Home | Scree | Back Issues
Scree for July, 1997
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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.
July, 1997 Vol. 31, No. 7
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 7/27/97.
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Next meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, July 8
Time: 6:30 Start charcoal
7:00 Start BBQ
8:00 Start of meeting
Location: Junipero Serra Park, Sunnyvale, CA, USA, North America
From I-280 turn North on DeAnza Blvd in
Cupertino then left on Homestead then right on
Hollenbeck. The park is on your left.
From I-85 turn East on Fremont then South on
Hollenbeck. The park is on your right.
A 90 person picnic area is 20 yards from the
parking lot between the 2 sets of tennis courts.
Park or unload here. Extra parking is 1/2 block
away on the North side of the park and 1 block
away on the West side.
Program: BBQ and SWAP MEET
Bring your own main course to BBQ and your
own liquid refreshment (alcohol IS allowed) and
a side dish to share for the potluck. A $2.00
donation will cover the picnic area and charcoal.
Electrical outlets are available at the table. Kids
play area is 20 yards away. Bring your summer
trip reports and mark your extra equipment for the
swap meet with your name and a price.
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Trip Reports (request from your Editor)
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Trip reports that are over one page (a somewhat tight 9 point
TimesRoman with 0.8" page margins) tend to pile up and not get
printed in the Scree... A page of text is about 1300 words the
way the Scree is currently laid out. (Word and other processors
have word counting menu items, or you can save the file to disk
as "plain text" and see how big it is-about 6kB/page on disk.)
Remember that all of the Scree text combined is around 7000
words, so if you send 9000 word reports they'll never fit (even
though the Liberty Ridge one was good reading). Long reports
are common on the email list, and are archived on the PCS Web
Site, but they just don't reduce to hardcopy easily.
- Steve Eckert
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Trip Reports (note from your WebMaster)
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There is no length limit to trip reports on the web based
archives. Feel free to write up all the details for the archives,
and to send a quick summary for Scree. I'm also happy to include
your photos, sketches, audio tape recordings, videos, 3D models,
tattoos, neckties, stained glass windows, etc. Email them to me
in any reasonable format (gif or jpg for instance), or send me
your photos via snail mail and I'll scan them and return them to
you. (Sorry, I don't have a 35 mm slide scanner.)
- Aaron Schuman
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Trip Reports (related commentary)
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I'm convinced a new kind of social responsibility is emerging-
an imperative to be succinct. Just as we've had to curtail our
gaseous emissions in an increasingly smoggy world, the information
glut demands that we be more economical about what we say, write,
and post on-line. With time an ever more valuable commodity, the
long-winded are beginning to resemble people who open their
car door at a stoplight to dump trash onto the street.
- David Shenk, Wired, 7/96.
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Scanning Slides, Prints, and Negatives
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I now have a scanner which is capable of scanning color photos,
color slides, even color negatives (with color inversion so the
scanned photo appears normal). The scanner has an optical
resolution of 300x600 dpi, but can interpolate up to 1200x1200
dpi if you've got the disk space for the image! Scanned slides are
suitable for web pictures, but not full-page high-resolution printing.
If you are interested in scanning slides or pictures, for the Scree
or otherwise, contact me at 415-508-0500 or
. A "small donation" to offset the
purchase price of the scanner and slide option would be nice.
- Steve Eckert
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A Mountaineer's Ramble
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After several arduous days of hiking over Shepherd's Pass our
party of twelve reached the Upper Kern for a week of climbing.
This spectacular part of Sequoia National Park which is
surrounded by the 13,600' Great Western Divide to the west, the
13,900' Kings-Kern Divide to the north, and the 14,000' Sierra
Crest to the east, is considered by many to be the most beautiful
and wildest part of the Sierra. From our high camp at 11,500' in
Milestone Basin we had a wonderful view of Milestone,
Midway, and Table Mountains directly behind us and across the
Kern canyon we could see Tyndall, Williamson, Barnard,
Russell and Whitney. At twilight on our first evening at the
Milestone camp, after a late afternoon thunderstorm had cleared
the air, we enjoyed a full moonrise over the Whitney crest.
On the first climbing day we couldn't contain our energy and
excitement to climb and at dawn after a magnificent sunrise
with the moon setting over Milestone Mountain, we set out for
Table Mountain (13,630'). For five members of the group this
was to be the first of three major peaks to be climbed that day.
Our fast pace was reined in by the need to locate the correct
route on the broken south face of the peak. After quickly
climbing up several sandy ledge systems we reached the crux of
the climb which was a ten foot face that led to an awkward move
over an exposed boulder. Once around this problem, we soon
came to what was to be the most frightening situation of the day.
Near the top of the south face was a chute blocked by a huge
chockstone which was easily climbed by going under and behind
it. As the first climbers waited at the top of the chockstone, a
huge slab under their feet suddenly shifted while several
climbers were directly underneath. Fortunately the slab didn't
fall far but settled down on top of the chockstone and we quickly
finished climbing the face.
After climbing the ledges and chutes, the summit of Table
Mountain is quite a sight. It's a large plateau measuring about
300 by 800 yards that is gently inclined northwards towards the
summit rocks which overlook the north and west faces of the
peak . After a leisurely summit break in perfect cloudless and
windless conditions, we made our descent the route that we had
ascended and traversed across the rocky basin to the next peak
of the day, Midway Mountain. At 13,666' Midway is the high
point of the Great Western Divide. Our route up the north side
of the east ridge was just a long slog up talus and sandy slopes
to the summit rocks where we had lunch. After lunch we
descended the same route to the 12,600' level where we climbed
through a notch in the east ridge to traverse over to the final
ascent of the day, Milestone Mountain (13,641'). At this point
since I had previously climbed this peak twice before, I decided
to take the afternoon off and returned to camp to enjoy a dip in
the lake and a quiet afternoon reading in the shade of a nearby
whitebark pine. Several hours later the group returned, tired but
quite happy at climbing all three of the major Milestone Basin
peaks on the first climbing day.
The next morning half of the group decided to move our camp
several miles around the corner to the north and to climb
Thunder Mountain (13,588'). After quickly descending the
Milestone creek trail in clouds of mosquitoes, we ascended
along the Kern river to drop our packs at a small unnamed lake
near treeline on the Kern headwaters. We soon secured our food
and headed off to climb Thunder. The approach up the glaciated
valley between Table and Thunder proceeded quickly and we
soon arrived at lake 12,280' just below Thunder Mountain where
we filled our water bottles and had a brief lunch. The climb
became increasingly difficult as the talus became larger and
more unstable and we spread out to avoid any possible rockfall
problems. After a bit of interesting climbing we soon reached
the south summit of the peak and got a big surprise. Between
the south and the north summits, the route was quite exposed
with a short (20') down climb to a traverse along a narrow ledge
below large, loose vertical flakes and to a 30' climb up cracks
and faces to the summit tower. After evaluating our situation,
several of us decided that a 7mm rope didn't offer much more
than a psychological belay and decided to be content with only
climbing the south summit. After what seemed to take an
eternally long time the other three climbers reached the north
summit and returned back to the rest of the group. The descent back
to camp went quickly. After dinner the rest of the group that had
climbed Table Mountain earlier that day arrived at camp.
The next morning while the rest of the group headed off to climb
Mt Jordan and Genevra, I headed off to climb Mt Ericsson
(13,608') which had eluded me for several years because of bad
weather or lack of time while in the area. After a review of the
guidebook I realized that today's date of August 1, 1996 was
exactly 100 years after the first ascent by one of the Sierra's most
famous climbing couples, Bolton and Lucy Brown. With that
interesting bit of trivia in my back pocket I enjoyed climbing the
west ridge route at my own pace and reached the summit in a
few hours. Only the last 100 feet of climbing the summit rocks
was moderately challenging and I enjoyed a brief lunch in
perfect weather before descending. Since I had plenty of time I
lazily wandered among the several dozen small tarns and lakes
that make up the headwaters of the Kern river before heading
back to camp. Several hours later the Jordan and Genevra team
returned tired but satisfied and we all recounted our adventures
of the day and planned the rest of the trip.
Early the next morning two of us set off to move our camp to the
base of Diamond Mesa so that we could climb Junction Peak
that day and Barnard and Trojan on our last day. After setting up
camp in a sandy flat at about 11,500', we headed up a short
section of loose talus to gain the gentle slope of Diamond Mesa.
A moderate trudge up the decomposed granite slope soon
brought us to the knife edge ridge between the Mesa and
Junction Peak (13,888'). A airy but easy traverse quickly got us
to the main summit mass which we climbed first on the east,
then the crest and finally on the west side of the south ridge.
After a short down climb just below the summit on the west side
we climbed the summit by a interesting route up the south face.
After a short break in the perfect warm and windless conditions
we quickly descended the south side of the west ridge to Ski
Mountaineer's Pass (13,120'). The south side of this pass is
about 500 feet of moderately angled scree that allowed us to
quickly descend to pick up the Muir Trail just below the cliffs
headed up to Forester Pass. A quick descend down the trail
brought us back to camp in time to enjoy a dip in the creek
before dinner. Just after sunset, three other members of our
party trudged into camp after having climbed both Ericsson and
Stanford earlier that day.
At dawn the next morning we headed out over Wright's Lake
Col (12,000') for the approach to Mt Barnard (13,990'). A quick
traverse of the beautiful Wright's Lake basin brought us to the
headwall below the north side of the northwest ridge of the
peak. A few interesting moves on the slabs and short cliffs of the
wall got us to the scree and boulders of the west slope of the
peak which we quickly ascended to the summit. After a brief
lunch stop in cold and windy conditions, we descended the east
talus bowl about 700' and traversed over to the saddle at the
base of the west slope of Trojan Peak (13,950'). We quickly
climbed to the summit to enjoy great views of Mt Williamson
and Tyndall and the rock and ice bound lakes of Williamson
Bowl. Retracing our route down to the saddle between Barnard
and Trojan, we decided to descend the chute below the saddle.
Previous trip reports indicated that this route offered a quick
descent down a loose talus chute. After carefully avoiding
setting off any major rock slides we soon reached a string of
beautiful small lakes that make up upper Wright's Lake basin.
We quickly traversed the basin and ascended Wright's Lake Col
back to camp. After quickly breaking camp we met the rest of
the group at Shepherd Pass (12,000') where most of the party
spent the night while a few of us continued down to Anvil Camp
to enjoy warmer conditions. Early the next morning we
descended back to the trailhead and headed home.
All in all we had a wonderfully successful climbing trip in the
heart of Sequoia National Park; the group of twelve climbed
fourteen major peaks in a week in near perfect weather
conditions.
- John Bees
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Notes and Requests
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*** Camp Gadgets
I'm a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News writing a story on
camp gadgets that provide creature comforts in the outdoors.
Examples of these items include Cascade Designs' Outback
Oven, Coleman Co.'s QuickBed and GSI Outdoors' expresso
[sic] machine. Are there any backpackers or family campers out
there who have used these or other creature comfort gadgets
(such as portable showers and remote-control lanterns) who would
be willing to be interviewed for my story? Please let me know.
- Sherri Eng
*** Colorado Climbing Email List
This message is to announce the Colorado Mountain Club list
processor dealing with alpine mountaineering. There are two
lists, 1) A list dealing with Rocky Mountain ascents near the
Colorado area. This list name is "colomtn". 2) A list dealing
with world wide climbing for expedition type ascents. This list
name is "hialtmtn". These lists are an initiative of the High
Altitude Mountaineering Section (HAMS) of the Colorado Mountain
Club and has the approval of the CMC. The lists are intended to be
provided (sponsored) by a commercial enterprise who will
provide a small amount of revenue to the CMC. The sponsors
message will appear in the banner of each message. This banner
is intended to be unobtrusive but keep reminding the subscribers
of our benefactor. The host of both lists is Paul Wilson.
You may sign up to the lists as follows: For the Colorado
Rockies list send a message (in the body of the e-mail) saying:
"subscribe colomtn " to:
"majordomo@lists.csn.org" without the quotes of course. For the
world wide high altitude list send a message (in the body of the
e-mail) saying: "subscribe hialtmtn < your_e-mail_address >" to:
"majordomo@lists.csn.org" without the quotes of course. Do not
say anything else. An e-mail subject is not necessary. NOTE:
majordomo is case sensitive, so the software compares your
return address with in the above
command. Please help Paul by using your correct address.
- Paul Wilson
*** Wilderness Permits on the Web
INYO NF now has a website that may answer pre-trip questions:
http://www.r5.pswfs.gov/inyo/
Another informative site is sponsored by The Advocate, an East
Side publication:
http://www.cris.com/~dalekay
And, finally, the Lone Pine Chamber of commerce:
http://www.cris.com/lpcc
I just got off the phone with the Wilderness reservationists in
Big Pine. They have a preliminary website up and running at :
http://www.sierrawilderness.com
Hopefully this will offload their 1-888 number. I don't know how
"far" they plan to take the site, but it appears though it will
eventually accommodate online reservations. Also, when I spoke
with Richard there last year, I recommended to him that it would
be ideal to dynamically display the quota status by date and
trailhead and to also display information about day-of-day-before
permits. Additionally, they should have links for road information
and any other area resource, so you might suggest this to them in
any correspondence. Until then, at least this is a good start.
- Mark D Adrian
*** C.O.N.F.U.S.E.D.
Here's a new entry on the PCS Hotlinks page,
http://reality.sgi.com/csp/pcs/Resource/hotlinks.html
for a San Francisco based outings club: "c.o.n.f.u.s.e.d." or
Commonwealth of Nature Fanatics - Unofficial San Francisco
Excursion Division
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/2967/
Nob Hill mountaineers, take a look!
- Aaron Schuman
*** 1997 Advance Trip List
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE LEADERS TO SIGN UP FOR THESE TRIPS.
This list is intended to prevent trip
scheduling conflicts and to help you plan your summer, NOT to
enable people to sign up way in advance. If you are planning a
trip, and if you change your plans or can't get a permit, please
contact the Scree Editor to keep this list up to date.
Date Peak(s) Class Leader(s)
Aug 30-1 Clarence King, Gardner 5 Schafer
Sep 13-14 Tehipite Dome 3 Suzuki/Schafer
Sep 13-14 Koip Peak, Gibbs, Dana 2 Schuman/Magliocco
Sep 19-21 Mt. Russell 3 (withheld)
Sep 20-21 Mt Morrison, Mt Baldwin 3 Fitzsimmons/Suzuki
Oct 4-5 Needham, Sawtooth, Vandever 3 Schuman
Oct 18-19 Koip Peak, Ragged Peak 3 Suzuki
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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 received from the
Scheduler will be listed as PRIVATE, without recourse.
Duddettes on Dade
Peak: Mt. Dade (13,600') class 2
Dates: July 12-13 Sat-Sun
Map: Mt. Abbot 7.5
Leader: Debbie Benham
Co-Leader: Nancy Fitzsimmons 408-957-9683,
Nancy_Fitzsimmons@BayNetworks.COM
Saturday, we'll get a leisurely start from the Rock Creek area and
head up to camp at Treasure Lakes. With a free afternoon, there
is an option of hiking up a nearby "peaklet." Sunday, we'll stroll
up to the summit of Mt. Dade via the Hourglass route. This trip is
great for beginning climbers with a bit of backpacking experience.
Enroll in University
Peaks: Kearsarge, University, Independence class 1-3
Dates: July 25-27 Fri-Mon
Maps: Mt Pinchot & Mt Whitney 15 min; or
Kearsarge Pk & Mt Williamson 7.5 min
Leader: Aaron Schuman H 415-968-9184
schuman@sgi.com W 415-933-1901
Car camp among the golden bears of Onion Valley (9200 ft).
Acclimatize Friday by walking up the old mining road to the
summit of Kearsarge Peak (12,618', class 1). Day hike Sierra
giant University Peak (13,589' class 2), a mountain that defeated
the PCS last year. Our route takes us up to Robinson Lake, over
snowy and boulder strewn University Pass, and on the class 2
southeast ridge. Ascend Independence Peak (11,742', class 3)
to finish mid-day on Sunday.
Tyndall In A Weekend
Peak: Mt. Tyndall (14,018') class 3
Dates: July 26-27 Sat-Sun
Leader: Chris Kramar W 415-926-6861
H 510-796-6651
Co-Leader: Wanted
Most people do this climb in three days, but with an aggressive
schedule, we'll climb it in two. It IS possible, as I have climbed
neighboring Mt. Williamson in two days. On Saturday we'll attain
the top of Shepherd Pass and camp by Mt. Tyndall. Sunday we'll
climb the peak and return to the cars. The first day involves a
gain of 7000' over 12 miles, so I cannot over-stress the
importance of going ultralight. If you have questions about going
light, I can provide instruction. Expect a late return Sunday night.
Matterhorn and Whorl
Peaks: Matterhorn Peak, Whorl Mtn class 2-3
Dates: Aug 2-3 Sat-Sun
Maps: Matterhorn Peak 7.5 or 15
Leader: Charles Schafer 408-324-6003
charles.schafer@octel.com
We'll stroll up rugged Horse Creek Canyon to Horse Creek Pass,
then make camp just beyond. We should have time on Saturday
to climb Matterhorn (12,279', class 2) via the standard route,
then on Sunday we can try our luck at finding a class-3 route on
Whorl (12,033', class 3). Judging from past trip reports, this is a
nontrivial exercise. This is a very scenic section of the Sierra, and
a chance to meet the mountain of which myths are made.
Virginia Peak
Peak: Virginia Peak (12,001') class 3
Dates: Aug 9-10 Sat-Sun
Leader: Debbie Bulger 408-457-1036
Third-class heaven. What better way to spend an August
weekend than in beautiful northern Yosemite experiencing the
thrill of third-class rock. We'll reel with pleasure at this Virginia
rock dance. Possible climb of Twin Peaks if time allows.
Approximately 2500' elevation gain from trailhead to Virginia
Pass, then descend to base camp. Another 2500' to the summit.
Mountaineers Delight
Peaks: Whitney (14,494'), Russell (14,088') class 3
Dates: Aug 15-18 Fri-Mon
Maps: Mt. Whitney 7.5
Leader: Charles Schafer 408-324-6003
charles.schafer@octel.com
Co-Leader: Jim Ramaker 408-463-4873
ramaker@vnet.ibm.com
If you like big mountains and class-3 climbing, this trip is for you.
Friday we'll take cross-country route up the North Fork of Lone
Pine Creek to our camp at Iceberg Lake at 12,600. Saturday
we'll tackle the Mountaineer's route on Mt. Whitney, and Sunday
we'll attempt the narrow and exposed east ridge of Mt. Russell.
The spectacular high-altitude scenery and towering rock walls in
this area make it a real amphitheater of the mountain gods. The
hike out on Monday will not be too long -- if we move along we
can get out to the cars by noon and home by 10 p.m.
Experienced class-3 climbers only on this trip.
Doing the Bear Abbot on Labor Dade
Peaks: Bear Creek Spire, Dade, Abbot class 2-3
Date: Aug 30 - Sep 1 Sat-Mon (Labor Day)
Maps: Mt. Abbot, Mt. Hilgard 7.5' quad
Leader: David Harris 415-497-5571
harrisd@leland.stanford.edu
Spend a glorious Labor Day weekend in the Little Lakes valley.
On Saturday we will pack in a short distance to a convenient
scenic camp and climb the magnificent Bear Creek Spire
(13,720'+ class 3+) by Ulrich's Route. The summit spire evidently
has an interesting move which can be facilitated by climbing
shoes, though boots should be sufficient. Mt. Abbot (13,704'
class 3) should be another fine climb. We'll probably also climb
Mt. Dade (13,600' class 2), though I'd be game for something
besides lumbering up the loose scree of the Hourglass if
somebody has a better idea. Depending on interest, I may start
the weekend on Friday with a dayhike of one of the other peaks
around the Little Lakes valley. Send me mail if you have preferences.
Get Ritter Yer Banner
Peaks: Ritter (13,157'), Banner (12,945') class 3
Date: Sep 6-7 Sat-Sun
Maps: Mt. Ritter 7.5' quad
Leader: David Harris 415-497-5571
harrisd@leland.stanford.edu
Enjoy a fast-paced jaunt up two classic peaks. Taking the
standard route from Devil's Postpile, we'll hike up to a camp at
Ediza Lake and scramble up the Ritter/Banner saddle to one of
the summits. Depending on how fast we move, we'll either bag
the other peak or climb it Sunday morning before packing out.
Trip limited to six strong hikers. Ice axe required.
Mokelumne River Canyon,
Trip: Mokelumne River Canyon class 2
Dates: Sep 5-8 Fri-Mon
Topos: Mokelumne Peak, Pacific Valley, both 15 min
Leader: John Ingvoldstad 209-296-8483
kate@cdepot.net
This is a 35 mile trip up a very scenic, 4,000 foot deep canyon,
elevations from 5,000 to 9,000 feet. Includes river crossings,
cross-country, and route finding. Opportunities to fish and swim.
Short car shuttle. Starts at Bear Valley off Hwy 4.
Mt. Gabb
Peak: Mt. Gabb (13,741') class 2-3
Dates: Sep 12-14 Fri-Sun
Leader: Peter Maxwell 408-737-9770
This trip is two weeks after Labor Day weekend, so we'll avoid all
the crowds. Leaving Thursday night will avoid traffic hassles also
and we'll have a three-day weekend ahead of us. We'll hike in
Friday from Rock Creek, head up Little Lakes Valley, and cross
over the Sierra crest using Cox Col, just northwest of Bear Creek
Spire. We'll camp somewhere that looks nice, do the peak on
Saturday, and hike out Sunday. We'll do the south slope, which
Secor rates as class 2, but with the class-3 variant of going
directly up to the summit, rather than taking the southwest ridge.
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Stalking the Crystal Geyser
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"Nature's perfect beverage," it says on the label. "Crystal Geyser
alpine spring water begins as the pure snow and rain that falls
on 12,000 foot Olancha peak in the towering Sierra." On May
17, 1997, we set out in search of that pristine taste.
Following Patty Kline's trailhead directions created some
confusion. She led us to a use trail about 200 yards north of the
maintained trail. Future Olancha hikers should instead follow
the revised directions at:
http://reality.sgi.com/csp/pcs/Trailhead/trailhead.html
It took our group about four hours to hike from the road (5800 feet)
to Summit Meadow (9600 feet), just over Olancha Pass, where we
made camp. Expecting early season conditions in a desert location,
we were poorly prepared for the onslaught of mosquitoes we
encountered there. Horse packers use Summit Meadow, and they left
us a remarkable amount of wilderness construction: picnic table, fire
pit with grill and benches, charcoal oven, plus a lot of litter.
Although we had planned to attempt the peak on Sunday, we were so
early that after lunch we headed for the mountain. We split into a
speedy group and a slow group as we headed north on the Pacific
Crest trail. Below the peak we found a few small patches of snow,
but mostly we had easy trail walking and class 2 boulder hopping.
As we climbed, the views kept getting bigger. From the summit
(12123 feet) we could see the Kaweahs, larger than life, the
Whitney group, equally imposing, and the Great Western Divide
all the way up to Mount Brewer. To the south and east, we could
see the shadow of our mountain across the parched, saline
expanse of the lower Owens Valley and far beyond into Death
Valley. The speedsters summitted and returned to camp by 7:30.
The sun set on us slowpokes as we clambered off the talus and
onto the trail, around 8:00. We scarcely needed our headlamps,
though, because we were bathed in the light of the waxing gibbous
moon. We returned to camp tired and famished at 10:00.
In spite of the demanding day we had Saturday, it turned out to be a
good choice to climb the peak early, because on Sunday, as we
descended the trail, we watched a tremendous thunderstorm build up
on the mountain. We never could have attempted the climb in those
conditions. Our party consisted of Arun Mahajan, brothers Larry and
Mike Sokolsky, Dee Booth, Bob Evans, Rich Calliger, co-leader
Charles Schafer, and trip leader and reporter Aaron Schuman.
- Aaron Schuman
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Was That Snow Just A Bad Dream?
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Sunday (30 Mar 97) two survivors of the Pilot Knob desert
experience decided to change the scenery. After crashing in
Ridgecrest (a real bed and a shower!) we made a leisurely drive
northward on 395 to the high country. Rock Creek is plowed to about
9000' ($3/day SnoPark permit required) so for the second day in a
row we started from the cars at about 1pm.
The forecast was for rain in San Francisco the next day, but just
partly cloudy in Ridgecrest. We figured we could sneak in a peak
before it hit, and stomped up to camp around 11000' in the highest
trees above Francis Lake. We had bivy bags, but I decided to try
digging my first-ever snow cave after being inspired by Craig
Calhoun on a trip earlier this season. It took just under an hour, and
was not big enough to sit up in, but it looked sturdy and cozy. Our
doubts about the forecast were fueled by big clouds, increasing wind,
and gathering darkness. We finished filling the water bottles with
melted snow and turned in just as it started snowing.
Bivy bag problem: If it's windy and snowing, you have to zip it up
tight. If it snows a LOT, you can suffocate (he didn't). Snow cave
problem: If you don't dig it right, snow blows in the door. I decided to
see if my DryLoft bag would really be OK in the spindrift without a
bivy bag (it was). After a restless night for both we had a brief
discussion at first light about whether to make a run for the peak in
gusty wind and snow (or was it just spindrift?). We decided to sit
tight for a few hours and see if it quit. That never works, right?
Wrong!
The clouds lifted and the snow quit, but there were still high winds
whipping the remnants of the fresh snow off the peaks and ridges.
We ate quickly and packed quickly, then faced the dying storm and
headed up. Less than a thousand feet higher the snow was blown
completely off the rocks, so I ditched my skis and we combined icy
windslab with rockhopping to the summit. Crampons were not used,
but plastic boots were nice to have.
Perhaps a boring class 1 rocky hike in the summer, it's great in the
winter! Two other parties had already summitted Mount Morgan
(13,748') this year. We saw no one on or below the mountain this
windy clear post-storm day. The 10 degree temp at 10am on the
summit (plus wind) was a rude slap in the face after sweltering in
the desert two days before. Hey, this is California! We're
SUPPOSED to be able to drive to any climate.
We shed clothes the whole way down as the wind dropped and the
sun continued to shine. The fresh powder nicely covered the icy
snow we had the day before, and I tracked as much of it as I could on
my randonnee skis while Harris jogged along on snowshoes. I don't
think I've ever skated across a meadow with a full pack before... it
was more fun than I should have had, marred only by a final steep
crusty slope thick with trees and brush (that's where his snowshoes
left me in the dust).
- Steve Eckert
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Unofficial (Private) Trips
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
One Colorado 14ers Trip
Peaks: San Juan Mountains class 3
Dates: July 11-13 Fri-Mon
Contact: Tony Cruz 408-944-2003
cruz@idt.com
Anyone who is comfortable on class 3 rock in the high country
can join me for a weekend in Colorado. I plan to rent a 4-wheel
drive on Friday afternoon July 11 at the Denver Airport and car
camp on Engineer Pass (13,000 feet!). From Engineer Pass we
should be able to easily bag a few nice peaks on Saturday and
Sunday, including Uncompagre and Wetterhorn, two fourteeners
(my spelling is off)
Mt. Ritter From The Back Side
Peaks: Ritter (13150'), Banner (12943') class 2, snow
Dates: July 14-19 Mon-Sat
Trailhead: Agnew Meadows
Contact: Alan Ritter 314-225-7600 x5362
jar@storz.com
Leave Agnew Meadows Monday, 14 July, camp near Thousand
Island Lake, then hike over North Glacier Pass and on down to
Ritter Lakes on 7/15. Approach is on-trail (10 mi) to 1,000 I., off-
trail (2 mi) from there. Secor's western approach is Class 2. If
assault on Mt. Ritter succeeds 7/16, we may give neighboring
Banner Peak a try 7/17, before hiking back out 7/18-19. Ice axe
& crampons required. Snow camping possible at 1,000 I. very
probable at Ritter Lakes.
Mt. Sill
Peak: Mt. Sill (14,162') class 2-3
Dates: July 18-20 Fri-Sun
Map: Mt. Goddard 15
Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick 408-293-2447
3780631@mcimail.com
Co-Contact: Alex Keith 415-325-1091
akeith@crc.ricoh.com
Starting at South Lake (10,000') we will follow the trail over
Bishop Pass (about 12,000') then cross-country over
Thunderbolt Pass (12,400') to camp in the Palisade Basin
(11,600'). On Saturday we will ascend Mt. Sill through Potluck
Pass and the Polemonium Glacier Basin. We will retrace our
steps to the cars on Sunday. This route requires a long grind on
Friday and the possibility of Class-3 climbing on Saturday. Permit
for Six. Waiver required.
Mt. Clark (waitlisted)
Peak: Mt Clark (11,522') class 4
Dates: July 19-20 Sat-Sun
Maps: Yosemite and Merced Pk. 15 min.
Half Dome and Merced Pk 7.5 min.
Contact: Kelly Maas 408-279-2054
maas@idt.com
Co-Contact: Charles Schafer 408-324-6003
charles.schafer@octel.com
Starting at Mono Meadow on the Glacier Point Road, our route is
part trail and mostly cross country, with mileage galore. Great
opportunities to practice map and compass skills on the
approach. We plan to climb the northwest arete, which is mostly
class 3, but with a bit of class 4. This will be a long weekend and
people are strongly urged to GO LIGHT! This climb is now fully
subscribed and has a waiting list. This is a private trip--its listing
last month as an official PCS trip was an error.
We Don Nee No Steengkeeng Details!
July 26-Aug 1: John Muir Trail light
Sept. 13-14: Mt Clark Yosemite
August 2-3: Great Western Divide
Contact: Tim Hult 408-970-0760
Puite Pass to Mt Whitney. Slots for 2 people on this classic.
Possible peak climbs along the way TBD. Must be willing to drive
to accommodate car shuttle.
Palisades Part Two
Peak: Norman Clyde (13920+') class 3-4
Date: July 27-28 Sun-Mon
Maps: Split Mountain 7.5' quad
Contact: David Harris 415-497-5571
harrisd@leland.stanford.edu
Co-Contact: John Bees 702-851-0949
jbees@maxey.dri.edu
After Thunderbolt and a short night of sleep in the desert, we'll
attack imposing Norman Clyde from the South Fork of Big Pine
Creek. Carrying light packs and bivy gear, we'll race up to Finger
Lake before the Dreaded Mosquitoes of Big Pine Creek eat us
alive, then attempt to locate the class 3-4 route up the North-
Northeast Ridge. If we stay on route, we may be able to dayhike
the peak. If not, we'll plan to bivy somewhere on the peak and
finish Monday morning. Ice axe, crampons, harness required,
climbing shoes may be helpful. Group limited to four fast,
experienced mountaineers.
Another Colorado 14ers Trip
Peaks: misc class 1-3
Dates: Aug 1-10 Fri-Sun
Contact: George Van Gorden before 9pm 408-779-2320
Co-Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick 408-293-2447
We will climb four or five 14er's. We will arrange a meeting time
at Denver or Colorado Springs airport (depending upon air fares),
rent a car and drive from peak to peak. although not to the top.
Among the peaks we climb will be Elbert which is the highest
mountain in Colorado and Longs Peak by the well-traveled
Keyhole route. As a group we will select the other peaks,
considering distance, difficulty and Colorado's unpredictable
summer weather. Nothing will be harder than Class 3 and much
will be on trail.
Mt. Rainier
Peak: Mt. Rainier (14,410') snow
Dates: Aug. 3-7 Sun-Thu
Map: Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park USGS 1:50,000
Contact: Paul Ward-Dolkas H 415-324-2015
W 408-433-2625
Fly to Seattle on Sunday, drive to the mountain and car camp at
Cougar Rock. Hike to camp Muir on Monday, hopefully staying
in the hut. Go for the summit using the Disappointment Cleaver
(i.e., Yak) route early Tuesday; return to car and fly out
Wednesday if all goes well. Extra day provided in case Cascade's
weather works like it did for last year's attempt. May also
consider using camp Schurman approach rather than camp Muir
since it avoids the loose rock on the D.C. Ice ax, crampons and
crevasse rescue training mandatory.
Brewer By Bubb
Peak: Mt Brewer (13,570') class 2
Date: Aug 22-24 Fri-Sun
Map: USGS Mt Brewer 7.5'
Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick 408-293-2447
3780631@MCIMAIL.COM
Co-Contact: Alex Keith 415-325-1091
akeith@crc.ricoh.com
Starting at Road's End in King's Canyon (elev 5,000') we will
follow the long trail along Bubb's Creek to East Lake (9,500')
early Friday morning, ascend the peak the next day, and return
by the same route on Sunday. Secor says that Brewer has a "..
wide, unobstructed view in all directions from its summit." A good
trip for first-time peak climbers with prior back-packing
experience. Permit for six.
Toulomne Family Car Camp
Peaks: Koip (12,962'), Gibbs (12,773') class 1
Dates: Sep 13-14 Sat-Sun
Maps: Mono Craters 15 min or
Mount Dana & Koip Peak 7.5 min
Contact: Aaron Schuman H 415-968-9184
schuman@sgi.com W 415-933-1901
Co-Contact: Cecil Magliocco H 408-358-1168
cecilm@ix.netcom.com
Tuolumne Meadows group campsite reserved Friday and
Saturday nights. Family members are welcome. Join us
exploring the Pacific Crest on Saturday or construct your own
day activity. Saturday, we'll day hike from Dana Meadows
trailhead (9600) near the eastern edge of Yosemite National
Park, over windswept Parker Pass (11100), to Koip Peak, to
barren Mono Pass (10600), and up the south flank of Mount
Gibbs.Sunday, we'll make a short class 2 jaunt, perhaps to
Mount Gaylor or Tioga Peak.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shasta Northside
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On May 24-25 about 15 PCS climbers climbed the north side of
Shasta in perfect weather. Only one person did not summit.
Our leader was George Van Gordon. We met in Mt. Shasta City
and caravaned in four wheel drives over rough dirt roads to the
trailhead. After climbing for 2.5 hours from trailhead, we made
camp at 9,500' on a large barren plateau. On Sunday, May 25,
we left camp at 6:30 in perfect weather and climbed in a
relatively linear southern direction up 35-45 degree slopes with
ice axe, crampon, no ropes. The mountain was covered with four
inches of new fresh powder-it had snowed on our camp the night
before the climb. Most of the mountain had firm snow with little
ice, although there were a few icy spots that required minor
detours. Five hundred vertical feet from the top we traversed
westward, traveling over rock covered with soft snow and then
ascended a 15' vertical hard snow area that required determined
used of crampon and ice axe. Then we traversed westward a few
hundred feet around a hill and suddenly we were at the sulfur
steam hole 100' below the summit.
We summitted at 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. and then descended, going
back the same way. On descending we were unable to have any
good glissading because the hard frozen snow on the north side
was not soft enough even at 2 to 4 p.m. for a sitting glissade. We
left camp at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25. Between camp and
trailhead the snow was perfect for glissading-we had several
great runs with full packs on. We reached trailhead 6:45.
As is typical of Memorial day weekend the entire mountain was
crowded, with tents and climbers everywhere. This was my sixth
successful climb of Shasta of six attempts, and my first
northside climb.
The $15 Forest Service fee was not yet implemented due to lack
of time to implement the details.
- Don Martin
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Love it on Leavitt
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Sunday, 15th June the three of us, Scott Kreider, Tim
Fischer and I, Arun Mahajan, took a walk up Leavitt Peak
(11569 ft) in Northern Yosemite. This is a note on our route and
the conditions.
We stayed Saturday night at Chipmunk Flat, a small
campground a couple of miles west of the Sonora Pass on Rt
108. This is a no service campground, sort of like the Sonora
Pass equivalent of camp-9.
We started hiking on the PCT going south from the Pass. Snow
began right away and we hiked up a couple of bowls heading
right of the first prominent peaklet. We got on to trail again and
could see the rounded hump of Leavitt due south. The PCT was
vaguely discernible in the snow. As we rounded a couple of
bends, the views opened to the east and we saw a rather nice
looking peak with a steep cliff which we thought was Leavitt
instead of the rounded peak we had seen earlier. We continued
on the PCT and left it to go right towards a notch on the east
side of the rocky ridge of this newly visible peak. From the
notch one gets the first views towards the south. On the north,
Sonora Peak and Stanislaus Peak could be spotted. After going
accross the notch, we traversed back (i.e west) for a while, and
now we were behind this peak and now it was obvious from the
topos that this peak wasn't Leavitt. There is still a lot of snow
here and the small lakes south of the peak that are on the topo
are almost fully covered by snow. We traversed up to the mildly
steep ridge of Leavitt and by staying on the talus on this ridge,
we were very soon on the broad summit area at about noon,
having started at 8.30 am at the pass. It was alternately cold and
windy and warm and we could see the clouds building up in the
north, so we headed out quickly stopping for lunch at the notch
and then as we headed down we got some rain and some hail
and it got cold and cloudy. A few more miles of hiking and some
glissades later we were back to the cars at 3.30.
We had left our snowshoes in the car. We had carried crampons
but never used them. The axe was good to have for security on
the traverses and during some plunge stepping and also during
the glissades. The peaks in the Sonora Pass region are very
scenic this time of the year with snow at the higher elevations
contrasting with the lush green of the meadows on the lower
slopes. Thanks are due to Bob Suzuki for suggesting this route.
We drove out in heavy rain, but as we approached the town of
Sonora, it was back to the hot sweltering central valley weather.
- Arun Mahajan
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ Be nice to people on the way up. +
+ They're the same people you'll pass on the way down +
+ - Jimmy Durante +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mount Williamson Epic
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A couple of years ago, I stimulated interest in this route. Joe
Stephens, who has climbed every Sierra peak I've ever heard of and
many that I haven't, suggested it. I assembled a group of nine
climbers including Steve Eckert and in April 1995 we were treated
to an awful bushwhack up to 9,200 feet. The next morning we made
a summit attempt. I slogged to a saddle at about 11,300 feet where I
watched in awe as Steve and some of the others climbed onto the
first steep snow and rock in a howling wind which was so strong it
could support much of my weight. I retreated as a whiteout overcame
us. No one summitted.
In the spring of 1996, I assembled another group of climbers,
including Steve and Rich Calliger. Rich started the trip a few days
ahead of us, pushing up the drainage with his cell phone to nearly
9,000 feet. From there he reported that conditions were bad. The rest
of us already suspected as much and we scratched the trip. A couple
of weekends or so later, Steve led a group that completed the climb. I
broke my finger prior to this success and another spring passed
without even an attempt by me.
Finally in June 1996, I climbed Williamson but it was via the normal
(Bolton Brown) route via Shepherd Pass. The George Creek route is
not legally accessible in the summer in order to protect the Big Horn
Sheep habitat.
Which brings me to the spring of 1997. I put out another trip
announcement for George Creek. Rich Calliger, Mike Rinaldi, Pat
Ibbetson, Elmer Martin, and Nick Piltch responded. After a million
emails and one postponement, we finally set off on May 9.
Rich carpooled from the Bay Area in his new Land Rover with Nick
and Mike. The rest of us drove solo; Elmer Martin from Southern
California, Pat Ibbetson from Fresno and myself from San Jose.
Rich's crew arrived in the afternoon and had barbecued steaks and
beer at the trail head. I arrived at Lone Pine at 9 p.m., where I met
Elmer in a giant Suburban he had rented for the occasion. I left Pat a
note and issued myself a permit at the ranger station. We drove north
and turned into the Manzanar National Monument (where they
interred the Japanese during WW2). Elmer expertly drove us to the
trailhead without a false turn.
About an hour later a guy with an enormous external frame pack
appeared out of the darkness and asked for Tony Cruz. I asked him if
he was Pat and kicked myself for not realizing I saw him a couple
hours earlier at the ranger station. We had given each other funny
glances but neither said anything. Pat had taken a wrong turn and
parked his car about 45 minutes downhill next to the creek. He had
seen the lights of the Suburban and followed them up the hill. On
our way out it turned out to be a stroke of luck that Pat had taken his
car most of the way to the trailhead.
Saturday morning May 10 we woke up at 5 a.m., but in typical PCS
fashion didn't hit the trail until 6:30. Rich and I led the way up the
north side of the creek until the pathetic remnant of a trail petered
out. I wasted 20 minutes scouting a way on the north side. When I
returned to the group, most were already across the stream at a place
where the drainage narrowed to a slot a few dozen yards wide. Rich
grabbed my pack and was surprised at how light it was (35 pounds
max). Rich also grabbed my arm and pulled me across the stream.
There we found another trail remnant and hiked into an area with tall
pines. After climbing over a rock and another easy obstacle, we
crossed north again on an enormous log. Shortly after that we did the
only significant bushwhacking we had to do all day (in contrast to my
first trip in which we bushwhacked for hours). At one point I
managed to fall off a log, rear end first into some thorny manzanita
bushes. Ouch! Elmer found a way across the stream and we crossed
to the south again. The spot was covered with willows on both sides
and marked with a tall dead tree in the middle. Shortly after that we
stopped on a boulder field and had lunch at about 11 a.m.
We continued up the drainage, staying high on the south side until
we reached about 8,900 feet, where we did our final stream crossing
below a waterfall. At this point, Elmer said that he was tired of the
bushwhack and fed up with mountaineering in general. He said that
he was having a mid-life crisis and had determined that the high
peaks were no longer for him. He insisted on going no higher but
after much persuasion on my part, Elmer agreed to go up the hill to
the ideal campsites at 9.200 feet. We decided to go no further that
day even though we had hours of light left. Rich complained of back
muscle spasms and felt sick. Pat said he also had spasms. I myself
had experienced some leg cramping during the way up but felt good.
We set camp in a nice flat spot with a fire ring near the stream and
surrounded by trees. We had excellent views upslope toward Trojan Peak.
We rested, listened to Rich's jokes and had a leisurely dinner. After
much discussion, we decided that four of us, Mike, Nick, Pat and I
would make an attempt in the morning. Elmer decided to hike out
and Rich said that he would try to reach 11,000 feet later in the
morning, but he didn't feel up to a serious summit bid. The
temperature was mild that night and there was virtually no wind. I
sat with Elmer by the fire past 10:00, listening to his climbing stories
and his insights about relationships, which I found enlightening. I
crawled into my bag under the stars and didn't even bother to unroll
my bivy bag.
We woke up before five but once again got a late start, about 6:30.
After hiking up the slope for 45 minutes, we reached the first snow
field and traversed it to the north. We crossed the stream and
climbed up next to a waterfall, stopping to fill our bottles. The snow
was in good shape, with small cups starting to form. We hiked up the
"S" slope. Pat and I made it to a saddle at about 11,300 feet by 10:30.
The "A Team", Mike and Nick, had cut to the east a little below us
and hiked to the "meadow at 11,200 feet" which Secor describes.
Mike and Nick decided to climb toward a tooth in a wide gully to the
right of the route taken by the climbers in my previous trip. After
consulting my topo, I decided that their route was fine; less direct but
probably easier and it also seemed to follow Secor's
recommendation.
They proceeded up a scree and talus slope onto the first steep snow
of the climb. I met Nick descending the snow. He decided to call it
quits at that point and he returned to camp after generously letting
me borrow his cell phone. Mike came down a little later,
complaining that he felt insecure on the snow with his instep
crampons. Pat and Mike decided to traverse the wide snow gully and
climb a class 2 ridge to the right. I decided to stay on the snow. The
higher we got, the better the view. Especially memorable were the
views of Whitney and Russell, just a few miles away. The sky was
mostly clear but there were some clouds forming over the Inyos and
some tremendous clouds on the west side of the Sierras.
After the long slog I met Mike and Pat on the huge shoulder south of
the peak that is visible from the highway. Mike decided that it was
too late to continue since we still had a long way and nearly 1,500
vertical feet to go. Also, the elevation was starting to bother him. Pat
was extremely determined to make the summit. I expressed some
doubt about being able to summit and return before dark and I began
talking about the possibility of a forced bivouac. I had done plenty of
these in the High Sierra but I knew that Pat had not.
When we were high on the shoulder with clear views of the Owens
Valley nearly 10,000 feet below our feet, I took out the cell phone.
Pat & I called our moms and wished them a happy Mother's Day.
This was quite a treat--thanks Nick! We continued on the long class
one shoulder until a large bowl came into view. We did a long snow
traverse and hiked up a couple hundred feet of steep snow until we
arrived on the summit plateau. It was already past 5 p.m. and a tiny
storm was crossing the Owens Valley, heading our way. We quickly
crossed the rocky plateau and moved onto a snowy ridge leading to
the summit. It began to snow and got windy. By the time we reached
the summit, visibility was nil. Pat found the register and wrote an
epic poem as I nervously waited my turn. As he wrote, I heard a
buzzing about my head, which made me fearful. What would it be
like to be hit by lightening here? Would we be instantly killed or
slowly freeze to death after being incapacitated by a strike? When I
told Mike about the buzzing, he muttered that I was delirious.
However a minute later he heard it as well. Finally he finished his
entry and I hurriedly scratched my name on the register.
The full force of the storm hit us as we made our descent in a
whiteout. Even before we were off the ridge, however, the cloud
passed and some blue sky returned. We were now in a race against
time to get back to the meadow before dark. From there it would be
easy to work our way back to camp with our lanterns. We glissaded
off the plateau. Unfortunately the snow had softened and we didn't
make good progress. It got dark after we reached the shoulder. Just
before it got too dark to see, Pat sighted the tooth which was the
landmark for our descent to the meadow. But Pat announced that he
was too exhausted to make a safe descent in the dark.
We found a spot sheltered on three sides by rock. I discovered to my
horror that I had forgotten my vapor barrier which was to serve as an
emergency shelter. I packed only one tube tent and knew Pat was not
carrying a decent emergency shelter. I placed a large garbage bag
below us. I emptied my back pack and put my legs into it up to my
thighs. I wrapped myself with a practically worthless emergency
thermal blanket that Pat carried with him. It was three years old and
ripped as I unfolded it. Take my advice and never buy a blanket. Buy
a tube tent instead; the weight is about the same and the tube tent is
much more effective. I had a down vest, a Marmot parka with hood
and two balaclavas. I had already given Pat my Marmot snow pants
prior to our glissade (he was still wearing cotton pants!). I gave him
my tube tent. He had no down but he had a thick shirt, a parka and a
warm hat.
We ran out of water, but fortunately Pat carried a huge gas stove.
Unfortunately he didn't have a pot! So he set rocks on the burner and
put snow-filled bottles on top of the rocks. He managed to melt
enough snow to relieve our thirst but he burnt a hole in his water
bottle. Fortunately I carried three and was able to share one with
him. We were too tired to eat and eventually dozed off. I awoke a
while later to rub life into my freezing wet toes. Occasionally we
shivered but despite the discomfort we were never in danger of
hypothermia. We managed to share a little body warmth by pressing
our backs against each other as we tried to sleep. After one of my
naps I awoke to find the stars were gone. A few minutes later dry
snowflakes fell on us. Fortunately there were not many and they soon
dissipated. Pat vomited during the night. He said it was because he
had not eaten dinner.
Finally dawn arrived. When I opened my eyes I was treated to an
unforgettable mountain scene, with Mt. Whitney and Mt. Russell
crowning the magnificent view at my feet. We packed, put on our
boots and scrambled down to the tooth. Pat decided to descend as he
had ascended -- on the rocks, while I went down the hard snow with
my ice ax and crampons. After about an hour or so I reached the
meadow and filled up my water bottles from the stream. Pat came
down slowly and complained about his blistered feet.
From there we retraced our route back to camp, glissading a few
hundred feet. Later we read a note left by Rich. They had seen us
glissading at about 9:30 a.m. and satisfied that we were safe, they
hiked out. As we approached the camp, I imagined that I saw Nick's
tent (it was Pat's) and thought I saw Rich waving to me (it was the
big log at our camp). We took a long breather, had a big lunch and
packed, confident that we would make it out to the trailhead before
dark. Things went wrong right away. It took us 45 minutes to find
the first stream crossing, which was only a few hundred yards from
the camp! We missed every other stream crossing and spent much of
the afternoon bushwhacking. We spent at least twice the necessary
time required to hike out (Study Rich Calliger's hints attached to this
report so that this doesn't happen to you!).
Darkness fell when we were about a mile from the trailhead and we
were forced to do another bivouac, this one quite comfortable in
comparison to that of the previous evening! We were both exhausted
and slept very well and stayed warm. The next day we got up early
and had a small breakfast. After more bushwhacking and much route
finding, we finally got out about 7:30. We had to hike another hour to
reach the road on which Pat left his car. Pat dropped his huge pack
(which he had carried all the way to the summit!) and walked to the
creek to retrieve the car while I waited on the road. Elmer had gotten
us a hotel in Lone Pine where I picked up my stuff and key to my car.
We had a huge breakfast and drove off at about 11 a.m.
This was one of my most memorable trips. Every one of the
members contributed...Rich and Elmer with their route finding up
the drainage...Nick with his cell phone...Mike by leading the first
half of the climb. I admire Pat Ibettson, who had never done a big
snowy peak before but had the heart to make the climb. I am grateful
that he trusted me to guide him up and down the steep snow and to
do a safe bivouac. To those who didn't summit: let's try it again now
that we know the route. Pat and I can try Trojan while you guys bag
Mt. Williamson.
- Tony Cruz
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fitting In or Fighting?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sky was overcast, so it was a quiet black and white and gray
symphony - no wind, a still, workaday kind of world, yet even
through fatigue and the ache of bruises, I felt its beauty. It was
the North as it so often is, gray, quiet, self-sufficient, and aloof;
you couldn't help feeling the strength of the land in it.
If man does not destroy himself through his idolatry of the
machine, he may learn one day to step gently on this earth.
The environment is not tailored to man; it is itself, for itself.
All its creatures fit in. They know how, from ages past. Man fits
in or fights it. Fitting in, living in it, carries challenge,
exhilaration, and peace.
- Margaret E. Murie from "Two in the Far North"
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding
danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
- Helen Keller
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THE BACK PAGE
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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:
Warren Storkman / pcs_chair@kaweah.mti.sgi.com
415-493-8959 home, 415-493-8975 fax
4180 Mackay Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Vice Chair and Trip Scheduler:
Jim Ramaker / pcs_scheduler@kaweah.mti.sgi.com
408-224-8553 home, 408-463-4873 work,
188 Sunwood Meadows Place, San Jose CA 95119-1350
Treasurer and Membership Roster (address changes):
George Van Gorden / pcs_treasurer@kaweah.mti.sgi.com
408-779-2320 home
830 Alkire Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
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Appointed Positions
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Scree Editor, Email Broadcast Operator:
Steve Eckert / pcs_editor@kaweah.mti.sgi.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 / pcs_webmaster@kaweah.mti.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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Subscriptions
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Hardcopy subscriptions are $10. Subscription applications and checks
payable to "PCS" should be mailed to the Treasurer so they arrive before
the last Tuesday of the expiration month. 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. All subscribers are requested to
send a donation of $2/year to cover operating expenses other than printing
the Scree, which is on the PCS web site (as both plain text and postscript).
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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, 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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Mt Russell, Upper Kern, Southern Sawtooth, Tin Mtn, Mt Lola, Mt Morgan.
Need some comics or high-contrast photos!
(Please limit trip reports to one page if possible.)
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Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 7/27/97.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe
(end of EScree - July 1997)