Home | Scree | Back Issues
Scree for October, 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.
October, 1997 Vol. 31, No. 10
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 10/26/97.
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Next meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, October 14
Time: 8pm, 7pm planning mtg
Program: Yin and Yang of Denali
North America's highest peak is not your standard
peak bagging trip! Over two weeks camped near the
Arctic Circle on snow and ice, with blizzards,
crevasses, and frozen toothpaste. one was stymied
by the flu and the other was forced into a 6500'
summit bid. Armchair mountaineers who someday
intend to visit the frozen north must attend. Tim Hult
and Steve Eckert will discuss planning an arctic
adventure, and will show slides from the airstrip at
350' to the summit at 20,320' (within sight of each
other). Spectacular scenery includes the best view
from a latrine we've seen on four continents.
Location: Western Mountaineering
Town & Country Village, San Jose
((PDF version of EScree has a drawn map here))
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Nominations for Officers
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A friendly note from the PCS Nominating Committee! If you are
interested in becoming an officer, or you know of someone who
may be interested, please let us know by October 24.
Contact any one of us for a full and complete description of each
officers' duties, or, visit the PCS website
to view a full
description. Thank you! We are:
Debbie Benham 650-964-0558 dmbenham@aol.com
Debbie Bulger 408-457-1036 dfbulger@cruzio.com
Bob Suzuki 408-259-0772 bobszk@pacbell.net
- PCS Nominating Committee
NOTE: As per the bylaws, the nominating committee is formally
announced at the October meeting. If you don't like the Chair's
choice of NomCom designees, you can vote from the floor to
change them at that meeting. - Ed.
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1997 PCS Fall/Winter Trip Planning Meeting
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IMPORTANT!!! The 1997 Fall/Winter PCS Trip Planning meeting
will be held Tuesday Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at Western Mountaineering,
just before the regular monthly PCS meeting at 8 p.m.
This is the meeting where trip leaders and prospective trip
leaders gather to propose and schedule climbing trips for fall
1997 and winter 1998. Anyone is welcome to attend. Bring your
trip ideas, trip proposals, and any maps and guidebooks that
would be useful. Hope to see you there!
- Jim Ramaker
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Sunset Clause
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I've been asked by Warren Storkman to address the issue of
outdated or forgotten operating rules and/or amendments to the
PCS bylaws (sort of a "sunset clause" for things from the distant
past). Currently, the PCS has two so-called Operating Rules in
the official files. Others may have been adopted but not filed with
the bylaws, and if so they have been lost to history! The PCS Binder
contains no record of operating rules other than these relatively new
ones:
- Electronic Scree (EScree) Operating Rule, adopted June 1995
- Publicity Committee Charter, adopted May 1996
Please consider the proposed bylaw amendment below, and be
ready for a vote at the October meeting. Also, if you know
of any operating rules other than the two above, please bring
information (text of the rule, when it was adopted, etc) so
we can get them back on the books!
Reason for the Bylaw Change:
It's not "badly" needed, but another Section found themselves in
a situation where a few people thought some old bylaws existed
for which there was no paper trail. An unsigned and undated
copy was eventually found, but not until after a new set of
bylaws were half drafted. We can avoid the tense times they
went through by cleaning house when nothing is disputed.
For at least a few years before Debbie and Paul put the official
PCS Binder together, our record keeping was awful. Now seems
like as good a time as any to dig up or discard old paperwork.
- Steve Eckert
*** Proposed Bylaw Addition:
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.
*** Current Bylaws (complete Article VIII and IX):
ARTICLE VIII. Operating Rules
Section 1. Rules for making more explicit the operating
procedures of the Section may be adopted or modified by the
following method. Rules as defined in this article shall not be in
conflict with the By-Laws.
a. A proposed rule shall be presented at a duly constituted
meeting of the Section for discussion.
b. Upon approval of the proposed rule by a majority of
those members present, the proposed rule shall be published in
the next issue of the Section newsletter.
c. The proposed rule may then be adopted or rejected by a
majority vote at the next duly constituted meeting of the Section.
ARTICLE IX. Amendments
Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority
of the Peak Climbing Section members present at a duly constituted
meeting of the Section prior to submission of the amendment to the
Executive Committee of the Loma Prieta Chapter for approval,
provided that the proposed amendment is published in the Section
newsletter immediately preceding the meeting.
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Split Mountain, Mt. Tinemaha
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A spectacular photograph of Split Mountain appears on page
174 of Secor. I first saw this California 14er from the summit of
Cardinal last year. With my new 4WD truck, Split was at the top
of my list for 1997. We summitted on June 29. Everything you
have read about the difficulty of the road to the trailhead is true.
Only worse. Be prepared.
Since Secor calls Split the easiest of the 14ers after Whitney, I
was not prepared for the (easy) third class section. Apparently
Secor was referring to the West approach or perhaps the
approach from Red Lake without the snow. At any rate, the
difficulty of the rock induced me to change our plans to cross to
the west side with full packs. After a mixed climb on snow and
rock, four of the participants summitted. Climbers were Robert
Evans, Arun Mahajan, David Wright, Richard Stover and
Debbie Bulger. Robert, Arun, and David hiked out after the
climb and two did the PCS wee hour drive back to the Bay area.
Since Richard and I were staying to climb Tinemaha, we did not
rush back to camp. At about 12,000' on the way down as we
were filling our water bottles, we heard a clatter. To our horror
we saw a four-foot-diameter boulder crashing toward us.
Dropping everything, we dashed at right angles to the fall line.
The surge of adrenaline was powerful. The block bounced and
came to a crashing halt about 40' from where our packs lay.
The next day we left base camp at Red Lake to climb Tinemaha,
but were blown off our feet twice by the fierce wind. We bailed
and spent the day inside our tent. It was like a scene from the
English Patient (the sand storm, not the love scene). Dust was
everywhere--in our noses, in our hair, in our sleeping bags. It
was the Sahara; It was Shasta in a winter storm; It was not fun.
What a difference a day makes. The next day we summitted
Tinemaha. Windless, calm, placid. Beautiful red, green, white
rocks. On top were bivy sites with smooth white river rocks
larger than softballs. Definitely not from this mountain. Who
carried the river rocks to the summit? Were they carried by
Indian youths on their vision quests? Later, I stopped by the
Piute Cultural Center in Bishop (on the Bishop Creek Road) and
asked if they knew. The Indian woman I spoke with did not
know about the rocks but said she would ask some of the tribal
elders. I'll check on the answer another time.
- Debbie Bulger
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Reeling on Virginia
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There we were on the exposed ridge between Virginia and
Stanton. It was not a place for someone with tremophobia. Our
hearts were in our mouths. We quivered like aspen leaves. To
the north the ridge dropped away for five hundred feet. To the
south, the same. Most people choose to climb either the face or
from the Twin-Virginia Saddle where in winter it is possible to
ski the route. But with courage undaunted, we six resolute
PCSers, reeking of chutzpah, shooting with spunk, armed with
backbone and good old-fashioned guts. We. . . --hey, wait a
minute, I'm not one of the testosterone crew.
Take two. On a clear August day we traversed the exposed third
class ridge between Virginia and Stanton. Our goal was to
ensure that everyone in the party made the summit. To achieve
this, we alternated confident with less confident climbers and
provided support when asked. We all made it. Climbers were
Bob Bynum, Greg McDonell, Milushe Kudnrnovska, Arun
Mahajan, Richard Stover and Debbie Bulger, leader.
After lounging on the summit for about an hour, we returned to
Return Lake via the Twin-Virginia saddle, packed up and hiked
back to the trailhead. We especially enjoyed exploring the stamp
mill ruins and miners cabin on the east side of Virginia Pass.
The mountain pennyroyal was particularly fragrant that
weekend. It was a lovely trip.
- Debbie Bulger
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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.
*** Mt. Diablo Conditioning Hike
Peak: Mt. Diablo (3,849') class 1
Date: Oct 18 Sat
Leader: Vreni Rau 510-582-5578
Co-Leader: Debbie Benham 650-964-0558 dmbenham@aol.com
No ice axe or crampons required!! Enjoy a hike up this grand
devil mountain. We'll meet at Macedo Ranch parking area at 9
a.m. and follow the Summit Trail to the top. Expect about 14
miles and a total 3300' elevation gain. Carpool point in Milpitas at
Highway 237 and Hillview (Bank of America parking lot), leaving
at 8:15 a.m.
*** An Unkosher Mountain
Peaks: Needham, Sawtooth (S), Vandever class 2
Dates: Oct 18-19 Sat-Sun
Maps: Mineral King 15 min. or Mineral King 7.5 min.
Leader: Aaron Schuman H 650-984-9184
schuman@sgi.com W 650-933-1901
Only one week after purging our souls on Yom Kippur, we Need
Ham again. Saturday, we'll acclimatize on Vandever Peak
(11,947' class 2), and steel ourselves for Sunday's spectacular
but arduous ascent of Need Ham Mountain (12,520' class 3).
Before dawn lifts the frost off Mineral King valley, we'll light out for
Crystal Lake. After a challenging crossing of Crystal Pass, we'll
descend to Amphitheater Lake and climb the southern slopes of
Need Ham. If time and energy permit, we'll traverse the mile long,
airy, class-3 ridge to Sawtooth Peak (12,343' class 2), then
descend via Sawtooth Pass and Monarch Lake. We're going to
gain and lose 5800 vertical feet on Sunday, so be prepared for a
merciless workout! Severe snow postpones this trip until fall 1998.
*** Kern Connector
Peaks: Angora, Coyote, Eisen, Lippincott class 2
Dates: Oct 20-23 Mon-Thu
Maps: Kern Peak, Triple Divide Peak (15' topos)
Leader: Steve Eckert 650-508-0500 eckert@netcom.com
If you've ever wanted to be deep in the Sierra during fall colors
and without bugs, or if you've ever wondered what the Kern River
looked like at 7000', this is the trip for you! Timed to follow
Schuman's Vandever/Needham trip, we'll continue over Black
Rock Pass and climb Eisen (12,160' class 2) and Lippincott
(12,260' class 2) from Little Five Lakes. Continuing down Big
Arroyo, it's a long gentle walk through the glacially carved Kern
Canyon to Coyote (10,892' class 2) and Angora (10,202' class
2), then over to meet Bob Suzuki's group on their dayhike of
Moses and Maggie. One-way hiking means we can get some
remote peaks without as much mileage.
*** Moses Rockhouse
Peaks: Maggie, Moses, Rockhouse, Taylor, Sirretta
Maps: Mineral King, Lamont Peak, Kernville topos
Dates: Oct 24-26 Fri-Sun
Leader: Bob Suzuki after 8 pm: 408-259-0772 bobszk@pacbell.net
Co-Leader: Steve Eckert 650-508-0500 eckert@netcom.com
From Mountain Home State Park, we'll do a long dayhike of North
Moses (9,331' class 3) and Maggie (10,235' class 1) on Friday.
Then we'll caravan down to Big Meadow (off Cherry Hill near
Sherman Pass) for Saturday dayhikes of Taylor (8,774' class 2)
and Sirretta (9,977' class 1) with the people who could not take
Friday off work. Sunday we'll walk over to Rockhouse (8,383'
class 2) and head home. Car camping means we can travel fast and
light, and it also means you can choose whether to do all the peaks.
*** Whitney the Easy Way
Peak: Mt. Whitney (14,495') class 1
Dates: Oct 24-26 Fri-Sun
Leader: George Van Gorden 408-779-2320
Climb Mt. Whitney by the regular trail; enough of that
mountaineers stuff. We will spend Friday night at Outpost Camp
at about 10,300', and on Saturday start early and go all the way
to the top. Back to the cars before noon on Sunday. Significant
snow in the days preceding will cancel.
*** 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.
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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.
*** Climb Nevada
Peaks: Wheeler, Boundary, Montgomery
Dates: Oct 8-12 Wed-Sun
Contact: Tony Cruz 408-944-2003
Co-Contact: Pat Ibbetson pkibbetson@ucdavis.edu
We will rendezvous in East Sierra and drive to Wheeler Peak
(13,063') near Las Vegas. It is the second highest peak in
Nevada, and glaciated. We hope to tour the famous nearby
Lehman Caves before we drive to the White Mountains and climb
Boundary (13,161'), the highest peak in Nevada, and adjacent
Montgomery, which is in California, next to White Mountain.
*** 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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Safety, Philosophy, and HAM
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I wish to comment on the assertion that the drive one does to get
to the mountains is more hazardous than the climb. I believe
mountaineering is far, far, more hazardous than driving.
Statistically, by my figuring it is one of the most hazardous
things one can do. I am aware of 9 mountain deaths in the last
15 years of people I have been on climbing trips with. This is
out of only a few hundreds of people. Also I know about another
7 who were friends of people I go with. Assuming 9 out of 900 =
1% odds of dying. Very bad odds! If 1% of U.S. drivers (150M?)
were killed, this would be 15M auto deaths in 15 years = 1
million per year rather then actual 30-50,000 auto death rate. So,
the bottom line in the mountains is that you have some tough
odds to overcome. Gravity kills! Safety, experience, level-headedness
and being prepared for the worst-case are the words to follow.
And why do I still engage in this risky behavior? Well, maybe I
think it won't happen to me because I do it better than the other
person. I imagine a lot think that way, including the expired
climbers (peacefully rest their souls). But I still take the risks
such as climbing alone and going for the summit in bad weather.
Those risky situations are times that I have really experienced
life's maxima! Those are the memories I live (I hope not to die)
for. They are the thrill, the energy, the vivid scenes that make
life a pleasure. I like the great feeling of knowing I came
through a difficult situation, if not mastered it, and am all the
more savvy for the next time.
So the trick is to get the most of those of the adrenaline-filled
experiences while staying alive and uninjured. That is where the
experience and training come in. Get all you can. The best
training is in a real situation; close enough to death or injury to
be the real thing and still live unscathed to have that vivid
memory to know the best thing to do the next time. Expose your
self to semi-risky situations to build that genuine experience. I
think it is okay to fall on a slightly risky snow slope, self-arrest
and have the pride that I know I have the reaction to save my life
on a real dangerous slope. Also, I have taken the risk of a
proceeding in the face of a likely bivouac with minimal or no
equipment, and emerged from the bivouac all the better and wiser.
One other caveat I have followed, is to err on the conservative side in
the younger years. If you make the mistake of going past the error
margin when older, you have already lived much of that good life.
But make the error when young, you will miss out on those future,
smarter years; that would be sad. Life can be a build-up to better
more adventuresome and smarter experiences, until one is physically
unable to keep up with them. Then nature can claim me.
So much on philosophy. I want to add that I think HAM
RADIOS are great to use in the mountains. They should not be a
crutch to put you in places you wouldn't go otherwise because
they can fail. Don't trust your life to a radio. But it adds a
another margin of safety to overcome that unplanned situation
that puts your life in danger. It supplements the other important
safety items such as extra clothing, extra food, roll of tape, bivy
bag, mirror, lighter, etc. The ham radio also is fun, especially
when I am alone. Another reason to go to the summit and spend
time there. On top of Mt. Bolton Brown three weeks ago I talked
to fellow in Santa Maria through a repeater in Coalinga - 125
miles distant! All with my tiny two-way radio weighing less than
one pound.
- Ron Hudson
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Domes In the Distance
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June 14-15, 1997: On the rugged bushwack down Tenaya
Canyon last fall, Kai Wiedman waxed poetic about the beauty of
nearby Cherry Creek Canyon. Figuring the trip would be
worthwhile even if it was half as scenic as Kai described, I
eagerly signed up for his trip. The participants were fearless
leader Kai Wiedman, Cecil Ann, Jim Ramaker, Jeff West, and
your loyal scribe David Harris.
The trip had a wet start Friday night as a lone cloud hung over
the Cherry Lake region about midnight and sprinkled on us.
Evidently the cloud was periodically relieved as intermittent
sprinkles continued through the night, but Saturday morning we
awoke to clear blue sky.
We met at the parking lot for the Kibbie Ridge trailhead at 8 am
Saturday morning. The lot can be reached by taking 120 toward
Yosemite. A few miles before entering the park, take a left at
the sign for Cherry Lake and San Jose Camp. Curve down the
road for about 24 miles, then continue across the dam on Cherry
Lake. Shortly after the dam, make a left at the sign for Trailhead
Parking. The Kibbie Ridge trailhead is about four miles down
the road and the ranger had assured Kai that the road was open,
but we discovered the road blocked off at a parking lot only a
mile from Cherry Lake. We had to hike the next three miles up
the road to the proper trailhead. The only damage on the road
were two rutted areas that most vehicles could handle and a ten
foot section more severely washed out. It looked like the road
could be repaired in a short time with a bulldozer; we wondered
if the Forest Service just had too many other washed out roads in
the repair queue or if they intended to cut access to the region.
After reaching the trailhead, we had an eleven mile walk along
the Emigrant / Yosemite border through pleasant but
unremarkable terrain to Lord Meadow. The bugs were
moderately bad, but were beaten into submission by an
afternoon shower. As the trail turned down into the meadow, we
got a grand view of the granite amphitheater through which the
creek flowed. I'd never seen such a large expanse of rounded,
glacially polished granite studded with domes everywhere I
looked.
We descended to the creek and turned downstream, traversing
an exciting sloping slab hideously exposed above the roaring
water. Worried about finding good camping further down the
canyon, we stopped in a scenic spot about a mile from Lord
Meadow about 5:00 just before the rain resumed. When the rain
stopped, we enjoyed dinner as clouds swirled among the domes
and the sun peeped through once again. The highlight of dinner
was when Jeff surprised us with a strawberry shortcake,
complete with fresh strawberries and whip cream!
Sunday began at 6:30 with a marvelous ten mile cross-country
descent of Cherry Creek Canyon, at least three quarters as
beautiful as Kai had promised. The stream roared along beside
us, dropping down countless cascades, and appeared uncrossable
in almost all sections. Each bend we turned brought new domes
into sight. The route is conveniently marked on the Wilderness
Press Emigrant Wilderness map. Evidently it can be difficult to
find and very tedious when lost, but we managed to pick a good
path the entire way, staying very close to the stream the entire
way except when forced away by a narrow gorge and near the
very end when we turned up toward the trailhead. The upper
part of the canyon is consistently beautiful, with reddish granite
in many places and excellent walking. Our concerns about good
camping were unfounded; in every mile there was at least one
excellent spot. The lower half of the canyon got brushier and
required climbing up and around numerous rock obstacles with
occasional third class moves, but still had copious wildflowers
and excellent views from time to time. In the lower portion, I
nearly stepped on a large rattlesnake coiled sleeping on my path and
Cecil stepped over a baby rattlesnake without even noticing. We also
saw a large black bear laying on its side dead in Cherry Creek.
Perhaps it slipped into the rapids and was carried downstream.
The route leaves the creek about a mile before Cherry Lake and
climbs a thousand feet through dense forest back to the road. We
took a bearing on a shoulder of the canyon at 140 degrees and
fortunately found a series of rocks, animal paths, and clearings
which reached the shoulder with a minimum of the terrible
bushwacking Kai had done on a previous trip when staying too
close to the cliffs on the left. We amazingly came out right at the
switchback in the road and concluded the trip with a boring and
buggy walk back to the cars. Just as we hit the cars at 4:00 a
fierce downpour cut loose.
Overall, Cherry Creek Canyon was a very interesting lesser-
known cross-country route. Most PCS groups will find it a solid
but reasonable two-day trip covering 28 miles (if the road is still
closed) and only modest elevation gain. Three days gives more
time to loiter in the canyon and take in each cascade.
- David L. Harris
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Too Tired to Climb It, Too Close to Pass It Up
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July 31 - August 21, 1997: David Harris and I decided to take a
long walk this summer. The JMT, if followed 100% on trail, is
211 miles long. We took a few scenic and not-too-scenic
detours, making our mileage total closer to 250; we still found
this to be a pretty mild pace over 3 weeks. Lack of food and
motivation kept us on the trail most of the time, but along the
way we managed to climb Columbia Finger, Donahue Peak, Mt.
Izaac Walton, Mt. Reinstein, Saddlehorn, Mt. Ruskin, Arrow
Peak, Fin Dome, Mt. Clarence King, Mt. Cotter, Mt. Gardiner,
Mt. Hale, and Mt. Young.
Following is a description of 3 climbs, which do not have
descriptions in Secor or Roper. The other peaks above were
climbed using Secor/Roper descriptions, without incident.
1. Mt. Rienstein and the Goddard Creek Canyon. After walking
up Goddard Canyon, we climbed Mt. Reinstein, which was easy
class 2 from Martha Lake. Then the real fun began. David,
whose cross country ideas got more "creative" as he became
delirious from insufficient calories, came up with a decent down
the drainage south of Mt. Reinstein to the Middle Fork of the
Kings River. Unknown territory, several thousand foot drop, at
least 10 miles. I was powerless to resist.
This canyon is unnamed, but contains Goddard Creek. The first
6 miles or so are rough but OK, compared with what faced us
below. The last 3 miles before the Kings River contained
extremely heavy bushwacking, through chest high manzanita
and thorn bushes, often forcing us to stumble down in the now
raging creek. This route involves heavy losses of skin and morale,
and I can't think of a good reason for any human being to be there.
2. Traverse from Saddlehorn to Mt. Ruskin. This is a fun 4th
class traverse on good rock. Saddlehorn is the impressive spike
of rock seen to the west from Taboose Pass, and as we were
camped directly beneath it we had to give it a try. Climbing
Saddlehorn itself involved a few short pitches of solid 5.4ish
rock on its east side. The ridge from there was all 4th class, as is
curves around from Saddlehorn south to become the north ridge
of Mt. Ruskin. We were forced off the ridge a few times to keep
the route 4th class, but the climbing was straightforward and we
simul-climbed most of it to the summit of Mt. Ruskin. Both
summits took about 7 hours round trip from our camp by the
headwaters of the Kings River beneath Saddlehorn.
3. Traverse from Mt. Clarence King to N and S peaks of Mt.
Cotter. After an uneventful climb of the South Face of CK, we
decided to try the traverse south along the ridge to Mt. Cotter.
This ridge looks very dramatic from 60 Lakes Basin, with
several deep notches, but we had the rest of the afternoon and
though it might go. By staying on or near the ridge, we managed
to summit both the N and S summits of Mt. Cotter. The
climbing was 90% 3/4th class, never got above the 5.3ish range,
but was hideously exposed the whole way. It also involved 2 short
rappels to get around the 2 largest notches on the ridge. We were
back in camp by 4pm, after starting that morning at 6:30am.
This traverse was extremely fun, quick, and the rock was good.
It also avoids the class 2 scree-fest of the easy route on the south
side of Mt. Cotter. The traverse and summit marked another of a
remarkable string of climbs done by Hiep Nguyen (he had
walked in to climb with us for the weekend), who climbs only in
Teva sandals and in most cases refuses to use a rope for
climbing or rapelling. You have to see it to believe it.
- Craig Clarence
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Towering Weekend
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I lead a private climb of Tower Peak on Labor Day weekend,
August 30-Sept. 1, 1997. On Saturday, August 30, we left
Leavitt Meadows Trailhead and headed south, hiking 22km
south through several meadow systems, over gently rising
terrain. On our journey towards the peak, we were treated to a
stunning, picture perfect view of Tower Peak rising above the
golden meadows. It was easy to imagine that we were a party of
Pioneers emigrating on foot to Sonora.
Then we traveled an additional 2km, this time up a steeper trail
and camped near a meadow just below Tower Lake. On Sun.,
Aug.31 we climbed the trail past beautiful Tower Lake and up
past the snowbank to a saddle on the north side of Tower. Then
we moved east to avoid another snowfield (the snowfields were
too hard to cross in the early morning without crampons.)
Following the ridgeline, we found a series of well traveled use
trails over sandy ledges and ramps that led us to within 100
meters of the summit. We turned left, at the class three chute,
and climbed it to the top, where we enjoyed the clear view of
northern Yosemite, Ritter, Banner.
The mountain is wondrously free of poor quality rock. It sports
the best quality handholds. It is truly a pleasure to climb.
Permits are self-registration at trailhead and are free.
- Don Martin
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Notes and Requests
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*** PCS Web Pages Search Feature
The PCS World Wide Web index page (and its text only mirror)
now includes a link to the Excite search engine. Hop over to
Excite, and you can search for keywords and concepts in all the
pages on the web server that hosts the PCS web site.
I searched for the concept "bergschrund" and found it in four
issues of Scree and eleven trip reports, including classic stories
of daring PCS climbers overcoming tremendous bergschrund
obstacles, like "Stalwart 7 Successfully Summit North Palisade",
by Peter Maxwell, and "From Sea to Shining Summit: Mount
Marcus Baker", by Steve Eckert.
Tip: Include "PCS" in your list of search concepts. That will help
exclude non-PCS pages that also reside on the same web server.
If you haven't rappelled down to the PCS web site lately, it's
time to make another visit to
http://reality.sgi.com/csp/pcs/
- Aaron Schuman
*** Trailhead Shuttle Service
Year-Round trailhead shuttle service is available. Advance
reservations are requested to guarantee service for the Eastern
Sierra Nevada range, including all trailheads for the entire Inyo
National Forest. I charge from the time I leave my base, which is
in Bishop CA, until I drop my customers off.
Example: Bishop Pass to Piute pass. (Bishop to Bishop Pass 20
miles, Bishop Pass to Piute Pass 20 miles. Plus each trip
includes a base fee of $20.00) Cost $60.00.
If I explain that the price is based on $1.00 per mile It means
from my base to drop off, plus base fee. This price is for 1-4
people. If there is more people in the group (I can generally
handle up to 10) the price may vary. Plus, if I can group 2 or
more sets of packers together to combine a trip, this will save
them $$. Hopefully this winter I will get a web page set-up. If
you know of any one who is willing to trade Shuttle Service for
web page design Please give them my e-mail address.
With my web page I'd like to have a reservation form to submit.
To enable early reservations. In the meantime, contact me at
Kountry Korners Shuttle Service, P.O. Box 1476, Bishop CA
93515. Toll free 800-872-0316 or local 760 872-4411.
- Candi Williams
*** Snow Camping Training
The Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter Snowcamping
Section offers a snow camping and winter preparedness training
course. It's carefully presented and students are well monitored.
It consists of a Saturday seminar, an overnight and then a three
day trip. A student can opt for additional late winter trips or
other winter training by becoming an assistant. Check it out at
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/sanfranciscobay/s
nowcamping/index.html
- Albert Pastine
*** Official Secor Website
Sierra Nevada peak climbers rely on R.J. Secor's guide book,
"The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes and Trails" (The Mountaineers,
1992). In among all the useful route descriptions, there are a few
errors. The PCS web site now includes a repository of
corrections to Secor. After you read [the first edition of] this
guide book, but before you climb, consult
http://reality.sgi.com/csp/pcs/GuideBook/Secor/HSPPT_1st_ed/
The first entries on the Secor pages contain information I
gleaned from 1997 PCS trip reports, but updates depend on you.
Send me your observations. What are the discrepancies between
the guide book and the mountains? Where was it easy to go
astray? What route did you climb that was complicated enough
to deserve more detail than the guide book provided? What do
you wish someone had told you before you made your last trip?
The Secor web pages have been authorized by R.J. Secor and his
publisher, The Mountaineers. Secor will use our updates when
he writes his second edition. [We will forward all entries to him
via his publisher.]
But just one caveat about guide books (and errata web sites):
Nothing written in any book can substitute for your own ability
to understand the terrain and topography of the area you travel
in. You must make wise route finding choices based on your
own knowledge, experience, and observations.
- Aaron Schuman 650-933-1901
*** Weather Report Web Pages
All can turn to my Gordie's Sierra page
http://home.earthlink.net/~mgordon324/sierra.htm
for many web resources pertinent to the Sierra Nevada. There
are a handful of basic weather links which of course lead to a
multitude of other satellite, radar, and text weather info. Not
posted on the Gordie page is a great site, North American
Organized Weather Links:
http://www.comet.net/weather/
Click on "Models", then scroll and click on MRF Models; Ten-
Day Precipitation Outlook USA for good predictions up to ten
days out. There are also a wealth of other outstanding weather
stats at this site. I am not responsible for poor modeling nor
recommending these sites to you!! Always use good judgment.
- Michael Gordon
*** Tompkins Summits 8000er
Congratulations to Hal Tompkins, who summitted Broad Peak in
Pakistan recently. I don't think he is currently in the PCS right
now, but he served as a PCS member and trip leader until the
early 80s and has been very active in the RCS for many years. I
believe he's giving a slide show on the climb for the PCS in
January.
To my knowledge, this is the first PCS member, past or present,
who has climbed an 8000er. Or is (are) there others?
- Butch Suits
*** The KJV: On Burying Your Waste
Deuteronomy 23:13-14 says, in the King James Version, "And
thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when
thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt
turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: For the Lord
thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to
give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be
holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."
A modern translation might read "You must carry a trowel, and
when you shit in the woods you must dig a hole with the trowel
and bury your shit. The Forest Ranger will visit once in a blue
moon to see if you need a rescue and to check your permit, and
if he sees unburied shit or toilet paper he will cite you."
*** Screaming "Aaaiyee!" is Bad Form
My brother told me this story about Robert Underhill. No idea if
it's true or if it was lifted straight from the latest edition of
*Crag Rat Weekly*. If you haven't heard it yet, it goes
something like this:
Underhill was on U-Notch in the Palisades (so I think the story
goes), and was climbing the easy ground above the (rather large
and intimidating) Bergschrund when he fell. He tried but failed
to self-arrest. As he shot over the lip of Bergschrund chasm, he
was heard to exclaim: "Here I go to Hell!" Broke his ankle and
spent the summer brooding and sandbagging his friends.
My brother says this an example of good style. Screaming
"Aaaiyee!" as you rap off the end of your rope, he says, is an example
of very poor style. Whenever anything unexpected happens while I
am climbing, I have taken to yelling "Here I go to Hell!" just in
case they're my last words. Well, the guy who owns the gym
asked me to please stop because it was giving him an ulcer.
- Andreas Lehnert
*** 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
*** Driving The Cost Down
Did you know driving alone is the MOST expensive way to get
to [the mountains]? According to AAA, it costs about 37 cents
PER MILE to drive alone. This figure includes all the costs: gas,
tolls, parking, maintenance, and wear and tear on your car. It can
add up to thousands of dollars a year!
By using any of these commute alternatives, even occasionally,
you'll not only save money, you'll save time and stress by not
driving alone. Contact us for a FREE consultation: email
, call (800) 755-POOL, or on the web at
http://www.rides.org/
*** Tahoe-Donner Ski Cabin
Need another member or two for a Tahoe area (Northwoods
Blvd) ski cabin. Flat rate for the entire season. Send email or
call me at 408-970-0760 home, 408-543-3135 work.
- Tim Hult
*** Chapter Affiliation
Deliberating changing Chapter affiliation? If you're considering
this, here is the procedure. There is no problem to change
chapter affiliation, and how to do it is no secret. Send your
request to:
Lori Ives
Supply the following information:
To what chapter do you currently belong?
Where do you live (your current address)?
What is your Club membership number?
What Chapter do you want to affiliate with?
- Mark Adrian
*** Aconcagua Home Page
If there are something I can do for people with questions about
Aconcagua, let me know and I will try to answer as soon as
possible. (webmaster, official home page of Mount Aconcagua)
http://www.aconcagua.com.ar
- Mariano Soler
*** Northern Sierra Peaks Guide
A guide to the peaks in the Tahoe area (see "Tahoe Peaks List"
item in the September Scree) has been put together by Pete
Yamagata. His book, "Northern Sierra Peaks Guide" contains
trailhead directions and route descriptions for 72 peaks. Even
though most of these peaks are class 1 or 2, advanced
mountaineers can enjoy climbing them in winter with the help of
"Winter Ski Ascent" notes included with each description.
Available for $11 including postage, from, Toiyabe Chapter,
Sierra Club, P. O. Box 8096, Reno, NV 89507. Sierra Club
members who provide their membership number get a one dollar
discount. The only complaint I have is the lack of an
alphabetical index. Call me at 650-969-2695 if you would like a
copy of the index.
- Dinesh Desai
*** I Am NOT Frightened of Dying!
Based on what you know about him in history books, what do
you think Abraham Lincoln would be doing if he were alive today?
Writing his memoirs of the Civil War,
Advising the President, or
Desperately clawing at the inside of his coffin.
- David Letterman
For three days after death, hair and fingernails continue to grow
but phone calls taper off.
- Johnny Carson
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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, Email Broadcast Operator:
Steve Eckert / pcs_editor@kaweah.mti.sgi.com
650-508-0500 home/work, 650-508-0501 fax
1814 Oak Knoll Drive, Belmont, CA 94002-1753
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
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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-news
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 Adobe Acrobat/PDF).
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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 10/26/97.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe