Home | Scree | Back Issues
Scree for October, 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.
October, 1998 Vol. 32, No. 10
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 10/25/98.
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Next general meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, October 13, 1998
Time: 8:00 PM
Program: "Triumph and Despair" - Alpine Climbing in Washington's North Cascades
See Kai and Cecil's climbing trip to the North
Cascades, including climbs of Mt. Triumph,
Liberty Bell, and rock climbing at the Peshastin
Pinnacles. With the big air sucking at her feet,
watch Cecil walk the tightrope of the wickedly
exposed Northeast Ridge of Mt. Triumph.
Believing it to be much harder, see Kai try to
avoid the crux crack until Cecil (slightly annoyed)
reminded him that it was only 5.5!!
Location: Western Mountaineering, Santa Clara
((PDF version of EScree has a drawn map here))
2344 El Camino Real, Santa Clara (between
San Thomas and Los Padres), parking in the rear.
>From 101: Exit at San Thomas Expressway, Go
South to El Camino Real. Turn left and the
Western Mountaineering will be immediately to
your right.
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Nominations Of Officers
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A friendly note from the PCS Nominating Committee! If you are
interested in becoming an officer, or you know of someone who
may be interested, please let us know by October 24.
Contact any one of us for a full and complete description of each
officers' duties, or, visit the PCS website
to view a full
description. Thank you! We are:
Jim Ramaker 408-463-4873, ramaker@VNET.IBM.COM
Bob Suzuki 510-657-7555, bobszk@bigfoot.com
Arun Mahajan 650-327-8598, arun@tollbridgetech.com
NOTE: As per the bylaws, the nominating committee is formally
announced at the October meeting.
-- PCS Nominating Committee
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Wilderness First Aid
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To help trip leaders and would-be leaders get the required First
Aid certificate, the Chapter sponsors a First Aid class each
quarter, based on a nationally recognized first aid text, but with
added material and emphasis on wilderness situations with no
phone to dial 911. The next First Aid classes will be Saturday,
November 14 and Sunday, November 15 at the Peninsula
Conservation Center in Palo Alto (from Bayshore/Hwy. 101 at
San Antonio, turn toward the Bay; turn left at 1st stoplight, then
right at Corporation Way to park behind PCC). Class is 8:30 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. (1 hour for your bag lunch) and is limited to 12
people. To sign up, send choice of day, and a check for $38 with a
stamped, self-addressed business-sized envelope to: Health
Education Services, 200 Waverly, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
Cancellations get partial refund if a substitute attends (you get to
keep the Wilderness First Aid book). For more information, call
650-321-6500.
-- Marg Ottenberg
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Check the washing instructions before purchasing any apparel to be worn
camping. Buy only those that read, "Beat on a rock in a stream."
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1998 Advance Trip List
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The trips listed below were proposed at the Peak Climbing Section
winter trip planning meeting on Tuesday, September 22 at the
home of the Trip Scheduler. This list is intended to prevent trip
scheduling conflicts and to help you plan your winter climbing
schedule.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE LEADERS TO SIGN UP FOR
THESE TRIPS. The time to sign up is after the trip is formally
announced in the Scree or on the PCS email broadcast with a full
description and a designation as a private or as an official PCS trip.
If you are planning a trip, or if your plans for a trip on this list
change, please contact the Trip Scheduler to keep this list up to date.
Thanks to all for coming and proposing trips. As you can see, the
trip distribution is rather sparse with the inter-trip delay
approaching a month at times. So, if you want to lead trips and
would like to see them in the advance schedule, please contact me.
-- Arun Mahajan, PCS Trip Scheduler
OCT PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
3/4 Humphreys 4 ?
3/4 Independence, Kearsarge 3/1 Bob Suzuki, Ron Karpel
9/10/11 Tyndall 2 ?
17/18 Rockhouse,Siretta,Taylor 2/1/2 Aaron Schuman
9/10/11 Marble Mnt ? Kelly Maas
10/11/12 Mineral King Region Steve Eckert
17/18 Clyde Minaret Steve Eckert, Jeff Fisher
23/24/25 Mt Whitney George Van Gorden
NOV PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
13/14/15 Telescope Peak Bill Kirkpatrick
21 Henry Coe State Park Bob Suzuki, Landa Robillard
DEC PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
12/13 Freel Peak Kelly Maas, Aaron Schuman
13 The Pinnacles Roger Crawley
19/20/21/22 Mt Whitney George Van Gorden
28/29/30 Mt Davis Steve Eckert, Craig Taylor
JAN PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
9 Cone Peak Ron Karpel
10 Junipero Serra Peak Ron Karpel, Arun Mahajan
FEB PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
13/14/15 Pyramid Peak Palmer Dyal
13/14/15 Any Mountain Aaron Schuman
MAR PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
14 Roundtop George Van Gordon, Arun Mahajan
APR PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
3/4/5(?) Shasta George Van Gorden
16/17/18 Black Mountain, Diamond Peak Steve Eckert, Aaron Schuman
MAY PEAKS CLASS LEADERS
29/30/31 Mt Shasta (via Bolam Glacier) George Van Gorden
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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.
Kearsarge and Independence
Peaks: Kearsarge Peak (12,598') class 1,
Independence Peak (11,744') class 3
Dates: October 3-4, Sat-Sun
Map: Kearsarge Peak 7.5"
Contacts: Ron Karpel, ronny@luxsonor.com
(W) 510-683-4668 X231, (H) 650-594-0211
Bob Suzuki, bobszk@bigfoot.com
(W) 510-657-7555, (H) 408-259-0772
Why think the peak climbing season has to end with summer? Try
these 2 fall day hikes from the Onion Valley campground at 9,200',
and enjoy the company of your fellow PCSers in the quieter
eastern Sierra.
Marble Mountains
Peaks: Kings Castle 7405', Black Marble Mtn ~7500', class 2
Dates: Oct 9-11 Fri-Sun
Maps: Marble Mountain Wilderness topo from Wilderness Press
Leader: Kelly Maas H(408) 279-2054, W(408) 944-
2078, maas@idt.com, Co-Leader: wanted
This is a 2 1/2 day backpack and peak climb through the Marble
Mountain Wilderness, the little brother to the north of the Trinity
Alps. If that clue doesn't help to locate it, it's northwest of Mt.
Shasta off Hwy 5. The peaks aren't high and most of the trip is on
trail (including the Pacific Crest Trail), but it should be a great new
area to explore, with many pretty lakes, and mountains that don't
look like the Sierra. If we have time we can climb Boulder Pk
which would put us at almost 8300 feet!
Rockhouse Jail
Peaks: Rockhouse Peak, Taylor Dome, Sirretta Peak; class 2
Dates: Oct 17-18, Sat-Sun
Maps: Lamont Peak and Kernville 15 min.
Leader: Aaron Schuman H 650-968-9184
W 650-943-7532, aaron_schuman@yahoo.com
Details: http://sj.znet.com/~cynthiam/rockhouse.html
Car camp in the scenic Rockhouse Valley, in the Domelands
Wilderness of the Sequoia National Forest. Day hike to
Rockhouse Peak (8383 feet), Taylor Dome (8802 feet), and
Sirretta Peak (9977 feet). Savor the experience; it might be our
last snow-free trip of 1998.
Mt. Whitney
Peak: Mt. Whitney , class 1
Dates: Oct. 23-25
Leader: George Van Gorden H 408 779 2320 before 9:00 PM
After permits, the good old easy trail although summit day
(Sat.)from 10,300 ft. is rather long, but ah, the brisk Oct. air,
intimations of winter if it hasn't already arrived, that last glorious
ascent into the light before the dark descends make the
mundanity of such a slovenly slog all worth it.
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Death Valley In Summer
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If I wanted to climb Telescope Peak in winter, I would have no
trouble recruiting a few people to come along. But I had almost
no luck convincing anybody to join Warren Storkman, my wife
Joy and I on our planned trek in Death Valley this summer.
Eventually, I did recruit a couple of gullible souls. Our trials and
tribulations of that trip along with pictures and some funny
comments can be found at
http://home.att.net/~ladesai
-- Dinesh Desai
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Happy Campers Go With The Flo
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September 4, 5, 6, 1998
Skies were partly cloudy as six weary travelers gathered at the
Mineral King Ranger Station in the morning hours of Friday,
September 4. There was Debbie Benham, trip leader; Scree
Editor Bob Bynum; Desert Peak Survivor Brad Mayer;
newcomers Don Hobler and Noriko Sekikawa; and your reporter,
Phyllis Olrich. The night before, Debbie, Noriko, and I had found
a first-class campground just west of Three Rivers called Horse
Creek Campground on the shores of Lake Kaweah. The steep
entrance fee ($14) was worth it as far as I was concerned due to
the excellent shower facilities. We breakfasted at the quaint
Noisy Waters Restaurant in Three Rivers, entertained by the
activity surrounding a string of hummingbird feeders outside our
window.
In the interest of scouting out the local accommodations, Bob had
treated himself to a cabin in Silver City, which he subsequently
dubbed the "Unibomber's Cabin," due to its many fine amenities,
no doubt.
Following a lecture on minimum-impact backcountry travel and
camping techniques, we headed for the trailhead for our last-
minute packing. After a short while a large group of young to
middle-aged men arrived and began preparing their packs also;
my curiosity was peaked. Turns out they were headed for
Franklin Lakes also, to hold a somewhat unusual bachelor party.
We vowed to arrive at the lake before them in order to nab the
best campsite next to one of the three bearboxes that have been
placed there.
The trail up to the lake is lovely and gradual, not like the barren,
hot, exposed, steep slogs you see on the east side; several
uneventful stream crossings accentuated our journey. From the
7,800' trailhead at Mineral King, we climbed to about 10,000' to
lower Franklin Lake. As we ascended into the mist, visibility
lessened and raingear was unpacked. Moisture from a very
unusual semitropical storm kept us cool. I hurried ahead, fearing
the approaching bachelor party, and eventually spied a sign by the
trail declaring "no camping within 100 feet of lake." But where
was the lake? I looked down and all I could see was a white
shroud covering what could possibly be a lake. As the others
arrived, the fog began to lift and lo and behold, we saw our
beautiful alpine lake and a perfect campsite about 100 yards
away.
We set up our tents and went down for what would become our
traditional afternoon nap. The weather was very unstable and we
weren't sure what the weekend would hold for us. Saturday
morning dawned bright and promising however, so we all hit the
trail by 7:30 am. There was only one problem. We could not see
the top of Florence Peak, our destination; again, mist enveloped
our goal.
The trail to 11,400' Franklin Pass featured more of the same
gradual wide switchbacks. In no time, we sat resting atop the
pass, admiring the top of the peak, which we could now see
clearly. I have observed that PCS can turn any class 2 mountain
into a class 3 climb and this trip proved no exception. We chose
to cling to the ridgeline, its large granite rocks affording us ample
opportunities to practice our bouldering and route finding skills.
Everyone enjoyed the climb immensely; we reached the summit
of 12,432' Florence Peak before 11:00 am. The view was
stunning. Brad describes the weather as "less than perfect, even
though it was at its 'most perfect' at the summit. There was no
wind, but a huge bank of clouds, moving in an unusual northwest
direction, was pouring over the Sierra crest about 50 miles to the
east."
We descended on a more southeasterly slope, which proved to be
the true class 2 route. The distant roll of thunder forced us to
abandon Debbie's original plan to descend to Silver Lake, catch
the trail that approaches Farewell gap from the south, bag
Vandever Mountain, descend into Farewell Canyon, then head
back to camp on the same trail we had come in on the day before,
completing a big loop. Instead we took the conservative route and
headed back to camp. Our timing was perfect; we crawled into
our bags just as the afternoon sprinkles hit.
Saturday evening provided an inspiring red-hued sunset as we all
spontaneously gathered on a large granite slab overlooking the
lake. Good conversation flowed and I must say we were more
rowdy than the bachelor party camped behind the ledge above us;
the peculiar scent of their "campfire" wafting by us was, no
doubt, nothing more than a traditional herbal remedy for what
they had assured us would be a hard night of high-altitude
revelry.
Brad was hot to try for Vandever the next morning, but the rest of
us were fixated on brunch at the We Three Bakery in Three
Rivers, a restaurant that had been recommended to us by a local
camping nearby. Brad eventually succumbed to temptation and
hiked out with us. Noriko stayed behind to enjoy another day in
the mountains. I was very impressed by her determination. She
just moved to the Bay Area from New York about two months ago
and has already climbed Mt. Shasta! Florence was her first Sierra
peak and I'm sure not her last.
Hiking out was a totally different experience than the hike in. We
could see from whence we came! I could have been on a
completely different trail, for all I knew. But clouds were
gathering and I wouldn't be surprised if it did shower again that
afternoon.
We Three Bakery did not disappoint -- breakfast is served all day.
The five of us proved that we live to eat, not the other way
around.
All commended Debbie on her excellent planning and leadership
skills. This was a glorious trip; it may sound trite, but everyone
had a wonderful time. We laughed, we shared ourselves, we
bonded, we experienced the awe-inspiring beauty of the
wilderness, we bagged a peak.
-- Phyllis Olrich
Bob Bynum Adds: Silver City Resort & Thursday Evening Hike
This was my first PCS trip of the season and first trip to Mineral
King. I wanted to spend Thursday night at as high an elevation as
possible to acclimate. and I wanted to know where I would stay
rather than take a hit or miss shot at finding a campground.
Furthermore, I didn't want a long drive on the day of the trip. My
first thought was to spend the night at the Cold Springs
campground. After discovering this campground operates on a
first come first serve basis, I decided to stay at the Silver City
Resort which is about 2 miles from the trailhead and is at 6935 FT.
Their accommodations consist of varying sizes of cabins which
range from one double bed to a two bedroom, four bed, with
kitchen. Also they have a store and restaurant. My cabin had one
double bed, a sink, a wood stove, three oil lanterns, and no
electricity. These cabins are rustic, yet comfortable. It was
especially nice to have when a thunderstorm hit shortly after my
3:40 PM arrival. After napping through the storm, I drove up to
the trailhead for scouting purposes and then went for an evening
hike on the Timber Gap trail. This lasted for about an hour and
half when the rain started again. At this point I returned to Silver
City, had dinner, and then went to bed to rest up for the next day's
trip. For a future trip, we could rent a few of the large cabins and
go on various day hikes.
-- Bob Bynum, Scree Editor
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Warren Peace
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September 12, 1998
"Well, Prince!" We set out Saturday morning for the summit of
Warren Mtn, just east of Tioga Pass. We were ten hikers among
the thirty campers at the third annual PCS Tuolomne Family
Camp: Scott Kreider, Marilyn Kreider, Mark Woolbright, Tony
Stegman, Chris Cramer, Ahmed Zandi, Jeff West, Wade Larsen
(with his 8 month old Chow-Aikido puppy Chloe), Bob Bynum,
and me, trip leader Aaron Schuman.
We parked our cars at Camp 9K, crossed highway 120 and
headed up Warren Creek. (It's well known that the Forest Service
has closed down Camp 9K, but it was news to us that they have
opened a pleasant, uncrowded, free, primitive walk-in
campground right across the road alongside Warren Creek.)
We followed the muddy trail northwest up Warren Creek for
about ten minutes, passed the first south flowing tributary, then
turned north to make our way cross country towards the peak.
For an hour we beat our way up a loose, sandy face, then crossed
a bump and entered a shallow scree bowl. Continuing along a
north compass bearing, we crossed the second south flowing year-
round tributary, up a sparsely wooded scree slope to timberline,
and over the right flank of Peak 12160. We didn't like the look of
the ridge from this peaklet to our destination, so we dropped
down 100 feet into the snow filled basin below the south slopes,
then walked up to the 12327 foot summit of Warren Mountain.
The summit afforded us an unequaled view of Mono Lake, with a
desert cloud bank reflected eerily off its saline waters.
We varied our descent route, going down the second drainage
until we reached timberline, cutting east to the first drainage, and
following it to the beginning of the Warren Creek trail. We were
slowed down by the rocky footing above high and dense willows
below. We spent 5-1/2 hours on the ascent and 3-1/2 on the
descent. Last year's PCS group made a considerably faster trip to
Warren Mountain. A couple of our trip-mates were learning how
to keep their balance on scree, and needed some extra time. We
returned to camp in the daylight, so our slowness was really no
problem. Warren is actually a good mountain on which to
practice scree surfing technique, because it's a short enough climb
that the group can spend the time it needs but still not need
headlamps.
Back at camp, we had a festive supper with much better fare than
we usually encounter on PCS outings, and good campfire
conversation about the President's troubles and the home run
race.
I must have worn everybody out in a big way on Saturday,
because almost nobody wanted to follow through with the
original Sunday plan of climbing Mt Gibbs. Instead, a group of
us took a much easier walk to Gaylor Peak. We followed the lead
of Jim Ramaker, who had led a group of five people to the same
destination on Saturday.
Camp organizer Cecil Ann, her children Joseph and Johanna, Kai
Weidman, Joan Marshall, her grown daughters Laura and Claire,
Dennis and Judy Severson and their son Matthew, Jeff West,
Tony Stegman and I lit out from Tioga Pass up 500 feet to the
spectacular granite rimmed Gaylor Lakes. Dennis and Judy
rested at the lake with the young children, while the rest of us
(Cecil Ann, Kai, Joan, Laura, Claire, Jeff, Tony and I) hiked east
up the remaining 600 feet from the lakes trail to the 11004 foot
summit of Gaylor Peak. Kai wanted to make the trip into a
traverse, so we continued eastward down into the basin, then
sauntered back along a use trail to rejoin the younger generation
at the lakeshore. The whole leisurely outing took about 3-1/2
hours, including a long lunch break, a perfect day and a perfect
length hike for the younger set.
Larry Sokolsky led a party on a technical climb of Cathedral Peak
on Sunday, Peter Maxwell and Anouchka Gaillard took their
babies to Tuolomne Meadow, Chris read his novel beside Tenaya
Lake, and I'm afraid I've lost track of everybody else's activities.
That's the beauty of the Tuolomne family camp; everybody finds
the level of challenge they want, and somebody to share it with
them.
-- Aaron Schuman
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Mt Hoffman
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September 19, 1998
Gretchen Luepke summitted Mt. Hoffman after a 2 1/2 hour hike
from Snow Flat. Although this peak is easy relative to other PCS
climbs, it is a major accomplishment for Gretchen. Almost two
years ago, she had hip replacement surgery and is slowly getting
back in shape.
It was a perfect day for a peak climb. There wasn't a cloud in the
sky, a very slight breeze, and a temperature of 70 degrees. The
views were spectacular! I pointed other peaks that we PCSers
have climbed. On this hike a climber experiences all aspects of a
typical PCS trip. Congratulations Gretchen!
-- Bob Bynum
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Peak 12,123
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This obscure peak was the subject of a posting by Tom Kenney
several weeks ago. It's located near Muriel Lake, just beyond
Piute Pass.
In late August my two older sons (ages 14 and 12) and I set up
camp near Muriel Lake and day-hiked Peak 12,123. The bottom
line is that this is a great peak for kids. The approach hike over
Piute Pass is not arduous, and the peak itself is easy, enjoyable
third class.
The climb takes you south from Muriel Lake over second class
terrain to the base of a prow-like rock formation maybe 300 feet
in elevation. To the untrained eye, it looks difficult to climb, and
my 14 year old son (Andrew) announced that he didn't think we
would be able to climb it, so he was going to sit right where he
was and wait for me and James (the 12 year old) to return after
our climbing attempt failed.
Undaunted by this pessimism, James and I set off and soon made
our way up diagonally upward-sloping ledges that required a few
third class moves (but were mostly second class). We gained the
ridge and scrambled up to the summit. Meanwhile, Andrew,
seeing our success, set off on his own, climbed the ledges and
joined us on the summit. There were spectacular views of the
Wahoo Lakes, Goethe Lake, Muriel Peak, Mt. Goethe and vast,
open country to the northwest.
We descended the way we came and reached our camp about four
hours after we started.
Consider Peak 12,123 if you are ever taking kids up to the
mountains and want to give them a taste of real mountain
climbing.
-- Mark Wallace
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Work Parties
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The following list of trips are work party trips for the
purpose of maintaining the Sierra Clubs huts. These are
listed separately from peak climbs and are considered to be
private trips.
Dick Simpson, a PCS leader, is organizing the following work
parties where the participants help to build backcountry ski and
snowshoe huts. People of all skills are needed. Optional peak
climbs (class-1 and class-2) are possible. Car camping nearby
(or a simple backpack in some cases). Tools and supplies and
food will be provided.
Please contact Dick at 650-494-9272 or
rsimpson@magellan.stanford.edu if you are interested.
New Bradley Hut Work Party
Dates: October 10-11, Sat.-Sun.
Dates: October 17-18, Sat.-Sun.
Dates: October 24-25, Sat.-Sun.
Dates: October 31 - November 1, Sat.-Sun.
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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.
Mount Tyndall from Anvil Camp
Peaks: Tyndall, 14,018'
Dates: October 10, 11, 12
Maps: Mt. Williamson 7.5
Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick, W (408) 279-3450; H (408)
293-2447, Wmkirk@earthlink.net
Tyndall is a class-2 peak, but we may need ice axes and
crampons to get over Shepherd Pass.
Mineral King Trip
Peaks: Needham(12467), Sawtooth(12343),
Eisen(12160), Lippincott(12260) Class 2
Dates: October 10-12 (Sat-Mon)
Contact: Steve Eckert (eckert@netcom.com)
Co-Contact: WANTED
Help me finish off the Mineral King area peaks while the marmots
are sated on the late-summer salt bush. (You don't want to be at
this trailhead in June, trust me!) We'll dayhike over Sawtooth to
pick up Needham on the way out, but the first objectives will be
two peaks overlooking Big Arroyo and the famed Kaweah peaks.
Lower altitude peaks go well with crisp fall air! Moderately difficult
climbing: no rope or crampons will be needed if you take the
longer route over Timber Gap, but those with ice axe and crampon
skills will go over Glacier Pass so we can bag Needham. Everyone
can climb Eisen and Lippincott without ice axes. You should be in
good shape and prepared for packing cross country .
Clyde Minaret
Peak: Clyde Minaret (12281') Class 3-4
Dates: October 17-18 (Sat-Sun)
Contact: Steve Eckert (eckert@netcom.com)
Co-Contact: Jeff Fisher (han1cannae@aol.com
This will be a 2-day private fall trip, where shorter days mean we'll
keep moving to avoid using headlamps. Not a beginner trip!
Recent trip reports indicate it's more like class 3 than the class 4
rating in the SPS list, but we'll take a rope and some pro anyway.
Ice axe and crampons required for the approach.
Telescope Peak via Surprise Canyon
Peaks: Telescope Peak
Dates: November 13, 14, 15
Maps: Telescope Peak
Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick, W (408) 279-3450; H (408)
293-2447, Wmkirk@earthlink.net
Contact leader for more details.
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Dana In Snow
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September 26-27, 1998: Five of us journeyed to Tioga Pass last
weekend to attempt the Dana Couloir. After a restful night at the
campground by the road into Saddlebag Lake, trip leader George
Van Gorden, George's friend Larry, Ted Raczek, and myself (Jim
Ramaker) awoke Saturday morning to steadily falling snow and a
beautiful winter landscape. As the euphoria of this unexpected
scene wore off, we had breakfast and drove to Tioga Pass to meet
Ron Karpel, who'd left home at 2 a.m. and driven up in the wee
hours. Ron arrived right on schedule at 7:15, and the five of us
stood around talking in the snowstorm. We discussed various
options ranging from driving straight home to doing a low-
elevation dayhike or climb. Since George and Ron had brought
lots of ice-climbing gear, we decided to at least hike over to the
couloir and do a couple of practice pitches. We had no thought of
summiting, as the blowing snow was bad enough at the pass and
was sure to be worse up on the peak.
Larry decided to bail, and the other four of us geared up and
started hiking. After about two hours of cross-country through the
woods and over snow-covered boulders, we spotted a snow slope
on the flank of Dana to our right and decided to do our practice
climbing there, instead of in the actual couloir an hour further on.
The angle was moderate -- less than 40 degrees -- but there was
good quality ice underneath the new powder. George and Ron
each had a rope, so they each climbed a pitch parallel to each
other, placing a couple of screws and pickets along the way. Then
they belayed Ted and me up, and we all downclimbed and pulled
the gear. Screws and pickets both worked well, though placing
pickets required a lot of pounding with an ice hammer.
Conditions got no better as the morning wore on -- light snow off
and on, and lots of wind that occasionally blew sharp snow
pellets into our eyes. We donned sunglasses to shield our eyes,
though the day was too dark to require them. Visibility was only a
few hundred feet at times, though occasionally the gloom lifted
and we could see parts of the mountain above us. Down in the
snow-dusted canyon below us, we were surprised to see a party of
six backpackers heading up into the storm.
Around noon, we reclimbed the snowfield to get to a higher,
steeper snowfield that we'd spotted during one of the breaks in
the weather. Ron led a pitch up this snowfield, the rest of us
followed on ascenders and then rapelled, and then Ron
downclimbed. By the way, Ron and George are both pretty skilled
with screws, pickets, and their new-age ice tools. (Ron mentioned
that his 12-inch long plastic job from Charlet-Moser cost over
$200!)
As we took a lunch break and sorted gear, the storm showed no
signs of letting up, so we decided to bail. George, Ron, and Ted
had to be home that night, but I didn't, and I had a sudden
inspiration to try for the summit. So I signed out from the trip and
decided to try to get to the top of the ridge to our right. Though it
was hard to orient oneself in the weather, my intuition told me
the top of that ridge was probably the edge of the large plateau
where the normal route up Dana goes. A 100-foot cliff that
appeared to be class-3 (visible from the road by Tioga Lake)
separated me from the top of the ridge.
First I traversed upward toward the bottom of the cliff, but ended
up an icefield with nearly a foot of fresh powder on top of it.
Doable, but not by me without a rope. I dropped down a few
hundred feet and found a way to traverse over to the bottom of
the cliff on snow-covered rocks. I worked my way up ledges and
ramps covered with fluffy snow, and soon gained the top of the
ridge. It was the plateau. It was almost 4 p.m. and I couldn't see
the summit in the blowing snow, but I decided to go for it
anyway. I know heading up a peak at 4 p.m. in a snowstorm is not
standard procedure, but many years in the PCS have changed my
opinion of what's reasonable. If I could summit by 5:30, I'd still
have two hours of daylight for the 3000-foot descent. Also, it was
all easy terrain that I'd been on before, and I was warm and dry,
including my feet -- one benefit of dry powder snow.
For some reason, the climbing felt exhausting, I guess because of
the snow and the occasional ice patches on the familiar boulders.
(Or maybe I'm just getting old.) But the snow stopped after
awhile and a window of blue sky opened up right above the
summit, which boosted my spirits. I topped out at 5:15, and was
rewarded with spectacular views of wild- looking snow-dusted
peaks underneath huge roiling grey clouds that covered all of
Yosemite. Even the east-side humps like Dunderberg and
Excelsior looked impressive streaked with fresh snow under the
forbidding grey skies. Mono Lake appeared, reflecting blue sky
out toward Nevada. The wind picked up, swirling snow in my
face, and I started down.
The wind stopped once I was off the summit, but it started
snowing again, a steady fall of large snowflakes. As visibility
declined, I took a compass bearing on the descent route. George
had told me to do this, pointing out that the descent from Dana is
not north as intuition might indicate, but almost due west (the
Tioga Road here runs almost north-south). It was a wonderful
experience to be descending a peak at dusk in a gentle, silent
snowfall. Memories of walking in the snow in the winter as a boy
back in New England drifted through my addled mind.
After a long trudge across the rocky plateau, I spotted some cairns
and picked up the use trail, still mostly visible under the snow. I
managed to stay on it all the way down the slope below the
plateau, helped in no small part by the orange blazes painted on
the rocks by the late Carl Sharsmith about 40 years ago. (For
those who don't know of him, he was a Yosemite ranger and
botanist for over 60 years.) Down the switchbacks into the forest,
and finally over to my car at 7:15.
I spent another comfortable night in my car at the same
campground, disturbed only by a mouse who'd snuck inside the
car and kept scratching around in my cartons of gear. Attempts to
hunt him down with a flashlight failed, so I resigned myself to
sharing my refuge with my tiny companion, calling to him to keep
the noise down when his scratching and scurrying got out of
hand.
As I drove west, I entered a cloud bank and the temperature
plummeted. Down in Yosemite Valley it was about 20 degrees
colder than at Tioga Pass, 6000 feet above! The next cold front
and set of snow flurries was on the way. It looks like summer and
winter will be battling it out in the high country for a few more
weeks before winter arrives for good.
Jim Ramaker
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Center Basin Bear(s)
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About two months ago Steve Eckert posted a Center Basin report
(to Keith, Center and Bradley) about a trip that took place in mid
July. Those of us on the trip encountered an unusually aggressive
black bear. We actually had encounters on two nights, and it
might have been two bears.
After Barbara's SPS list finish this weekend, we stopped at the
Mt. Whitney ranger station in Lone Pine to look into getting a
dayhike permit for Mt. Whitney in the next month or so. We
chatted with the ranger at the counter for awhile, and we
mentioned the aggressive bear we had encountered in Center
Basin. She immediately handed us a special bear warning page
that had been recently printed concerning areas around and
including Center Basin titled "Bear Warning and Emergency
Food Storage Restrictions!!" It included phrases such as, "Due to
local uncharacteristic aggressive black bear behavior..." and "For
your safety, sleep well away (100 yards if possible) from food
canisters and boxes. Do not try to harass females with cubs or
two adult bears travelling toegether. Several campers have been
charged, scratched or bitten recently when they tried to defend
food not stored in bear-proof boxes or canisters." The area of
concern was "Bubbs Creek drainage upstream of Sphinx Creek..."
I'd say we got off pretty easy on the Center Basin trip, since we
were not "charged, scratched or bitten", but the bear did not
immediately back off from Steve standing up in front of it and
yelling. It looks like the bear or bears have become even more
aggressive since mid July. I don't see how this isn't going to come
to a tragic ending for either the humans or bears, or both.
Dave Sholle
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Mr Rodgers Neighborhood
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The clouds built as we hiked from Clover Meadow, and the
temperature dropped sharply around the McClure Lake junction.
We donned rain gear and headed for Isberg Pass anyway. I threw
in my trailhead tarp at the last minute, and wound up using it as
both a poncho (over me and my pack) and rain fly (over my bivy
bag). This was rain, not sprinkles! It lasted about 8 hours, until
well after dark, with no complete breaks but also no thunder.
Day 2 dawned mostly cloudy, but we started for Forester around
7:30 anyway. For a time it was sunlit dewey perfection (Erik
waxed poetic about pixies gamboling amongst the flowers and
trees), but as we neared the peak the clouds came and the
temperature dropped again. The chute we chose was somewhat
loose, and in the middle of a discussion about what to do if a rock
slips the whole area around me moved... these were apparently
stable rocks of 2 or 3 food diameters, but a couple of them went
over the edge and broke up while I scrambled to stay on top and
Mike scrambled out of the way.
We placed a new register and cannister on Foerster, then darted
off to beat the weather. At the base of the chute, I signed off the
SPS trip and headed north for Electra and Rodgers while the
others headed back to camp. I think they made it before the rain
hit. I went over the west shoulder of Foerster and down a boulder
field into the Lyell Fork drainage, stopping at the 10000' lake due
north of Foerster for a short nap in the sun. I awoke to raindrops
and spent the next hour huddled under my tarp wondering if I
should abort the trip. It rained about 15 minutes out of every hour
the rest of the day, while I made my way up the drainage to the
west face of Electra. The rock here is completely different than
the Yosemite slabs/tundra where the pixies play: it's sharp dark
slate that looks like the Chugach range where I grew up.
I camped at the 11000' lake NW of Electra, watching the peaks
play hide and seek in the cotton candy clouds. The clouds won,
and fog smothered the sound of my little stream just as it got
dark. Dew ruled the night, but the clouds cleared a few hours
before dawn. The morning of Day 3 I was walking as soon as I
could see, lugging my pack up to the ridge just north of Electra
(which is not in the guide books, but is a 12000' class 2 pass
between the Lyell Fork of the Merced and the North Fork of the
San Joaquin). From here it was a quick scramble to the summit of
Electra, topping out at 7:30 am just as the sun was losing its
battle with the clouds. There is a register box, but no register!
Dropping into the NE cirque from Electra, I traversed to the SE
face of Rodgers but didn't like the snow and loose steep rock
above them. Being alone and with monsoon clouds above me, I
took a defensive route down to the drainage east of Rodgers with
my full pack, then climbed the north side of the east ridge. Back
at my pack, and with improving weather, I headed to the 10200'
lakes SW of Davis. Could I get all three today? It was 2pm and I
was less than a mile and only 2000' from the summit. Time to eat
and scope out the route, but the now-familiar cold wind hit the
back of my neck and curtains of rain pulled across the valley
behind me. I ran. Actually I hiked on down to Hemlock Crossing
in heavy bugs just as it got dark. This place has one of the most
amazing (short) waterfall and diving pools in the Sierra.
Overnight a crazy plan formed: I would try dayhiking Iron Mtn
from Hemlock Crossing instead of just hiking out. Leaving at first
light on Day 4, I followed the trail across Iron Creek toward
Corral Meadow but cut off at the second high point (about 8300')
where I could head due east and bypass the west shoulder of Iron,
which turned out to be a GREAT route, with open walking and
occasional water. Be sure to stay on the vague ridge NORTH of
Naked Lady Meadow for the easiest walking. I went past Straube
Lk and back onto the trail just south of Alstot Lk.
>From Alstot the 15' map shows a trail heading up the south face
of Iron, ending east of the peak. Imagine my surprise when I
found the trail went all the way to a saddle! Imagine my
FURTHER surprise when I found the trail went west of the peak,
leaving me with close to a mile of ridgeline to run. It's not good
footing after the saddle, but a good trail goes right over the saddle
to a lake on the north side of the ridge. On the ridge I found a
mine shaft which has been filled in but would serve as a great
bivy site for 3 or 4 people.
On the summit of Iron Mtn around noon, the clouds headed my
way and I headed back to Alstot Lake by dropping directly south
of the summit. Much easier walking! It was raining by 4pm, but I
sat it out under a tree and still made it back to Hemlock around
6pm. The clouds did not clear, and I could see distant lightning
starting, so I packed up after dinner and headed for the car at
8pm. It didn't rain again until almost 9pm, but then it was
continuous thunder and occasional showers all the way to the car
at 2am (25 miles and over 6000' of gain for the day), continuing
until I drove to lower elevation by around 4am.
The last 2 hours of hiking were biblical. Thunder and lightning,
periods of cold wind interspersed with warm calm and the
occasional shaft of moonlight poking through. Near the end it
wasn't a shower, it wasn't driving rain like we had at Isberg Pass,
it was time to build an ark - this was God's Vengeance On Man,
and I alone was the target. I could not see the trail because there
was so much rain that my headlamp glared back at me like high
beams in the fog. I sat under a tree, which worked for about 2
minutes until the branches were saturated. I sat under my tarp
under a tree, which worked for about 10 minutes until the ground
became saturated. I put on a sweater and gritted my teeth, falling
asleep under the tarp only to wake when the noise abated half an
hour later. I finished the hike in what would normally be
considered hard rain, and drove to Oakhurst in fog and rain for
breakfast. Four peaks in four days, with many incredibly varied
drainages, and weather from dozing in the sun by a tarn to dozing
in the rain under a tarp - tramping describes the trip better than
climbing, but mountaineering is about overcoming obstacles
(even the weather).
Steve Eckert
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THE BACK PAGE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scree is the monthly journal of the Peak Climbing Section
of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter.
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/lomaprieta/pcs/
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Elected Officials
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Chair:
Roger Crawley /rcrawl@earthlink.net
650-321-8602 home
761 Nash Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Vice Chair and Trip Scheduler:
Arun Mahajan / arun@tollbridgetech.com
650 327-8598 home
1745 Alma Street, Palo Alto, Ca 94301.
Treasurer and Membership Roster (address changes):
Nancy Fitzsimmons/Nancy_Fitzsimmons@BayNetworks.com
408-957-9683 home
1025 Abbott Avenue, Milpitas, CA 95035
Appointed Positions
Scree Editor:
Bob Bynum / rfbynum@aol.com
510-659-1413 home
761 Towhee Court, Fremont CA 94539-7421
PCS World Wide Web Publisher:
Aaron Schuman / aaron_schuman@yahoo.com
650-943-7532 http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/lomaprieta/pcs/
223 Horizon Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043-4718
Publicity Chair
Steve Eckert list_owner@juno.com 650-508-0500
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Subscriptions and Email List Info
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Hard copy subscriptions are $10. Subscription applications and checks
payable to "PCS" should be mailed to the Treasurer so they arrive before
the last Tuesday of the expiration month. If you are on the PCS email
list (discussion version or lower-volume news version), you have a free
EScree subscription. For broadcast info, send Email to
with the one-line message
INFO lomap-peak-climbing
or contact a human at . EScree subscribers
should send a subscription form to the Treasurer to become voting PCS
members at no charge. All subscribers are requested to send a donation
of $2/year to cover operating expenses other than printing the Scree.
The Scree is on the PCS web site (as both plain text and Adobe
Acrobat/PDF at:
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Rock Climbing Classifications
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The following trip classifications are to assist you in choosing trips for
which you are qualified. No simple rating system can anticipate all
possible conditions.
Class 1: Walking on a trail.
Class 2: Walking cross-country, using hands for balance.
Class 3: Requires use of hands for climbing, rope may be used.
Class 4: Requires rope belays.
Class 5: Technical rock climbing.
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Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 10/25/98.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe