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Scree for September, 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.
September, 1998 Vol. 32, No. 9
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 9/27/98.
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Next general meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, September 8, 1998
Time: 8:00 PM
Program: Trekking In Peru
The program will be presented by Charles
Schafer. Trekking in the Corderilla Blanca in
Peru including the Inca Trail and Machu
Picchu.
Location: Western Mountaineering
((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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Carpool Point Alert!
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At two of our commonly used carpool points, Livermore
Airport and Murray Avenue in Gilroy, there are some
issues that need to be addressed. At Livermore Airport
you need to go into the office and get a permit indicating
how long you will be there.
At Murrey Avenue in Gilroy, there was vandalism of a PCS'rs
car on a recent trip. We should not use this point anymore.
Aaron Schuman is
compiling information on carpool points for the PCS
website. We want places that are legal, lighted and safe,
where you have had good experiences:
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/lomaprieta/pcs/Carpool/
-- Bob Bynum, Scree Editor
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Fall/Winter Trip Planning Meeting
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Date: Tuesday, September 22, 1998
Time: 7:30 PM
Purpose: To plan and schedule climbing trips for
fall and winter 1998
Place: Home of Arun Mahajan
1745 Alma Street, Palo Alto, Ca 94301.
Phone: 650-327-8598
Directions: Coming from 280, take the Page Mill exit,
east bound and once you pass thru El Camino, take the
ramp for Alma (North) which is a sharp right turn.
Coming from 101, take Oregon Expressway and head
west. A few lights later (you have to cross Middlefield) is
the sharp right turn for Alma Street. As you get to Alma,
take a right turn to go north. Once on Alma (north), drive
for a few blocks. On your left will be the train tracks. My
townhouse is in a brown shingled four-plex with a gray
roof, between Tennyson and Lowell. Off street parking on
either Tennyson or Lowell.
It is hard to believe, but fall and then winter will be upon
us soon and it is time to plan for trips for these seasons
as well. To those (like me) who feel cheated of their
climbing in this year's all-too-short-summer, never fear,
to paraphrase the poet Shelly PB, who knew a thing or
two about the seasons, if winter comes, can spring be far
behind?
This is the meeting where trip leaders and prospective
trip leaders gather to propose and schedule climbing trips
for fall and winter 1998. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Bring your trip ideas, trip proposals, and any maps and
guidebooks that would be useful. Hope to see you there!
-- Arun Mahajan (arun@tollbridgetech.com)
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Avalanche On Mt Dana!
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There was an avalanche July 3 on the east face of Mt. Dana. I
don't have the full story, but apparently several skiers were
seriously injured, requiring a helicopter rescue. Some friends and I
saw the accident site July 4 when we were skiing up Glacier
Canyon to the Dana couloir. The winter storms built huge
overhanging cornices on the east face of Dana and one section had
collapsed, nailing the skiers on the snow slope below. My rough
estimate of the slide: about 1000 feet and about 200 feet wide at
the toe, with lots of chunks of ice embedded in the debris. Judging
from the number of ski tracks we saw, people like to stay high on
this slope to speed up access to/exit from the couloir. We traversed
much lower, near the lake, which seemed to be beyond the runout
zone. Even at that distance, we could see several skis planted
vertically in the debris. Apparently there had been no time!
-- Butch Suits
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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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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.
*** Florence Peak
Peaks: Florence Peak (12,432'), Class 2
Vandever Mountain (11,947'), Class 1
Dates: Sept 4-6th, Fri-Sun (3 days)
Map: Mineral King USGS 7.5 min
Leaders: Debbie Benham H 650-964-0558 (until 9 PM)
dmbenham@aol.com
Judith Dean H 650-854-9288 (until 9 PM)
judith.dean@forsythe.stanford.edu
Join us for a lovely Labor Day stretch in beautiful Sequoia
National Park! We'll hike into Franklin Lakes our first day, then
climb two, very easy, non-technical peaks Saturday, then hike
out and home on Sunday. Especially invited are those new to
peak bagging with a bit of backpacking experience.
*** McDuffie, Black Giant, & Charybdis
Peaks: McDuffie, Black Giant, & Charybdis (Class 3)
Dates: September 4 thru 7, Fri thru Mon
Maps: North Palisade, Mt. Thompson, Mt. Goddard 7.5'
Leader: Charles Schafer (408) 324-6003 (w)
charles.schafer@octel.com
If you've ever climbed to the top of Bishop Pass, looked off into
the interior of the Sierra, and thought that those magnificent
peaks on the horizon looked awfully appealing; then this trip is
for you. Secor says the three peaks are easily day hiked from
Helen Lake (at Muir Pass), so I want to give them a try from just
west of Black Giant. We will hike in over Bishop Pass on Friday
and set up camp near Black Giant. Saturday we will climb the
three peaks (or just two, if that's all we can do). Sunday we will
either climb McDuffie (if we didn't get it on Sat.) or go for
something else in the neighborhood. Monday we will hike out.
This should be a lot of fun, but it is a pretty ambitious trip so we
are looking for experienced class 3 climbers to join us.
*** Tuolomne Family Car Camp III
Peaks: Warren, Gibbs; class 1
Dates: Sep 12-13 Sat-Sun
Maps: Mono Craters 15 min.
Leaders: Cecil Ann H 408-358-1168
cecilann@earthlink.net
Aaron Schuman H 650-968-9184
W 650-943-7532
aaron_schuman@yahoo.com
Details: http://sj.znet.com/~cynthiam/warren.html
Bring your grandparents and your grandchildren to enjoy the
pine air and cathedral views of Yosemite's Tuolomne Meadows.
Hearty adults and teens will enjoy the two day hikes, to Mt
Warren (8 miles, from 9000 to 12327 feet) and Mt Gibbs (12
miles, up from 9600 to 12773 feet). The Tuolomne Family Car
Camp, now in its third year, has become a real PCS tradition!
Contact Cecil Ann, not Aaron, to reserve a spot at our group
campsite.
*** Arrow Peak & Ruskin
Peaks: Arrow Peak, Mt. Ruskin, and more if time permits, (Class 3)
Dates: September 18 thru 21, Fri thru Mon
Maps: Mt. Pinchot & Marion Peak 7.5'
Leader: Charles Schafer, (408) 324-6003 (w)
charles.schafer@octel.com
This trip is to an area which is not as often visited as some
other Sierra locations, but not for lack of beauty or interesting
mountains to climb. We will hike in over Taboose Pass on
Friday and set up camp near the headwaters of the South Fork
of the Kings River. Saturday we will climb Ruskin and perhaps
try a traverse over to Marion if it doesn't look to be too much of
a killer. Sunday we will attack Arrow via a classic 3rd class
route, and then possibly cross over to Pyramid if time permits.
Monday we hike out.
Neither of the variations are required, and may not even be
attempted. But either way this should be a great trip. It is a
pretty ambitious undertaking, though, so we are looking for
experienced class 3 climbers to come along. By the way, if this
looks familiar it is a repeat listing of a trip listed earlier in the
year which didn't happen.
*** Izaak Walton
Peak: Izaak Walton 12099', Class 3
Dates: September 18-20, Fri thru Sun
Leader: Peter Maxwell (408) 737 9770
The intent of this trip is to have a good time exploring the Silver
Divide area. We start by taking a ferry boat across Lake
Thomas Edison (costs around $10), then hike up towards
Bighorn Lake, 3200' higher up. We may camp before that, at
Mott Lake, or we may go beyond, depending on how time
goes. At some stage we'll cross the Silver Divide at Rohn Pass
(11240') and then climb the peak via the class 3 northeast ridge.
The third day is the hike out and catch the boat back.
*** A Climbing Marathon? Not
Peaks: Dragon Peak 12,927+, 3; Rixford, Mt 12,887, 2;
Bago, Mt 11,870, 1; maybe Gould, Mt 13,005, 1s3
Dates: Sept. 19-20 (Saturday-Sunday)
Maps: Mt Pinchot
Leader: Bob Suzuki, 408-259-0772, bobszk@bigfoot.com
Co-Leader: Ron Karpel 510-771-3231 ronny@luxsonor.com
Web page: http://home.earthlink.net/~karpel/Dragon.html
Four peaks in 1 weekend? This could have been another one
of those Suzuki-Karpel climbing marathons, but I hope not.
Starting at Onion Valley, Kearsarge Pass is a short distance,
and Gould and Dragon are close by. Rixford is connected to
them with a high plateau. So it looks reasonable to climb these
peaks in 1 day. And even if we delay climbing Rixford for early
Sunday, Bago being lower and class 1 should not be too
difficult. Since Bob already climbed Gould, it will be up to the
rest of us and depending on how quickly we get there if we
climb Gould. Climbing Gould would add about 300 ft elevation
to the first day climb.
*** Navigation Trip and Peak Climb
Peaks: Mt Mendenhall 12277', maybe Bloody Mountain 12544', class 2-3
Dates: Sep 19-20 Sat-Sun
Maps: Bloody Mtn and Convict Lake 7.5 min
Leader: Kelly Maas H(408) 279-2054, W(408) 944-2078, maas@idt.com
This trip is planned as a follow-on to the navigation class, with
lots of navigation practice and a bit of peak climbing too. We'll
travel from Mammoth Lakes to Convict Lake following some
trails, but also with plenty of off-trail travel. Participants should
be comfortable traversing hard class 2 terrain with a pack on,
and I can't rule out the possibility of a little bit of class 3. This
means that light packs will be required. We'll probably climb
some unnamed peaks and perhaps even Bloody Mountain, but
the emphasis will be on navigation practice. Everyone is
expected to bring compass and maps.
*** 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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Seven Gables (13,075)
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August 7-9
Six of us - Charles Schafer (leader), Jim Ramaker, Landa
Robilliard, Kelly Maas, Andy Skumanich, and Roger Crawley
enjoyed perfect weather, a plethora of wild flowers, lovely Sierra
lakes and meadows, and a great mountain climb over three days
Aug.7-9. We met at the Ranger Station on the road in to Florence
Lake, secured a permit, and boarded the 8:30 am ferry to cross the
lake. It was hot and there was a plethora of mosquitoes on the
trail to Sally Keyes Lakes and Selden Pass. Seven Gables is only
about one mile from the pass. At 5 o'clock we made camp at on
the east side of one of the Marie Lakes. In the morning we went
around the shoulder of a ridge and dropped a little to Sand Piper
Lake and the base of our mountain. There's a short, steep section
up through some bushes and ledges and then about 400 yards of
open sandy and rocky terrain to the saddle on the east rim. We
made our way over boulders up to a ridge near the summit. We got
out our ice axes for a short crossing of steep, hard snow and
scrambled up easy rocks to the top. Views were the normal
outstanding with very clear air and no clouds. Charles started
down to try and find a route with a third class chimney and some
ledges over to a pass to the south and thence over to Gemini
(12,866). It didn't look like much fun and when we considered
how long it would take, one by one, the rest of us became
mutinous. Charles finally let us have our way. But he groused.
That's a fact. On the way down we all tried to ski and glissade
down the snowfield. On the way back there was ample time and
in the warm sunshine we flattened ourselves on some granite and
dozed and gazed at the shimmering lakes. Next morning we
headed down and cooled ourselves in Florence Lake while waiting
for the ferry.
-- Roger Crawley
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Clyde Minaret
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*** Short Report (i.e. useful info if you plan a trip there):
Topo: Devils Postpile (15 minute)
Trailhead: Minaret Lake, leaving from Devil's Postpile. The
bridge washed out in January 1997 is still not replaced. Either go
0.9 miles south to Red Meadows where there is a bridge, or wade
the San Joaquin River, which was running very high.
Time of Year: end of July in El Nino year (98).
Conditions: mostly snow free to Minaret Lake, large amount of
snow to Cecile Lake.
Length: 2 1/2 days with 12 hour summit day.
Elevation: 12281' Clyde Minaret summit, trailhead, 7600'.
Equipment: crampons, ice-axe, one rope, slings, very small rack.
Summary: camped at Minaret Lake (9850') because it was free of
snow, summitted from there.
Summit Route: Starr's Route. Up the drainage to Cecile Lake,
climb the red rock to the ledge running across the northeast face,
climb 45 degree snow field to rightmost chute, climb chute to
ridge, follow ridge to summit. 5 hours up, 6 hours down due to
slow downclimbing required.
Comments: Rated as class 4 but everyone thought it was solid
class 3 and a rope really wasn't necessary, but it was good to have it
anyway. A belay at the top of the chute while descending might be
appreciated by some. Crampons and ice axe indispensable. Much
loose rock was encountered.
*** Long report:
According to Webster's: minaret: a slender lofty tower attached
to a mosque and surrounded by one or more projecting balconies
from which the summons to prayer is cried by the muezzin
Five of us responded to the "summons of Clyde" on July 31 and
August 1,2, and set forth to climb this lofty tower. The group
consisted of John & Chris Kerr, Charles Schafer, Conor Rafferty
and Peter Maxwell. Both Conor and I had attempted this peak
last year and failed due to inadequate equipment (no crampons or
ice axes). Another necessary addition to Secor's description: he
makes no mention of having to ascend a 45 degree snow slope just
to get to the start of the rock portion of the climb, if one starts
from the area of red rock in the cirque above Cecile Lake. The
convenient ledge running across the northeast face is cut by this
snow slope, which perhaps melts out much later in the season, but
if it's there, the only way to avoid it is to take either the Rock
Route or the Glacier Route, starting from the north side of the
lake.
This time we weren't going to make the same mistake so made sure
we were properly equipped. Conor, who lives in New Jersey and
keeps up his skills by scaling 5.8 fences, was out here on a climbing
vacation and turned up in a rental car with a model name of
"Achieva" - how could we go wrong with such a good omen?
Unlike many people who climb in the Minarets, we started from
Devils Postpile rather than Agnew Meadows, heading towards
Minaret Lake. The first thing we had to achieve was to get to the
other side of the San Joaquin River. The bridge near Devils
Postpile that got washed out in the 1997 floods was still out (your
tax dollars not at work) and the river was running much higher
than last year, making wading it a dicey proposition. Conor tried
at one point where it looked shallow but almost got swept off his
feet, without being encumbered with a backpack, so we decided to
walk the 0.9 miles south to Red Meadows where there is a bridge.
The trail to Minaret Lake is beautiful and highly recommended.
The cascades of Minaret Falls made a delightful lunch backdrop.
An earlier start would have put us beyond this, but all the messing
around with the attempted river crossing, plus the extra 1.8 miles,
plus our leisurely 9:15 am initial departure meant we didn't get all
that far by lunch time. We got to Minaret Lake by mid-afternoon
and decided to stay there, rather than push on to Cecile Lake,
which is 600' higher up and guaranteed to be surrounded by snow.
There were also very ominous clouds building all around us and
that, coupled with the much lower than average temperatures put
us off the snow camping concept.
We had plenty of time to make cups of tea and prepare dinner.
John gave us several different versions of "a study in rocky repose ",
each involving sprawling out on the rocks in a position of total
relaxation. The cool temperature and the wind kept the
mosquitoes at bay and we weren't bothered by them at all.
In deciding what time to get up the next morning, Chris was
insistent that she had almost never known any group to get their
act together and leave within 90 minutes of waking up. We were
no exception to this rule so after a 5:30 wake up we were on the
way around 7:00. Camping at Minaret Lake meant extra time was
involved. It took around 45 minutes to get to Cecile Lake, more
or less following the drainage up, and discovering a nice ledge
system to go up the final headwall. As anticipated, the lake was
still largely frozen over and surrounded by snow, much as it was a
month earlier the previous year. The ranger had told us everything
was about a month late this year, and this was an accurate
description of everything we found.
We encountered the first of what was to be a fair amount of loose
rock throughout the climb while scrambling up the red rock to get
to the ledge across the face. Even though we took a lot of care
everyone sent pieces down as unwelcome presents to those below
them. Chris dislodged a very large rock which hit her foot as it
fell. Luckily nothing was damaged but it left sobering thoughts
with us. We weren't on the ledge for long before we encountered
the snow slope. Our route was Starr's Route, and we had to
determine exactly which couloir to aim for. The best thing is to
ignore counting chutes, as there are more than the three
mentioned, and simply head for the rightmost, before the obvious
arrete which separates this from the Rock Route. From where we
were this involved climbing up and diagonally to the right on the
snow.
Once off the snow we dumped our crampons and ice axes - no
point in lugging these to the top - thereby eliminating any chance
of returning via the Rock Route should we have wished to do so.
The climbing was solid class 3, with the chute narrowing until it
was almost a chimney just before cresting onto the ridge at the top
of the gendarme separating this from the Rock Route. Although
very steep, handholds were good, and the only problem was that
we had to be constantly careful of loose rock, carefully testing
before putting any weight on anything. We noticed a few slings on
the way up so figured some people considered rope necessary.
Very close to the summit we encountered the "short class 4 move"
described in Secor, which involved a vertical wall of about 10'.
However, nobody thought this was class 4, since there's no significant
exposure and plenty of holds. From here it was 5 minutes to the
summit, which was attained at noon - 5 hours for the climb. It was
warm and there was not a breath of
wind, and very difficult not to resist the temptation to spend the whole
afternoon up there. John took the opportunity to give us yet another
demonstration of his "power lounging" technique while I marveled at
the steep, craggy nature of the rocks and peaks around us.
Going back down was slow progress as everything was sufficiently
steep that downclimbing was necessary. On several occasions
Charles piped up with "Did I tell you I hate downclimbing?".
Progress was sufficiently slow that at the top of the main chute,
where it was the narrowest and steepest, we figured rappelling
down might be faster. This one section was much more potentially
class 4 than the wall at the top and some people would appreciate
a belay here. As I was putting my camera on a convenient rock my
pack took on a life of its own and decided to start tumbling down
the chute with my rappel device inside! By a stroke of luck it
wedged itself just about at the end of the rope, about 25m down. I
guess I could have borrowed someone else's rappel device, but to
save time I just used the rope as an aid to speed up the
downclimbing.
After that first rappel we decided we weren't saving any time so
continued unroped downclimbing. The snow had softened up
somewhat by the time we got to it, but it still looked formidable.
We all had to downclimb this also, some using crampons and some
not. Not wanting to return via the red rock route due to the
unstable rock, we went all the way to the bottom of the snow, then
cut northeast across the cliff faces above Cecile Lake until we
could descend by the easy ridge leading to the northwest side of
the lake.
The snow descent had some interesting moments. Chris was
carefully doing a stomach glissade, lying on the ice axe, and was
priding herself at her control when she went right over the edge of
a bergschrund. Luckily it was not very wide at that point or she
would have experienced more than the abrupt stop that happened.
For Conor and myself, it was the "fun run" at the end of the slope
when both of us slipped and slid the last 100' or so trying to self
arrest in snow that was too soft and ending up plowing into the
bushes. Charles saw me coming straight toward him, crampons
first, and fled in panic out of the way.
>From there it was plain sailing back to camp, where we arrived at 7
PM, almost exactly 12 hours after we'd left. This was one of the
rare peaks where coming down took more time than going up: 5
hours up and 6 hours down. As a celebration of our climb, Conor
offered fine brandy. Charles insisted that we hadn't "conquered"
the mountain, but had merely "visited" it. Mosquitoes visited us,
also, as it was warmer and there was less wind, but luckily there
were not hordes of them. Looking back at the peak we realized
that our route was clearly marked by a prominent dark straight line
running up the gully (although this was not evident from close up).
The return to Devil's Postpile took only 3.5 hours. People were
less worried about getting wet so we waded the river rather than
make the detour. Also, we weren't sure if what we'd done had
been dangerous or not, but there were plenty of signs warning us
that wading the river was, so this heightened the sense of
adventure. We found that the best place to cross at the very broad
bend downstream from where the bridge used to be, just before the
river goes into a much narrower canyon. The water depth here
was barely above the calves. Those of us without fancy sandals
plunged in boots and all, not bothering to try to keep them dry.
Conor didn't even bother to empty the water out and I could hear
him squelching during the short walk back to the cars.
-- Peter Maxwell
*** Steve Eckert Adds: Ice Axe Arrest Info
Thanks for sharing this moment of learning! My experience
suggests that a "standard" ice axe pick arrest is non-functional
most of the time in the Sierra Nevada. The soft afternoon corn
snow does not provide enough drag to make the pick effective.
(Those who think it is working are usually doing the work with
their toes.) You need to get the point (end of the shaft) in the
snow with enough leverage to stop yourself. If your wrist loop only
attaches to the head of the axe, it's hard to get enough leverage
without wrenching the axe out of your hands. If your shaft does
not have rubber (or bicycle handlebar tape) on it you cannot hold
on with wool or fleece gloves. With a proper wrist loop, you can
drive the shaft in like a picket and hang off the axe OR you can
face down slope and use it like a canoe paddle to brake. Practice
with runout!
-- Steve Eckert
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Bear Creek Spire, NE Buttress
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August 15, 1998
A web version of this report is at
http://home.earthlink.net/~karpel/BearCreekSpire.html "I feel so
fulfilled, that climbing another mountain tomorrow can only
detract from this weekend's sense of achievement." That is how
Arun express his satisfaction from climbing Bear Creek Spire. He
was not alone. Indeed, we all felt quit satisfied in our achievement
on this terrific mountain.
We left the trailhead at Mosquito Flat at 8 AM that morning,
setup camp at Treasure Lakes, and continued around Dade Lake to
the saddle between BCS and the peaklet on its northeast. This
point is literally the beginning of the Northeast Buttress. By now,
dark clouds gathered around us and it seems as it was raining in
several places. But we were in the dry, so we decided to go ahead
in spite of the weather. The Buttress itself is an enjoyable class-3
climb, and despite its look, the rock was solid for the most part.
At it's upper end, the buttress abuts the east face of BCS, and here
the climb turns to class-4. A couple of pitches got us to the summit
ridge. The ridge started with a delicate move, but quickly eased to
class-3. The exposure on the ridge remained high until we
descended a bit on the west side and merged with the standard
northwest route. One could get here from Cox Col by climbing the
northwest slope. Once on the ridge we were surprised to see the
extend of the storm brewing around us. There were dark clouds
everywhere. It looks like it was raining in several places, and we
felt a drop or two ourselves. Dade and Abbott to the North were
in the clouds, but we were still in the dry, so we press on. From this
point to the summit was another pitch of class-4 a short traverse
and then we stood in front of the final summit bolder. The summit
bolder looks like an oversized refrigerator tilted on its side. The up
most part is really one of the corners. Sitting on top with legs on
either side feels like riding a humongous camel. And the ferocious
wind made it feel as if the camel is swaying trying to kick you off.
Jim hanging on protections to one side belayed the rest of us one at
a time to the top, and back down again. Jim and Bob free climbed
the entire route, while the rest of us used belay as we felt needed. I
was on belay almost the entire time it was offered.
The register is on the ridge below the summit bolder were there
was barely enough room for the 8 of us. The storm was still
brewing around us, and it was getting late, so we quickly returned
to the rappel point and came down the west face. Then we
descended the northwest slope to the top of Cox Col. From the top
of Cox Col to the snow field below was a short section of loose
class-3. And then partly glissading partly heal stamping, we made
it down the snow slope back to our camp by Treasure Lakes. It was
now 8:30 PM, almost completely dark, but the sky was clearing up.
The storm had pass, and we were still dry.
We got up late on Sunday, people were still tired from the long
climb of the day before. The prospect of climbing the loose rock on
Abbott did not look very attractive to anybody. So we took our
time packing and hiking out, and headed home.
Participants: Bob Suzuki (leader), Nancy Fitzsimmons (co-leader),
Arun Mahajan, Dot Reilly, Jim Curl, Linda Smith, Sam Wilkie,
Ron Karpel (scribe).
Special thanks to Jim Curl and Bob Suzuki who expertly and
patiently belayed the rest of us to the summit.
Alternate Route:
It seems to me, and we had a confirmation from a guy we met on
the trail, that it is possible to avoid the ridge traverse. From the
point on the buttress where it meets the face and become class-4,
traverse to the left on many obvious ledges (looks like class 2 from
the top). Then once below the summit, climb directly up 2 class-4
pitches to the summit area. Secor calls this the Northeast Face
Route.
-- Ron Karpel
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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.
*** South of Mono Divide
Peaks: Hooper (12,349'), Senger (12,286'),
Seven Gables (13,075'), Gemini (12,866'); class 1-4
Dates: Sept 4-7, Fri-Mon, 4 days
Maps: Mt. Abbot 15 min.
Contacts: Bob Suzuki, Rich Leiker same info as "Return
to The Palisades"
(7/15-8/5 contact Rich Leiker)
If you can appreciate a typical PCS slog, this maybe the Labor
Day trip for you! Long miles, rock slabs, talus, scree and sand -
this trip should have it all! If you think you can stand the sweat
and the pain, please give us a call.
*** Dana Coulor
Peak: Dana Coulor, Class 3 Snow
Date: September 26, Saturday
Contact: George Van Gordon, after August 20 408-779-2320
*** 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.
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Telescope Peak via Surprise Canyon
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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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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 interested for any of the following.
New Bradley Hut Work Party
Dates: September 12-13, Sat.-Sun.
Dates: September 19-20, Sat.-Sun.
Dates: September 26-27, Sat.-Sun.
Dates: October 3-4, Sat.-Sun.
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.
Peter Grubb Hut Work Party
Dates: September 26-27, Sat.-Sun.
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Great Western Divide Backpack
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August 15-22
Three days into this trip an injury occurred that led to a helicopter
rescue and caused us to exit early. We didn't climb a single peak.
However, I am grateful that we returned safely. The participants
were Ron Perkins, Chris Bidle, and PCS'ers Bill Kirkpatrick and
Roger Crawley. We started from Cedar Grove in Sequoia-Kings
Canyon at about 5 PM on Friday and hiked up the twenty
switchbacks on the Bubbs Creek trail to our camp at Sphinx
Creek. Next day we crossed Bubbs Creek one-half mile below
East Creek and camped at East Lake. It rained in the late
afternoon. We continued up passed Lake Reflection and to the
base of Milly's Foot Pass. Instead of heading for the obvious notch
on the left, I went up the broken ledges above the fan of rocks on
the right that Warren Storkman told me about. It wasn't safe
without a rope so I told the others to go left to the notch. Then I
watched Chris slide down a snowfield; he stopped after 200 feet.
He got up and seemed to be okay and he climbed back up. I
continued on my route, reached the top, and came down the ridge
to the top of the notch where Chris arrived first. Chris showed us
the cut on his leg; it was a deep eight-inch
long gash. We patched him up and went down the Kern side of
Milly's to the first flat area. In the morning the cut was oozing
blood a little and we all agreed that Chris should not move. Bill
and Ron stayed with him while I hiked back down to the Cedar
Grove Ranger Station, arriving at 7 PM. The Rangers could not
have been nicer and after questioning me and conferring with
rangers in other locations by radio they arranged for a helicopter to
evacuate Chris early the next morning. The N.P.S. helicopter
operates out of a heliport near the Ash Mountain Entrance
Station (on the road up to Sequoia NP from Visalia). I drove down
there that night and in the morning talked to the crew before they
took off. In only one hour they returned and delivered Chris! I
drove him to a hospital in Visalia. Now he has a story to tell and
an ugly scar to show. We drove back to Cedar Grove and the next
afternoon we picked up Ron and Bill. When ordering a helicopter
rescue the following points are important: try to get the victim to a
flat landing site; be able to tell the authorities very precisely the
rescue location, i.e., longitude-latitude coordinates; provide a
detailed description of the terrain and land features; provide an
assessment of the condition of the victim and a profile of him -
weight, general health, drug tolerance. Before the helicopter
landed the pilot made a pass and observed the ripples of a nearby
tarn to determine wind strength and direction. The National Park
Service certainly came through for us. The Ranger told me this
was their 55th rescue this summer.
-- Roger Crawley
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Mt Hutchings & Goat Mtn
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August 22-23, 1998
Johnny get your goat. On August 22, 1998, we set out to climb
12207 foot Goat Mountain in Kings Canyon National Park. The
party consisted of Scott Kreider, Jeff West, Gwendal Grignou, Greg
Johnson, and yours truly, trip leader Aaron Schuman.
They are unstoppable. Our plan was to start at 5035 foot Cedar
Grove, camp Saturday at 8600 foot Upper Tent Meadow, and
summit Sunday morning. But since we arrived early at Upper
Tent, I polled the team, and the decision to continue to 10473 foot
Grouse Lake was unanimous and enthusiastic. When we reached
10300 foot Copper-Granite Gap, not far from the lake, I asked if
anybody wanted to make a detour to 10785 foot Mount
Hutchings, and even though we were almost out of water,
everybody wanted to visit the peak.
Hutchings was a short, enjoyable scramble to a high point with a
stunning view into Kings Canyon. The highest rock challenged us
with a six foot nearly vertical face. It was studded with plenty of
half inch deep hand and foot holds, but it threatened us with an
awkward landing if we should fail to grab those rungs securely.
Some members of the group only looked admiringly upon the
summit block, but you should still consider them to be successful
ascenders of the peak.
Since from the summit of Hutchings, we had an unimpeded close-
up view, we scouted the route up Goat Mountain. Everybody took
a turn using the topographic maps and the compass, getting
practice correlating the printed page with the scenery. I decided
that Sunday we would take a route going northeast from Grouse
Lake to the low point on the south flank of Goat Mountain, then
turn north and follow the ridge to the summit.
We descended to Grouse Lake, dined, slept under the starriest sky
that ever hung over the Sierra Nevada, woke up to sleeping bags
covered by frost, and tried out my route up Goat.
And now it is time to play "two truths and a lie." Guess which one
of these three statements is false:
1. We chose the cadillac sized granite blocks of the south flank
over the sandy scree of the west flank because we preferred the
mountaineering challenge.
2. Since Hutchings, the south flank and the summit of Goat are
all in a line, I didn't realize how many gendarmes I had put in our
path.
3. Climbing a false summit or two on the way to the true summit
happens all the time and is no big embarrassment.
The top of Goat Mountain, on a clear morning, offers one of those
unlimited Sierra Nevada vistas that we have all come to love. We
admired Goddard, North and Middle Palisade, Split, Brewer and
Thunder Mountains. We told each other many nearly truthful
stories about our adventures on the peaks that we now saw.
We had spent three hours climbing Goat, but we hurried down in
one hour so that we could temper the midmorning heat with a
plunge in Grouse Lake. To answer your predictable questions:
* Of course it was, it's melted snow.
* None of your business.
* They're still being developed.
Back on the trail to Cedar Grove Road's End, we plummeted into
the canyon at (according to my altimeter) 2300 vertical feet per
hour. The air got denser, hotter and dustier with each step we took.
We could handle the temperature, because we knew we could get
soft-serve ice cream at the soda fountain at Cedar Grove. Much
to our dismay, they no longer serve ice cream! Don't they know
that ice cream is the Eleventh Essential? "If you're really
desperate," the server gloated, "there's ice cream 17 miles up the
road at Kings Canyon Lodge." We *were* desperate, and we were
going that direction anyhow. The Lodge has a grubby hunter's bar,
with unchained growling dogs and moth-gnawed mounted
trophies, but they now possess the ice cream monopoly on upper
highway 180.
Fortified, we drove back home. Scott and I carpooled with Jeff,
picking him up in Gilroy. Back where Jeff's 1971 Pontiac LeMans
was parked, we were irritated to discover that over the weekend, a
thief had removed one hubcap and the lug nuts from one wheel,
but apparently had been frightened off before he could steal the
tire. Jeff couldn't drive home with the wheel all wobbly, and there
is nowhere to buy spare lug nuts at 10:00 PM. A parade of Gilroy
lowlife characters watched as Jeff popped off his other hubcaps,
removed one lug nut from each wheel, and fastened the tire with
the cannibalized lug nuts. With four mostly secured wheels, Jeff
was at last able to drive home. We avidly disrecommend Murray
Avenue in Gilroy as a carpool rendezvous spot.
-- Aaron Schuman
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THE BACK PAGE
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Scree is the monthly journal of the Peak Climbing Section
of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter.
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
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Appointed Positions
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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 9/27/98.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe