergeant Noreen had us up at 6 AM for the climb on Sunday, and we headed up the talus under cloudless skies. Around 8 we crested a hill and got out our maps and compasses to argue about just which peak was Simmons anyway. Noreen had slyly chosen it as onr destination because it's within a mile or so of half a dozen unnamed peaks over 12,000', one of which is actually taller than Simmons (which is 12,503'). After a 20-minute debate, we selected a peak that either was Simmons, or if it wasn't, then damn well should have been. We strolled up the talus toward the peak's West Ridge, and Petra opted to relax by a lake and catch us on the way down. The ridge steepened as we climbed, and I traversed off to the right to preserve the sanctity of Roper's class 2 rating. Noreen, Tawna, and Laura took a more direct line up some class 3 slabs, while David stayed on the ridge crest until class 4 terrain forced him to the right also. He and I met on top at 10 AM, and were soon joined by the three intrepid women. We had a great time goofing around on top and admiring the views of Mt. Lyell and other peaks, but black clouds building over the Mt. Dana area soon sent us on our way. Partway down the talus, the clouds moved overhead and damn if it didn't start snowing! (Remember, this was August.) Things started to look downright Christmasy as snow began covering the talus and swirling in our faces. What a blast - a real treat for us refugees from the drought-parched Bay Area. After a few rest stops and a few stumbles on the slippery rock, we all rendez-vous'd at our camp for lunch under the sheltering pine trees. The weather soon let up, leaving just some very mild intermittent snow flurries and drizzle. We hiked out around 2, headed back to the trail, then said goodbye to one another at Vogelsang Pass and broke up into smaller groups to hike out at our own paces. Fresh snow covered the peaks around Tuolumne Meadows, and the cool damp refreshing air along with a beautiful sunset kept tiredness away on the long hike out. Just goes to show you, even a so-called boring peak like Simmons can supply that well-known PCS blend of excite-ment, suffering, camaraderie, and beauty. -Jim Ramaker (In case you who don't know what in the dickens "pratfall" means, as I didn't, Webster defines it as either (1) a fall on the buttocks, or (2) a humiliating mishap or blunder. -editor) --------------------------------- The South American Explorers Club --------------------------------- For those of you who were inspired by last month's slide presentation on the Patagonia region in South America, Aaron Schuman passes along this tip. The South American Explorers Club is a non-profit, scientific and educational organization with offices in Denver, Colorado (USA), Lima (Peru), and Quito (Ecuador). Membership dues are US$30 (US$40 couple) per year and include four issues of the South American Explorer magazine. All dues and donations are tax-deductible. US Headquarters: 126 Indian Creek Road Ithaca, New York 14850 (607) 277-0488 The South American Explorers Club was founded in 1977 for the following purposes: *To advance and support all forms of scientific field exploration and research in such areas as biology, geogra-phy, anthropology, oceanogra-phy, archeology, and related sciences as well as field sports such as white water running, hiking, mountaineering, caving, and others. *To receive contributions for the support of scientific research and exploration that comes within the club's range of interests. *To promote programs of an educational, scientific, and cultural nature. *To further the exchange of information among scientists, adventurers, and travelers of all nations with the purpose of encouraging exploration throughout South and Central America. *To make available infor-mation on all organizations in South and Central America which offer services to travel-ers, scientists, and outdoorsmen. *To record and publish research in the natural sci-ences and documented accounts of adventure/sports. *To awaken greater interest in and appreciation for wilderness conservation and wildlife protection. ------------------------ Women Climbers Northwest ------------------------ Women Climbers Northwest, a climbing group based in Seattle, Washington, was established in 1983 to promote climbing and wilderness activities among women and to serve as an informal network. (There are existing members who live in the Bay Area.) Their membership spans a wide range of skill levels and interests which includes rock climbing, mountaineering, backcountry skiing, and hiking. WCN's stated goals are to help women develop skills in leader-ship, safety, and decision-making; to become physically fit; to learn more about the natural environment; to develop new friendships; and last, but -not least, to have fun! If you're interested and would like more information, you can write to: Women Climbers Northwest, P.O. Box 20573, Seattle, WA 98 102. They will send you one free copy of their newsletter. An-nual dues are $15. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- BACK PAGE ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAIRPERSON: Kelly Maas 2422 Balme Drive San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 279-2054 H (408) 944-2078 W VICE CHAIR/SCHEDULER: Peter Maxwell 1180 Blackberry Terrace Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (408) 737-9770 H Email: peterm@aoraki.dtc.hp.com TREASURER: Brian Boyle 7678 Rainbow Dr. Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 973-0640 H SCREE EDITOR: Phyllis Olrich 750 Homer Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301-2907 (415) 322-0323 H (415) 725-1541 W Fax: (415) 723-2011 Email: phylliso@forsythe.stanford.edu Scree is a publication of the Peak Climbibg Section of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter. Subscriptions are $10 per year. Checks should be sent to the treasurer. To ensure an uninterrupted subscription, renewal checks must be received no later than the last Tuesday of the expiration month. For change of address, contact Paul Vlasveld, 157 Kellogg Way, Santa Clara, CA 95051; (408) 241-1144 H, (408) 257-7910 W. PCS meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month. See Scree for meeting location and program information. The following trip classifications are to assist you in choosing trips for which you are qualified. No simple rating system can anticipate all possible conditions: Class 1: Walking on a trail. Class 2: WaIking cross-country, using hands for balance. Class 3: Requires use of hands for climbing. A rope may be used occasionally. Class 4: Requires rope belays. Class 5: Technical rock climbing. Scree articles and contributions must be received by the editor no later than noon on the last Tuesday of the month: email, 3 l/2" diskettes (Mac or DOS), fax, or U.S. mail okay. Black and white photos welcome. Deadline for the next issue is February 23! Peak Climbing Section 157 Kellogg Way Santa Clara, CA 95051 First Class Mail Dated Material!