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Scree for January, 1998
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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.
January, 1998 Vol. 32, No. 1
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 1/25/98.
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Next general meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, January 13, 1998
Time: 8:00 PM
Program: Broad Peak, Pakistan
Hal Tompkins will present his slides from his
successful expedition in July 1997 to Broad
Peak, an 8000 meter peak in the Karakoram
Range in Pakistan. Hal may be the first PCS
member to accomplish climbing an 8000 meter
mountain.
Location: Western Mountaineering Town &
Country Village, San Jose
From 280: Exit at Winchester Boulevard, go
East and turn right into the Town & Country
Shopping Center across form the Century
Theaters
From 880: Exit at Stevens Creek Boulevard, go
North and turn right into the Town & Country
Shopping Center
((PDF version of EScree has a drawn map here))
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By-laws & Operating Rules Meeting
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Date: Wednesday, January 14, 1998
Time: 8:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Purpose: To determine if new versions of the PCS
By-laws and Operating Rules were properly approved
by the section.
Place: Home of Roger Crawley, 761 Nash Avenue,
Menlo Park, 650-321-8602
Directions: Take the Menlo Park Willow Road Exit
off Highway 101 towards Middlefield Road. Pass
Coleman and Gilbert. Turn right on Nash. My house
is in the second block
Work has already been done by PCS members to make needed
modifications to our By-laws and Operating Rules. At issue is
whether our section properly approved the new versions of these
documents.
The Section approved a By-law amendment at the October, 1997
PCS meeting(Nov., 1997 SCREE, p1, "Sunset Clause Approved
26:0"). The Loma Prieta Chapter EXCOM disapproved this
amendment, probably because it stated that copies of the By-laws
must be kept on file at the Chapter office.
We will briefly discuss the Mountaineering committee Policy
document of May 3, 1995. Anyone who wants to provide input
into this process is urged to come to this meeting or express your
opinions to Roger Crawley. Thank you.
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Ed Viesturs in Person!
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Date: Wednesday, February 18
Time: 7:00 PM
Contact: Tech Museum of Innovation 408-279-7150
Cost: $20.00 Non-Members; $15.00 Tech Members
Ed Viesturs, who is the only person to summit Mount Everest
seven times-five without oxygen, will speak at the San Jose Civic
Auditorium as part of The Tech Museum of Innovation's lecture
series. Ed tackled Mount Everest with a team of photographers to
produce the upcoming IMAX film "Everest". His climb coincided
with the disaster that claimed several lives in May 1996. His
expedition is featured in the September issue of National
Geographic and is the subject of a PBS Nova special airing in
February.
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Earth Day 1998
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A Sense of Place: Bringing Earth Day Home
A steering committee has formed within the Loma Prieta Chapter
to engage Sierra Club members in Earth Day 1998. This
committee, plus other South Bay environmental groups, has
chosen the theme, A Sense of Place: Bringing Earth Day Home.
Using this theme, the coalition wants to show the connection
between ourselves and our local environment. Also the Loma
Prieta Chapter will use this event to reach out to organized
religious groups. Together we want to work on our common
concern for the planet. One of the models we will use is the
"Green-Team," an environmental support group of 6 - 8 people
wanting to "live more lightly" on the Earth. The groups meet in
the participants' homes for 5 weeks, using a workbook as their
guide.
We are inviting all Activity Sections and Regional Groups to
attend one of two meetings in early January. At these meetings,
we will discuss our preliminary goals for Earth Day '98, review
some of the materials that are available for group use, see a 30-
minute video produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists
(Keeping the Earth: Religious and Scientific Perspectives on the
Environment) and set up an outreach plan to local religious
communities. We want a representative from each Section and
Group. The two meetings will be identical to allow most people
to attend at least one. We are encouraging all Loma Prieta
Chapter members who are affiliated with a religious group to
attend. The two meetings will take place at the Peninsula
Conservation Center on January 12 & January 15 at 7 PM.
Call the Chapter Office for directions or info, (650) 390-8494.
If PCS members have an interest in participating in Earth Day
1998, please join us at these meetings. The Chapter wants its
offerings for Earth Day to reflect all aspects of our membership.
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Lost Coast Alert
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The King Range National Conservation Area, popularly known as
the Lost Coast, is one of the most spectacularly beautiful
stretches of coast in the world, as those of you who have visited it
can testify. The pristine quality of this area is being marred by
the presence of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on the southern 3.5
miles, known as Black Sands Beach. ORVs cause considerable
damage to the delicate coastal vegetation, create ugly tire tracks
and scars, and cause noise pollution. ORV users frequently flout
the closure at Gitchell Creek. The Bureau of Land Management
is proposing to close Black Sands Beach to motorized vehicle
use. Well-organized ORV groups, backed by the ORV
manufacturers, have been bombarding the agency with letters of
protest against the proposed closure. Hikers and backpackers,
who visit the area in far greater numbers, need to make their
voices heard. Please take a few minutes to write to the BLM
expressing your support for the proposed closure.
Address letters to
Lynda Roush, Area Manager
BLM Arcata Resource Area
1695 Herndon Road
Arcata, CA 95521
Although regular mail is the most effective way to make your
views count, you can also contact Ms. Rouch by email at
lroush@ca.blm.gov or by FAX at (707) 825-2301
-- Submitted by John Wilkinson
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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.
*** Pyramid Peak
Peak: Pyramid Peak (9983'), class 2
Dates: Sat. Jan. 17 - Mon. Jan. 19
Map: Pyramid Peak 7.5 min.
Leader: Palmer Dyal, H: 650-941-5321, Pdyal@msn.com
Co-Leader: Wanted
This will be a moderately paced 3 mile snowshoe trip to
climb a relatively easy peak in the Desolation Wilderness
area southwest of Lake Tahoe. The elevation gain is about
1000' per mile and we plan to camp at treeline.
We will have time to build snow caves on the first day and
view the marvelous glaciated scenery of the whole Tahoe
basin from the peak on the second day. There will be a
choice of returning on Sunday or Monday depending on the
weather, etc. A good trip for beginning climbers.
*** Annual Beginners Snow Camping Seminar
Dates: Tues. Eves. Jan. 6th, Wed. Jan. 7th, Wed. Jan.
14th; Weekend of Jan. 24/25 or Jan. 31/Feb. 1.
Leaders: Marj Ottenberg 408-867-4576 or Chris
MacIntosh 650-325-7841 .
A planned winter overnight trip in the Sierra can be
wonderful or cold and miserable. A forced overnight due to
storm, injury or equipment failure presents far more
hazards in winter than in summer. For the 25th winter,
PCS (and STS) leaders present a snow camping seminar
to help backpackers, climbers, and others enjoy winter
sports safely and comfortably. Participants learn do's and
don'ts of winter planning, clothing, food etc. as well as
making emergency and non-emergency shelters in the
snow, then put these skills into practice on a weekend trip
to the Sierra ( traveling by skis or snowshoes. $40 cost
includes 3 books and equipment maintenance.
*** Treasure of the Serra Padre
Peak: Junipero Serra Peak, 5862 ft, Class 1
Date: February 1st 1998.
Maps: Junipero Serra 7.5'
Contact: Arun Mahajan, arun@sentientnet.com,
(h) 408-244-7912, (w) 408-473-8029
Co Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick. Home: 408-293-2447, Work:
408-279-3450 wmkirk@earthlink.net
The native Americans called it Pimkolam Peak, it has also
been called Santa Lucia Peak, and now goes by the name
Junipero Serra after the venerable padre. At 5862 ft, it is
the highest peak in the Santa Lucia Coast Range. It is also
the high point of Monterey County and the highest peak
that you can get to in the Bay Area. Join us as we take a
enjoyable and mildly strenuous (6 miles and 3900 ft gain,
one way) tramp to this peak. There is trail all the way to the
top. Carpool suggestions from Bay Area: Meet at the Carl's
Jr. that is at the Dunne Avenue exit on 101 in Morgan Hill at
7 am on Sunday, February 1. We will carpool from there.
Non Bay Area People: Contact the leader for directions to
the trailhead.
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Notes and Requests
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*** McKinley Redux
I'm looking for a qualified partner(s) for another attempt at North
America's highest peak. After two trips on the mountain, I'm
practically a "guide," which simplifies planning.
Qualified partners MUST possess high altitude experience above
20,000 ft, multiday expedition experience, have the right cold
weather gear or be willing to purchase it, have adequate vacation
time, XC ski (or be willing to learn) and not snore. First time
want-to-be's will not be considered. Send email or call me at 408-
970-0760 home, 408-543-3135 work.
-- Tim Hult
*** Items for Sale
'97 North Face Lunar Light Tent: 2 person, 3 season, under 5 lbs.,
full warranty, fully seam sealed, like new, used one night -- $150
(retail $245). Boreal Flyers approach shoes: size 9 U.S. men's,
smooth soled sticky Fusion rubber, like new, used once to walk
around the block -- $35. Garmont Sticky Weekend approach
shoes: size 10.5 U.S. men's, very good condition, used for about a
week in the Tetons -- $30 or $25 and a pint of good ale. Wanted:
Size 10.5 Five Tennies.
-- Jim Curl 415-585-1380
*** Advice on Pants Needed
Advice on pants would be appreciated. I saw a pair of what I'd
like at Western Mountaineering today for $269.00 (Marmot).I'd
go for something cheaper, even used if it's high quality. No blems
please. Or I'd go for something more expensive if it's worth it.
I'm looking for gortex or gortex-like material I can use on
Aconcogua or winter mountaineering in the Sierra.
-- Tony Cruz
*** Crampon Quest
I'm looking for a used pair of strap-on flexible crampons for
occasional use with my leather Raichle Mountain Guide boots.
-- Aaron Grossman
*** Andes and Himalayan Expeditions
I am looking for climbers interested in a summer 1998 trip to the
Peruvian Andes. My intention is to focus on some of the more
technical routes in the Cordillera Blanca, but I'm open for
discussion on other objectives.
I am also interested in joining a Himalayan expedition in 1998. If
you are planning a Himalayan expedition and are in need of
another team member, please call 415-309-0570 or drop me a
line at P.O. Box 8757, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546.
-- Craig Clarence
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Trip Leaders Wanted
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Becoming a PCS trip leader is easier than you probably think.
The procedure was listed in the December SCREE. I am putting
this notice in to emphasize that we can always use more leaders.
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1998 Roster Update
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It is still not too late for you to be listed in the 1998 PCS roster.
See the December SCREE for the update form. If you don't have a
December SCREE, you can obtain a copy form the PCS website
whose URL is listed at the end of this SCREE.
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CLIMBORAMA 1997
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JULY 2-8, 1997
Climborama 97 was a decentralized affair. Ten PCS climbers
ventured into the Evolution region during the first eight days of
July, and we all climbed various peaks with various combinations
of partners during that time. Charles Schafer and I (Jim
Ramaker) climbed together all week, and this report covers the
trip from our perspective.
DAY ONE -- HIKING IN
On Wed. morning July 2, Charles and I drove down to North
Lake after spending a restful night at David Harris's condo in
Mammoth. David, Steve Eckert, and John Bees followed in
another car -- they were hiking over Paiute Pass to climb Goethe
on the way in, while Charles and I were heading over Lamarck
Col. The Lamarck Col route is basically a trail rather than a
cross-country route, even though it's not marked on the 15' map.
Then only tricky part is finding where it leaves the official trail
between Lower and Upper Lamarck Lakes. We cut off at the first
creek crossing, about 1/3 of the way from the lower to the upper
lake. Looking down on this section later on, we saw that there
are actually two parallel trails leaving the main trail, with the
second one cutting off about 2/3 of the way from the lower to the
upper lake. After less than a mile, the two trails join and proceed
past some beautiful small lakes and up a long steep hillside to
some barren slopes and plateaus above. I got up near Lamarck
Col around 4 and talked to some campers there, then decided to
dash up Mt. Lamarck (13,417'), because Charles hadn't appeared
yet. (He had a very heavy pack, his camera lens alone is the
approximate size and weight of a brick).
Mt. Lamarck is easy class-2 and took 45 minutes round trip from
the trail. When I got down, Charles was there, and we hiked over
the col (13,000'), across the Sierra Crest and into Kings Canyon
National Park. Then it was down down down to the highest
Darwin Lake at 11,800', where we arrived at 7 p.m. Little did we
know, but this wild, rockbound lake would be our home for the
next three nights. It was a wonderful place, with a few bivvy
spots carved out of the rocks by climbers, and too high for any
bugs.
DAY TWO -- DARWIN
Charles and I left for Darwin (13,830') at 7 a.m. Thursday and by
9 we were at the bottom of the gully leading up to the notch in
Darwin's west ridge. We passed the vertical section at the bottom
of the gully by climbing a steep snow ramp on the right, then
climbed mixed class-3 rock and frozen snow in the upper part of
the gully. We soon arrived at the notch, a very alpine place --
shady, windy, and icy. We then shed our crampons, turned left,
and started up the ridge toward the summit plateau. It was
harder than expected, with several class-3 sections and some
careful route finding needed to avoid cliffs to the left and right.
By 11 we were on the vast 1000-foot long summit plateau.
I'd been harboring secret hopes that maybe the famous Darwin
summit pinnacle had fallen over in an earthquake or been
dynamited by some merciful soul. But halfway across the plateau
it suddenly appeared, rearing up above the horizon like a
grotesque nightmare, an unsteady stack of square blocks with a
weird pointing finger formation on top, as if pointing the way to
our doom. I didn't like the massive exposure around the pinnacle,
and the two steep gullies leading over to it were filled with steep,
soft, and unstable snow. I climbed down the first one unroped,
then retreated, sat down in a funk, and suggested we just forget
about the pinnacle and go down. But Charles was not to be
denied. He perused the situation from various angles, then
figured out a way to set up a solid belay that would protect both
snow gullies.
After more delay, I finally agreed to try it. I tied in, climbed
quickly down one snow gully and up the other, found a stance on
the far side of the pinnacle, and belayed Charles over. While I
was rearranging the rope, he floated up the class-3 crack and
hopped onto the summit without a belay!! I followed suit, and we
both found the last part of the pinnacle much easier than
expected. I'd been told to expect a tricky mantle with 1500 feet
of exposure, but if you move as far to the right as possible before
doing the mantle (more on the east side of the pinnacle instead of
the southeast), you have a nice flat ledge below you and the
exposure is more like 6 feet instead of 1500 feet. As long as you
fall off the mantle in an orderly manner, you'll land on that ledge.
Since we found the descriptions of how to climb the pinnacle
confusing, here is mine (don't read this if you want to preserve a
little mystery): Stand on the edge of the plateau facing the
pinnacle, and drop down off the plateau to your right. Then go
left and cross over the small saddle between the plateau and the
pinnacle. Descend a small gully on the left side of the pinnacle
for about 40', then climb a similar gully to a stance on the far
(east) side of the pinnacle (the two gullies form a "V"). From the
stance, climb an easy class-3 crack to a ledge, then mantle onto
the summit.
After climbing back to the plateau, we took a long break and then
descended the mountain. Back on the glacier around 5:30 p.m.,
Charles announced that we had to climb Mendel (13,691') today.
I suppressed a groan, then led across the glacier to a prominent
right-slanting snow gully near the bottom right center of Mendel's
steep east face. The snow was soft, steep, and carved into deep
suncups, so that when you were standing in the bottom of one,
the top of the next one was in front of your face. We climbed
about 500' on this happy terrain, then exited left onto a wide, flat
ledge. After about 50', this led us to another right-slanting gully
that we climbed till it ended. From there, we couldn't figure out
the correct route on the wide face above, and since it was going
on 7 p.m., we bailed for the day.
A strange kind of euphoric exhaustion overtook me as I
descended the glacier to our camp -- we'd fumbled around a bit
on one peak and run out of time on the second, but it had been a
great, 13-hour day on some of the best alpine terrain in
California. The stars and the Milky Way were spectacular that
night -- we had no moon for the entire week of the trip and I saw
over a dozen meteors before drifting off to sleep.
DAY THREE: CENTURY DUO SOLVES MENDEL MYSTERY
Friday we decided to postpone our plans to hike over and join the
rest of the group, and return to Mendel instead. We retraced our
steps up onto Darwin Glacier, up the 500' slanting snow gully on
Mendel, across the 50' ledge, and up the second gully for about
200' to our high point. From there we traversed left on a second
ledge system for about 100', which brought us to the large open
scree bowl high on the east face of Mendel. At the top of the
scree bowl is a cliff going all the way across the mountain,
forming a vertical, 200-foot wall at the upper left, a smaller cliff
across the middle, and a small headwall split by a couple of steep
gullies on the upper right. Secor says to go up and left to a
chimney, but we just didn't believe him, because the cliff in that
area looks vertical and even overhanging. So we wandered up to
the right, toward the only obvious weakness in the cliff, on the
theory that Secor was wrong and the chockstone was really at the
upper right, not the upper left. My interest was piqued when I
spotted a gully with a chockstone up there, and near it an old
rappell sling. I climbed up the gully and forced my way all the
way to the summit ridge, only to find that it was very exposed on
both sides, with big awkward blocks barring the way to the
summit.
I retreated back to the steep boulders and scree, and discussed
various theories with Charles. It was after 12 noon by this time,
and we weren't doing too hot on this damn mountain. We still
had no idea whether the elusive route was up to the left or right.
We did some more wandering back and forth across the face,
looking for the magic staircase that would deposit us on the
summit plateau. Finally I gave up, sat down, and told Charles it
was time to go down. But once again he wouldn't have it, and he
wandered up and left toward an unlikely looking cleft just right
of the 200-foot high cliff.
There was a chockstone there, in a square chimney marked by
bright greenish-yellow lichen. Instead of tackling the chimney,
Charles assaulted a vertical 40-foot cliff to its right, working his
way up bit by bit on what he claimed were plentiful holds. From
my vantage point several hundred feet below, the cliff seemed to
be overhanging, and I waited for a scream, clattering rock, and a
grim thud. Instead I heard a yell of triumph, and there was
Charles on the summit plateau at the top of the cliff. I scrambled
up toward him and he offered to belay me up the chimney. The
chockstone overhung a little bit and forced me out onto a smooth
wall to the left, but with a top rope it was great fun. Although the
exposure wasn't bad, I would call the chimney class four because
of the awkward climbing on small holds. I would climb it
unroped on a good day, but I wouldn't like to downclimb it
unroped. A fall, while not fatal, would slam you onto some nasty
sharp blocks. So that's the mystery of Mendel's east face -- just
head for the square chimney on the upper left with the greenish-
yellow lichen, and bring a short rope (50' is plenty).
Charles and I strolled across the summit ridge to the top at 2
p.m., for another hard-won summit. Views of the central Sierras
were again tremendous, and from the edge of the plateau we
could see the large lakes of Evolution Valley and the huge dark
peaks over in the Goddard area. Around this time Charles and I
discovered that our combined ages add up to exactly 100 -- thus
the nickname century duo.
We descended the chimney on belay, then downclimbed the
steep, loose face and the steep snow gully, finally getting back to
the safety of the glacier at 4:30. An hour later, while descending
the talus slope to our camp, I spotted two people a couple of
thousand feet away, descending the slope opposite us on the way
down from Lamarck Col. Both were skinny, one silent, one
constantly talking -- it could only be Kelly Maas and Kai
Wiedman! We met up with them at the lake, and had a good
time visiting each others camps as we cooked supper and
discussed the day just past and the day to come. Kai and Kelly
were in with two friends to do one of the Mendel couloirs --
possibly the premier technical ice climbs of the Sierras. (They
did the climb the next day, and found it to be a real thriller.)
Finally Charles and I bade them goodnight and retired to another
restful night under the stars.
DAY FOUR: A BEAUTIFUL BACKPACK
Saturday we hiked cross-country to rendez-vous with the other
climborama climbers in McGee Canyon. (Note: there are two
McGee Canyons in the Sierras, and this is the southern one, near
Mt. Goddard.) With the early morning sun behind us, hiking
down past the series of lakes in Darwin Canyon was
exceptionally beautiful, with natural "gardens" of green grass,
boulders, bushes, and flowers along the shores of the lakes. We
crossed Darwin Bench and found a great staircase route down
through some cliffs to the John Muir Trail below Evolution Lake.
At that point the fun was over for a while -- the mosquitoes in
Evolution Valley were ferocious, and the only solution seemed to
be slather on the bug dope and keep hiking as fast as possible.
We hiked up the trail to the far (south) end of Sapphire Lake,
then started up the cross-country route over McGee Pass. This is
a nice pass to avoid the cliffs directly east of the pass, go south
all the way to the end of Sapphire lake and then angle back
northwestwardly toward the pass, on a line between the pass and
the magnificent peak of Mt. Huxley, which stands out in the
middle of Upper Evolution Valley. At the top of the pass I spotted
a person down in the trailless valley to the west, and it turned out
to be Kalon Kelley, who was hiking out after camping with the
climborama group. After talking to him, Charles and I descended
the valley and found the climborama camp at Middle McGee
Lake about 4 p.m. Camp was deserted except for Tim Hult,
lounging in his screen-walled tent to escape the bugs. Charles
and I washed up, set up our tent, and took a welcome nap -- the
only time in this seven-day trip we had time to do that.
Around 8 p.m., the rest of the group (Steve Eckert, David Harris,
Rich Leiker, Don Martin, and Bob Suzuki) started wandering in
from a very arduous 14-hour day climbing the Hermit (12,360')
and Mt. McGee (12,969'). The Hermit has a technical pitch at
the top that Bob Suzuki led at 5.7, while the route on McGee
involved crossing a saddle and descending 1000 feet of loose
scree on the way to the top, then re-climbing the same 1000 feet
to cross the saddle again on the way "down." This was the one
real climborama evening of the week, with all eight of us
cooking, talking, and camping together in a vast flat sandy area
next to the lake. It was another cloudless evening and many of us
slept out under the stars.
DAY FIVE: THREE VARIATIONS ON THE GODDARD THEME
Sunday the group divided up again, with David Harris, Rich
Leiker, and Bob Suzuki joining Charles and me to do Goddard.
Our goal was Starr's buttress on the northeast side of the peak --
"an interesting route on an otherwise boring mountain," as Secor
describes it.
Our plan was to hike back over McGee Pass to the John Muir
Trail, drop our packs near Sapphire Lake, hike up the trail to
Wanda Lake, then head cross-country to the foot of Mt. Goddard
near its small northeast glacier. We dropped our packs next to
the JMT about 9 a.m., then crossed the saddle west of Wanda
Lake and gradually descended southwesterly into the Davis Lake
basin, with Mt. Goddard looming above us ever higher, blacker,
and more threatening.
At 12:30 we finally arrived at the bottom of Starr's Rib, which is
the north ridge of peak 12,960+ on the 15-minute map. The first
part of the rib was steep class-3, with strange porcelain-like rock
with smooth rounded holds. Above that, the buttress has three
more sections, all of them with very loose rock -- a long almost
level section, a steep part that shoots up several hundred feet,
then a final long sidehill traverse that leads to the long and easy
east ridge of Goddard. At the start of the flat section, I spotted an
exit onto the glacier to our right, and asked if I could go and
climb it. Bob said okay, but no one wanted to join me, so I
headed off alone.
Secor's photo on page 223 shows this glacier as a rather
depressing scrap of snow streaked with rockfall. But in the first
week of July it was a generous glacier, with a steep snow couloir
above it leading all the way to the saddle between Peak 12,960+
and Goddard, and gentle snow slopes below it leading down past
the bottom of Starr's buttress. The steep part of the couloir
looked like no more than about 100 feet, and I figured I could
handle that. I climbed up and right on the glacier, rested a
minute, then headed up the couloir. As the walls closed in it got
steeper and steeper until it was well over 45 degrees -- wow, I'd
never been on snow this steep. Front-pointing and using the pick
of my axe, I felt secure, but what if I slipped? I started climbing
faster and faster, and the couloir went on and on. Finally, after
more than 500 feet of steep snow, I flopped onto the scree at the
top exhausted.
After a few minutes I started up the class-2 slope to the summit,
running into Kalon Kelley for the second time in two days in the
middle of nowhere. He was descending after a solo climb from
Muir Pass. I summitted at 3 p.m., then waited for an hour for my
four buddies to finish climbing up from Starr's Buttress. We
relaxed on the summit for an additional hour, enjoying the
tremendous views for which this isolated peak is justly famous.
A weird lethargy overtook us -- a hard descent and miles of
rugged cross-country terrain stood between us and our camp, but
it seemed better to just lie around on the scree at 13,568'. Finally
we shouldered our daypacks and started down.
After a debate about the descent route, we decided to go down
Starr's buttress. The sidehill section near the top went okay,
though one of us set loose a tremendous rockfall, the kind that
raises clouds of dust and clatters and rumbles down into the void
for over 30 seconds. Luckily we were traversing and spread out,
so it was no threat to anyone. At the top of the steep section, I
spotted a exit gully descending steeply to the left down to a snow
couloir and then down to the glacier. Soft snow sure looked
better than this hideous loose brown rock, and I got permission to
check it out. The rock was loose class 3, and the snow couloir
below it was steep, but not as steep as the one I'd gone up. Soon I
was down on the low-angle part of the glacier, urging the others
to follow me.
They reluctantly agreed, but as Bob was descending the snow
couloir, someone above knocked loose another rockfall, and two
soccer-ball-sized boulders came thundering down the gully
toward him. With his usual studied calm, Bob waited till the
boulders drew near, then dodged in between them. A close call.
Finally we were all down on the glacier, and after an easy walk
down the snow, we arrived back at the bottom of
Starr's Buttress at 6:30. Thus we really did three different routes
on Goddard:
1. The "esthetic" and by far the fastest route, up the clean class-3
rock a the bottom of Starr's buttress, across the glacier, and up the
steep snow couloir. This route of course will vary widely
depending on snow conditions.
2. The "traditional" route -- all the way up Starr's buttress on
loose class 2-3 rock.
3. The "paranoid" route (the way we descended), which avoids
the steep snow above the glacier by going down the upper part of
Starr's Buttress, and avoids the steep rock lower down on the
buttress by going over onto the glacier. From the bottom of the
buttress, we got water and started the long uphill slog across the
talus to Wanda Lake. The alpenglow hit as we crested the saddle
west of the lake, and the entire lake basin and even the air itself
seemed suffused with soft pink light. From there it was down the
Muir trail to our packs, then down some slabs to a flat sandy area
at the south end of Sapphire Lake, where we set up camp. It was
9 p.m., for a 14-hour day, and incredibly, for David, Rich, and
Bob, their second 14-hour day in a row.
DAY SIX : A COL FROM HELL
Monday our plan was up and over the Sierra Crest via the
Haeckel-Wallace Col (except for David, who departed for
Lamarck Col). We left camp at 8:30 a.m. and hiked up into the
very beautiful and nearly untouched alpine valley just east of
Sapphire Lake, enjoying the small lakes and meadows, strange
rock formations, and excellent views of Mts. Huxley, Warlow,
and Fiske just to the south. We climbed higher into more austere
alpine terrain of talus, snowfields, and partially frozen lakes, then
reached the bottom of the 1000' scree gully leading up to the col
at noon. The scree gully was very steep and loose, and at one
point part of the group had to take cover while two of us climbed
up ahead -- there was just too much rockfall for the four of us to
climb at the same time.
After two hours in the gully, with time out for breaks and
whining, we reached the col at 13,000'.
After a break to eat and put on crampons, we walked over to the
base of Haeckel (13,435') as dark clouds moved in from the
north. The climb up Haeckel from the south is challenging class-
3 but short -- in fact it leaves you wishing it were a lot longer
because the climbing is quite interesting. The best route starts
about 100' below the south ridge of Haeckel and angles gradually
up toward the ridgeline, aiming for a slot about 10 feet below the
summit. In 30 minutes we were on top, but just as we started
relaxing and enjoying the views, we heard the rumble of thunder
from the approaching storm and turned to descend.
Back down on the snowfield at 4 p.m., Charles and I discussed
whether or not to do Wallace (13,377) (Bob and Rich had already
climbed it). We were pretty tired and it was a long way down to
where we wanted to camp, but on the other hand, neither of us
had done it and the storm seemed to be breaking up. The
argument "How long will it be before we're this close to it
again?" easily won out, and we started up the snow that led
almost all the way to the top. Some class 2-3 scrambling above
the snow took us to the summit, which is an uncomfortable pile
of huge thin slabs standing on end.
Charles worked on his photography for awhile, and after a rest,
we descended and retrieved our packs. At 7 p.m. we started
following in Rich's and Bob's footsteps down to our meeting place
at Midnight Lake, 2000 feet below over complex terrain. We
were assaulted by bugs on the ridge above Midnight Lake, and
we finally spotted Rich's tent and pulled into camp at 9 p.m.
After supper I drifted off to sleep with that deeply pleasurable
feeling you get on the last night of a long and wonderful climbing
trip.
DAY SEVEN -- HIKING OUT
Tuesday morning we got up at 5 a.m. and fled just as the bugs
were waking up at 6. With a break for breakfast on the trail, we
got down to Lake Sabrina at 10, watched the fishermen on the
dam, cleaned up, and headed off to the Bishop Sizzler and home.
-- Jim Ramaker
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"We slept like babies. We woke up every two hours and cried."
-- Todd Skinner, describing life at 19,500' on the Trango Tower
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Langley and Tyndall
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JULY 4, 1997 Mt. Langley
This trip to Mt. Langley was billed in Scree as a beginner peak-
climbing trip. The trip proved very popular, as I had more sign-
ups than I had space. The weather could not have been better;
sunny and warm with no clouds. The only thing marring the trip
was a moderate mosquito problem at the cotton wood lakes. After
a brief (less than 3 hours) hike from the trailhead, we camped at
the cottonwood lakes 4 and 5 area, just below Army Pass on
Saturday night. We started hiking at 7 AM Sunday morning. As
the group was large (8 people) and contained climbers of widely
varying experience, we took 5 hours to reach the top. Everyone
made it, including some people that I frankly had doubts about
earlier in the day. We enjoyed fantastic views at the summit. I
think that from the summit of Langley, all the 14ers can be seen
except Shasta! It took us 3 hours to get down to camp. Everyone
reported that they had enjoyed the climb and the superb weather.
There was some brief, and I do mean brief, swimming in the lake
by a number of brave souls, as the water was very cold. In fact
Alex seemed to defy gravity by being able to exit the water
seemingly as fast as he had entered! It looked like someone was
fast-reversing a video of him diving into the water. We returned
to the cars early the next day after a short hike out. This is a very
enjoyable and picturesque area to be in and I recommend it for
climbers of all abilities. Trip participants: Deirdre Conley, Juan
Vera, John Cordes + Gerard (a summer intern at John's
company), Dwight Goehring, Nancy Stevenson, Alex
Sapozhnikov.
Mt. Tyndall JULY 26, 1997
This peak was climbed in a weekend by myself and Alex
Sapozhnikov, the only other trip participant. This trip was listed
as long, strenuous and requiring one to go ultra-light, so I guess
these tough trips do not appeal to many people. We traveled
ultra-light, so that meant no stove, no drinking cup, no pots, no
bowls, no silverware, no water filter (just Polar Pure), no rope,
no harnesses, no ice ax, no crampons, no pro, well, you get the
idea. It is easier to list the stuff we took, instead of the stuff we
left behind. And, since the weather looked good, we had no tent
or bivy sacks. I think my pack weighed 14 lbs. This light weight
made for glorious hiking. This para-military death-march left the
car at 8:30 and reached the top of Shepherd Pass 8 hours later. I
reported that it felt like I had not done anything that day at all.,
due to how light my pack was. We scrapped the idea of knocking
off the peak that evening, as Alex had a bit more weight than I,
and he said he felt as though he HAD done something that day.
Also, we were not sure how long it would take us to do the climb.
The next morning we started at 4 AM and after some brief class 3
at the top, we signed in at the summit register and were back
down at camp in a leisurely 5.5 hours. We were at our car by 5
PM. Afterwards, although Alex appeared to be partially dead, he
said he would like to do two of these type of trips per month to
stay in shape! By the time we got home, at about 1 AM, I had
started to feel some of the affects of the 7000' gain-loss, 26 mile
round-trip. Going light - how sweet it is!
-- Both trip reports by Chris Kramar
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Whitney & Russell
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AUGUST 15, 1997
Five of us met at Whitney Portal on the morning of Friday, Aug.
15 to attempt Mt. Whitney (14,494') and Mt. Russell (14,086').
The group included Arun Mahajan, David Shaw, Bob Suzuki,
and co-leaders Charles Schafer and myself (Jim Ramaker). We
hiked up the north fork of Lone Pine Creek, starting at 10 a.m.
and getting a morning wake-up on the short exposed section of
the Ebersbacher Ledges. We had lunch at Lower Boy Scout Lake
and pushed on to Iceberg Lake at 12,600', arriving in a hailstorm
around 4:30 after a gain of 4200'. We got our tents up and the
weather slowly cleared to a beautiful cool breezy alpine evening.
The cool breeze sent us to bed shortly after 7, so we had one of
those long sleeps you sometimes get on PCS trips.
Saturday we were up at 6 -- Bob and Charles to do the 1500-foot,
5.7 East Face of Whitney, and Arun, David, and I to do the
Mountaineer's route. The three of us cruised up the Mountaineer's
route with no problems, avoiding the scree and climbing the
sandy class 2-3 ledges on the way up to the notch. From the
notch we climbed the wide chute about 50 feet past it on the left,
climbing carefully to avoid the ice flow and the small icy patches
in the chute. About 9:30, after 2 1/4 hours of climbing, we
stepped from the mountaineering world to the tourist world of the
plateau. It was a beautiful calm morning, and after a long rest on
the summit, we departed about 11 and arrived back in camp at
12:30. This climb seemed easier than when I did it last year -- it
is definitely not one of those all-day PCS epics, though it's still a
sporty and interesting climb in spectacular surroundings.
While the three of us relaxed all afternoon at Iceberg Lake, Bob
and Charles were putting in a long, exciting day high above us.
They got a bit off route above the Fresh Air Traverse, and had to
downclimb over 100' to find the correct crack. Above that, they
saved time by climbing unroped on some of the class 3-4 pitches,
and summitted at 2 p.m. After that they hiked a mile and 700
vertical feet down the Mt. Whitney trail to bag Mt. Muir
(14,015). Then it was back up to 14,500 and down the
Mountaineer's route, finally arriving back in camp at 7:30 p.m.
Around this time we had a fascinating visitor drop by our camp
a world-class mountaineer from Bulgaria named Val Trenev. He
was helping lead a coed group of about a dozen teenage Explorer
Scouts, and told us off-handily of some of his mountaineering
exploits. He'd climbed the north faces of the Eiger and the
Matterhorn, done a first ascent in the Torres del Paine, skied the
Whitney Mountaineer's route in one day in winter, and so forth.
And he was no story teller -- before he'd dropped by, we'd
watched him cruise unroped up a 100' vertical cliff above our
camp, which he later casually dismissed as "only 5.8+". Suitably
humbled and charmed by this mountaineering demigod, we
washed our dishes and slunk off to bed.
Sunday was Russell day, and the plan was to hike down to Upper
Boy Scout Lake and climb the East Ridge from there. We made
good time, packing up our camp, hiking down, setting it up again,
and leaving for the climb by 9 a.m. I'd forgotten how painful the
scree slope leading up to Russell is steep, loose, and unrelenting
for a full 1500'. At 11 we finally stepped onto the strange desert-
like plateau at 13,000', and strolled over to the Russell-Carillon
saddle. The spiry East Horn of Russell glowered down at us, and
our mood was not lifted when we ran into two climbers on a
CMC trip who'd just turned back on the East Ridge because of
the exposure. After some minor procrastination, we started on
the ridge at 12. Right at the beginning there's a knife-edge section
with some narrow upright slabs cross-wise to the ridge, and we
got our first taste of the vast exposure on both sides of the ridge
as we did some awkward straddling moves over the slabs. After
that, the ridge rises steeply toward the East Horn (not to be
confused with the East Summit farther on), with the only possible
route going up a steeply sloping slab with some parallel cracks
high up on the right side of the ridge. The slab looks frightening
to climb unroped, but take heart, this section, like most of the
East Ridge, is not as bad as it first appears. One of the cracks up
on the slab is a knee-deep trough that we strolled up in almost
total security. And the rock here, like almost everywhere on the
ridge, is solid, with fairly frequent handholds and a rough texture
that gives excellent friction.
After we passed the East Horn, the East Summit came into view
about 500' away, and this section is the hardest part of the climb.
We climbed briefly on the knife-edge, but most of the time on
slabs and ledges 10 to 20' down on the right. This section
requires total concentration, as the exposure on the right is
hideous and a slip could be fatal.
But again, take heart -- you're always on slabs or ledges on an
inclined "shelf" with good holds, and not on a vertical wall
hanging your butt out over the void. And all of the actual moves
are class 3 or easier if you find yourself struggling in terror on
tiny holds or on a smooth inclined slab, back up and look for an
easier way, because you're probably off route. Bill Kirkpatrick
describes the East Ridge of Russell as like climbing on the
curved upper part of the wall of a bathtub, and that's a good
description (there's even a pool of water at the bottom of the wall,
except it's 1000 feet below and filled with icebergs). As the ridge
rises toward the East Summit, we kept traversing at the same
level instead of following it up, aiming for the bottom of a
nebulous gully about 50' below the east summit. Once we
reached that point, the scary part of the climb was over. We
climbed up almost all the way to the East Summit (class 3, but
not exposed at all), then traversed another 500' or so over to the
West Summit on sidewalk ledges about 20' down on the right
side of the ridge. It's best to go a few feet past the West Summit
on the ledges before climbing up to it.
It took an hour for the five of us to traverse the 2000-foot long
ridge a smaller party that didn't stop to rest and BS could do it
much more quickly. We relaxed on the summit for 40 minutes or
so, reading the register and admiring the views of peaks near
(Whitney, Williamson) and far (Great Western Divide,
Palisades). Around 1:30 we retraced our steps, or tried to -- at a
couple places we went slightly lower or higher than on the way
up. By 2:30 we were back on safe ground at the Russell Carillon
saddle, celebrating our triumph. We then did the 20-minute
class-2 scramble up to the summit of Carillon (13,552'), and took
a long break. Bob wanted to climb Mt. Tunnabora (13,565'), a
mile away to the north across the Tulainyo Lake basin, and I
agreed to go with him. Arun, David, and Charles had had enough
and departed for the lowlands.
Around 4, Bob and I dropped down off the saddle (a 500' descent,
class 2 if you zig-zag on ledges, class-3 if you go straight down)
and strolled across the Tulainyo Lake basin on boulders and
deeply suncupped snow. This basin, home to the highest named
lake in the United States, is a silent, lonely, and beautifully
peaceful place. The climb up Tunnabora was an easy class-2
scramble, just like Carillon but a bit longer. We summitted at 5
and enjoyed tremendous views. To the north were the Palisades,
Mt. Williamson, and an impressive, seldom visited cirque at the
head of George Creek canyon. To the south was the spectacular
ridge on Russell we'd just climbed, with its tiny shelf of slabs and
ledges atop a vast vertical wall.
After suitable celebrations on our third summit of the day, Bob
and I headed home through the waning light. We powered
straight up the boulders to the Russell-Carillon saddle, then raced
down the boulders and scree to camp, dropping 2000 feet in 40
minutes, and arriving at 7 p.m. Like Iceberg Lake the night
before, Upper Boy Scout Lake was a popular camp, with about a
dozen or so tents set up. A neighboring woman dropped by to
wait anxiously for her eight friends to come down from Whitney,
and they finally staggered in exhausted about 8:30. A full moon
rose over the jagged north ridge of Thor's Peak, and Bob and I
stayed up for awhile talking, savoring the last hours of a
spectacular day in the mountains.
Monday we strolled down the canyon and got briefly lost on the
Ebersbacher Ledges, but still made it to the cars in 2 1/2 hours.
The traditional post-climb lunch at the Bishop Sizzler brought
our adventure to a close.
-- Jim Ramaker
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Tinker/Granite Traverse
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECEMBER 19, 1997
No one showed up for the Tinker/Granite traverse on Saturday.
(I'm sending a blind copy of this msg to the 6 who were signed up
in case I missed one of them in the parking lot - several sent
email letting me know they were dropping out, but I had already
left town.) Jim Curl stayed in the Donner area and reported ice in
the morning and a storm in the afternoon... so the cancellations
were probably a good call. I, of course, would have had to beg off
as leader since my bindings were broken and I was pretty tired
after walking out from Excelsior. The ridges visible from
ASI/Sugar Bowl had rocks showing.
It turns out we had a nice climb of Excelsior on Friday 12/19
(after I broke a ski binding on Thursday and continued on
snowshoes). There was some great powder around Frog Lake
(10500') but mixed windslab and bare 2nd class rock on the
ridges to 12,446' (better for glissading than for skiing - I got down
faster than Jim did ). It snowed all day Thursday but Friday was
perfectly clear. By Friday night the snow down at Virginia Lake
was already crusting up. The wind on the final summit ridge was
terrible, but no clouds. I've been packed for this trip every
weekend this month, and since every weekend has a storm Jim
Curl and I went mid-week to trick the weather!
It was great to be "way back" the day after a storm, cutting fresh
tracks with no one else in the area. Daytime high temp was
around 20, nighttime low was 0 according to my new minimum-
reading thermometer (which Taylor Instruments finally replaced
after Campmor sold me a regular thermo in a min-reading box
and could not understand my complaint). Aside from the broken
ski binding, my OR gaiters blew a buckle, my snowshoe bindings
popped a rivet, one of my car headlights went out, and we STILL
had a hell of a good time.
BTW, Sugar Bowl told me on the phone that you could get a one-
way lift ticket for backcountry skiing. They said it was the
Lincoln lift. Well the Lincoln lift is apparently NOT accessible
from a car - you have to buy a $42 lift ticket to ride the gondola
over to some other lift that drops you into the Lincoln lift. The
gondola operator said the Judah lift (separate parking lot closer to
ASI) was the ONLY place to get the $10 backcountry lift ticket.
Has anyone done this recently?
-- Steve Eckert
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Unofficial (Private) Trips
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private trips may be submitted directly to the Scree Editor,
but are not insured, sponsored, or supervised by the Sierra
Club. They are listed here because they may be of interest to
PCS members, not because they are endorsed by the PCS.
*** New Year's Resolution
Peaks: Mt. Stanford (N) 12,838, Mt. Morgan (N) 13,005, class 2/snow
Dates: 2-4 Jan. 1998 (Fri.-Sun)
Maps: Mt. Morrison, Mt. Abbot, Casa Diablo, Mt. Tom (15' topos)
Contact: Steve Eckert 650-508-0500
Co-Contact: Craig Taylor
Sure, you could do these peaks in the summer. But can you do
them in the dead of winter? I'm not sure either, but it's going to be
fun trying. If the weather gives us a break, that is. The views
should be stunning! We'll start from the Sno Park at Rock Creek
for an eastern approach to both peaks. The first day will be
snowshoe or ski travel to establish a base camp at Hilton Creek
Lakes. We may move camp toward Davis Lake the second day
(depending on snow and the group's strength). Buy, rent, or
borrow an avalanche beacon and a shovel, in addition to ice axe
and crampons. You'll need either skis or snowshoes - skis will
work best for the approach, snowshoes may work best for the climb.
NOTE: By starting from Rock Creek (instead of Hilton Creek) we
have a little more mileage but a lot less elevation gain on the first
day. If the road is not plowed, we'll divert to Hilton and grunt up
past Davis Lake that way. This is not a beginner's trip. To sign
up, send email to with recent snow
climbing experience. Please indicate what group gear
(tent/stove/car) you have to offer, whether you prefer snowshoes
or skis, and whether you would go in marginal weather.
*** Bear Valley Peak Bag and Randonnee Ski Instruction Trip.
Peak: To be decided by group and instructor.
Dates: Jan. 5-6
Contact: Rich Calliger
Map: N/A
Gear: Full winter gear required. Ice axe and
crampons should be in car. (Along with car tire-chains!!!)
Location: Bear Valley is between Tahoe and Yosemite
Administration: Liability waivers required to be
signed as well as sign-in/off the trip. Mt.
adventure waiver will be signed as well.
I have decided to take the peak-bagging ski mountaineering
plunge (oh- there's a pun!) and want to take some semi-
private lessons as well as climb a peak on skies so I have
talked with a Pro at Mountain Adventure up at Bear Valley.
Day 1 is basic ski instruction at $55 day beginner package
including rental and lift ticket. The 2nd day will climax with
a negotiable peak bag trip in the back country which
includes ski instruction and practice for $95.
Three or more are need to drive the price down to the $55
and $95 level. If you are interested page me ASAP at
510.659-7546 or email. A hostel is available for $22/night
or I have snow-camped near Bear there are a ton of places.
I was thinking Sunday-Monday or so- to avoid crowds and
get a better discount. These prices are non-refundable but
transferable and deposit is required. (This is a NON-
COMMERCIAL trip announcement so please keep the
flames @ home , but if you have done something
like this and know the idea is a bad one-or have
suggestions let me know off-list-- thanks) We are also
planning a winter ski-trip up White later in Jan. so this is a
good time to get started!
Check out: http://www.mtadventure.com
*** Mount Wheeler, Nevada
Peak: Mount Wheeler(13,000)
Dates: Jan. 16-20, 1998
Contact: Pat Ibbetson, Tony Cruz, Rich Calliger
Info line 707-234-7331
What: Winter ascent of Wheeler (13,000+) then guided tour
of the caves before heading home. ($4)
Why: Its beautiful, it's cold, there's no bugs or bears or
crowds, it's a challenge and IT'S THERE!
Where: GB National Park. GB has the distinction of being
Nevada's ONLY national park. It was established as the
Lehman Caves National Monument in 1922 and is over
77,000 acres in size. Also- the GB Park has Nevada's
ONLY glacier as well. GB is located in eastern Nevada.
We will probably sample The Outlaw, a highly recommend
restaurant in Baker, where purportedly they won't "let you
leave hungry".
Climbing Plan:
Day 1: Drive to Great Basin NP. Find the proper canyon
and drive as far up as we can. Roads are open, but the
NPS doesn't maintain. Snowlevel and downed trees
determine how far up we start. Camp where are able to.
(Meeting place to be determined).
Day 2: Climb Quartzite peak using the canyon to the
south, camp in the saddle north of quartzite. Snowshoes
will be needed in the canyon where there will be up to 6 feet
of snow in the shadows of the ancient bristlecone pine
forest. Snowshoes will not be needed once we are above
treeline, as the winds of the great basin are so fierce that
the alpine country is either blown completely snow free or
rock hard. Either way crampons or shoes work fine.
Day 3: Climb Jeff Davis and Wheeler Peaks. This is just
one mountain, east and west summits respectively. This is
the highest mountain in Nevada. Descend back to car.
Day 4: Guided tour of Lehman Caves. Drive home.
*** Coneheads atop Ventana
Peak: Ventana Double Cone, 4853 ft, Class 2
Dates: January 24, 25 1998.
Maps: Big Sur 7.5' and Ventana Cones 7.5'.
Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick. Home: 408-293-2447, Work: 408-279-3450
Meet at Botcher's Gap (2000 ft) Campground in Big Sur on
Saturday morning, January 24; pack about 6 miles to Pat
Springs Camp (3800 ft). We will start Sunday morning at
dawn for the long hike to the top of Ventana Double Cone,
then return to pick up our gear and return to the cars after
dark on Sunday. This is only 1.5 hour drive from San Jose.
Heavy rain cancels.
*** Around and Atop Roundtop Again
Peak: Roundtop (10600) Class 2+ snow
Date: Feb. 8 Sunday
Contact: George Van Gorden 408-779-2320
We will meet at the Carson Pass snow-park at 8:00 and on
snow shoes or skies head for Roundtop. To the saddle
above Lake Winumucca is easy walking and, crampons
and ice axe are needed only on the last few hundred feet.
Experience with axe and crampons is necessary.
*** It's A Cold, Cruel World
Peak: Matterhorn Peak (12,264') Class 3/snow
Dates: Feb. 14-16
Maps: Matterhorn Peak and Buckeye Ridge
Contact: Kai Wiedman 650-347-5234
Let's test our mettle against the elements. To reach a
Sierra summit in winter is a major achievement. We may
never climb in Alaska or the Himalayas, but a winter ascent
of the Matterhorn could be our Everest. I would like to form
two teams; one on skis and one on showshoes. Please give
me a call if you would like to lead the snowshoe team.
*** Pakistan
Date: August 1998
Contact: Warren Storkman
Along the Afghan border from Chitral to Hunza. Duration of
28 days, with 20 trekking.
*** Nepal
Peak: Mera Peak (21,000)
Date: October 1998
Contact: Warren Storkman
4180 Mackay Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-493-8959(H), 650-493-8975(FAX)
Dstorkman@AOL.com
Mera Peak 21,000 also a trekking group to Tengbache.
Trek from Arun River, a seldom traveled route. People and
villages that are not accustomed to seeing Westerners. I'll
retrace a 1983 trek.
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Chance favors prepared minds. -Czech proverb
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him
prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal
difference between a dog and a man."
-- Mark Twain
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Use email: Never send a tree to do an electron's work"
-- Rich Calliger
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or contact a human at . EScree subscribers
should send a subscription form to the Treasurer to become voting
PCS members at no charge. All subscribers are requested to send a
donation of $2/year to cover operating expenses other than
printing the Scree. The Scree is on the PCS web site (as both plain
text and PDF) at
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/lomaprieta/pcs/Scree/Scree.html
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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.
In Upcoming Issues:
Feb 10,1998: Butch Suits - Skiing the High Sierra
Mar 10, 1998: Dr. Mark Cole Cho Oyo
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Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 1/25/98.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe