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Scree for November, 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.
November, 1997 Vol. 31, No. 11
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 11/23/97.
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Next meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, November 11
Time: 8pm
Program: Ruwencori Range
Bill Hauser's Uganda slides from the Ruwencori
Mountain Range of 16,000 + ft. See the climb of
Mt. Stanley, one of the mountains in the Moon
group, with glaciers on the equator.
Location: The North Face, 217 Alma Street in Palo Alto
just north of the CalTrain station
((PDF version of EScree has a drawn map here))
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Vote for PCS Officers!
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After stressful meetings and tension-filled conversations,
notwithstanding bribes and threats, the PCS Nominating
Committee offers the following slate of candidates:
Chair: Roger Crawley
ViceChair/Scheduler: Arun Mahajan / Alex Keith
Treasurer: Nancy Fitzsimmons
You need to be present at the meeting to vote. Nominations will
also be taken from the floor. We'll announce the new officers
following the vote and they'll start immediately!
- PCS Nominating Committee
(Debbie Benham, Debbie Bulger, Bob Suzuki)
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New Scree Editor Appointed
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Bob Bynum will be replacing me as Editor of this illustrious
publication. It's been a lot of fun - I've especially enjoyed
helping with the conversion of Scree to a fully online publication
with double or triple the circulation we used to have - but it's
time for me to make way for new ideas and fresh energy.
Please send all future contributions to Bob (via email or
hardcopy) at the address shown on the back of this issue.
Remember that anything sent to the PCS email list is a
candidate for publication, but sending items directly to the
Editor avoids the chance he'll overlook your broadcast. Be nice
to Bob, at least for a while, because this job takes some getting
used to!
- Steve Eckert
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Sunset Clause Approved 26:0
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The vote at the last PCS meeting was 26:0 in favor of the
following bylaw amendment: "Article IX, Section 2.
Amendments or standing rules which modify or clarify these
bylaws shall be signed by the Section Chair, attached to a
printed and signed copy of the bylaws, and kept on file at the
Loma Prieta Chapter offices. Each amendment or standing rule
must be accompanied by a record of when the final vote was
taken. Those amendments or standing rules not so documented
are revoked as of December 1997."
This has been sent to Loma Prieta officials for review/approval
by the chapter. The PCS is unanimous in its desire to improve
bookkeeping, so I assume the chapter will endorse the bylaw
change promptly. This is not an attempt to suspend valid
Operating Rules! If you have a record of existing rules or
amendments, please contact the PCS Chair by early December
so he can review them and include them with the official
documents (assuming they can be verified from back issues of
Scree).
- Steve Eckert
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Of Gabb And Gales
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The plan had been to leave Thursday evening to avoid the worst
of the traffic. Unfortunately, the BART strike more than
compensated for any advantage, so leaving the Bay Area was as
bad as ever. Such was the start of the trip to Mt Gabb on
September 12-14. We had a permit for eight, but in the end were
only three: Chris Kerr, Meri Mitsuyoshi and Peter Maxwell
(organizer, leader, car driver and general roustabout). At least
car pooling was easy - we all went in one car. This was a good
way to put some early miles on our new Subaru Legacy Outback, and
to check if everything Paul Hogan says about this car is true or not.
Having successfully negotiated 100 yards of Inyo National Forest
rough road, I felt that "Hoges" hadn't been pulling my leg, and
we slept in confidence on Dead Man Summit on Thursday night.
The plan was to leave Rock Creek trailhead at 9 am, and we
made it almost on schedule at 9:10. It was cool - a light frost
could be seen on the ground in the shady parts. We were headed
for Cox Col, to cross the Sierra crest to get to Lake Italy. The col
was about 3000' higher than the trailhead, most of the climb
being cross country. The elevation gain to the point where we
left the Morgan Pass trail was only 500'.
It was wonderful to be walking and stopping for breaks with not
a single mosquito around to bother us. The scenery was browner
than in July, but that was a small price to pay for peace.
We had a leisurely lunch at Dade Lake. I was surprised to see
the southwestern shores of the lake still covered with snow
several feet thick. There were even crevasses in it as large
chunks were poised to break off into the lake. This large
snowfield extended up the slopes a way as well, so we had to
negotiate this first. The large sun cups made the going difficult
and it was with some relief that we were finally able to get onto rock.
>From the lake we had 2500' to get to Cox Col, but it was not
clear exactly where to head to. Secor talks about "the first notch
south of the lowest notch" being the preferred route. The trouble
was that this would have put us hard up against Bear Creek
Spire, and the snow slopes leading up to this notch were
extremely steep. We had neither crampons nor ice axes so
headed a little further north, towards a very obvious "U" shaped
notch. This proved to be an excellent choice, with only class 2
rock to contend with. The number of footprints seen there
showed that many others had come that way also.
As is always the case for me, the final few moments of ascent
were really exciting, wondering what vistas would be exposed
the other side. As expected, there was a glorious panorama,
including a great view of Mt Gabb. Lake Italy, our destination
for that day, looked a long way down and a long way away,
although in truth it was only 1800' and a few miles.
We had wonderful, easy, sandy slopes to walk down from the
col, at least at first. Secor's description was rather vague, about
having to turn right (to the northwest) before turning left (to the
southwest) to descend to the lake. The temptation is to go
southwest too soon, to avoid going "too far out of the way", and
we ended up going down some steep, slippery sections that
would have been better avoided. It's better to stay in a northwest
direction longer, heading into the upper portions of the bowl
around Gabb, Abbott and Dade, then descending the much
easier slopes from there.
Looking back towards the col one is truly able to appreciate
Secor's statement about it being the only reasonable crossing of
the Sierra crest in that area. The gentle sandy slopes leading up
to the col were all the more remarkable considering the almost
vertical walls leading up to Dade, Abbott and Mills.
Everywhere here was barrenness. There were no trees, or even
bushes, and the only green parts were surrounding the lake and
the creek feeding it. Not only were there no bears, we didn't see
any ground critters either, with the result that we put the food
into packs or in tents overnight. This was like backpacking in
Australia, not the Sierras, and was a pleasant change.
The ascent day saw a leisurely awakening at 7 am and departing
camp at 8:15. No need for alpine starts when you're camped
right at the base of the peak. As promised in my trip
announcement, we tackled the south face, rather than traverse
further to the west to pick up the southwest ridge. This gave us
easy class 3 climbing, although there was much loose rock and
scree, making the climbing less enjoyable than would otherwise
have been the case. We were on the summit by 12:30 and
relaxed there for an hour before heading back to camp. I like
these mellow trips! Our descent route was more to the west,
avoiding the larger talus we had encountered on the way up, and
was a breeze.
The wind which had been gusting at the summit picked up
intensity during the afternoon, and by the time we were back at
camp at 3 pm it was blowing strongly and consistently. It was a
cold wind, too, and the only relief was to seek shelter behind
some large boulders that were conveniently sited there. Too bad
the wind was blowing from the west, as it meant we couldn't be
in the sun and out of the wind at the same time. Chris decided
sun was more important, and sat reading a book all rugged up in
her down jacket.
I ended up relocating my bivy sack to behind one of these
boulders to get some shelter. Meri wasn't so fortunate - she put
the fly on her tent to avoid the gale roaring through the "no-see-
um" netting (also "no-stop-um" for the wind) but then had to
suffer with it flapping all night long.
After blowing all night long, the wind had eased a little by early
morning, so breakfast at 6 am was tolerable. It rapidly picked up
again as the sun rose, though, and increased to gale force later.
Standing in the base of the bowl, we could hear it roaring across
the peaks 3000' up, and I wondered what the col would be like.
When we got there at 10 am, it was almost impossible to stand
up, and gusts came along that easily blew us off our feet. Just
down to the east a little we enjoyed being in the lee and had a
peaceful snack, but as we descended we became exposed once
again. My Australian Akubra hat, which works great in calm
conditions, and makes me feel trendy and rugged, became a sail.
Despite the chin strap it kept getting blown off, almost choking
me in the process, and I had to resort to downclimbing with one
hand holding the hat onto my head. This, in turn, produced
aching muscles where I'd never had them before.
The wretched wind was so strong that the gusts were picking up
water from the surface of Dade Lake and throwing it into the air
in great clouds of mist. Quite an impressive display.
We arrived back at the car at 2:30, and I was amused to see
another brand new Outback parked next to mine. What's more, it
was bought in Palo Alto and had only 500 miles on the clock.
Somehow I don't think the choice of parking was accidental.
- Peter Maxwell
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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.
*** Newcomer Navigation Class
Dates: Nov. 13 (class 7:30-9pm) Thu
Nov. 15 (field trip) Sat
Leader: Noreen Ford 415-568-0329
Co-Leader: Debbie Benham 650-964-0558
Interested in going cross-country in the wilderness? Lost your
way and would like to return to camp? Which way is north? Find
the answers to these and other questions at our introductory,
right-brained, low-tech navigation class. Learn how to use the
stars, maps (AAA, Forest Service, topographic), and a compass
to find your way, not only to the trailhead and to the top of a peak,
but back again in one piece before dark! We'll have an in-town
evening session on Thu. Nov. 13, 7:30 - 9 p.m. at Linda Smith's
house in Palo Alto. Following that we'll have a hands-on field trip
to Henry Coe State Park, Sat. Nov. 15. If interested, please call.
*** Pack It In With Excelsior
Peaks: Excelsior Mtn (12,446') class 1 / snow
Dates: Dec 6-7 Sat-Sun
snow delays to Dec 13-14 Sat-Sun
Maps: Matterhorn Peak 15 min
Dunderberg Peak 7.5 min
Leader: Steve Eckert 650-508-0500
eckert@netcom.com
Co-Leader: Aaron Schuman H: 650-968-9184
schuman@sgi.com W: 650-933-1901
Join us for a two day snowshoe backpack from Conway Summit
to Excelsior Mountain. Details at:
http://reality.sgi.com/schuman/trips/excelsior.html
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All About Plumbing
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Vandever and Sawtooth(N) ; October 18-19, 1997
The forest may have been ablaze, but it was the fire within
us that drove us to the heights. We camped Friday night at
Atwell's Mill, alongside the Mineral King road. All night we
inhaled wood smoke and listened to burning conifers fall
over.
There had been six inches of snow the weekend before, so
the superintendent believed there was enough moisture to
contain a controlled burn. But the intervening week was a
warm one, and when we gathered at the trailhead we opted
to leave our snowshoes at the cars; the trail was dry. The
hike to Vandever Peak was uneventful. The summit held a
splendid view of Homer's Nose (which many of us had
climbed in April '96) the valley of the Little Kern, and the
southern end of the Great Western Divide.
Although Saturday's hike was a long one - 15 miles and 4100
vertical feet - the excellent conditions allowed us to return
to the trailhead with plenty of time to spare. Steve Eckert,
Patrick Ibbetson, Dave McCracken, Charles Schafer,
Suzanne Remien, and I climbed Saturday.
Saturday night, the fire below Atwell's Mill was even hotter.
One tremendous, ancient Big Tree crashed down, shaking
the ground like an earthquake. I wondered if a ranger would
come by and order us to evacuate.
In the morning, with a crew change, we set out for Sawtooth
Peak(N). Steve had backpacked on into the Little Kern, Pat
went back home, and we were joined by Arun Mahajan and
Mike DeLorenzo. We had originally intended to attempt
Needham Mountain, but our Saturday team didn't finish with
enough time left over to seriously consider a much bigger
trip on Sunday. Maybe we'll come back and climb Needham
as a two day backpack. Our climb was straightforward but
long (12 miles and 4500 vertical feet).
The summit views were a little less spectacular. To the
west, we enjoyed watching helicopters bearing huge tanks
dumping water on the fire. Some plumbing job! Mineral
King Valley had filled with smoke, and we could see the
brown haze even above 12000 feet. The vast southern
rampart of the Great Western Divide confined the air
pollution to the west, so we could still see the Whitney
range to the east and the Kaweahs to the north. Arun found a
business card stapled to the summit register. In giddy,
hypoxic delight, he declared that our agreeable late season
trip must be named after the advertised company. I never
really understood why it was so apropos, but here is the trip
title: All About Plumbing
- Aaron Schuman
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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.
*** Sauntering up San Joaquin
Peak: San Joaquin Mtn (11,600') class 1 / snow
Dates: Nov 22-23 Sat-Sun
Map: Devil's Postpile
Contact: Steve Eckert 650-508-0500
eckert@netcom.com
Co-Contact: Arun Mahajan H: 408-244-7912
arun@sentientnet.com W: 408-473-8029
Depending on snowpack, this will be a ridge walk or a snowshoe
trip or a crampon climb. We'll enter from Mammoth or June Lake,
and may attempt a day hike instead of overnight if the conditions
are ideal. Be flexible, be in shape, and be the first on your block
to do an easy peak in the winter!
*** Aconcagua Private Expedition
Peak: Aconcagua (22,841') class 2 / snow
Dates: 26 Dec 97 - 20 Jan 98
Contact: R.J. Calliger 510-651-1876
calliger@infolane.com
Anyone interested? Please take a look at Secor's "Climbing
Aconcagua" if you are, then contact me for further details via
email. The main challenges to this climb are the altitude
(22,841'), and the weather (-10F to -20F plus wind). It is the start
of the summer there in December and with the altitude, expect
conditions like climbing a 14'er here in late winter or early spring,
but colder. Airfare is $850.
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Mount Humphreys
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July 20, 1997 - David Harris was the leader and Bob Suzuki was
the fearless leader of a trip to the Humphreys Basin on the
weekend of July 19. Bob was the only one in the group who had
previously climbed the peak. The other participants were Debbie
Bulger, Hiep Nguyen, John Bees, Richard Vassar, Rick Leiker
and myself. Early Saturday morning (about 7 a.m.) seven of us
(all but Hiep) started up the trail from North Lake to Piute Pass.
David had told us to meet that evening at the middle lake west
of the mountain. Until then we were on our own. Most of the
participants planned to day hike either Pilot Knob or Four
Gables, two nearby peaks.
North Lake is about 9,300 feet above sea level; Piute Pass is at
11,423 feet. The trail is gentle, easy to follow and runs for about
five miles to the pass. It goes through a grove of aspens and is
surrounded by wildflowers. There are a few easy stream
crossings and several beautiful lakes along the way. I walked by
a pack train and the leader told me that there were "no
mosquitoes" in the last two days, but prior to that they were
pretty bad. I thought the mosquitoes were bad enough, even then.
Just after noon I hiked across a well trodden snow field to the
pass, where Debbie, Bob and Richard were eating a snack and
enjoying the view. From there we hiked north away from the
trail over easy terrain past Marmot Lake to a flat spot on east of
the middle lake (about 11,800 feet), which served as our camp.
By then it was after 2 p.m. David and John had arrived before
noon and were already on their way to Pilot Knob. Rich went
with them and planned to also do Four Gables.
Some set up light tents while the rest laid out rolls and bivy
sacks. Bob took off his shirt and lay tanning for about half an
hour, after which he and Debbie set off for Four Gables. Richard
and I decided to remain at camp. I read a book and napped,
baking in the hot sun.
About 6 p.m. David and John returned from Pilot Knob and
Hiep showed up wearing sandals. He had just done Mt. Emerson
from Piute Pass. Hiep was to climb Humphreys the next day
sans rope and with his sandals! He asked me if I was the same
Tony that he had met on Orizaba in 1996 and then I remembered
him. This was the second time that I had been recognized by
someone in the middle of the Sierra that I had only seen once, on
Orizaba. Hiep announced that he had "retired" from climbing but
that he wanted to join me on my trip to Aconcogua this winter.
Bob returned from Four Gables around 7:30 p.m. and Debbie
showed up after dark at about 9:30 p.m. She had hiked with her
sunglasses, which made the going tough. Finally at about 10:00,
Rich showed up. He had gotten both peaks but lost time finding
the true summit of Four Gables.
The next morning we got a late start as planned, about 7:00 a.m.
We hiked west over a gentle rise to the shore of the next lake.
From there we moved north up a broad slope of loose scree for
several hundred feet. A class three move put us up on a ledge
system which we traversed north. At this point we were above
the darker colored rock that forms a band we could see from
camp. We moved up another scree slope to a notch. Until here,
the terrain had been mostly class 2 but now the real climbing began.
We put on our harnesses and climbed up a hundred feet or so on
a class 3 "trough" as Secor calls it. At this point we roped up
and climbed a class 4 section to the right of the trough around an
exposed class 4 corner for about 30 feet. Shortly after that we
scrambled onto a ridge and then climbed an exposed arete with
excellent hand and foot holds for about 60 feet, belayed by
David. From there it was a class 3 scramble to the top. We made
good time. I was second-to-last on the summit (David was last
because he belayed us) and made it by 11:30 a.m. There was no
wind and we had unlimited visibility. We had good views of
Darwin, Mendel, Sill, North Palisade and numerous other peaks.
After a long break we descended, doing a full rope length
rappels with two ropes tied together. Some in the group down
climbed the lower portion of the trough while others used a
second rappel. David and Bob did an excellent job moving the
large group safely and quickly. The belays and rappels were
protected by two solid, independent anchors.
We descended by retracing our footsteps, more or less. I down
climbed a short steep section of snow with ice ax and crampons
in order to avoid the first hard class 3 move we had made that
morning. I returned to camp at 4 p.m. Only Richard, Bob and
Debbie were still there; the others had already left.
I stayed for half an hour to eat and pack. I went around the
western edge of Marmot Lake to avoid the higher terrain we had
crossed on the way in. It sprinkled lightly on me for a few
minutes and periodically I heard thunder to the south and west. I
was at the pass at 6 p.m. and back to the trailhead at 9 p.m. The
others had made it down between 5:30 and 8 p.m.
Thanks to our leaders, David and Bob for the excellent job they
did in getting us all up safely to the peak. I rank Humphreys as
one of the 10 best peaks I've ever summitted and think its a
shame that it's not just a bit taller (it's fourteen feet shy of being
a fourteener).
- Tony Cruz
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Welcome Back Cotter
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"Hey, what am I doing with my butt hanging out when we're
supposed to be in a jam crack? And where is that old knotted
rope that's supposed to provide a fixed anchor?" Thoughts like
this were going through Schafer's mind as he worked his way up
Clarence King's technical top end without following any of the
guide book routes (see details below). Far from being a bold
lead up an uncharted mountain, he just didn't think the
documented routes were as easy! Me? I just followed the rope.
(You'll notice I skipped the part about hiking over Kearsarge
Pass, Glenn Pass, and Rae Col on the way to our base camp in
Sixty Lakes Basin. It's long, it's only moderately interesting, and
there were no bugs until camp.)
Once you get to the summit block there's no doubt about where
the REAL crux of the climb is. An awkward move (balanced on
a pointy rock that provided much gutter humor) onto the boulder
just below the summit reveals where the knotted rope is, and
then you've got to trust a one-hand mediocre hold to vault
yourself onto the summit block proper. Not a fun one to get
down! Others have reported that you can't protect the top, but in
fact a rope thrown over the summit can be used to belay off one
of the huge boulders below and a 20' sling can be used to set a
belay station right on the summit. We did both, climbing on
belay and leaving no fixed anchors.
Returning to camp we found the RIGHT way down from the
saddle south of C'King... Secor says to use a ledge in cliffs on
the east side of the saddle or sand and talus to the south. That's
right, but hard to understand because the saddle is on a
north/south ridge! The subsidiary ridge defining the south edge
of the bowl east of the saddle is definitely the easier route -
traverse from the saddle out onto the ridge until you see a
prominent 60' tower where you can either descend a scree chute
to the south or continue east on ledges to a small lake.
The next day we headed for Gardiner, which (from the upper
reaches of Gardiner Basin) remains second class until you pop
up onto the horseshoe ridge between the summits - a most
unusual summit ridge, with 4 summits and a 700' chasm in
between! There is straightforward but vertical class 3 down to a
small saddle, and then easy ramps luring you toward the final
summit ridge. The last 2' of elevation gain took 3 belays due to
our half length rope and the long traverse. There is extreme
exposure on both sides, and an intimidating view of the cliff
forming the other half of the horseshoe, which has boulders
piled on little projections but is overall nearly vertical.
(Pictures of Gardiner's summit ridge, the downclimb to the
notch, and the walls of the horseshoe will be on the PCS website
with this trip report.)
I suppose the urge to brag is related to the difficulty of the peak,
which explains why we saw a number of entries from people
who disdained the use of a rope for Gardiner. Quite a few solo
entries also. The holds are pretty good, but you won't get a
second chance. Take the rope. It's a great climb, but it's not
trivial. We used only slings for protection, aside from one small
chock that threatened to work loose anyway.
Somehow we burned up the entire day, returning to the base of
Gardiner at around 4:30pm with dark clouds gathering and the
wind picking up. Those not working on the SPS list returned to
camp, while I sprinted for Cotter after tanking up on water. I
took no rest breaks, but still did not quite beat the weather. Just
as I got to Cotter's south ridge, snow threatened to slicken the
large granite flakes I was on and the wind convinced me to
retreat to the east side instead of walking the ridge itself. The
storm obscured some, but not all, of the valleys below.
A note to the ultralight packers among us: I had a heavy sweater
and thicker gloves in reserve, extra food, plenty of water, and a
mylar 3 ounce bivy bag. Without those things, the only sane
choice would have been to turn back with the others. The extra
two pounds of gear would have saved my bacon if the weather
had really gotten nasty, and did not slow me down enough to
matter! No one can predict the weather from day to day or hour
to hour. You preach at me about a lighter pack, I'll preach back
about survival.
Most of Cotter (from the base of Gardiner) is second class, but if
you stay on the ridge you'll get into some pretty committed third
class. The summit itself is very steep, with good holds. I fished
the register out from below the summit boulder with a trekking
pole (Beck and Holloway are the names I remember as being the
last to sign in, but there's no telling if they're the ones who
dropped it.)
As it turned out, the snow quit shortly after I reached the peak
and the wind was lashing at the opposite side of the mountain as
I descended sand and slabs directly down the east face. I reached
camp about 20 minutes after the others, where Bees greeted me
with "Welcome Back Cotter" and some reasonable skepticism as
to whether I had actually made the summit.
Monday we split up, with Bees warping to the trailhead about 3
hours ahead of us so he could get home to his wife's dinner party
that night. Once again, the Onion Valley rangers were true to
form: No one checks permits on the way IN, but I've been carded
three times on the way OUT there. It seems we don't care if
people get in, but we want to fine them on the way out, eh? They
also hung up signs indicating you MUST have a bear canister,
but that does not match the official regulations (which just say
you have to protect your food).
Oh yes, the hike out is also long and it's only moderately
interesting.
- Steve Eckert
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Snow Castle In The Sky
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Early winter ascent of Mt. Conness (12,590ft) Saturday, October
11. Trip members Robert Greenwalt, Ian Porteous and Craig Taylor.
The trip started under the ominous threat of a winter storm
warning. According to National Weather Service: "WINTER
STORM WATCH...SNOW ADVISORY...SNOW LEVEL
LOWERING TO 7000 FEET BY DAYBREAK. GUSTY
SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS 20 TO 40 MPH OVER THE
RIDGES." It was one of those rare occasions when the Weather
Service nailed it. We arrived at Junction Campground (thx R.J.)
at 1am Friday morning much too early or late depending on your
point of view but it turned out to be critical to the trip's success.
At dawn it began to snow heavily dropping a foot plus of very
light powder causing the closure of Tioga Pass Road. With the
closure we were committed, there was no going home. We
headed off into a very snowy backcountry despite the
incredulous looks from the folks at the Tioga Pass Resort. The
rest of the day was spent slogging through fresh snow to our
base camp (~11,600 ft) on the East ridge. We setup just under
the ridge on the north side with spectacular views across the
Conness Lakes basin to North Peak and Conness. Saturday
morning we headed for the summit via the east ridge, wanting
the snow on the glacier to stabilize a bit and assuming that there
would be less snow on the ridge (after sinking several times into
5ft of snow I can say that this was a questionable assumption).
The east ridge is a long series of peaklets and knife blade ridges
with some tricky moves when covered with a foot to foot and a
half of new snow. After 5 hours of climbing in 24 degree
weather with 20 to 30 mph gusts of wind the beauty of seeing
the final summit ridge is hard to recapture. Across a large white
plateau of snow the summit seemed to float on the far edge, a
snow castle connected to the earth by only a thin causeway of
rock and ice. Climbing the final summit ridge took another hour,
summitting at 2:30pm. Rather than retract our steps we
descended onto the glacier and traversed a high line across
surprising stable snow pack. We arrived back in base camp at
5pm. Sunday we packed up, glissaded directly, in one steep
straight shot, to lower Conness Lake and hiked out from there.
On our return to the Bay Area it was a positively balmy 50
degrees. Winter was after all just an illusion and so too was the
snow castle in the sky.
- Craig Taylor
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Notes and Requests
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*** Proposed Winter Trips
The trips listed below were proposed at the Peak Climbing
Section winter trip planning meeting on Tuesday, October
14. This list is intended to prevent trip scheduling conflicts
and to help you plan your winter climbing schedule, not to
enable people to sign up way in advance.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE LEADERS TO SIGN UP
FOR THESE TRIPS. The time to sign up is after the trip is
formally announced in the Scree, with a full description and a
designation as a private or official PCS trip.
If you are planning a trip, or if your plans for a trip on this list
change, please contact the Trip Scheduler to keep this list up to date.
- Jim Ramaker
DATES DESTINATION LEADERS
Dec 13 Tomales Point (Pt. Reyes) Van Gorden
Dec 20-21 Tinker's Knob, Granite Chief Eckert, Hult
Jan 2-4 Mt. Morgan, Mt. Stanford (N) Eckert, Taylor
Jan 10-11 English Peak, Adams Peak Eckert, Ramaker
Jan 17-19 Pyramid Peak Dyal
Jan 24-25 Ventana Double Cones (Big Sur) Kirkpatrick
Feb 1 Junipero Serra Peak (Big Sur) Mahajan
Feb 7-8 Round Top Van Gorden
Mar 7-8 Destination TBA Ress
*** McKinley Redux
If you've dreamed of spending three weeks freezing your tush off
while eating freeze-dried food and hauling 130 lbs up 6000 ft,
then Mt. McKinley is the place for you! I'm looking for a
qualified partner(s) for another attempt at North America's
highest peak. After two trips on the mountain, I'm practically a
"guide," so planning and other questions are greatly simplified.
Qualified partners MUST possess high altitude experience
above 20,000 ft, multiday expedition experience, have the right
cold weather gear or be willing to purchase it, have adequate
vacation time, XC ski (or be willing to learn) and not snore.
First time want-to-be's will not be considered. Send email or call
me at 408-970-0760 home, 408-543-3135 work.
- Tim Hult
*** Correcting the USGS
To: MAPS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: statement on inaccurate map on NPR interview
Peg: In response to your concern, and for general information,
the USGS does have a process for correcting map inaccuracies.
Both production Centers (Rollo, MO. & Denver CO.) maintain a
folio correction file for the maps in their region. These
corrections are then validated and if found to be appropriate,
applied during the maintenance and re-publication process. To
submit a folio correction one merely needs to contact us at the
address located at the bottom of the map....we appreciate your
concerns..thanx....Mark
- Mark Eaton
*** Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset.
I was about to bother Eckert with another request for
astronomical data, when I realized that of course I could find this
myself... that's what the Net Search button is for. If you're
curious, you can compute anything involving the sun or moon for
yourself, for any location, by going to
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA
I'm sort of ashamed at how long it took me to think to look there,
since I used to work at usno.navy.mil back before it was called
that, but not in the Nautical Almanac office. Anyway, full moon
times for 1998 as best I can translate:
Universal Time Mission Peak Time
jan 12 17:24 jan 12 9:24
feb 11 10:23 feb 11 2:23
mar 13 4:34 mar 12 20:34
apr 11 22:23 apr 11 15:23
may 11 14:29 may 11 7:29
jun 10 4:18 jun 9 21:18
jul 9 16:01 jul 9 9:01
aug 8 2:10 aug 7 19:10
sep 6 11:21 sep 6 4:21
oct 5 20:12 oct 5 13:12
nov 4 5:18 nov 3 21:18
dec 3 15:19 dec 3 7:19
As you might expect, the probability of error in my transcription
and time zone translation is much greater than the probability of
error in the USNO data.
- David G Hough
*** Items for Sale
'97 North Face Lunar Light Tent: 2 person, 3 season, under 5
lbs, full warranty, fully seam sealed, like new, used one night --
$150 (retail $245). Boreal Flyers approach shoes: size 9 U.S.
mens, smooth soled sticky Fusion rubber, like new, used once to
walk around the block -- $35. Garmont Sticky Weekend
approach shoes: size 10.5 U.S. mens, very good condition, used
for about a week in the Tetons -- $30 or $25 and a pint of good
ale. Wanted: Size 10.5 Five Tennies.
- Jim Curl 415-585-1380
*** Crampon Quest
I'm looking for a decent used pair of strap-on flexible crampons
for occasional use with my leather Raichle Mountain Guide
boots. Please email me if you have a pair to sell fairly cheap or
know of some. Thanks!
- Aaron Grossman
*** Andes and Himalayan Expeditions
I am looking for climbers interested in a summer 1998 trip to the
Peruvian Andes. My intention is to focus on some of the more
technical routes in the Cordillera Blanca, but I'm open for
discussion on other objectives.
I am also interested in joining a Himalayan expedition in 1998.
If you are planning a Himalayan expedition and are in need of
another team member, please call 415-309-0570 or drop me a
line at P.O. Box 8757, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546.
- Craig Clarence
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The Win Chell Factor
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There was none. No wind-chill factor that day, none at all. On a
warm and windless Saturday that rivaled most summer
weekends, the six of us from the PCS began our attempt of Mt
Winchell in the Palisades. (13775 ft, 4th and 5th Oct 97)
The group consisted of Debbie Benham and Nancy Fitzsimmons
(leader and co-leader, respectively) and Kelly Maas, Peter
Davids, Ron Karpel and designated scribe, Arun Mahajan.
Climbing separately on the same weekend were four other PCS
members, Dee and Rick Booth, Dot Riley and Jim Curl. It was
as if the PCS had laid siege on Mt Winchell.
Starting at 9.30 from the Glacier Lodge parking lot, we were at
Sam Mack Meadow at about 2.30 pm. We were ringed by the
towering crest of the Palisades. One couldn't but feel decadently
slothful lazing under the warm sun on the rocks in the middle of
a brook that gurgled nearby. We strongly cautioned Debbie
against leading such hard trips, I mean, really! That evening we
paid a call on Jim's party camped near by. They were cooking
over a Webber barbecue that they had lugged up to camp. We
even saw 2 pints of Cherry Garcia that they had brought up, packed
in dry ice and all. A bottle of wine nearby really gave one the feeling
of having landed in the middle of an Omar Khayyam quatrain.
At 6.30 am on Sunday morning we got rolling. We worked our way
to the top of the ridge in front (s.west) via the rocks near the third
snow patch on the left. We walked past the Sam Mack Lake and
over boulder fields towards a moraine slope that had many loose
boulders and from there onwards, the many-featured impressive bulk
of Mt Winchell spurred us on. Some caution is needed on the
moraine slopes. Our co-leader, Nancy, got a rather bad injury when
some large rocks slid down and fell on the fingers of her hand.
Some more tedious climbing brought us to the base of the two
chutes mentioned in Secor's description of the east arete route.
We followed the right chute towards the arete's crest. As we
were going up, we saw Jim Curl doing some free climbing on
the arete itself. Kelly, from our party also joined him and while
mere mortals like us worked our way up to the knife edge from the
right gully, these two topped out the arete onto the knife edge
with great ease. I found that it was safer to reach the knife edge
by staying closer to the arete (right of the right gully, instead of
the left). The knife edge is not very long and we stayed a little
below it on the left and there are enough holds and the rock has
good friction. Again, from the knife edge, one can continue up the
gully towards the summit, but we traversed across and went up the
ridge instead. Kelly had nimbly gone ahead almost to the summit by
following this ridge and he graciously came down towards us as
we stood at the start of the ridge, to show us the precise steps he
took to get on the top. Within minutes after this we all were
basking in the pride that one gets after bagging a summit that
needs so much hard work. There are a few exposed spots on that
gully and care and concentration is needed. Some careful down
climbing on the exposed parts of the gully and again the tedious
descend on the moraine to Sam Make Lake and the easy descend
via the now-soft snowy slopes got us back to camp at 2.30 pm.
Normally one cannot arrange for the weather. But in this trip,
our leader Debbie had done just that, and so to thank her, we
stopped at a restaurant in Bishop and held up our glasses in
toast to her, for having led another great PCS trip from the front,
and for having nullified the Win-chell factor.
- Arun Mahajan
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Climbing the Cornice
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August 1997 - Canted at 45 degrees and undercut, the cornice
was only an inch or two thick at the lip where we held on to
keep our feet from slipping, sending us rudely down a steep two
hundred foot slope.
"This is pretty wild, Bob. Do you think it'll break?"
I kept my death lock on the lip and twisted around to smile at
Bob -- only to find him casually walking behind me, practically
with his hands in his pockets. How does he do that?
It was a beautiful summer day in the Tuolomne backcountry.
The cornice we were on had not been recently crafted by wind,
nor did it consist of snow or ice. Glaciers had long ago sculpted
the rock that comprises the Matthes Crest.
Hidden from many viewpoints by the Cockscomb and the Echo
Ridge, the Matthes Crest is a phenomenal piece of granite art.
An improbable fin a mile long, it is easy to see why it is
purported to be Peter Croft's playground. Indeed, the summit
register is peppered with entries such as this: "Traversing first
south to north, now north to south -- Peter Croft".
When Bob Suzuki and I asked friends about the route, we were
warned of its length. Backpack in the night before, suggested
some. Plan to bivy on top, counseled others. Disliking the idea
of carrying sleeping bags and extra food, we ignored the
naysayers and instead decided on a day climb.
"Maybe hiking in the night before isn't such a bad idea",
suggested Bob at 4:00am as we began our walk.
A chilly morning wind had us huddling at the southern terminus
for an hour, trying to wring warmth from the feeble dawn
sunlight. I would have happily headed back out had Bob
suggested it. Instead, at 7:30am he directed us into the shade.
With teeth chattering, I led the first easy pitch.
A second pitch brought us to the crest and some badly needed
sunshine. After one more unnecessary pitch we untied and put
away the rope. For the next hour and a half we delighted in the
class 3-4 scrambling, often along an incredible, exposed knife
edge. Interspersed was easy walking.
Sand and pebbles bounced off my helmet as Bob skittered in his
sticky soled approach shoes up the west side of the summit
tower. It didn't look like we'd found the most traveled path. After
about 80 feet, the rope drag was too much and a shorter and
easier pitch led us to the summit. As I pulled onto the top, I sung
out the National Geographic theme in Kai Wiedman tradition. It
was only 10:30am. "Should we bivy here, Bob?"
For some reason, the description in Secor ends at the summit,
suggesting two long rappels to the ground. But the northern half
of the crest is not to be missed -- an airy gap requiring a wide
stem to bridge, hand traverses and straddling on knife edges and
challenging down climbing -- it required as much ropework and
took us as long as the southern section had. And although easy,
the "cornice" was an especially unforgettable (and
unprotectable) 150 feet or so.
After the six hour traverse, we were back at the cars early. Bob
and I agreed that a day trip was the best approach. What would
we do different? Sleep in and start later.
- Jim Curl
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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
650-493-8959 home, 650-493-8975 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:
Bob Bynum / pcs_editor@kaweah.mti.sgi.com
510-659-1413 home/work
761 Towhee Court, Fremont CA 94539-7421
PCS World Wide Web Publisher:
Aaron Schuman / pcs_webmaster@kaweah.mti.sgi.com
650-933-1901, http://reality.sgi.com/csp/pcs/index.html
223 Horizon Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043-4718
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Subscriptions and Email List Info
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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 list (discussion version or lower-
volume news version), you have a free EScree subscription. For
broadcast info, send Email to with
the one-line message
INFO lomap-peak-climbing
or contact a human at . 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. The Scree is on the PCS web site (as both plain
text and PDF) at .
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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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Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 11/23/97.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe