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Scree for November, 1996
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This is the EScree - the Electronic version of the Scree newsletter from
the Peak Climbing Section of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club.
It should be viewed or printed with a fixed-pitch font such as Courier.
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This publication may not be posted on any public news group.
November, 1996 Vol. 30, No. 11
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 11/24/96.
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Next meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, November 12
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Western Mountaineering Town & Country Village, San Jose
Program: The Awe of Aconcagua
Charles Schafer presents slides from a 1996
expedition to the high point of the Western
Hemisphere, 22,800' Aconcagua, in Argentina.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ All paths lead nowhere, so it is important +
+ to choose a path that has heart. +
+ - Carlos Castaneda +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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1997 Officer Nominations
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The PCS Nominating Committee has twisted arms, pleaded, and
threatened, all in search of the perfect slate of candidates. While
we did our best, this year YOU have to do your part, too! Come
to the November meeting in order to vote for one of these
nominees (or contact the Chair if you can't attend):
- Chair: Warren Storkman
- Vice Chair / Scheduler: Bob Bynum, Palmer Dyal, Jim Ramaker
- Treasurer: Jeff Fisher, George Van Gorden
In addition, nominations will be taken from the floor, and the
ballots will have a spot to write in names not listed above. The
winner will be announced at the meeting, and the new officers
will take office immediately.
- PCS NomCom (Steve Eckert, Kelly Maas, Aaron Schuman)
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Advance Trip Schedule
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An enthusiastic bunch of PCS leaders gathered at Roger's house
to sketch out a winter season of hiking, climbing and ski
mountaineering. Eighteen trips were proposed, but the names of
leaders were withheld by agreement of those at the meeting.
Contact the Editor and the Scheduler if you have a change to
this list, or if you wish to have your name listed. Leaders, get
your announcements, with trip details and contact information,
to the PCS trip Scheduler for the full trip announcement:
Nov 9 Mission Peak, leader Debbie Benham
Nov 9-11 Mt Shasta - Whitney Glacier
Dec 1 Forest of Nisene Marks, leader Cecil Magliocco
Dec 7 Junipero Serra, leader George Van Gorden
Dec 7-8 Tinker Knob & Castle Peak, leader Aaron Schuman
Dec 14 San Benito Mtn
Dec 27-29 Mt Lamarck, leader George Van Gorden
Jan 12 Mt Sizer - Henry Coe Park
Jan 18-19 Pyramid Peak
Jan 18-20 The Needles (Southern Sierra)
Jan 25 Mt Tamalpais
Jan 25-26 Round Top
Feb 8 Mt Diablo, leader Aaron Schuman
Feb 15-17 Mt Eddy (near Mt Shasta)
Feb 15-17 Mt Lassen
Mar 8 Waddell Creek
Mar 15-17 Excelsior & Dunderberg, leader (SPS) Steve Eckert
Mar 22-23 Ventana Double Cone
Apr 5-6 Lamont Peak & Pilot Knob, leader Aaron Schuman
Apr 18-20 Gilbert & Johnson, leader (SPS) Steve Eckert
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More Furry Friend Encounters
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Below is a group of wildlife stories solicited and assembled by
Butch Suits from PCS mailing list members.
*** Curiosity and the Cat
I'll never forget the cold January 1989 evening when I sat staring
into the face of a mountain lion only 15 feet away. The moon
was full, and I was alone in the Ventana Wilderness. Probably
the sardines I had eaten for supper had attracted the big cat.
Bigger than I was.
I was sitting in the dark after supper hoping to see some deer or
raccoons when I heard rustling in the chaparral. Suddenly a dark
shape emerged. It came closer and closer. At 15 feet distance, I
decided I had better turn on my headlamp. It stared at the light
for about 15 long seconds, then leaped into the brush. I heard it
twice more circling my tent in the night. In the morning there
were fresh tracks all around.
- Debbie Bulger
*** Of Mice and Campers
The setting was Anza-Borrego, at Thanksgiving, a few years ago.
After a hard day of riding in a 4WD on the dirt roads, Peter and I
returned to the car-camp, and I carelessly dropped my backpack in
the tent. The pack contained a few leftover packs of fruity dinosaurs.
Unknowingly, I had infringed on the "no food in the tent law".
We zipped up the tent as we went to bed... In the middle of the night,
Peter exclaimed: "Something ran through my hair!" At first I did not
believe him. But soon, I heard a scratchy noise, and I came to the
realization that we were sharing the tent with a mouse.
I remembered my mother catching escaped pet rats in her pre-school:
specifically, I knew rats ran along the walls. So we piled up our stuff
in the middle of the tent, clearing the sides, and proceeded to scare
the mouse from the end of the tent. Sure enough, it followed the tent
walls to freedom.
The damage: half-eaten dinos and mouse teethmarks on my parka
sleeve. The lesson: I never leave any food in a tent.
- Anouchka Gaillard
*** Of Rats and Climbers
Kai Wiedman and I were traversing Matthes Crest in Yosemite,
and we bivied on the only viable ledge. We were bothered all
night by a little rodent that was intent on scurrying around and
over our sleeping bags, generally preventing us from getting
much sleep. It also loved the (salty?) leather of Kai's running
shoes and proceeded to chew a hole in one of them. I got a great
flash photo of it in the middle of the night.
I later identified it as a bushy tailed wood rat, otherwise known
as a pack rat. What it lives on I don't know. Matthes Crest sees
few ascents, so the shoe leather must have been a special treat.
- Kelly Maas
*** Rodents Have Summit Fever Too.
Back east, I went for a hike up Mt Monadnock. It was a nice windy
day. While we were hiding from the wind on the summit, the local
mammal was scurrying around. It took a few glimpses before I
believed what I was seeing: the local camp robber was a weasel.
- Hal Murray
*** Who's Herding Who?
Well, it was in spring, just as the last snows were melting. I went for
a hike by myself along an old road that was bordered on one side by
a geyser basin and on the other by a power line through cleared pine
forest. As I started out, three bull elk were lying in the middle of the
road, chewing their cud or whatever bull elk do out of season. "Pas
de probleme" thought I. There was a boggy little meadow just to my
left, so I went that way and squished along the far side of it. The elk
stood up and looked at me. I looked at them and kept going. They
paced along the road, going in the same direction as me.
At the end of the meadow I could keep walking along the power line
route, I thought, until I could pass the elk and get back on the road.
Well, they kept pace with me. Then one left the road and stood
ahead of me under the power line, blocking the way. I couldn't go any
further to the left without climbing a lava flow in dense forest. Elk
ahead of me, elk to the right of me, cliff to the left of me. Somehow I
was getting the message that these elk didn't want me to keep going.
And one bull elk is a large, well-armed animal. Let alone three of
them. So I said "OK guys, I'm leaving" and turned back.
At the trailhead I met another group of hikers, and we all went down
the road together. Of course now the elk just moved away from us,
leaving my story of being herded off by them sounding pretty silly.
- Chris MacIntosh
*** Mission Peak Menagerie
The steep west face of Mission Peak overlooks the densely populated
South Bay. Despite the urban sprawl nearby, if you leave Mission
Peak's trails and hike up among its crumbling sandstone cliffs, you
are likely to see wildlife. You're almost sure to see a red-tailed
hawk, who protests your presence with a distinctive call: a scream
that falls in pitch.
Once, from the foot of one of the outcrops, I observed an aerobatics
team more skilled than the Blue Angels. Cloud of swifts banked in
the sun with breathtaking speed and precision. Random squadrons
would break off from the huge mass, there cries tittering in unison;
moments later, they would spiral back into the larger vortex of black
and white birds.
Once while hiking up a steep grass slope between the cliffs, I saw a
small animal climbing ahead of me. What was it? A coyote? A cat? I
sped up in order to identify it. I was astonished to find my companion
was a small bobcat, a quarter of a mile from the nearest cover,
seemingly climbing to the summit! It moved slowly, as if tired. I got
within about 15 feet but it avoided me by moving behind a big fin of
rock. Mischievously, I hurried up to where the fin ended, and greeted
him at the top, as he continued to labor up the hill. He had enough
energy to bare his teeth in displeasure, as if to say: "What? You
again! Cut me some slack." So I did, continuing up to the summit.
Earlier this year, descending a cross-country route back to the main
trail, I heard a voice unlike any I had heard in the 15 years I've been
hiking on Mission Peak: a ridiculous, high-pitched ululation coming
from the forested creekbed nearby. The cry resounded every half-
minute or so. Though its origin was hidden, there was no mistaking
its identity: It was a wild turkey, calling for a mate. "You pathetic
creature," I thought with amusement. "You think you're going to find
a mate down there? You're in for a long, lonely night." Then I
compared his plight to my own single lifestyle of recent months, and
I realized that deep down, men and turkeys have a lot in common.
- Butch Suits
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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.
*** Mission Peak Conditioning Hike
Peak: Mission Peak (2,517') class 1
Date: Nov 9 Sat
Leader: Debbie Benham 415-964-0558
Co-Leader: Anouchka Gaillard 408-737-9770
Meet at the Stanford Ave trailhead [near 880 and Mission
Blvd] at 9am and join us for a brisk, morning jaunt up Mission
Peak. Please be prompt! We should be back by noon.
*** Shuffling up Chalone
Peak: North Chalone Peak class 2
Trailhead: Bear Gulch Trail, Pinnacles Nat Monument
Date: Nov 17 Sun
Leader: Roger Crawley 415-321-8602
This is spectacular volcanic area and November is a good
time to see it. Pinnacles is a 2 hour drive south of San
Jose. The trail takes us through "the caves" and requires
flashlights. We then climb 2,150' over a distance of about
5 miles to our summit. Time permitting, we'll return via the
Balconies Trail (another 5 miles). Afterwards we'll stop at
the micro brewery in Hollister for refreshments.
*** On Your Mark...
Trip: Forest of Nisene Marks class 1
Date: Dec 1 Sun
Leader: Cecil Magliocco 408-358-1168 cecilm@ix.netcom.com
Forest of Nisene Marks conditioning hike. This will
probably be about a 3C (up to 15 miles and 3000' gain). If
you haven't seen this park in the fall, you've missed out.
Meet at Los Gatos Park & ride on Hwy. 9 and Santa Cruz
Ave. at 8:00 a.m.
*** Junipero Serra
Peak: Junipero Serra (5,900') class 2
Date: Dec 7 Sat
Leader: George Van Gorden before 9: 408-779-2320
Great winter mountain, a forest of sugar pines singing
seductively in the incessant winds, the eteral light of the
Sant Lucias, something of what Faterh Serra must have
dimly beheld through the veil of his faith, and if there's
been a recent rain the possibility of a bit of snow near the
summit. The walk is about 12 miles roud trip with 4000' of
gain. We need to be to the trailhead by 9:30 am.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, +
+ saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: +
+ and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and +
+ roll thee down from the rocks, +
+ and will make thee a burnt mountain. +
+ -- Jeremiah 51:25, KJV +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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Middle Palisade
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September 7, 1996: Rich Leiker and I climbed Middle Palisade,
the twelfth 14er in California for each of us. The climb was so
enjoyable that it was hard to understand why we had not done it
sooner.
We departed from Glacier Lodge at 7:30 Saturday morning,
carrying light overnight packs. I also had a rope, helmet, and
crampons because I'd read prior reports about 4th class climbing
if you get off route, lots of loose rock, and a difficult crossing of
the Middle Palisade Glacier. The equipment was severe
overkill.
We took the standard approach up the South Fork of Big Pine
creek, reaching the top of the switchbacks at 9, Brainerd Lake at
10, and Finger Lake (by a cross-country use trail) at 10:30. From
Finger, we intended to climb to the tarn on the next bench to
establish base camp. I led us too high up ledges on the right side
of Finger lake, eventually climbing above the tarn and wasting
time descending 3rd class cliffs to the water. We learned on the
descent that the left side of finger lake was a much better choice,
at least in late season when it is not blocked by snow.
By noon we had eaten lunch and enjoyed the great views of the
Thumb which overlooks the drainage. We left overnight gear at
the tarn and climbed to the Middle Palisade glacier and the
moraine running down from the peak. It is important to watch
the mountain carefully on the approach to pick out the proper
chute. Despite lots of route finding complaints in old trip
reports, we had no problem identifying the chute illustrated in
the California 14er's book, which turned out to be an excellent
path. The key to get in the chute is to traverse about 100 feet left
along the top of the Middle Pal glacier from the moraine until a
ledge becomes visible leading right. An ice axe was useful, but
crampons were unnecessary. Even in late season, the
bergschrund was not an obstacle.
The east face of Middle Palisade is very imposing from a
distance, but proves to be an easy and enjoyable climb. It was
straightforward class 3, bordering on class 2 in many places. The
rock is high quality Palisade granite with excellent holds. A bit
of loose rock is present on the ledges, but no more than one
would expect on any other Sierra climb. Rockfall was not a
problem with two people, but could be an issue with a larger
team.
Peter Maxwell's PCS trip report was another useful reference for
route finding. Climb the obvious chute toward the summit (it's
so broad at first that it would better be called a face than a
chute). Eventually it narrows and runs out; climb over to the
right and continue up the next chute. The chute forks; take the
left branch to a notch (from the glacier, the notch is clearly
visible to the left of a roundish high point on the ridge with two
white bands running diagonally a few hundred feet below the
top). Climb left for 50 feet to the true summit of Middle
Palisade. We made a slightly interesting exposed move onto the
summit from the east, but descended an easier route on the west.
We were admiring the views of Norman Clyde and Sill by 3:00.
After a leisurely meal on the top with the obligatory summit
photos and sightseeing, we returned to camp. The round trip
from the tarn was 5 1/2 hours without pushing very hard, but
without having to search for the route or do any ropework. Since
we were done so early, we decided to pack out and have a real
dinner. We got back to the cars at 8:30, using headlamps for the
last 20 minutes.
Overall, we thought Middle Palisade was one of the most fun
climbs in the Sierra. The face looks very imposing. The climbing
is exciting, yet the holds are good and the exposure is not too
severe. The approach is short and the views are magnificent.
- David Harris
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Whitney via JMT
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On June 30 at 4:30 p.m. my 14-yr. daughter, Christina and I
started our hike from Horseshoe Meadows (about 35 trail miles
south of Mt. Whitney). We traveled slowly the first few days in
order to allow Christina to acclimatize. After that we hiked 10
to 16 miles a day.
New Army pass was the first pass and the most difficult section
we encountered on the trail, because the top had the remnant of
a steep cornice that we had to plow through. On July 3 we
camped at Crabtree Meadows and on July 5 we bagged Mt.
Whitney, which was a pleasant 13 hr., 15 mile walk from the
meadow with 3,700 feet of elevation gain. The summit of Mt.
Whitney is the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail.
Forester Pass, the highest spot on the John Muir Trail at nearly
13,200 feet was surprisingly easy and relatively clear of snow.
The section that seemed the most remote and least populated
was between Pinchot and Mather Pass. The view north from
Mather Pass was the most spectacular on the trip: we could see
Middle Pal, North Pal, Mt. Sill and the upper Palisade Lake.
The snowiest pass by far was Muir Pass, which had at least two
miles of snow on either side.
We collected our only cache at the Muir Trail Ranch, which is
100 trail miles north of Whitney (approximately the half-way
point on the JMT, which is 211 miles long) and a few hundred
yards off the trail between the junction with the trail to Piute
Pass and Bear Ridge. This was convenient but expensive (they
charge $45 per bucket, 25 lb. max). There are no other services
for hikers at the Ranch, except they'll take your mail, which they
haul down to civilization by mule once a week or so. If I had it
to over again, I would hike another day north to a cache at
Vermilion Valley Ranch. At VVR they charge $6 per cache.
VVR was one of the highlights of our trip. We picked up a ferry
at Edison Lake, a reservoir 2 miles beyond the junction of the
JMT and Mono Creek (near the base of Bear Ridge). For
$14/person, we got a round-trip ticket to the resort, a night in a
tent cabin and a free beer (microbrew, no less!). Even better,
there was a telephone and hot food. For these reasons, several
hikers as far south as Whitney raved about VVR and
recommended that we stop there. At the resort, I bumped into a
lady that I had only seen once before in my life -- at the hut on
Orizaba last January!
Christina hurt herself slightly at a stream crossing so we decided to
end our hike at Reds Meadow on July 18. From there we boarded the
tram to Mammoth Lakes ($4 each) and took a Greyhound to LA ($45
each). We plan to go back on two separate weekends to hike from
Reds to Toulomne and from Toulomne to the northern terminus of
the JMT -- Yosemite Valley).
The hike was wonderful. On most days there were surprisingly
few people on the trail, sometimes only 1 or 2. The exceptions
were the day we hiked Whitney and the day we hiked from
McClure Meadow to the Muir Trail Ranch (on both days, we
encountered about 70 people: climbers on Whitney and
California Conservation Core workers on our way to the Ranch).
During much of the way we were able to use bear boxes, saving
us the hassle of hanging food. We were warned by the rangers to
be especially wary of bears in LeConte Canyon (where there
were no bear boxes). We were told that someone left food in a
tent for 2 days last summer and a bear ripped into it. At the
ranger station in LeConte Canyon, we saw a note saying that on
July 10 a bear attacked the back pack of a hiker (no one was
hurt). I have a friend who said that his tent was ripped by a bear
a few years ago. We avoided camping in LeConte Canyon.
I used a set of thirteen 8 1/2 x 11 inch topo maps that were
especially prepared for the JMT (I found it at Western
Mountaineering fro about $16); I highly recommend that anyone
doing the JMT purchase this set of maps since they're all you
need and are cheaper and more convenient than the regular
topos. I also recommend the popular "guide to the John Muir
Trail" by Thomas Winnett. I bought a JMT video that I
discovered while surfing the net. We used a pair of rubber
"river" shoes that helped us keep our boots dry and our feet from
getting hurt on the rocks on the dozens of stream crossings that
we negotiated.
- Tony Cruz
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Watch Out For Warren
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When Warren Storkman tells you "we did this in 12 hours when
I was your age", it's a sure bet you're in for a long hike... but Jeff
Fisher and I agreed to accompany him on a day hike from Happy Isle
(Yosemite Valley) to Florence Peak anyway (17 Aug 96). We left at
first light, with long strides and high hopes for a short day.
Not!
It's all trail past Merced Lake, but the last 3000' gain (out of over
9000' total for the trip) is second-class cross country travel.
Warren turned back somewhere near where we left the trail, but
still did a 30 mile day. Did I mention that he expected it to be
32-34 miles? Try 38.
Jeff and I summited around 5pm (11 hours up) gritting our teeth
and swearing for the last hour or so. We were most worried
about getting back to the trail by dark, and less worried about
having to do a forced bivy with no gear, and (for me at least)
even less worried about Jeff being late for a noon appointment
back in the Bay Area the next day.
We collapsed somewhere near the outlet of Merced Lake,
around midnight, and tried to sleep for a few hours. We froze,
and moved on. We collapsed the second time at Twin Bridges
just above Little Yosemite, and froze again. We made
civilization (if you call Warren's cute little Kia Sportage
civilization) around 8am, 26 hours after we started.
Yep, watch out for Warren!
- Steve Eckert
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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.
*** Wilderness Hot Springs Extravaganza
Trip: Hot Springs class 0
Dates: Nov 9-11 Sat-Mon
Contact: Dave Bybee 310-827-3315 105275.155@CompuServe.Com
Co-Contact: Ursula Christie 805 527-5338
14th Annual Tour of the Mother Load of Hot Springs in the
Bishop /Bridgeport area, east of John Muir's "Range of Light".
In 3 days of car camping and tranquil saunters, we'll bag
(soak) the 10 requisite hot springs to qualify you to receive the
"coveted" Sierra Club Hot Spring Patch [from the Orange
County Sierra Singles Section]. Saturday night will include the
traditional custom sit-down gourmet dinner; this year at the
historic "Old House" at Benton Hot Springs. Sunday night
you'll enjoy your own pool-side Bar BQ main dish at a another
spring. Group size strictly limited by the size of most of the
wilderness pools. Dispatch 2 SASE, check for $46 (payable
"Sierra Club"), D & N phone #'s, drive/ride info to Dave Bybee,
5322 Centinela Ave, LA 90066-6908.
Editor's note: Watch for the complete list of hot springs on
the PCS web site. Coming soon to a modem near you.
*** Low-Cal Thanskgiving
Trip: Sequoia National Park easy snowshoe
Dates: Nov 27 - Dec 1 Wed-Sun
Contact: Rich Calliger pager 510.659.7546 calliger@infolane.com
A friend (winter-novice-level), and I are planning a trip within
the Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon and
snowshoeing depending on of course the snow fall. Storm
cancels, light/moderate snow fall does not as the road to
Lodgepole is kept open quite well as I noted the last 4-5 years
even in hard snows. (If there is no snow we will still do this trip
but plan to do it again in Jan or Feb when there is some.)
Itinerary: from Silliman or Ranger Lake NW to Ball Dome, then
W to Sugarloaf then perhaps S to Glacier Ridge area- as
probably many of you know a very beautiful region as you get
close to Triple Divide Peak. Bag 1-2 peaks to the N or S as
we decide enroute. There is room for 4 more. Total: 30-52
miles+, 8,500-11,500' gain over 4 days depending on
routes/group decisions.
*** Cool Christmas
Peak: Mt. Lamark (13,400') snow / class 2
Dates: Dec 27-30 Fri-Mon
Trailhead: Aspendale
Contact: George Van Gorden before 9: 408-779-2320
Do something a little different for th enew year; give yourself a
cool Christmas present. Fairly strenuous with over 5000' of
gain and very dependent upon good weather. Winter
experience stronly recommended and knowledge of ice axe
and crampon use. We will use snow shoes for most of the
ascent and I hope to summit on the second day. Depending
on snow conditions a third climbing day may be necessary.
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Virginia And Twin A La Mode
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In mid-July, Cecil Magliocco, Bob Suzuki, and Don Martin
joined me (Jim Ramaker) on a trip to these two 12,000-foot
peaks in northeast Yosemite. It was my first trip leading
experience, and I was unprepared for the flurry of last-minute
cancellations by Silicon Valley workaholics, including one at
10:30 on Thursday evening!
But no matter -- the four of us met at the Green Lakes trailhead
on a beautiful Saturday morning and headed up the trail to
Green Lake. Moving fast, we reached Virginia Pass in 3 1/2
hours and got our first glimpse of Virginia and Twin. The east
face of Virginia looks almost vertical from here, and the view
once inspired Peter Maxwell to exclaim "My Gahd, it's fifth
clahss!!" Despite the appearance, it's safe class 3, but I was
concerned to see steep snowfields high on the face, covering up
the class-3 rock, because I hadn't told people to bring crampons.
We continued cross-country for a mile to the beautiful lake at
the foot of Virginia Peak, set up our tents, and napped to ward
off the effects of our first day at altitude (10,300'). Cecil was hot
to do a peak, as we had many hours of daylight left, but clouds
were gathering, and by 3 they were very black in the south, with
occasional rumbles of thunder.
So we settled into an extended rest period and bull session, and
I studied the face looming above, trying to figure out a way up
that avoided the steep snowfields. At 4:30, we had tea time,
which gradually merged into an early supper. Raindrops pattered
a few times, but nothing serious.
Next morning we left camp at 6:45 and wandered up the scree to
the steep black triangle in the center of the east face. The normal
route goes up the right side of the triangle, but a huge steep
snowfield blocked the route, so we went left of the triangle and
climbed rocks alongside some smaller snowfields in that area.
This face has plenty of loose rock lying around, but the
underlying rock of the mountain is solid, with nice incut holds --
a pleasure to climb. Soon we were up on the buttress in the
center of the face above the black triangle, and at 8:30 we
climbed onto the summit. The weather was so clear and mild we
rested on the summit for a full hour, indulging in the usual
snacks and photos.
Then we dropped down the class-2 northwest ridge to a saddle
and started the traverse over to Twin Peaks via its south ridge.
This ridge is class 2 most of the way, with wonderful views west
to Whorl Mountain and Matterhorn Peak. The last part of the
ridge is blocked by large pinnacles, and normally you can
traverse on a class-3 ledge system on the right that goes on for
several hundred feet and takes you past the pinnacles. But on
this day I couldn't find the ledges, and both Cecil and I
commented that the climb seemed harder than when we did it
last October.
I wondered if we were off route, then realized we were too high
on the side of the ridge, and the ledges were below us, buried
under steep snowfields clinging to the rock. We continued on,
edging carefully across steep snowfields without crampons, or
else climbing on the rock above the snow. Several times we took
to the moat between rock and snow in order to make progress. A
couple hundred feet short of the summit, we almost hit a dead
end in a 10-foot deep section of the moat, with smooth rock on
one side and vertical snow and ice on the other. After some false
starts, I was able to chimney my way out with my back against
the snow and feet on the rock. The others followed, and soon we
were climbing the last class-3 rock slope to the summit. The
west half of Twin Peaks has three large rounded humps on top,
and the third one is the summit.
We had another nice rest there and admired the view, which
included not only the familiar Yosemite peaks from Tower Peak
down through Conness and Dana to the Cathedral range, but
also Half Dome, Clouds Rest, and Banner and Ritter. Finally, it
was time to descend.
The challenging climbing was over, which was okay with us,
and we dropped into the 1500-foot scree gully that takes you
down to the beautiful meadows of upper Return Canyon. On the
way down the gully, we admired the multicolored rock -- gray,
red, white, brown -- and the fantastic cliffs and rock towers on
the right-hand gully wall. It's hard to believe that rock so
shattered and broken can form cliffs that are vertical and even
overhanging.
We got back to camp at 1:30, packed up, and hiked out as the
sky clouded up and dropped a few raindrops on us, just like the
day before. We got back to the cars at 5:30 and home by
midnight -- another PCS weekend packed with fun climbing and
alpine beauty.
- Jim Ramaker
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William_some and Tynd_notall
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To celebrate the solstice (21/22/23 June), 6 people of the PCS,
Nancy Fitzsimmons, Bill Kirkpatrick, Dave Wright, Jim
Ramaker, Phyllis Olrich (leader), and me (Arun Mahajan)
attempted Williamson and Tyndall.
The group met at the Pines Cafe in the swank downtown of the
bustling super-polis of Independence. The weather report boded well
for the entire weekend. We began at 9 am at the Shepherd's Pass
trailhead. The four stream crossings provided no entertainment since
everybody crossed in fine style. The switchbacks were relentless till
we reached the top of a ridge from where we get the first
breathtaking view of Williamson. To quote Tennyson completely out
of context,
"Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world he stands,
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls,
As he watches from his mountain walls".
These would be our words to describe Williamson too, if we
could conjure that kind of poetic imagery! The trail dropped
*down* now up to a point where the descending waters from a
waterfall cross it, and we had lunch there. Then the trail winded
up past the Mahogany flats (a flat area with some mahogany
nearby...!). Soon after that, we were at Anvil Camp. There we
ran into some people from another PCS trip that was led by
Tony Cruz. Another bit of uphill on patchy snow and trail got us
to the bottom of the final chute leading to the pass. There was
ample snow and the chute looked like it did not get a lot of sun,
but still it wasn't hard enough for crampons and we managed to
get up to the top of the pass using axes. It was six pm then. It
had taken 9 hrs to get there. One person from our party had
elected to stay at Anvil. The five of us camped near the frozen
lake along with three people from the other PCS party. It got
into the 20's that night but it wasn't very windy.
The next day we had a semi-alpine, start at 6.30 am. Bill and Dave
chose to do Tyndall, while Phyllis, Jim, and I were joined by Martina
Faller and Keith Barnes from the other PCS party for our attempt on
Williamson. To say that finding the route was a little confusing
would be an understatement. But by constantly checking the topos,
and being expertly guided by Phyllis and Jim, we made good
progress and stayed on the ridge between two lakes before dropping
down. The 'black stains' mentioned in the guide books were visible,
though we initially thought that they were caused by the water that
was coming down from above.
It seemed that we were constantly going up and down, but
eventually we made it to the black stains at 8:30. It had taken us
two hrs to get there. We headed up the stains. The route to the
top is mostly visible. We switchbacked up the loose boulder and
talus fields. We hit 2 patches of snow, on the first one we just
kicked steps, but on the second one we needed crampons. That
brought us to the base of the 60 ft class-3 section. We found the
chockstone described in Secor and climbed past it up the
chimney by stemming with our backs, and that brought us to the
summit plateau. The whoops of joy all around indicated that
there was a consensus that it was one helluva view. Further
scrambling on huge boulders (to avoid the sloping snow fields)
brought us to the actual summit.
We had lunch, and took the usual goofy summit photos. It was
warm, with no winds, clear skies, and great views. In the words
of a famous cynic, "lets face it, too much beauty is boring". So
after being bored to death by excessive beauty for an hour and
half, we headed down, gingerly making our way through the
chute and the now-soft snow patches. Phyllis and Jim were
considering Tyndall in the same day, but later gave up on the
idea. We were back to the Shepherd's Pass camp at five -- it had
been a 10 1/2 hr day. Phyllis and Jim wanted to do Tyndall the
next day and stayed at Shepherd's Pass while Martina, Keith and
I packed up and headed back to Anvil. It took us 1 hr and 10
mins to get back. Bill and Dave were back at Anvil after
attempting Tyndall, and just as it got dark, Nancy returned from
summiting on Tyndall with Dennis Hiipakka. All of them
reported that Tyndall was not a kinder, gentler mountain than
Williamson and that they too had a hard climb.
After a restful night at Anvil, we hiked out at 7:40 AM. on
Sunday morning and were back at the cars just before noon (four
hrs only!). Again, I am afraid to say, the stream crossings
provided no entertainment as nobody choose to fall in.
Phyllis says that she and Jim also headed down the same morning
from Shepherd's Pass without doing Tyndall and they got back to the
cars at 1:30 PM. The prospect of doing Tyndall, hiking out, and then
doing the long drive home was too daunting, and they figured they
would have reached the Bay area at 4 AM.
- Arun Mahajan
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ Not all those who wander are lost. +
+ - J R R Tolkien +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes and Requests
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** McKinley Partners Wanted
I am planning to return to Denali Spring of `97 to attempt either
the West Buttress (Normal) route or the West Rib. This trip is
for those experienced in: high altitude climbing (19,000 ft and
above), crevasse rescue, glacier travel, expedition experience,
long periods spent without TV, very cold weather, and a desire
to eat lots of freeze dried food.
Candidates must be very fit, able to travel in poor weather up to
10 miles / day, carry and drag 120 lbs + loads, and preferably
know how to ski as I would like to use rondene' gear again.
Estimated cost is $600 air; $200 peak fee; $250 air taxi; $500 -
$1000 equipment, food, etc. Sorry, no want-to-bes, these are
requirements. Call: 408-970-0760.
- Tim Hult
*** Half Pound of What?
Had a surprising revelation this past week. My backpack had a
minor stitching failure and when I started looking at the situation, I
realized my pack was too filthy to work on. So I washed it (by hand).
Always been curious about how much weight my equipment gains
over the years from dirt and sweat. I know for a fact that my
backpacking tent has gained weight over the years. I weighed my
pack prior to washing and then after. I'm astonished! There was an 8
once difference. That's 1/2 pound of yuck.
- Mark Adrian
*** Aconcagua Climbing Assistance
Climb Aconcagua - 6959 M - (22,834) Argentina (offered from
December 1st to March 15th.) The following services are
provided for $325.00 U.S:
- Hotel Argentino in Mendoza one night.
- Three liters of fuel for white gas stove - per person.
- Transportation on private bus to hotel in Los Penitentes.
- Hotel Ayelen in Los Penitentes with dinner and breakfast,
one night, and non-climbing baggage storage for duration of
the climb.
- Deliver climber and gear to trailhead. Mule service up to
Plaza de Mulas and return. Baggage storage in Plaza de
Mulas for excess gear and food, during summit attempt - a
good safety factor.
- Return climber and gear to Hotel Ayelen with dinner and
breakfast, one night. Help customers to get bus or collectivo
at their own expense to Santiago or Mendoza.
For more information: FAX 415-493-8975 Phone 415-493-8959
- Warren Storkman
*** MacGPS ?
>From rec.outdoors.marketplace: Free software for transferring
data between a Garmin GPS receiver and a Macintosh computer
is available at the URL http://www.csn.net/~lwjames
- Dr. Lawrence W. James
*** Base Jumper Dies On El Cap
>From rec.climbing: I just read in the SD Union Trib a short
blurb that an Arizona man named Jeff Christman (age 42) died
while illegally base jumping off El Cap yesterday. The Yosemite
spokesman said that they thought his parachute was loaded
backwards and when it deployed it spun him around and he hit
the wall. He also mentioned that he narrowly missed two
climbers bivying on a ledge. Yikes! That would put one hell of a
scare into you in the morning!
- Andrew Gale
*** Roped Accident on Shasta
You may or may not have read the Mercury article about the accident
on Mount Shasta. I thought it was quite interesting. The Forest
Service ranger mentioned, Dan Towner, is the only ranger who
recognizes me on sight. I have had to push to my limit to stay ahead
of him a couple of years on Shasta. [San Jose Mercury News
Wednesday, October 2, 1996: Trio survive Shasta plunge, climbers
battered but alive after harrowing 500-foot fall, etc.]
- Bob Gross <75013.1420@CompuServe.COM>
Editor's note: While I think the text included with this email would
be useful to the readers, the Scree cannot run copyrighted material
without the owner's permission. Readers may want to check the SJ
Mercury on the date noted above for the full text of the article.
Contributors should check with their online news sources before
sending material to anyone, whether or not it is for publication,
because most providers will take action if provoked.
*** The Passing Of Friends
In conversation with the author last June, I obtained permission to
use the lines below. In the light of the recent media treatment of the
Everest tragedies, and recent Sierra fatalities, this passage articulates
some of the ever-present reality of our years in the mountains.
- John Baltierra
"...it is not just the maturing of years; it is the passing of friends,
most of whom were killed in the mountains. When one is young
and has been climbing only a few years, one's experience is
limited and death is abstract. After having been around a while,
things are different. Mountains are still magnificent and
mountaineering is worthwhile, but there is an overtone of what
is at risk that one cannot completely forget."
- Nicholas Clinch, in Preface of his book, 'A Walk in the
Sky.' The Mountaineers, Seattle, Wash. 1982.
*** Adventures with Electricity Series
I am seeking new stories from list members on "Adventures
with Electricity" (or other interesting encounters with awesome
weather phenomena in the mountains). The idea is for you to
send me a concise paragraph or two of your experiences. I'll
assemble them and prepare them for Scree--this is an easy way
to share the labor of creating entertaining articles . Anyone care
to resurrect the old PCS story about smoking underwear
(induced by static electricity, as I recall)?
- Butch Suits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From Sea to Shining Summit
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been looking up at Marcus Baker from the highway on and
off for over 20 years. When in high school, I even bought the
topo maps and tried to plan an expedition. We figured it would
take about two weeks to traverse the broken ice fields, and then
we were not sure what the climbing conditions would be like on
the main mountain.
In July 1996, I was back in Anchorage (Alaska) for a high school
reunion and decided to take another look at Marcus Baker (the
high point of the Chugach Range). This time I had the money to
hire a guide, however, which changed the trip dramatically! I did
not have to pack food/tent/rope/etc, and the guide knew a pilot
who could fly us over the ice fields onto an 8000' snowfield at
the base of the summit ridge. Two of us each paid the guide
about $600 and the pilot about $300, so this was not a low-
budget trip. On the other hand, the guide's knowledge of snow
conditions and routes was invaluable. There are no guide books
for the Chugach mountains!
Dave Staeheli runs a one-man guide company out of Wasilla
called Alpine Guides Alaska: call 907-377-3051 or use a web
browser to view
http://www.alaska.net/~paoletti/AGA/AlpineGuides.html
Staeheli had tried this peak before, but had never quite
summited due to bad weather and/or bad clients (his version of
the story). Most of his clients must lie to him about their
physical abilities, because he figured that climbing from 8000' to
just over 13000' would require a five day trip! He scoffed at me
when I said that even climbing in snowshoes, my estimate was
more like three days plus weather layovers, if any... so we
compromised on a four day trip.
The first day we had to wait in line at the air taxi hanger,
because a large group of Japanese tourists had shown up
unexpectedly, and it is obvious that half-hour sightseeing tours
bring in more money than lugging climbing gear up 8000' and
landing on a snowfield! We finally set down at our target site
long after noon, roped up, loaded the sleds with half our gear,
and watched the clouds build while we had lunch. The hike to
high camp took 5 hours (not 2 days as Dave had estimated) and
we started setting the tent up around 8pm in wind and light
snow.
In July, in southcentral Alaska, the sun sets around 10pm and rises
again around 2am - and it's so close to the horizon that you don't need
a flashlight even at midnight. There is, therefore, no reason at all to
get up early in the morning or go to bed early at night!
The snow at high camp was fluffy enough to cut blocks with a
large snow shovel, which we stacked up as a wind break for the
tent. All night the snow piled up on the tent until the wind
knocked it off in slabs. We were not optimistic about summiting,
but by the end of breakfast (9am) the sky was clear and the wind
had died down!
Our route along the ridge proved fairly easy except for two
sections that required front-pointing on ice, and several hidden
cracks loosely drifted over with soft snow. We used belays in
several places, but I did not feel that we really needed them.
(Guides must be overly cautious, or they never get very old -
Staeheli's partner was afraid of walking on cornices, but died
while walking UNDER one.) At the base of the summit mass,
however, we found ourselves knee-deep in snow that balled up
on our crampons. Under this was a layer of ice in places, all at
angles that measured over 40 degrees in places.
As we climbed, salt-water fjords came into view. I have never
been at altitude, on ice, looking down at continuous slopes into
an ocean! The weather was holding, but as we neared the
summit we lost sight of Denali (formerly McKinley) behind
distant clouds. From the top, however, we picked up views of
Blackburn, Sanford, and Mt Saint Elias - which means that from
the top of Marcus Baker you can see every really high peak in
the state... and it's a BIG state, too.
Great visibility kept us on the summit for around half an hour,
but the wind and the mid-afternoon hour finally convinced us to
leave. The walk back to camp was mostly uneventful, except
when we found an old rappel anchor (two poorly-installed
pickets) near one of the pitches we had front-pointed with
crampons. Oh, yes, there was that one last crack we had to cross
within sight of the tent...
That crack (not really a bergschrund) had a four-foot-thick snow
bridge which had held our weight in the morning. While testing
in on the way down, I felt it give. I yelled something
unintelligible (certainly not "falling", as I should have) and
began scrambling to stay on top of the moving blocks. This was
the softest styrofoam snow I have ever been on (or in), and
everything was moving in slow motion. Each block that I tried to
step on cracked in half and went further down the crack. I
wound up half-supported by the rope and half resting on snow,
and was able to climb out without a rescue. My partner was in a
self arrest holding the rope, while the guide was flitting about
nervously watching the whole affair. He still insists he's never
had a client fall into a crevasse, but now I understand that his
record is attainable only by carefully defining everything as
NOT a crevasse.
The next day we started hiking down the glacier somewhere
around noon (why rush?), wondering if the pilot would be in the
area with a sightseeing group. Otherwise we had 24 hours to sit
and wait with nothing to do. The weather was questionable, and
we heard no engines, so the evening was spent napping and
pondering imponderables (such as the nature of religion and
what to have for dinner).
The next morning the guide and I took off for a nearby bump to
get a view of the Radcliffe and Harvard glaciers. The climbing
was more exciting than the day before due to knife-edge ridges
with horizontal cracks and apparent cornices above eroding rock
slopes. The summit bump has 1100' cliffs on 3 sides, and
qualifies as a first ascent under Alaska's "it's a peak if it's 1000'
down on every side" rule. We're looking into registering a name
with the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, who keeps the official
log of first ascents. If possible, it will be called Rose-Hulman
Peak (after my alma mater) in keeping with the other college-
related names of the area.
After a couple of hours in camp, and 30 minutes in the plane, we
were back at sea level again. This trip convinced me that there is
no need to leave our country for truly high-altitude
mountaineering. This far north the 13k peaks have snow
conditions that might not be found below 22k in other places,
but you can eat the food and drink the water when you get back
to town!
- Steve Eckert
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glockenspiel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mt. Carillon, Mt. Russell, 28-29 September 1996: At 8am on
Saturday, 28 September, climbers David and Elaine Baldwin, Jack
Wickel, Steve Blackmon, and John Blanch gathered at the Whitney
Portal trailhead for an assault on Mt. Russell, a mountain described
by R.J. Secor as "the finest peak in the Mt. Whitney region". Setting
off at a moderately brisk pace, we shortly reached the North Fork of
Lone Pine Creek (the second stream crossing in a normal year) and
the start of the North Fork use trail.
After a brief stop at the packet distribution box for the "North Fork
Pack-Out-Your-Poop Project" we proceeded up the well defined trail
to the start of the Ebersbacher ledges which we identified with the
aid of a photograph from "California's Fourteeners". Exercising due
caution, we traversed the ledges without incident and continued up
the trail to Lower Boy Scout Lake and the talus field beyond. Using a
combination of paths through the boulders, we proceeded up the
south side of the drainage until it was possible to pass through the
low bushes to the slabs adjacent to the creek which we followed to
Upper Boy Scout Lake.
After establishing our camp near the northeast shore of the lake,
there was some discussion of an attempt on Thor Peak, but the
thin air, the exertion of the morning, and the warmth of the sun
invited most of us to simply relax and acclimate for the
following day. I later took a short hike up the north slope of
Thor to get a better look at our route on Russell. After climbing
a scree slope to the southeast of the outlet of lake 11,560, I
reached an area of high angle slabs which I surmounted via a
short class 3 chimney to the east. At the top of the chimney, I
was tempted to break my promise to return in an hour and
ascend the class 2-3 terrain to the summit of Thor, but contented
myself with a grand view of the east edifice of the Whitney
group before descending to camp. Due to the proximity of
Pinnacle Ridge, the sun set at our campsite before 5pm but was
replaced around 10pm by a brilliant, near-full moon which
bathed the terrain in a ghostly white light.
The moon was still bright when we rose at 5:30am Sunday for
the main event. After the usual preparation, we were all
underway by 6:45, trudging up the seemingly endless scree slope
northeast of the outlet of Upper Boy Scout Lake. After two
hours, we were glad to reach the Russell-Carillon saddle and get
our first look at the East Ridge route on Russell. Steve roused us
from a short snack break with a cry of "Let's climb this
mountain!", and we were off up the talus. We stayed to the north
side of the ridge for most of the route, venturing occasionally
onto the crest, but never to the south side, following ledges and
cracks with occasional stretches of scree and small patches of
new snow. Most of the route was ducked, as if one could get off
of a route with a margin of error seldom exceeding a few feet.
About an hour of climbing put us on the registered west summit,
which of course looked a few inches lower than the east.
After enjoying the fantastic views under the cloudless sky and
snapping a few photos, we retraced our steps to the Russell-
Carillon saddle where Steve and John bolted for home while the
rest of the party paused for a snack before launching a 12-minute
ascent of Carillon. At the summit we had our best view of the
north face of Russell and the fantastically exposed east ridge
route best described by Jack as "gnarly". Unfortunately we had
to leave the Carillon register unsigned for lack of a pencil.
Leaving the summit, we returned to the saddle for our packs and
then enjoyed the scree slide to camp considerably more than the
trudge of the morning. After packing up, we returned to Whitney
Portal, then filled up on barbecue at Smoke Signals in Lone Pine
before the long drive back to LA.
My thanks go to everyone in the group for a successful weekend enhanced
by great weather, and especially to Jack for filling a vacancy at the last
minute and for leading the way up Russell's east ridge.
- David Baldwin
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vogelsangfroid
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first snow of autumn crusted Tuolomne Meadows as we set
out for Vogelsang Peak. Though PCS groups often do this 18
mile, 2900 foot trek as a weekend backpack, we tried it as a day
hike. A superbly maintained trail took us from our campground
up to our lunch spot at Vogelsang Lake. Some straightforward
class 2 hiking took us from the lake to the summit in about an
hour. The peak commands a huge area, and the views were
stunning. The Cathedral Range, the Merced Basin, and the
Clark Range laid before us, and in the distant north we could see
as far as the Sawtooth Range.
David Wright, Dee Booth, Robin Ross, John Cordes, David Lou,
Scott Kreider, Marilyn Hurley, Bob Bynum, Nancy
Fitzsimmons, Brian Xyzzy, and I made the ascent. Trip
organizer Cecil Magliocco missed the summit because she went
back home with a sore throat. A few others who camped with us
skipped the hike.
Back in camp Saturday evening we celebrated David Lou's
fiftieth birthday. I'd say Vogelsang Peak was a pretty impressive
accomplishment for such an old dude.
Sunday, September 15, a smaller group set out for Mount Gibbs,
but by the time we reached Mono Pass, we decided that the
strong winds would make us miserable up on that barren ridge,
so we declared the weekend a success and went home.
- Aaron Schuman
Although Cecil Magliocco didn't go on the hike on Saturday, she
and several others went on a little geology field trip. Cecil, her
two children Joseph and Johanna, their friend Tammy, and
Gretchen Luepke took a trip to Mono Lake. Gretchen, a
geologist with the U. S. Geological Survey since 1967, gave a
professional perspective.
They visited Pantum Crater, the South Tufa Towers, had a
picnic lunch in a county park near the North Tufa Towers, and
visited the new Mono Lake interpretive center. The interpretive
center features a short movie on the history and geology of Mono
Lake and has many displays on wildlife and geology in the area.
It is located on Highway 395 a few miles north of Lee Vining
and is well worth a visit.
This car camp was a success for the non peak climbers because
they had some interesting nature related activities that they
could do.
- Bob Bynum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BACK PAGE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scree is the monthly journal of the Peak Climbing
Section of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter.
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Elected Officials
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Chair:
Charles Schafer / charles.schafer@octel.com
408-354-1545 home, 408-324-6003 work
115 Spring Street, Los Gatos CA 95032-6229
Vice Chair and Trip Scheduler:
Roger Crawley
415-321-8602 home
761 Nash Avenue, Menlo Park CA 94025-2719
Treasurer and Membership Roster (address changes):
Jim Ramaker / ramaker@vnet.ibm.com
408-224-8553 home, 408-463-4873 work,
188 Sunwood Meadows Place, San Jose CA 95119-1350
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Appointed Positions
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Scree Editor, Email Broadcast Operator:
Steve Eckert / eckert@netcom.com
415-508-0500 home/work, 415-508-0501 fax
1814 Oak Knoll Drive, Belmont, CA 94002-1753
PCS World Wide Web Publisher:
Aaron Schuman / schuman@sgi.com
415-933-1901, http://reality.sgi.com/csp/pcs/index.html
223 Horizon Avenue, Mountain View CA 94043-4718
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Hardcopy subscriptions are $10/year, plus a requested donation of $2/year
to cover operating expenses. Subscription applications and checks payable
to "PCS" should be mailed to the Treasurer so they arrive before the last
Tuesday of the expiration month.
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If you are on the PCS email broadcast, you have a free EScree subscription.
For broadcast info, send Email to with the
one-line message "INFO lomap-peak-climbing". EScree subscribers should send
a subscription form to the Treasurer to become voting PCS members at no
charge, and are encouraged to donate $2/year to the PCS.
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Rock Climbing Classifications
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:
(if you sent something that is not here, please send it again)
Foreign Reports: Ojos del Salado, Aconcagua, Mont Blanc
Distant Reports: Elbert, Ranier, Colorado Solos
Trip Reports: Onion Valley, Deerhorn
Special Features: Hot Springs list, Shocking Kids story
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Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 11/24/96.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
This publication may not be posted on any public news group.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe
(end of November 1996 Escree)