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Scree for September, 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.
September, 1997 Vol. 31, No. 9
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 9/28/97.
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Next meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, September 9
Time: 8:00 PM
Program: Oh, Canada!
(or "Alpine Climbing in the Canadian Rockies" or "The PCS goes to Canada")
Watch Bob Suzuki solo the viciously exposed N.W.
ridge of Mt. Sir Donald. Ponder the bottom of Kelly
Maas's crampon points as he kicks steps up the
Silverhorn of Mt. Athabasca. Behold Nancy
Savickas as she punches through the summit cornice
of Mr. Edith Cavell. See Kai Wiedman quiver in his
boots looking at the snow plastered N. face of Mt.
Assiniboine.
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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"Ask Gaston" Returns!
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Dear Gaston: Do you have any suggestions as to how best to
limit the amount of flatulence that can result from common trail
foods, like beans? Last winter I had a nearly unbearable night
in a tent with a guy who omitted prodigious quantities of gas.
Unfortunately it was just too cold and snowy to sleep outside.
Any tips besides sewing up the offending orifice?
- Holding My Breath
Dear Holding: Fight fire with fire. Eat kimchi & pickled aigs.
But seriously, I am the king of flatulence if that is a title which
one would (or should) admit to. Then again, I am not soliciting
hiking partners in this pathetic publication, so what the hell.
What I have tried to do over the years is to identify foods which I
KNOW will give me trouble and stay away from them (anything
with cooked onions in it is a bozo NO NO - raw onions are no
problem, go figure). With trail food the problem is vastly
elevated since dried, calorie-rich foods can produce earth-
shattering anal explosions even in the queen of England. I, for
myself, find it best to go away from the others after a meal and
fart up a storm instead of trying to trap them via the sphincter
squeeze. Ahhh, if only the stuff would act as a mosquito
repellent!! I feel not letting go just makes the gas ferment all the
longer in the colon, and that makes for trouble in the tent later on.
((PDF version of EScree has a picture of Gaston here))
A grand trick is to make sure they (or you) carry matches. Strike
the match and then blow it out. The sulfurous smoke from the
match head competes beautifully for the same receptors in your
nose that the shit molecules go for. At least that is how I,
Gaston, interpret it. The only other explanation is that the smoke
binds to the fart directly and alters it in some way so that it can
be detected by your nose. Someone should publish a study on
this in JAMA. now there is tax money well-spent! in any event,
it works great. One problem is that you need to keep lighting
matches for the duration of the gas extravaganza. Be careful
about striking a match in an enclosed area too rich in methane
gas! "...Oh, the humanity!!"
Wait, it's coming to me now. Cold and snowy? Then VBL is
the answer! Make sure the other person uses a vapor barrier
liner in his sleeping bag. As well as the well known thermal
effects of a VBL, they also have the side effect of preventing
smells from escaping (until morning), especially with a tight
drawstring above the shoulders.
I could go on, but I grow weary of this topic. Now go and trouble
me no more.
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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.
*** 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.
(NOTE: Steve Eckert is thinking about adding Hilgard and/or
Recess to this trip, contact him if interested.)
*** 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, but it also means you've can't
turn around if you get tired or get a blister.
*** 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 or just a few of them. Fall temperatures should be
moderate at this elevation, but rattlesnakes and light snow are
possible.
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Red Slate Mountain, Red And White Mountain
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Bob Suzuki led this trip on the last weekend in May 1997.
Participants included Dee Booth, Marilyn Hurley, Scott Kreider,
Rich Leiker, Arun Mahajan, Ted Raczek, and myself (Jim
Ramaker). Our goals were to climb both peaks in a two-day
weekend, frolic in the high-country snow of late spring, and we
hoped, make up for the 1996 PCS group that had to turn back on
Red & White because of loose rock and a rockfall injury.
We left the McGee Pass trailhead at 8 a.m. Saturday, hiking up
the valley under partly cloudy skies. The weather remained
partly cloudy all weekend but never rained, so it was nice and
cool during the day and warmer than it otherwise would have
been at night, not to mention the nice cloud effects for photographers.
We crossed swollen McGee Creek several times -- once on a log
and twice on convenient snow bridges. Snow level was around
9500 feet and snow conditions were generally good -- a little
sloppy in the afternoon, but never soft enough to require
snowshoes. We reached snowbound and iced-up Big McGee
Lake at 1:30, set up camp on a tiny patch of bare ground, and
packed for the first climb.
At 3 p.m., six of us set off for the hike thru a snowbound valley
toward Red Slate Mountain (13,163), 3 miles to the northwest.
The peak was hidden until we were well up the valley, which
enabled us to say "That's it!" three separate times, then decide
that no, that wasn't it after all. This area has a number of
imposing reddish-hued peaks. Around 4:30 we reached McGee
Pass, then began the final 1200-foot push up easy snow and
scree slopes. While slogging up this slope, some of us had ample
time to realize that going from sea level to 13,000 feet in 24
hours on your first trip of the year is not a good idea. Bob and
Rich seemed relatively unaffected, no doubt benefiting from
their experience on Rainier the weekend before.
We summitted at 5:30 and admired the tremendous views of the
snowbound mid-Sierra region, from the Ritter range in the north
to the Abbot group in the south. Descent was relatively pleasant,
with plenty of soft snow for glissading, and we were back in
camp by 7:30. The wind continued all night and kept the tents
flapping, but I was too exhausted to hear it and imagine many of
the crew felt likewise.
Sunday at 5:30 a.m. found us smashing a hole in the frozen lake
to get water, but it was actually a nice dawn -- the cloud cover
had kept the temperature at a mild 38 degrees. We departed at
7:20 and retraced our steps from the day before for awhile, then
turned left and climbed out of the valley just south of snow-
covered Little McGee Lake. (By the way, I once backpacked
through this valley in late summer and it was extremely
beautiful, with little tarns and meadows and oceans of colorful
rock).
Our plan was to circle to the north of Red and White Mountain
(12,850), climb the 12,300-foot hump just north of it, then
traverse back southward to the peak and finish up via the
northeast ridge. The 1500-foot southeast face that rises directly
from the Big McGee Lake basin is a more direct route, but this
is the route on which the 1996 party turned back. While the
loose rock of last summer was now covered by snow from lake
to summit, making this route a fine moderate snow climb, some
members of our party were uncomfortable on snow, so our route
was a better choice.
Morning snow conditions were perfect for cramponing, and by 9 a.m.
we were atop the snow hump north of Red and White, gnawing at
rock hard PowerBars and contemplating the rest of the route. At this
point the slogging ended and we enjoyed a little climbing -- an
aesthetic class two scree ridge, and then a rarity in the Sierras, a
sharp snow ridge with long snow slopes on both sides.
Here we paused for a repetition of that beloved PCS ritual -- the
discussion of which route to take. The class-3 northeast ridge
beckoned above -- snow free, but littered with loose rubble. I
wanted to split the party and traverse on snow around onto the
southeast slope, on the theory that four people kicking rocks
down on one another is better than eight doing so, but no one liked
that idea, so all eight of us followed Bob up the northeast ridge.
Miraculously, no major rocks descended, and the climbing was
quite easy except for the constant danger of loose rocks almost
everywhere you placed hand or foot. By 11 a.m., we had our
peak and were all very happy. Views were once again excellent,
especially the snowbound expanse to the west. The descent of
the ridge went just like the ascent, with no missiles cut loose.
This group deserves a great deal of credit for climbing so
delicately and carefully, even when tired at almost 13,000 feet.
Over half the group had technical climbing experience, so that
probably explains the meticulous climbing. Future parties
should go in much smaller groups or else do the early-season
snow climb on the south- east face. As my father used to say,
"Do what I say, not what I do."
Descent to camp went a bit slowly with the large group and the
taking off and putting on of crampons, and we got back to camp
at 2, packed up, and hiked out from 3 to 6. The last hour of the
hike out was in some ways the most beautiful, as we passed a
vast field of bright yellow corn- flowers, which together with the
bright green grass and aspen trees, the dashing creek, the
massive peaks above with their golden brown, brick red, gray,
white, and black rock streaked with snow, and the blue sky with
gray clouds above made for an unforgettable mountain panorama.
Despite the late hour, all of us met in Mammoth to have supper
and celebrate the conclusion of a very satisfying trip. PCS
alumni Mike Johnson, who lives in Mammoth, took time off
from his job at the Shell station to join us.
- Jim Ramaker
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Blood on the Biner: Eichorn Pinnacle
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After a successful ascent of Lone Pine Peak and a day of rest,
Craig Clarence and your loyal scribe David Harris wandered up
to Yosemite for another day of climbing (July 16, 1997). Living
in Mammoth is very convenient because we reached the
Cathedral Lake trailhead in just an hour. Another hour of fast
walking up a great use trail along Budd Creek put us at the base
of Cathedral Peak.
In the morning we had a terrific climb up the southeast buttress
of Cathedral Peak. The peak is justly famous for solid rock with
great cracks and holds and very enjoyable climbing in the midst
of amazingly beautiful glacially scoured scenery. The only
drawback of the climb for me was that my hands were scraped
raw until my locking biner got bloody!
From the summit, Eichorn Pinnacle, the lower summit spire, is
an impressive sight. Jules Eichorn had soloed it and we decided
to repeat his route. From the ridge between the summits,
Eichorn Pinnacle looks quite difficult, but supposedly an easier
route existed around to the right side. If the route had not been
mentioned in the guidebook, we never would have considered
the unlikely traverse to the right. I led the climb, never being
able to see more than a few moves in front of me. Amazingly,
good holds would appear exactly where they were needed so the
climbing was unexpectedly moderate. There was lots of air
under my feet and four pitons along the way to a good belay
ledge at the end of the first pitch. From there, I led a short, easy
second pitch to the summit. The register is bolted to the summit
and features an entry signed by Eichorn himself! Cathedral peak
justly receives lots of attention, but the Eichorn pinnacle is
worthy of the extra time when one is up there.
The rap off the summit is protected by about a dozen slings! It
can be done on a single 50m rope, but one must be careful to
exactly center the rope to avoid running out of rope on a 4th
class ledge! The remainder of the descent is easy and pleasant.
- David Harris
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Notes and Requests
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*** Yosemite Takes A Toll
Yosemite National Park announced today [7/30/1997] that there
will be a change in entrance fees beginning Friday. Drivers
using the park as a shortcut through the Sierra Nevada will pay a
$5 fee and receive a time-imprinted receipt. Those staying in the
park beyond the allotted number of hours will pay the remaining $15
of the full recreational-use fee when they leave the park. Vehicles
must enter or exit the park through the Tioga Pass entrance on Tioga
Road.
- Aaron Schuman
*** Sierra Club Memberships/Members By Chapter
Apparently some members don't pay annually, because they
have honorary memberships, lifetime memberships, or because a
couple shares the same membership - Ed.
NAME MEMBERSHIPS MEMBERS
------------------ -------- -------
ANGELES CHAPTER 42,349 48,010
SAN FRANCISCO BAY 30,950 36,131
ATLANTIC CHAPTER 28,487 31,730
LOMA PRIETA 20,000 23,279
ILLINOIS CHAPTER 20,455 22,759
CASCADE CHAPTER 17,832 20,086
[chapters below 20,000 removed from table]
T O T A L S : 489,196 554,235
SOURCE: pat.veitch@sfsierra.sierraclub.org, May 1997
*** High Alaska Magazine on the Web
Quoting from : "Spring thundered
into Anchorage early this year with the snow retreating at record
pace. We reluctantly put away our ice tools and dusted off the
old rock shoes - heading out to do some climbing in the light
that lingers a bit longer each night. Spring also brought about
High Alaska Magazine, an on-line magazine/guide for
mountaineers, backpackers and explorers in Alaska's
backcountry. We're still in the works, so bookmark this page and
check back often."
They've got some pages under construction that appear to be the
start of an online guidebook to climbing and recreation in
Alaska. I've found online or hardcopy guidebooks are
unavailable for most of the peaks, even Marcus Baker (the high
point of the Chugach Range) which I climbed with a guide last year.
There's also a link to the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, whose
newsletter is coincidentally called the Scree just like the PCS
newsletter, at . A cool resources
page has links to charter air services, weather forecasts, etc.
They also have more information on specific accidents like
Ptarmigan Peak (where an entire class fell killing 2 and injuring 12).
- Steve Eckert
*** Tahoe Peaks List
If you're on the WWW, jump to
http://www.mother.com/~beren/pgs/ogullist.htm
You'll find a list of 61 peaks compiled with the explicit purpose
of encouraging peak-climbing in the Lake Tahoe Region. This
list was compiled and is maintained by the Peak and Gorge
Section, Mother Lode Chapter, Sierra Club. You might check
out Schaffer's Tahoe Sierra for specific directions to climbs.
- Beren Erchamion
*** Outdoors Unlimited Medical Training
If you are ready to get beyond basic first aid, here is an
opportunity to get some training that is by and for backcountry
travelers. I know one of the instructors. She is a qualified,
enthusiastic teacher but is always willing to learn.
UCSF's Outdoors Unlimited (a non-profit outdoor play and
education organization) has announced the dates for their fall
Wilderness Emergency Response class. Certification includes
Red Cross Emergency Response, Red Cross CPR for the
Professional Rescuer, and Outdoors Unlimited Advanced
Wilderness First Aid. Cost is $190 for non-UCSF affiliates
(cheapest I've seen around) and includes instruction, Red Cross
book & workbook, Wilderness First Aid book, camping fees for
final weekend--does not include resuscitation mask or
transportation and food costs for final weekend.
Classroom sessions: Tues & Thurs, 7-10pm, September 4 -
November 11 (no class on Sept. 11); CPR for Professional Rescuer:
Saturday, September 13, 9am - 5pm; Scenario and Skills Practice
Sessions: October 4 & November 15-16. (ALL Saturday/Sunday
sessions are required for certification). Signups begin July 7. The
phone number for Outdoors Unlimited is 415 476-2078.
- Will Hirst
*** Aconcagua Private Expedition
Dec 26, 1997 through Jan 20, 1998 - Two openings exist.
Anyone interested? I have 2 locked-in tickets R/T for $851.95
ea., available (to the first two emailers at
calliger@infolane.com).
Please take a look at Secor's "Climbing Aconcagua" if you are
interested, then contact me for further details via email. The
main challenges to this climb are the altitude (6,962 meters or
22,841 feet) and the weather (-10F to -20F plus wind during the
period we will go). 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 early-spring but colder.
You need to reserve Sept 20 for a mandatory trip planning
meeting, and then several dates between now and Dec 26 for
some conditioning/training and equipment shake out climbs.
- R.J. Calliger(510-651-1876)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun. +
+ -- Katherine Hepburn +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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Deer Mountain (8,796) and Pothole Dome (8,720+)
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Following an excellent suggestion by Owen Maloy, I decided to
hike up Deer Mountain (8,796) near Mammoth on my way home
from Sunday's climb of Abbot (August 4, 1997). Not knowing
where the peak was, I had to stop at the USFS visitors center
near the eastern edge of town to get directions which were to
take the Mammoth Scenic Loop, turn north onto the road signed
for Inyo Craters and drive to the trailhead. I was very surprised
by what I saw on the back road. It very much reminded me of the
dense forests of the west side minus one thing: the smog.
The hike to the craters took about 10 minutes. The craters were
amazing. The first crater one reaches is the Dragon's Neck.
There is a use trail that circles the entire crater. Although hard
to follow in places, it was easy going and yielded spectacular
views down to pea soup colored lake at the bottom of the crater.
After circling the first crater I headed to the east side of the next
higher up crater which held an even larger green lake far at its
bottom. The trail petered out around the north side of the crater.
From here I headed north up the steep but easy slope of Deer
Mountain following a use trail at first.
Near the top the vegetation started to vanish and hard packed
volcanic sand and rock resembling concrete provided an
interesting challenge for my "car" shoes. After slipping and
sliding downhill a few times, I finally reached the rim of the
crater. Deer Mountain is the high point of the crater. The
shortest path was around the east side, which quickly turned into
a knife edge. Although this sounds strange, using crampons and
straddling the rim of the crater would have been perfect. I was
forced to head west and downslope, slipping sometimes, into the
drainage that came out of the crater. From here a steeper but
easy duff slope gave access to the north rim where the high point
could be walked up with little effort.
There was no benchmark or summit register on top, but the view of
the surrounding mountains was reward enough. On my way down to
the trailhead I hiked out to a small peaklet that rose from the north
side of the mountain which was slightly lower than the crater rim.
Following the advice of Tony Cruz, I stopped in Tuolumne
Meadows to hike Lembert and Dog domes. When I arrived I had
plenty of time for the short hike but there was nowhere to park!
It was now time for plan B. My only problem was that I didn't
have a plan B... I continued on down the road towards Fairview
dome and parked on the north side of the road about half a mile
from the large lot at the west end of the meadow. To the north
was a photographer shooting the formation at the west end of the
meadows that I believe is called Pothole Dome (8,720+). If it's
good enough to photograph then its certainly worth the hike out.
After a few hundred yards of the wet meadow I reached the class
1 slopes of the dome. It took about 10 minutes to reach the high
point which is far to the northwest, out of sight of the road.
Almost the entire east slope was walkable class 1 but the most
direct route involved a small bit of class 2 scrambling. The view
of the river and the surrounding peaks was spectacular. This was
my first dome in the area, and although it isn't as prominent as
its neighbors Daff and Fairview, the view more than justified the
effort. An easier way up the dome would be to park at the lot at
the west end of the meadow and take the trail east to the south
side of the dome. From here a use trail led up to the east slopes.
My drive home to Fresno was the most agonizing I've ever
experienced. I was caught behind some tourists from the east
coast who insisted on practically stopping before each and every
turn. Apparently the "Slower traffic use turnouts" signs didn't mean
anything to them. By the time I reached coarsegold, a whopping 4
hours from the meadows, my brakes were completely shot.
These weren't necessarily spectacular peaks from a
mountaineering point of view, but they are very relaxing and
enjoyable hikes that someone of any skill level could enjoy. I
would recommend them both to anyone, especially after
completing a tough trip, such as the north face of Abbot.
- Pat Ibbetson
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A New 15'er
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Three separate groups descended on Treasure Lakes Saturday to
camp, to gaze, and, eventually, to climb the following day, the
Hourglass Couloir to the top of Mt. Dade. Looking at the
Hourglass route, we had all afternoon to imagine lengthy falls
from the top that involved bloodied crampons and bodies hitting
bodies. While most of us acclimatized and lounged, two
climbers ice axed their way to Dade Lake for a bit of practice
and a leg stretch. While no bears were spotted, we did have a fat
marmot look longingly at our dinners. There were very few
campsites around the lakes, but all managed to pitch their tents.
Bright and early, at 7am, we headed up. The snow was crisp and
crusty with bootsized sun cups. There was a wide range of skill
level within the three groups coupled with a variety of
equipment. Ice axes were a must while some people donned
crampons. We followed a wonderful 'ice stairway' from midway
to the top of the snow. The morning was clear, bright, and
windless. We followed a use trail to the summit and had
marvelous and memorable views of Seven Gables, Gabb, and, of
course, Bear Creek Spire. Arun Mahajan dayhiked Dade and
joined us on top -- a total of fifteen mountaineers!!
Heading down the snow couloir, a skier was on his way up! One
of our group asked to borrow the skis for the downhill. Back in
camp and packing up to head out, the mosquito was there to
remind us to hurry up and move. A grand trip it was! Little
Lakes Valley was gorgeous with wildflowers galore. Thanks to
all who participated! Group l: Nancy Fitzsimmons (co-leader),
Steve King, Jeff West, Noreen and Dan Boram, Ron Freemire,
Dennis Hiipakka and, yours truly, Debbie Benham; Group 2:
Anouchka Gaillard and Kate Ingvoldstadt; Group 3: Ron Karpel,
Nick Pilch, Ted Razcek and David Lou; The Lone Dayhiker:
Arun Mahajan.
- Debbie Benham
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ I went to the woods because I wished to live +
+ deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, +
+ and not see if I could not learn what it had to teach, +
+ and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not +
+ lived. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the +
+ marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan like as +
+ to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath +
+ and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce +
+ it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why +
+ then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and +
+ publish its meanness to the world; or if it were +
+ sublime, to know it by experience and be able to give +
+ a true account of it in my next excursion. +
+ - Henry David Thoreau +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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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.
*** 6 Pack Minus 2 = 4 For Today
Peaks: Tulare, Florence, Rainbow, Unnamed class 3
Date: Saturday Aug. 16
Map: Mineral King 15' quad
Contact: Pat Ibbetson pkibbetson@ucdavis.edu
Co-Contact: Rich Calliger calliger@infolane.com
From the Farewell Gap trailhead we will hike through gloriously
beautiful Mineral King valley up to Franklin Lakes. From the
Lower Dam we will climb the north slopes of well hidden Tulare
Peak (class 2-3) and then descend to the Franklin Pass trail by
skirting the shores of gorgeous Upper Franklin Lake. From the
pass we will climb Florence Peak (12,432' class 2) via the class
2 northeast ridge where we will have spirited views of the
Kaweahs and the entire Kern Plateau followed by a sandy trip
north to Rainbow (12,043' class 2). Time permitting, we will then
descend Rainbow via the southwest sand slope and hike Peak
12,045' (class 2-3) where we will have fantastic views of
Needham Mtn, Mineral and Sawtooth Peaks.
*** 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
Contact: 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.
*** 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 650-968-9184
schuman@sgi.com W 650-933-1901
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.
*** Tiptoe to Tehipite
Peak: Tehipite Dome (7,708') class 3
Dates: Sep 13-14 Sat-Sun
Map: Tehipite Dome topo
Contact: Charles Schafer W 408-324-6003
charles.schafer@octel.com H 408-354-1545
Co-Contact: Bob Suzuki W 510-657-7555
bobszk@pacbell.net (>8 pm) 408-259-0772
Tehipite, which Secor says is "the largest dome in the Sierra Nevada,"
overlooks the Middle Fork of the Kings River in the western edge of
Kings Canyon Natl Park. It will take a 30 mile round-trip hike, fording
60' wide Crown Creek and climbing a seriously exposed, 20', class 3
crux to enjoy the exceptional views from Tehipite's summit. We have
a permit for 5 if you are up to this challenge. Climbing harness and
rappel device needed.
*** Dana Couloir
Peak: Mt. Dana (13,057') class 3-4 ice
Date: Sep 20 Sat
Contact: George Van Gorden 408-779-2320
Early start from Tioga Pass Saturday morning. We will climb the
couloir, putting in protection as we go. Exiting the couloir, we will
go over the top of Dana and descend the trail. Long day. Ice axe,
crampons, harness, and at least one ice screw required. Call
after Aug. 21.
*** Riders on the Ridge
Peak: Mt. Morgan North (13,003') class 3-4
Dates: Sep 20-21 Sat-Sun
Map: Convict Lake
Contact: Kai Wiedman 650-327-5234
Co-Contact: Cecil Ann 408-358-1168
cecilm@ix.netcom.com
From "A Hundred Classic Climbs": "The Sweeping crest of the
Nevahbe Ridge is a dramatic and colorful backdrop for the
community of Crowley Lake. This route is a long, airy ridge climb,
rising nearly a vertical mile from McGee Creek to the summit.
The climbing is continually interesting and involves a wide range
of rock types and quality." This climb will be a dayhike involving
5000 feet of elevation gain over an 8.5 mile round trip,
descending colorful Esha Canyon. We'll help you through the
short 4th class step, so c'mon along. You can do it!
*** Doin' the Duplicates
Peak: Stanford(N), Morgan(N), Red Slate class 2-3
Dates: Sep 26-28 Fri-Sun
Map: Mt Abbot and Mt Morrison 15' topos
Contact: Steve Eckert 650-508-0500
eckert@netcom.com
Not to be confused with the OTHER Morgan, the OTHER
Stanford, and Red&White, we'll be doing Morgan, Stanford, and
Red Slate! Friday is a moderate pack in, Saturday we go over
Stanford (12,851') to Morgan (13,005') and back over Stanford to
camp. Sunday we bag Red Slate (13,168') and pack out. Roper
says the traverse is class 2, Secor says it's class 3 in places. If
you want an easier trip, you can skip Morgan and/or Red Slate (this
trip is not as tough as many that I do).
*** Mt. Winchell
Peak: Mt. Winchell (13,775'), East Arete class 3
Dates: Oct 4-5 Sat-Sun
Map: Mt. Goddard 15'
Contact: Debbie Benham H 650-964-0558
dmbenham@aol.com
Co-Contact: Nancy Fitzsimmons H 408-957-9683,
Nancy_Fitzsimmons@BayNetworks.com
Roper reports, "This excellent class-3 route is by far the most
popular way to reach the top of Winchell," with a Secor segue,
"...and the summit is spectacular with an impressive view down
the magnificent sculptures on the west face." A beautiful time of
year in the Sierra with shorter, mosquito-less days and crisp, cool
nights. Must have a bit of class-3 climbing experience. All will be
asked to sign a liability waiver at trailhead.
*** 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.
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Hammered On Humphreys
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Humphrey's East Ridge Attempt (II, 5.4), August 2-3, 1997
Roy Lambertson and I attempted this route last weekend,
starting at the base of the east ridge according to Moynier and
Fiddler's guide, rather than following the Roper/Secor route,
which uses a scree chute to gain the ridge closer to the summit.
We made it to the top of the big gendarme (13,000+) by mid-
morning Sunday. The view from this perch was impressive: A knife-
edge ridge of granite descends slightly to the saddle that marks the
start of the standard East Ridge route. Above, an airy blocky ridge
climbs to the massive, fortress-like east face of Humphreys.
Dark thunderheads were piling up over the summit, however.
When we started at 5 a.m., the sky had been clear; now, shortly
past 9 a.m., such a fast buildup did not bode well for our plans.
I remembered a similar situation I had encountered on the East
Face of Whitney several years ago. There, retreat was much
more difficult so we had continued on. We had been lucky:
though we heard thunder and our ice axes buzzed with
electricity for several minutes, no bolts struck Whitney. And the
accompanying snow flurry was brief.
On this route, escape was much easier. The ridge up to this point had
yielded three enjoyable 4th-5th class pitches, but an easy descent in
the scree was available by scrambling off the gendarme.
Should we climb an exposed ridge to the highest lightning rod
on the Sierra crest for miles? We reluctantly descended.
Roy, always quick with the self-deprecating humor, compared our
strategy to that of the knights in the film Monty Python and the Holy
Grail. These fellows usually responded to danger with headlong
retreat, yelling: "Run Away! Run away!" To further memorialize our
failure, he culled another TV reference from his misspent youth: he
dubbed our gendarme "girlie-man peak," borrowing the name from
the Hans und Franz skits of Saturday Night Live.
From that ridgetop I realized that adding Moynier's section of
the ridge makes this route longer than a Grade II. In my book, 5-
6 additional pitches of 4th to low 5th-class climbing warrants a
total rating of Grade III for the complete ridge. Next time I will
allot a full day to this route.
The lower ridge did have one especially memorable section: a
100-foot knife edge ridge, almost as smooth as the crest of an A-
frame: too narrow to walk on but you could hump across it on
your butt (what do the French climbers call this technique? Au
cheval? (on horseback?). I was leading at the time and couldn't
tell if there was any pro on the crest; nor did I know if my butt
could take the horseback ride. I opted for downclimbing on the
left side to a ledge system. To enjoy these technical pitches you
need to stay right on or near the crest. If you don't, you're just
slogging up scree-covered ledges.
Despite our retreat, we enjoyed the weekend. The high desert
was bursting with wildflowers--lupines, paintbrush, many
others--and the hike in was short, though it involved a little
bushwacking and some scree slogging. Also pleasant was a
spearmint-type aroma that we enjoyed along the way. Was it
actually spearmint? Maybe someone can who knows the flora
better than me can answer this. At the unnamed lake where we
camped, the meadow nearby was covered with blue shooting
stars and purple heather.
We had the whole place to ourselves except for one other party--they
climbed the Checkered Demon couloir Sunday morning. These guys
had the right idea: pick a route you can get up and off of before the
showers start. (By the way, we felt a few random drops of rain on the
hike out, but we never did hear any thunder.) The night had barely
been cold enough to freeze the neve in the couloir, and we were
impressed with how efficiently they did the climb, including
negotiating one melted-out section. Checkered Demon is the wildest
looking rock I have seen in the Sierra. It is a calico cat of huge strips
and patches of red, white and gray--a geological marvel.
Road info: Access is from the Buttermilk road west of Bishop. The
last 2-3 miles of road are rough. Roy's Subaru Legend wagon did
well negotiating the ruts on this section (a task that would have been
very difficult without adequate clearance and 4WD). We parked at
8600; If you have a very low gear, you can drive up to 9000 feet.
- Butch Suits
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Wonderful Wednesday
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In his North Palisade day hike trip report, Jim Curl bewails
route-finding through the federal wilderness bureaucracy. To
sidestep the inconvenient permit process, he proposes that we
climb indoors, leave California, climb stealthily without a
permit, climb in winter, day hike, or "quit your job and climb
midweek". But it is perfectly feasible to enjoy the solitude of
midweek climbing without enduring unemployment. Nowadays
many companies encourage their employees to take an
occasional day off, and even pay them to do it. Enlightened
managers feel this policy actually boosts morale and productivity.
On July 16, Steve Eckert and I made a Wonderful Wednesday
outing to North Peak and Mount Conness. We left his home in
Belmont at 4:00 am, zipped up to (10087') Saddlebag Lake and
began hiking at 9:00. We evaded the mosquitoes at Greenstone
Lake, rambled up to Conness Lakes, kicked steps up the snowy
southeast side of North Peak, reaching the 12242' summit by
2:30 pm. If we knew our limits, we would have headed home
then, but like Old Johns, we lighted out for Mount Conness.
Steve had never visited Conness, and I was nostalgic to return to
the destination of my first Sierra Nevada peak climb (July 1984,
and thank you, Bob Gross, for introducing me to the sport!). We
crossed the Conness Glacier, gained the plateau, and walked up
the summit sidewalk to the 12590' top around 5:30. Secor's
guidebook suggests this route presents some challenges, but if
there were any obstacles, they must have been buried in snow,
because we didn't find them. We descended via lush Green
Treble Creek and the Carnegie Institute, completing our loop at
9:00 pm. It was too late for dinner at the Tioga Lodge, but we
did run into Wade Larsen there. We took turns driving and
sleeping, returning home by 2:00 am.
- Aaron Schuman
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Ansel Adams, Ansel Adams
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Synopsis:
Thu, 3 July: Left Tuolomne Meadows at 9am. Hiked up Rafferty
Creek and over Vogelsang Pass (a little snow). Turned left at the
Lewis Creek trail and camped 0.5 miles before Lyell Fork of
Merced, near a waterfall, at 6pm. Approximately 17 miles.
Mosquitos were terrible all the way.
Fri, 4 July: Left camp at 8:30am, hiked down to Lyell Fork and
then followed slabs and an intermittent path through bogs and
forest up to the lake below Mt. Ansel Adams. Crossed river at
lake outlet. Climbed easy snow couloir left of north face for
several hundred feet. Then took steeper branch (40 degrees) up
right until easy to exit left onto rock. Loose 2nd and 3rd class
led straight up to summit (12:45pm). Retraced route down,
except dropped straight into main couloir instead of the steeper
right fork. Back at camp by 6pm.
Sat, 5 July: Left camp at 9:30am, retraced path back to T. Meadows by 6:45pm.
Mt. Ansel Adams: 11,700'
Approximate total trip distance: 42 miles
Total elevation gain (via Avocet): 9500'
Participants: Cecil Ann, Debbie Benham, Jim Curl, Dot Reilly
Now, for those of you without jobs, or plenty of
time in spite of being employed, here is the usual
boring blather:
Friday morning, as we turned the corner to head up the Lyell
Fork of the Merced, I looked up to catch my first sight of our
objective, Mt. Ansel Adams. "A spectacular peak in the
Yosemite backcountry" I had written in the description -- in
truth, I had no idea what it looked like, and I figured it for the
hulking mass behind an attractive fin-like peak far to the right.
But upon examining the topo, I was surprised and elated to
discover that this lovely steep sided peak that I thought was
obstructing my view was in fact Mt. Ansel Adams.
Our little cast of characters, Cecil Ann, Debbie Benham, Jim
Curl, and Dot Reilly, had set out lazily at 9am on the previous
morning to attempt a repeat of Kai Wiedman's July 4th trip of
the previous year. We even carried a copy of Jim Ramaker's
write-up to guide us along. We headed up Rafferty Creek, over
Vogelsang Pass (a little snow), down past a lovely cascade, and
then left at the Lewis Creek trail. Jim's trip report proved very
useful, although we thought the mileage was a bit overestimated
as we passed by the mosquito infested camping site where last
year's group had paused their first night. We pushed on to where
they moved camp on their second morning, in a forested area
near a waterfall, several hundred feet of lovely slabs above the
Lyell Fork. The Clark Range stood out in front of us, glowing in
the evening light. At 6pm, the mosquitoes were already at their
worst -- DEET, raingear and finally a retreat into the tents were our
only defenses. Just as well, as the 17 or so miles of trail left us tired.
Without thunderstorms to hurry us (not a cloud in sight all
weekend), we casually set off Friday morning to climb the peak.
We were surprised to find a pretty well-trodden path up the
drainage and we passed several developed campsites. A momma
bear and her three tiny cubs forced us to detour slightly, but the
trillions of mosquitoes kept our pace up through the boggy
lowlands. Cecil spotted a bald eagle flying over the marsh --
perhaps the same bird sighted on last year's trip.
The river didn't offer us any crossing opportunities, but it didn't
seem any advantage to be on the right side anyway. We kept
focused on our pointy peak and moved pretty easily over slabs,
bogs and through forest. Electra Peak, a rather plain diminutive
bump sandwiched between higher points, seemed like a dud
from our angle. In contrast, the pyramidal Rogers Peak
demanded our attention.
Upon reaching the lake below Mt. Ansel Adams (where we
crossed the river), we looked up right at the easy snow slopes
leading around to the south side. This was the route described in
Roper and Secor and seemed completely reasonable at this
point. By what powers of intuition and mountain savvy had Kai
decided to ignore this and head up the couloir on the left? It
seemed, like several other ascent possibilities, that it might go at
class 3, but it certainly wasn't obvious. There was a short debate
about trusting Kai versus Secor... and then we headed left.
We more or less followed the Wiedman route up the peak. We
climbed part way up an easy snow couloir left of the north face until
it split. Then we continued up a steeper narrower snow tongue to the
right. As our feet began to slip up higher, we exited left onto the rock
and climbed several hundred feet of fractured second and third class
rock straight up to the summit. A nice climb.
We enjoyed a beautiful, warm, lazy hour of peak gazing, with views
of Lyell, Rogers, Ritter, Banner, the Minarets and the Clark Range.
It appears that Mt. Ansel Adams has more visitors than we thought --
about a dozen parties signed into the register last year. The register
also noted that Ansel Adams had originally photographed this peak
and was later in the second ascent party.
A quick scramble west on the summit ridge didn't reveal any obvious
line down the south side. So we more or less retraced our steps,
knocking off a lot of loose junk on the way. Rather than head back
down the steeper snow tongue, we dropped off right into the main
couloir. As I set off on one of the longest standing glissade rides I've
had, Cecil and Debbie belted out one of the longest mountain duets
I've heard. Pretty good voices, I must say.
On the hike back, I worried obsessively about our sloppy bear
bagging job and those four bears we had seen earlier. My stomach
already felt dangerously empty with 17 miles of hiking between
camp and the road. I kept running ahead and losing my companions.
At one stream crossing, they seemed stuck at a point I had leapt
across. So, like McGyver, I whipped out a roll of duct tape and a
Swiss Army knife and constructed a suspension bridge for them. My
bear anxiety was wasted energy as usual, and we feasted that
evening along with the mosquitoes. Sometime around 11:30pm, I set
off a few Red Devil "Piccolo Petes" to celebrate the holiday.
We started out late and lazy Saturday morning with Vogelsang
as our target. But when we got there, the bugs were so bad that
we ended up deciding to leave. Debbie wanted badly to stay, but
we outvoted her. Had the mosquitoes been allowed to cast votes,
we would never have left. Dot already had a counted 58
mosquito bites on one side of one of her legs -- it looked like she
had chicken pox. An incoming hiker we passed near Vogelsang
looked at her legs in horror and asked "Are those
from...MOSQUITOES??"
We were back at the cars before 7pm and were able to enjoy a
leisurely return home the next morning.
- Jim Curl
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Warren's Not All That Bad!
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People kept telling me that Warren was a slag pile, a broken
down heap, and so forth. But when someone called him a scree
slog with a brushy bottom, I realized we were talking about Mt
Warren and not Warren Storkman (my good friend and the
esteemed Chair of the Peak Climbing Section). The only reports
on the PCS or SPS websites indicated an overnight climb from
Lundy Canyon??? With all of the discouraging comments, I
decided to solo dayhike Warren so as not to expose any of my
friends to such a terrible experience.
On my way home from Onion Valley (7/26/97), I stopped off at
Camp 9 (the 9000' elevation major hairpin turn between Tioga
Pass and Lee Vining) to see whether the brush was as bad as
had been predicted. I noticed that the usual "Camp 9" was
marked "No Camping", but right across the road you can walk 2
minutes past the "road closed" sign and be in the Warren
Canyon camping area with picnic tables and FREE numbered
campsites. Why take the risk on a citation for camping illegally
when you can just walk into the trees and camp in comfortable
flat sites with no road noise?
There's a trail up the Warren Fork of Lee Vining Creek, but I
only stayed on it for about 10 minutes. Bugs and mud motivated
me to seek drier ground. Other PCS groups have gone up the
canyon and looped around the west or north side of the peak, but
I wanted to shave off a couple of miles. An SPS member warned
me that the ridge from the trailhead was brushy, so I cut off the
trail and went through a couple hundred feet of moderate brush
to a low-hanging talus slope (below some minor pinnacles) that
cuts through most of the brush and small trees. I angled left at
the top of the talus where fairly stable footing could be found.
This brought me to the south and east sides of a little bump
behind which there is a good sized lake (10100') on the 15' topo.
The lake is now a meadow, but the walking in that whole area is
great - pine needle duff and no brush, boulders, or fallen trees to
work around. A small stream not on the 15' map drains the
southwest corner of the lake.
Continuing up through the trees in easy terrain, I hit the
drainage between Mt Warren and Peak 11952 somewhere
around the 10600' level. The 15' topo (made before I was born)
shows a stream all the way to the crest, but in the 90s that
stream ducks under the boulders below 10400'. It rumbles and
gurgles, taunting you all the way up, but never shows itself.
Imagine my surprise to find a reasonable use trail pounded into
the large talus and boulders of the drainage! From 11700 to the
summit (12327) is back to class 1 where the register indicates
bighorn sheep can sometimes be seen.
The register also indicates that many people climb from Lundy
Canyon, but I can't figure out why... it's more elevation gain, and
looks like you miss the wonderful forest walking (which
reminded me of Chagoopa Plateau). A small plane was doing
acrobatics in Lundy, which would have REALLY made my day
had I been hiking there. There is a radio repeater on the summit,
and every helicopter crew that works on it signs the register
(some laughing at hikers who don't fly there), so it's not a real
wilderness experience at the top. On the other hand, the view of
Mono Lake is well worth the effort.
The climb took about 2.5 hours, and the return was about 1.5
hours, making this a good halfdayhike to include if you're
burning a day driving from the eastern Sierra to the Bay area.
(Your time may vary, depending on route finding skills and
conditioning!) It could also be made into an easy overnight trip
since there are an infinite number of great campsites around the
"lake". Including breakfast at Schat's in Bishop, the climb, a
leisurely lunch, and the drive, I got from Onion Valley to
Belmont in just over 12 hours. The early talus was the only bad
footing of the route, and that's only about 400' out of 3400'. So
you see, Warren's not as bad as you may have heard!
- Steve Eckert
PS: There is a scanned route map with this report on the PCS
website in case my route description is vague. New leaders
might consider this as a place to build their confidence, since a
route mistake merely lengthens the trip and can't really get you
in trouble. Keep in mind that you are in the trees part of the
way, and you never see the summit until the crest at 11700, at
which point the antenna and solar array make it pretty obvious.
Oops - too big of a hint. Sorry!
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(Dayhike/2) ^ (1/SisterSisterSister)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a warmup for an SPS trip I was supposed to lead (see Silver
and Izaak Walton report), I solo dayhiked Three Sisters in about
half a day (20 June 1997). Since the standard guidebooks seem
to consider this area NOT part of the Sierra, I turned to the SPS
and PCS website archives. (One day we may not need the
guidebooks, eh?) Ibbetson's Epic from Dinkey Creek convinced
me to start from Courtright Reservoir. The Roach Approach had
too much cross country in an area where a good trail exists, so I
decided to follow the Kline Line for a while.
No big tricks to this trip. It's a gentle trail from the west side of
Courtright Reservoir (which DeLorme's CDROM calls
"Coortwright") toward Cliff Lake, which I reached in under two
hours. The Kline Line says "10 miles cross country to the peak"
from the lake (obviously a typo - more like one mile), claims the
peak is 101619' high (another typo - 10619), and I found no
reason to steer for gullies or saddles (I just crossed the stream at
the outlet of the lake, and hiked up the class 1 ridge to the east
face of the peak arriving directly at the summit block instead of
turning north along the ridge). The last 600' of the east face is
steeper but has class 2 routes on it, making this a trip suitable
for beginning hikers with a reasonably experienced leader.
Grandparents and gradeschoolers could easily accompany you to
stunning boulder-and-sand campsites near Cliff Lake, and all
would have a wonderful time.
At 8:30am I was the first to sign the summit register this year,
which really surprised me. This peak would be a good ski tour
or early season trip. By late June, the mosquitoes were out in
force, and I wound up wearing a head net on the 10619' summit!
I had started around 5:30am in anticipation of a hot day, beating
the heat nicely on the climb but fighting bugs on the return.
I returned to the car before 11am, making this a half-day hike up
one of the Three Sisters (finally explaining the report title).
- Steve Eckert
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ All conservation of Wilderness is self-defeating, for to +
+ cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have +
+ seen and fondled, there is no Wilderness left to cherish. +
+ -- Aldo Leopold, "A Sand County Almanac". +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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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
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650-508-0500 home/work, 650-508-0501 fax
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PCS World Wide Web Publisher:
Aaron Schuman / pcs_webmaster@kaweah.mti.sgi.com
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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 9/28/97.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe