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Scree for January 1996
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SCREE
Newsletter of the Peak Climbing Section, Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter
January, 1996 Vol. 29, No. 1
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Next Meeting
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Program: Skiing the Monarch Divide!
Date: Tuesday 9 Jan 1996
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Western Mountaineering
Town & Country Village, San Jose
Come join Ski Touring Section members Andy Hudson and Steward Logie as
they demonstrate that winter trips in the Sierra can be fun. Their slide
show will also show us just how beautiful the Sierra can be in winter.
(map to location in original)
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Hello. My name is Jim C., and I'm a peak bagger...
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Only recently have I been able to admit to myself that I am in the grasp
of this vicious affliction. And while it is probably too late for me, it
might not be for you or someone you know. Read on so that you might
recognize the symptoms.
- Jim C
Jim C., your syndrome is highly contagious. I have it too. We must start
a support group at once. I have heard this condition can be treated by
administering electric shocks to the body while viewing images of
beautiful mountains.
Yes, a healthy suntan is an oxymoron. This word also describes peak
baggers who believe they're [sic] brains are unaffected by heavy exertion
at high altitudes.
- Butch S
"Are You A Peak Bagger?"
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How to tell if you or someone you know has Peak Bagging Syndrome. The
symptoms:
1. Denial - The person in question will often concoct half-baked
excuses such as: "I'm not a peak bagger, I'm merely an avid outdoor
person who likes to climb mountains. I can stop at any time." (Don't be
fooled)
2. The List - All peakbaggers keep a notebook of some sort, which
contains The List. The List records successful ascents, along with the
date and elevation of each climb. Typically, the peak bagger will keep
the notebook underneath the mattress or at the bottom of a sock drawer.
Consistent with the denial symptom, they rarely refer to it as a "Peak
Bagging List". They usually call it a "climbing log".
3. The Look - Peak baggers will usually have a far off look in their
eyes, as though they are scanning the horizon for new climbing goals.
They may seem aloof a great deal of the time.
4. The Walk - Peak baggers can sometimes be identified by the deliberate
way they walk. They look as though they are hiking along the trail, even
when they are just headed to the fridge. They also tend to wince in pain
with every step during the summer months as a result of excessive wear and
tear on their feet and/or knees. While attempting to determine whether or
not someone is a peak bagger, there are some other signs that you can look
for. For instance, the peak bagger:
5. may mysteriously disappear out of the city every weekend.
6. has really high mileage on the ol' 4WD.
7. buys hiking boots in May and needs new ones in July.
8. always seems to have a healthy tan. (Actually the term "healthy tan"
is an oxymoron isn't it?) Studies also indicate that 4 out of 5 peak
baggers prefer trail mix and a water bottle over a spaghetti dinner with a
glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. The cause of Peak Bagging Syndrome is not
fully understood at this time. Perhaps it is the addictive result of
exposure to intoxicating views, physical activity, and/or lack of
sufficient oxygen to the brain. There is no know cure at the present
time.
- William E. Sheets
You may be a Peak Bagger if... (thread from rec.backcountry)
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- you have a cat named "Norman Clyde" (I did).
- you spend more time traveling to the backcountry than you do in it.
- you call all your friends, on your cell phone, to brag about being on
top of the world...
- you have little mountains stenciled on your 4x4
- you named you dog "K2"
- there are notches on your ice-axe... and it's worse if you remember
which peak each of them is from.
- at the summit of every mountain that you climb, you take a picture of
yourself holding a sign which states the name and elevation of the peak
and the date and time of the ascent. If it is a Colorado 14er, or the
highpoint of a state, then the sign also states the cumulative number of
14ers or state highpoints that you have successfully summitted.
- you have one of those checklist t-shirts, the ones that have a list of
the 14'ers and a permanent marker for x'ing them off....
- you decide where to spend your weekend based on a list with a title like
"Peaks in..." or "Peaks over..." instead of "Peaks I want to..."
- you are excused if you push on because it MIGHT be more fun later after
you wake up / the weather improves / you get higher.
- you decide you're not really having any fun, but you push on anyway.
- your main task on the summit is taking pictures—if you even bother to do
that before rushing off again.
- other people you think are peak baggers invite you to hike with them.
- you carry a pen and paper with you because your afraid the summit
register might not be there.
- Anon (misc)
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Miscellaneous Mulit-Media
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Wildflower Productions (SF) has just released "TOPO! Yosemite" and "TOPO!
S.F. Bay Area" on CD-ROM. The Yosemite CD includes all the topos for
Yosemite as well as 3-D shaded relief maps and satellite imagery of
Yosemite Valley, while the SFBay CD covers Pt Reyes to Clayton to Los
Gatos. CDs are $99 each. Wildflower Productions can be reached at:
4104 24th St, Suite 530
San Francisco, CA 94114
phone/fax 415-282-9112
info@topo.com
http://www.topo.com
- Victor Anderson
There's a group in Santa Fe, New Mexico that has topo maps on CDROM for
the entire U.S. They're called Sylvan Ascent, and they have a forum on
CompuServe (I think).
P.O. Box 4792
Santa Fe, NM
505-986-8739
Go Sylvan Ascent
- Mark Garland
There's a CD tutorial for Rock Climbing neophytes. Called "Rock Climbing"
from Media Mosaic for $49.95. Saw a review of it in PCWORLD January 1996.
It gets a B grade.
- Paul.Vlasveld
You can view the Scree exactly as it appears in hardcopy if your Web
browser supports EPS (postscript). Use the URL
, and follow the archived
issues link(s). If you don't already have a postscript viewer, you can
get one called GhostScript (including fonts and the Windows tool) free
from . The EPS file is around 10 times
larger than the EScree, so you'll want a high-speed connection to take
advantage of this. Please let me know if you find the EPS file useful!
- Steve Eckert
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The Lamont Loop
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After being snowed out of the area (Smith and Crag) earlier this spring, I
vowed to come back before the snow set in and finish the job. For me,
"finish" meant climbing at least two peaks in each of the SPS's 24 regions
of the Sierra Nevada. I've been climbing here on and off for 15 years,
but realized that there were still places that I had not visited. The SPS
Peaks List provided me with a way to find those places - and showed me
that I had never set foot in 7 of the 24 regions!
So here I was, on the first of November with only one region left to
visit. I wanted to climb more than one peak, to get a feel for the area,
so I decided to do a loop including Lamont Peak, Spanish Needle, and
Sawtooth Peak. The day before had seen lots of clouds and some gusty
winds, but I slept without a tent just to tempt fate. I awoke to that
soft silence you get when the clouds envelope you. There was not a noise
to be heard, except a few wayward mosquitoes that had not yet been frozen
(the trailhead is 5500'). With the cloud cover, it stayed pretty warm all
night, but the fog was heavy enough that the trees were "raining"
slightly. I packed an extra sweater, and headed up the trail.
My map of this area (Chimney Peak Recreation Area) does not show a road at
all. The forest service map says it's a four wheel drive route, but I
found the dirt connector (Canebrake Road) between Nine Mile Canyon Road
(to Kennedy Meadow, the one near Little Lake off 395) and 178 (just west
of Walker summit) was in great shape. No obstacles at all, except the
usual washboards, and quite negotiable in my Honda.
In just over an hour, I had found my way to Lamont Peak in the fog. The
trail is in great shape for the most part, but I lost it when I tried to
keep going east to join the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I had no view of
the supposedly spectacular pinnacles around Lamont, and was lucky to see
over 50 yards. The altimeter and compass were out a lot as I studied the
map and wondered where the trail was. For such a short climb, it's not
done all that often. One PCS name that stood out was Peter Rosmarin (who
was there on his 51st birthday - now everyone knows, Peter!).
Eventually, of course, the trail showed up again on the ridge I was
following to the east. Quite nice, too. Just as wide as the PCT, but
grown over with weeds and lack of use. Still heading east, I joined the
PCT and headed for the base of Spanish Needle. This part of the PCT is
quite unusual because there are large stands of oak trees - all of which
were decked out in yellow fall colors. The fallen leaves carpeted the
trail and provided a welcome relief from the sagebrush and mule ears that
dominate this elevation range.
The REAL fun began where the PCT touches the divide at a large saddle!
The cross country route to Spanish Needle is bare-knuckle,
loose-and-steep, up-and-down, NASTY from this point! Then, as you near
the peak, it becomes decomposed granite with big round cliffs and sand on
top. The instructions in "Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side" (by
J.C. Jenkins) are quite good, but remember they were written 20 years
ago. The "saplings" have all grown up, thank you, and are now blocking
the described route. It works, but between crawling under the trees and
frictioning on fog-dampened lichen and sand, I was not having all that
much fun. The clouds were starting to clear at this point, so at least I
got some hazy views. This peak has only been climbed three times this
year, so if you want a challenge and some solitude, this is the place for
you. The third class is not really all that tough and only about 100'
total vertical, but some places have almost nothing to hang onto.
Back on the PCT, it was now 11 am. I looked over at Sawtooth, and figured
I really DID have time to do it. Of course, each of the three peaks was
taller than the last and there were serious downhill stretches in between,
but it was still early. Sawtooth is the tallest of the peaks I climbed on
this day, at 7970', so none of them are giants by normal Sierra standards.
I followed the PCT to the next saddle on the crest, then headed straight
up the ridge. There are a lot of tracks, and a lot of bushes, and you get
to step on and over and under both. Easy boulders and a nice view reward
the hot sandy climb.
The descent route from Sawtooth goes into a steep-walled little canyon
that looks like it will dead-end at a waterfall. The guidebook, however,
is quite right to recommend this beautiful class 2 canyon, which dumps you
back onto the PCT. Above the canyon entrance, the use trail(s) go through
steep sandy pinyon-covered slopes, which seem to be showing signs of
erosion but which provide a 5000 feet/hour descent route with no knee
damage to worry about.
Rather than following the PCT back to Canebrake Road, I cut cross-country
to a ranch road and hoped to catch a ride back to my car. No luck. An
hour of top-speed road walking got me back to clean clothes and extra
food. After 6000' of gain/loss and just over 20 miles, I was ready to sit
back and relax.
- Steve Eckert
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'Twas the Season
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Two people left behind serving utensils at the PCS holiday party. I have
a large knife and a serving spoon. Contact me to claim them:
(415-933-1901; schuman@sgi.com).
- Aaron Schuman
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Official (PCS) Trips
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PCS trips must be submitted through the Scheduler (see back cover for
details). Trips not submitted to the Scheduler will be listed as PRIVATE,
without recourse.
*** Speak of Diablo
Peak: Mount Diablo Class 1 - 3,849'
Date: Jan 7 Sun
Leader: Kelly Maas H: 408-279-2054 maas@idt.com W: 408-944-2078
Start off the new year with a local climb. We'll ascend the north side of
Mount Diablo, which is quite different from the other sides. Expect about
17 miles and 3500'. Meet at 9:00 at the Mitchell Canyon trailhead in
Clayton or carpool from the Bank of America on Calaveras (237) at Hillview
(near 680) in Milpitas at 7:40 am. Rain does NOT cancel.
*** Palmer Promises Pyramid Peak
Peak: Pyramid Peak Class 2 - 9,983'
Date: Jan 13-15 Sat-Mon
Topo: Pyramid Peak 7.5'
Leader: Palmer Dyal H: 415-941-5321 W: 415-604-6545
Co-Leader: Wanted
This will be a moderately-paced 3 mile snowshoe trip to climb a relatively
easy peak in the Desolation Wilderness area southwest of Lake Tahoe. The
elevation gain is about 1000' per mile and we plan to camp at tree line.
We will have time to build snow caves on the first day and view the
marvelous glaciated scenery of the whole Tahoe basin from the peak on the
second day. There will be a choice of returning on Sunday or Monday
depending on the weather. This will be a good trip for beginning
climbers.
*** Another Mission Peak
Peak: Mission Peak Trail - 2,517'
Date: Feb 11 Sun
Contact: Bob Suzuki H: 408-259-0772 (after 8:00 PM)
Start your conditioning for summer early with an enjoyable 17 mile hike
along the Ohlone Wilderness trail. We'll have about 4,000' of elevation
gain, with an option to climb Mission Peak twice. Heavy rain cancels. No
Host carpool at Cubberly High (Middlefield & Montrose in Palo Alto) at
8:15 am, or meet at trailhead (Stanford Ave in Fremont) at 9:00 am.
Co-listed with the Day Hiking Section.
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Long Live King Hult
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Tim Hult has been crowned Chair of the Mountaineering Committee. If any
PCS member is interested in ruling with Tim, notify him at
or 408- 970-0760. The Mountaineering Chair is
appointed by the Section Chair, coordinates the Mountaineering Committee,
and is one of three people to oversee PCS Leadership. They review
completed leadership applications and decide eligibility for leading
official, Sierra Club PCS trips. Interested persons should be active,
experienced leaders of the Section and should have shown sound judgment
and mountaineering skill.
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1995 Treasurer's Report
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12/22/95
The PCS remains solvent. Membership stands at 196 (down by one from last
year), although almost 13% of our members now subscribe electronically and
therefore pay no fees. This will allow us to print fewer hardcopy Screes,
thereby saving money on printing and postage costs. The dues increase to
$12/year starting 1/1/96 (to cover the ever-rising costs of postage,
paper, and printing) should provide a comfortable cushion for the next few
years.
Our net worth went down about $400 from last year, due in part to a $556
expenditure for a much-needed projector and laser pointer. Our net worth
is calculated using a method (initiated by Dinesh Desai in December, 1990)
which assumes that the PCS disbands at the end of the year and returns pro
rata shares of unused subscriptions to members. Such an analysis shows a
required return of $887, leaving the PCS with a remaining net worth of
$744.
If you would like a copy of a detailed income/expense report for 1995 or
the worksheet I used to figure our net worth, please contact me at
415-322-0323 or and I'll be happy to send
them to you.
Balance Sheet - December 22, 1995
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Assets:
Wells Fargo Checking $1,631.70
Liabilities:
Number of Subscriptions* 171
Average Refund Owed $ 5.19
Total Refund Owed $ 887.49
Net Worth: $ 744.21
*Number of hardcopy Scree subscribers is 171. Add to that 25 electronic
Scree subscribers, for a total of 196 PCS members.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you as secretary/treasurer this year.
- Phyllis Olrich
NOTE: There are currently 178 EScree subscribers, 25 of whom have
indicated to the Treasurer that they wish to be PCS members. The other
153 EScree subscribers are also hardcopy subscribers or do not wish to
lead trips and vote.
- Editor
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Unofficial (Private) Trips
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Private trips may be submitted directly to the Scree Editor, but are not
insured, sponsored, or supervised by the Sierra Club. They are listed
here because they may be of interest to PCS members, not because they are
endorsed by the PCS.
*** Aconcagua Acclimitization
Peak: Mt Shasta Snow - 14,162'
Dates: January 5-7 Fri-Sun
Contact: Steve Eckert H/W 415-508-0500 eckert@netcom.com
This trip is not for beginners, but is not intended to be an ice climb
either. We will sleep on the summit plateau Saturday night for maximum
altitude conditioning. Aconcagua climbers are encouraged to bring heavy
packs and gear, and to climb with their intended partners. Non-expedition
climbers are welcome also. Bad weather shortens but does NOT cancel this
trip. Plan on below zero temps and high wind, like you would expect on
any really high peak. Meet outside the Fifth Season in Shasta Village at
7am on the 5th, fully packed and ready to drive to the trailhead. Form
your own climbing teams in advance: no need to contact the Contact unless
you want to know who else is looking for partners.
*** Roundtop Roundup
Peak: Roundtop Snow - 10,600'
Dates: Jan 13-14 Sat-Sun
Contact: George Van Gorden 408-779-2320 (evenings before 9:00 PM)
We will meet at 11:00 on Saturday morning at the Carson Pass Snow Park and
ski or snowshoe in about two miles before making camp at Winumucca Lake.
Sunday morning we will climb the mountain. Axe and crampons, although
only for a short section at the top. We should be back to the cars early
Sunday afternoon. Weather less than a blizzard shouldn't be a problem.
*** Mission Bell Ringer
Peak: Mission Peak Trail - 2,517'
Date: January 13 Sat
Contact: Steve Eckert H/W 415-508-0500 eckert@netcom.com
This seemingly trivial trail walk will be made more fun by starting before
dawn and trying for a new record of five ascents in one day (that would be
10,500 of gain and loss, and about 30 miles). Join us for all or part of
the day! The first hike leaves at 7am from the Stanford Ave parking area,
off Mission Blvd northeast of 680 in the beautiful city of Fremont. Rain
shortens but does not cancel. Plan on 2 to 2.5 hours per round trip: we
will be going for endurance not speed. Lunch is at the cars, so pack a
good one!
*** Steps of San Francisco
Trip: San Francisco Conditioning Hike
Date: Jan 20 Sat
Contact: Judith Dean 415-854-9288 Judith.Dean@forsythe.Stanford.edu
Co-Contact: Debbie Benham 415-964-0558 DmBenham@aol.com
You won't need snow tires or diamox, just a willingness to enjoy one of
the world's most beautiful cities on foot. We'll spend 4-6 hours
[starting at 9AM] exploring the stairways that provide the vertical links
between the streets that contour around Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill and
Pacific Heights. Then we'll descend to North Beach for a pasta feed to
finish the day. Bring sturdy shoes, water, and a hearty snack (if you
don't want to pick something up as we go).
*** Conditioning Bike
Peak: Mt Tamalpias Class 1 - 2,517'
Date: Jan 27 Sat
Raincheck: Feb 4 Sun
Contact: Phyllis Olrich 415-322-0323 phylliso@forsythe.stanford.edu
Co-Contact: Patt Baenen 415-494-3022 pattb27@aol.com
Join Patt and me for a killer mountain bike ride up Mt. Tam. If off-road
conditions are too muddy, we'll opt for a 40-mile road ride up to Skyline
from Palo Alto. Rain postpones to the Raincheck Date.
*** Right on La Mark
Peak: Mt. Lamark Snow - 13,417'
Dates: Feb 17-20 Sat-Tue
Contact: George Van Gorden 408-779-2320 (evenings before 9:00 PM)
Meet in Bishop Saturday morning and drive up to Apendell at about 8,500
feet. Saturday afternoon and Sunday we will move up the mountain on
snowshoes to our high camp. Monday we will climb the mountain and return
to camp. Back to the cars on Tuesday morning. Crampons and axes. If the
road is closed to Apendell or if the weather is bad, we will explore
alternatives.
*** It Hasta Be Shasta
Peak: Mt. Shasta class 3 ice - 14,162'
Dates: Feb 17-19 Sat-Mon
Contact: Kai Wiedman 415-347-5234
This time we'll tackle Sargents Ridge, an airy and challenging route. We
will attempt the complete ridge starting at Panther Meadow. Our high camp
will be high in the sky at Shasta Rama, a large block of basalt. From
there, mixed climbing will lead us around rock towers and steep traverses.
Hideous exposure will tug at our feet.
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Day Tripping Up Telescope (The Hard Way)
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Was it really a 12,000 ft day as the 2 Avocet altimeter readings averaged
out to? Just check out the "glut" muscles (no touching) of some the
members at the next PCS meeting to know for sure. Well, on Sat. Nov. 4,
six of us, Scott Sullivan and Elena Sherman (both from the CMC in LA),
Eddie Sudol (SF), Jeff Fisher (RWC), Lisa Dersh (PA) and Steve Eckert
(Belmont) set out to climb Telescope Peak in Death Valley, 5 of the group
from the valley floor.
Leaving Shorty's Well at -253 ft. (yes NEGATIVE, as in BELOW sea level)
the temperature was in the mid 40's, at 3:45 AM. We set out up Hanaupah
Canyon, the first part of the trek was up a 4WD road. We almost made it
up this same road the day before in a 2WD truck while scouting for water.
The road part went fairly quickly. There was water in the stream
beginning at about 3,200 ft. We tanked up at about 3,600 ft., around 10
mi. and 3.5 hrs in. We headed north up a subsidiary ridge to a larger
west ridge, beginning the cross-country part of our climb up just about
where the stream becomes choked with vegetation to the point where you
can't see the water anymore. We were surprised to find remnants of a
trail on this subsidiary ridge, which zig-zags many times before
traversing above a steep loose bowl and leading to a well-ducked saddle at
5000 ft.
As we headed west up the ridge, beautiful views were to be had looking
down the ridge at the valley below us. We went through surprisingly easy
terrain including pinyon forests and rocky outcroppings. I must say the
leader did a great job of leading the group as he followed Steve up the
final push to the ridge that the trail follows. We aimed for the left
edge of a square-looking ramp just right of a steeper bowl, because it
looked like a lower angle way to the trail ridge. The brush was short,
but the footing was a little loose at times.
The trail of the normal route was reached about 12:45 PM at about 10,000
ft. at the point next to a big old (and very dead) Bristle cone pine.
After a long break, beautiful views and many pictures taken we continued
our climb, meeting the other member of the group (who had driven the
carpool vehicle around the 80 mi. to the pick-up point at Mahogany Flat)
on her way down. She turned around and re-summitted with us at 2:30 PM
adding 1,000 ft. and 2 mi. to her day. Despite the temperature being 38
F. and windy we spent 30 min. on the summit (11,058) taking group photos
and a group hug.
As the sun set the temp didn't get to much warmer. The last of us arrived
at the vehicle at 5:20 PM (Steve already had shaven and changed his
clothes) The usual tailgate refreshment party then became the "let's get
the hell out of here it's cold movement". So off we went driving into the
darkness bumping down the dirt road with a warm glow of dirt and sweat on
our bodies, and the happy feeling that there is the 17,000ft slope on the
north face of Mt. McKinley (Denali for the PC people) still to be done.
We did NOT know that some of us would get to the showers to late to get
one.
P.S. A small pre-hike by two members of the Telescope peak party was done
up Manly Pk. from Mengel Pass. One had done some minor warm-up hikes
like a 10,800 ft day up San Jancinto and the other had been to the high
points of not 1 but 27 different states in the previous 3 weeks, so it
obviously was a deed of great heroics, daring-do, and sore glut muscles
(from driving 400 mi. a day).
Anyhow the peak was not so manly but the drive up the 4WD road in a Ford
Ranger 2WD probably was. Actually it was a real interesting day, trying
to orienteer off of a glossy Death Valley park brochure and a DeLorme map
book with 100 meter contours. The summit block was small 3rd or 4th class
climb, and the bench mark at the top settled all our questions that the
peak a half mile to the north was not Manly (the bench mark said Manly
Pk). The register indicated that there had been no one at the peak since
May of this year. Views from the summit were great.
There was much discussion by the two as to what and where the landmarks
were that were seen from the summit, and the distance to Death Valley, and
if the valley in front of us was Death Valley. But the tuna melt dinner
eaten by the southern San Mateo county hiker was enjoyed more that the
other tuna melts he had eaten every other day for the past month, probably
because he didn't have to pay for it. It is not known for sure how the
San Mateo county resident to the north enjoyed his meal, which consisted
of Humble Pie.
- Jeff Fisher
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New Mazones Guidebook
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Debbie and I were out at Mazones [some time back]. A young guy ended up
giving us directions to several easier routes to boulder. Apparently he
has written a much better guidebook than the one there is now, but is
having trouble marketing it. Western and REI like it but have problems
carrying it because of all the legal stuff that's going on with the owner.
Debbie and I thought that perhaps some PCS members would be interested in
the guide:
Matthew M. Osborne
6117 Montoro Ct.
San Jose, CA 95120
(408)268-1812
- Cecil Magliocco
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Scree Deadlines, Etc.
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The February Scree submission deadline is Jan 10th, because I'll be in
Argentina when that issue is supposed to come out. The deadline is (in
general) the Monday two weeks before the meeting (15 days).
Right now there seems to be plenty of material, so some articles may come
out a month or two after you send them. I'll acknowledge every submission
that I receive via email (just in case it never gets through, you'll know
to send it again), and each month on the bottom of the back page I'll list
the articles I have pending for future issues. If yours isn't there, I
don't have it! US Mail, Fax, and Email info is on the back page, along
with the new officer contact info.
When you send a trip announcement, please try to follow the format you see
in the Scree. Include all of the information, and put it in the right
order, to reduce the chances of mistakes. If you don't supply a trip
title, I'll make one up. As you can tell from this issue, that is not
always a good thing! The information should be delivered (as indicated on
the back cover) to the trip scheduler. The trip scheduler will collect
all trip announcements, verify official PCS trips versus private trips,
and forward the announcements to the Scree editor. Trip announcements
sent directly to the Scree editor will always be treated as private trips
(as is the case in this issue, where several private trips might have
qualified as official PCS trips).
I recently made contact with both Emily and Gaston, so if anyone has
nagging questions about outdoor etiquette or personal hygiene or even
something remotely related to hiking or climbing, let me know. I'll pass
the questions along to our own advisers, who cannot do much worse than
that noted advice columnist who insulted the pope!
- Editor
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Yosemite Permits for Spring Trips
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Saw this in the San Jose Mercury News today. Thought I would share it
with the group: Reservations for wilderness permits in Yosemite National
Park can be made 24 weeks in advance, meaning requests can be submitted
now for trips in the late spring. The requests to the Wilderness Center -
made by phone or mail, or in person - should include name, address, phone
number and details of the planned trip: dates, trailhead, destination and
number of people and animals. A $3 fee will be charged. Half of each
trailhead's daily limit, will be open to reservation. The Wilderness
Center's address is P.O. Box 545, Yosemite, Calif. 95389; the phone
number is (209) 372-0740.
- Kipp D. Zenger
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Snow Camping Seminar
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The Loma Prietan newsletter carries an ad for the annual Snow Camping
Seminar, which is jointly sponsored by the STS and the PCS according to
the article. The seminar starts Jan 10th, which makes this announcement
somewhat late...
Two of the listed sponsors are Chris MacIntosh and Marj Ottenberg (contact
them for further info). Next year I'm sure the trip will be submitted to
the PCS scheduler as an official PCS trip, or listed in the Scree as a
private trip, so we can print up the full details in time for you to sign
up.
- Editor
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BD Switchblade Recall
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Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 13:16:31
*REQUEST FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR* This
notice is Official Black Diamond Business
[from rec.climbing newsgroup]
Black Diamond has discovered that a small number of the screws securing
the front rails to the foot plates of Switchblade Crampons have failed,
due to looseness and overuse. These screw failures are frequently
accompanied by excessive "flash lines" on the sides of the foot plates,
which may have contributed to the loosening of the screws. While the
presence of a flash line is characteristic of the hot-forging process, if
the line has not been trimmed sufficiently, it may cause problems.
We are issuing a Request for Inspection on Switchblade Crampons that were
manufactured in 1992. These crampons are anodized purple, and have a
"shiny" finish. If your Switchblades exhibit a noticeable flash line,
we're asking that you send them back to us. We'll repair them, replace
the screws, and return the crampons to you, at our expense. We're also
requesting that ALL Switchblade owners contact Black Diamond Equipment to
get replacement screws. We've changed the type of screw we use to secure
the rails to the Switchblades, to prolong the life and enhance the
strength of the crampons. We will send you new screws free of charge. We
do strongly recommend that ALL crampon users regularly inspect their
crampon screws for wear and damage. Screws should be replaced if there is
any doubt in your mind; in addition, we recommend that you replace all
screws after 30 days of hard use. Screw replacement kits are available
directly from us.
For a new set of screws, please call (801-278-5533), fax (800-775-7675),
or email (bdmo@bdel.com) us with your shipping address. To return your
crampons, please send them to us at:
Switchblade Repair, Black Diamond Equipment
2084 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84124.
- Chris Harmston
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Rock Climbing Classifications
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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: Walking cross-country, using hands for balance.
Class 3: Requires use of hands for climbing. A rope may be used.
Class 4: Requires rope belays.
Class 5: Technical rock climbing.
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In Upcoming Issues:
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solo trip report "Just Me and Mr. Marmot"
The original "pondering" article for the Scree
"Describe Your Closest Shave" compilation
Mt Pilatus, Mt Muir, North Pk trip reports
Avalanche Safety Tips
PCS Roster (SEND CORRECTIONS TO VLASVELD NOW!)
Searching for Small Worlds to Conquer
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