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Scree for July, 1999
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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.
July, 1999 Vol. 33 No. 7
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 7/25/99
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This issue of Scree will be on the Official PCS Website at
http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/pcs/scree
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Next general meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Wednesday, July 14
Time: 7:00 PM
Program: BBQ and Swap Meet
Bring your own main course to BBQ and your
own liquid refreshment (alcohol IS allowed) and
a side dish to share for the potluck. A $2.00
donation will cover the picnic area and charcoal.
Bring your summer trip reports and mark your
extra equipment for the swap meet with your
name and a price.
Location: DeAnza Memorial Park, Cupertino
(PDF version has a drawn map here)
Directions: Take 85 to Stevens Creek Blvd.
Turn left. Turn left at Stellling Road. Turn left at
the park entrance. Across from the baseball diamond.
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Attention! Update Draft Wilderness Plan
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Attention all peak climbers! If you are concerned about the future
of peak climbing in the Sierra, read this article carefully!
Last November, I announced in the Scree that the U. S Forest
Service wanted public input on the draft wilderness plan for
Ansel Adams, John Muir, Dinkey Lakes, and Monarch
Wilderness areas. Based on input from over two thousand
letters, the Forest Service will revise the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement instead of finalizing their initial plan. Also
they have been seeking further input at public meetings.
On Tuesday, June 15, Gretchen Luepke and I attended one of
these meetings in Clovis (A three and a half-hour drive near
Fresno) hosted by the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. The
purpose of this meeting was to update interested parties on the
progress of the above mentioned Revised Draft Environmental
Impact Statement. An identical meeting occurred in Bishop two
days later.
Three basic topics were discussed at the meeting:
First there was a project by Dr. Randy Gimblett entitled
"Evaluation of the Spatial Distribution of Recreation in the
John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness Areas."
To help with the plan revision, the Inyo and Sierra National
Forests have hired Dr. Randy Gimblett, of the School of
Renewable Natural Resources of the University of Arizona in
Tucson. Dr Gimblett will develop field methods for capturing
baseline data on the distribution of recreation, through space and
time in the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses. This data
will provide information for the Forest Service to examine
current use patterns and use levels. At the same time, the Forest
Service will be assessing the need for commercial use in these
wilderness areas.
At the meeting, Dr. Gimblett demonstrated the software that he
will use in this project. With computer graphics, he can simulate
in real time the movements of hikers, mountain bikers, and horse
riders along a trail and predict how many encounters will occur
based on the number of permits issued to each of these different
users. Also he can simulate the effects of closing one or more
trails. You can actually watch a map with little red, blue, and
green dots moving along a trail in real time.
Data collection was the second topic discussed. This summer,
the forest service will use a variety of methods to collect data on
wilderness usage. These include wilderness trip reports,
commercial use tally sheets, ranger diaries and reports, and quota
and reservation records.
Commercial services was the third topic discussed. To assess the
need for such services, four questions were asked at the meeting.
We were given work sheets to provide answers.
1) What activities require specialized skills, equipment, or
knowledge to safely and responsibly visit these wildernesses?
2) What activities will be enhanced by outfitters? How & why?
3) What types of commercial activities, services and
opportunities are appropriate in these wildernesses? Where,
when and why?
4) What do you see as the future mix of these activities & why?
Most of the people at the meeting were commercial horse pack
outfitters. I think we were the only backpackers present. I
mentioned to the forest service that it is difficult for people living
in the Bay Area or the Los Angeles Area to attend a weeknight
meeting in Clovis or Bishop. They said that they might schedule
meetings in the Bay Area in the future. I will keep the PCS
posted.
Our input to this process is critical! Please write to the forest
service at the address below and give your input. Give your
answers to the above four questions. Also when you climb this
summer be sure to fill out a Wilderness Trip Report.
Sierra National Forest
1600 Toll House Road
Clovis, CA 93611
Attn: Mike LeFevre
For more detailed in formation go to
http://www.r5.pswfs.gov/inyo/managmnt/wilderness/wpdeis_new
s.html
-- Bob Bynum, Scree Editor
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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,
August 21 and Sunday, August 22 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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Dogs Allowed in Almaden Quicksilver
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The Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department is
opening all trails in Almaden Quicksilver Park to dogs on leash
and most trails to bikes and horses. Volunteers are needed to
survey activities to count users in 1.5 hour shifts, 2 times a day,
twice a week until July 19. After that the survey will be once a
week. Contact the department at 408-358-3742 x131 if you are
interested.
-- Marg Ottenberg
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Airport X-Rays
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Editor's Note: I selected these comments from a thread on the
PCS broadcast list because many of us travel on airplanes with
camera gear and stoves.
-- Bob Bynum, Scree Editor
A friend of mine practically runs the baggage system at Denver
Int. Airport (supposedly the most modern in the US). I asked him
about x-raying luggage and here's what he said:
They do not x-ray ALL luggage. Any thing you carry-on will be
x-rayed by the normal X-ray machines at the security stations. As
far as checked baggage, about half gets sent through a CTX5000.
There are 2 belts. One goes thru the CTX; one doesn't, because
the CTX is too slow to send everything thru.
It is pretty much determined by what position you check in at, as
the belts are just right behind the agent and he just puts it on
whichever belt is directly behind him. The CTX machine will x-
ray them, (twice actually). The CTX machine does a fast pass
that is harmless, however if it finds something of interest it will
do a second high-energy pass on those objects. This has the
added bonus of trashing unprocessed film. So make sure you
carry film on.
-- Scott Burgess
While the x-ray at Denver may be done on less than 100% of the
checked bags, please note that in Frankfurt all bags are x-rayed at
the time you give the bag to the agent just like a carry on. Then
they x-ray the carry on bag at the gate also. This was the drill in
Santiago also but the machine was behind the counter, out of
sight. I guess this is why they ask you to check in so early.
I also had a body search in Frankfurt but they ignored the camera
and batteries in my carry on and did not even look into the bag.
The extra batteries in my checked duffel caused a complete exam
of its contents right there on the floor of the lobby. What a big
deal to repack. Several volunteers helped me get it all back
together, as it was a full duffel with all my climbing stuff. Yes I
made the flight but with small margin.
-- Paul Wilson
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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.
*** Kings Canyon Peakfest
Peaks: State Peak 12,620
Dougherty Peak, 12,244'
Marion Peak, 12,719'
Kennedy Mtn, 11,433'
Dates: July 3 thru July 10
Contact: Debbie Bulger, 831-457-1036, dfbulger@cruzio.com
This week-long backpack will take us on a loop. The peaks are
mostly second class. After ascending from the trailhead in Kings
Canyon, we will proceed north in a counter-clockwise loop, both
on and off trail, climbing as we go. If the terrain cooperates, we will
cross from Volcanic Lakes to E. Kennedy Lake on our way to
Kennedy Mountain.
Hardy, experienced backpackers welcome. Suitable for beginning
climbers who are comfortable backpacking 10-15 miles/day with
4000-5000' elevation gain the first day.
*** Tune My Finger
Peaks: Tunemah Pk (11,894), Finger Pk (12,404)
Dates: July 23-26 Fri-Mon
Leader: Steve Eckert, eckert@climber.org
Co-Leader: Erik Siering
Pack in from Wishon Reservoir through Woodchuck Country to
the Blue Canyon headwaters and bag these two fine (or at least
remote) peaks. Good views of Black Divide and Enchanted Gorge
should make up for the 20-mile pack in and lots of gain on the
trail. Co-listed as an official trip with both the PCS (Loma Prieta
Chapter) and the SPS (Angeles Chapter).
*** Middle Palisade
Peak: Middle Palisade, class 3
Dates: July 3-5 (Sat-Mon)
Map: Split Mt. 7.5 minute
Leader: Kelly Maas, (408) 279-2054 (h) or (408) 330-1717 (w) or maas@idt.com
Co-Leader: wanted
Middle Palisade is one of the Palisades, what more need be said?
Three days allows plenty of time for this outing, which starts at
Glacier Lodge on Big Pine Creek, high above the town of Big Pine.
We will climb the easiest route, which is class 3. It will also
involve traversing some snow on the Middle Palisade Glacier.
Please note that the group size is very limited, so be sure to sign
up early.
*** Mt. Bolton Brown
Peak: Mt. Bolton Brown, Class 2, 13,538'
Dates: August 1-3 (3 days)
Leader: Debbie Benham, h: 650/964-0558 benham4x@aol.com
After reading about Bolton's first ascents, and seeing Lucy
Brown's footpath, my curiosity was peaked. This summit hides
from viewing via Hwy 395 behind the magnificent eastern Sierra
skyline. We'll see! Could be just a pile of old' scree. Trailhead is
Birch Lake, out of McMurphy Meadows, off Glacier Lodge Road.
Permit for 6. $3 covers permit fee
*** Dragon Weekend
Peaks: Dragon Peak (12,955) Class 3 and Kearsarge Peak (12,598) Class 2
Dates: August 7-8 (Sat.-Sun.)
Map: Kearsarge Peak and Mt. Clarence King 7.5'
Leader: Bill Isherwood925-254-0739 (h) 925-423-5058 (w), isherwood2@llnl.gov
We will meet Saturday morning at 9 AM at the trailhead for
Golden Trout Lake on Onion Valley Road out of Independence. A
2000-ft. climb will bring us to a camp near one of the two
unnamed lakes just north of Golden Trout Lake. For the ambitious,
Kearsarge Peak may be climbed Saturday. Sunday, we will climb
Dragon Peak from the col immediately south of the peak. Hike out
Sunday afternoon. Send a $10 deposit (call first) to secure your
spot. Trip limited to 8.
*** Grand Canyon of The Tuolumne
Backpack: Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, Class 1/2,
Yosemite National Park
Dates: August 20-22 (3 days)
Leaders: Debbie Benham, (h) 650/964-0558, email: benham4x@aol.com
Bill Kirkpatrick, (w) 408/279-3450, wmkirk@earthlink.net
Join us for a 'reverse' peak trip through a pristine wilderness
canyon in beautiful Yosemite National Park! We will be out three
days, walking approximately 23 miles total with roughly 4-5000'
elevation loss and gain. We'll start at White Wolf Campground and
finish at Lembert Dome in Tuolumne Meadows, a one-way jaunt
up the canyon. $10 deposit required on sign-up and fully
refundable at the trailhead. Permit for 8. Co-listed with
Backpacking Section/Loma Prieta Chapter.
*** Merced Peak
Peak: Merced Peak, Class 2, 11,726', Yosemite National Park
Dates: August 27-29 (3 days)
Leader(s): Debbie Benham, h: 650/964-0558, benham4x@aol.com
Anouchka Gaillard, h: 408/737-9770, anouchka@cup.hp.com
A long hike in to another classic of the Clark Range set in lovely
Yosemite National Park! Approximately 16 miles (one way) to the
summit with 4,000' gain/loss over three days. We'll climb the
northeast ridge after leaving the Red Peak Pass Trail near Upper
Ottoway Lake. Hearty and fit newcomers are welcome, and must
be able to carry full pack a long way on trail! Deposit of $10
required for signup which is refundable minus $3, charge for
permit. 10 on permit.
*** Mt. Langley
Peak: Mt. Langley (14,042), Class 1
Dates: August 28-29 (Sat.-Sun.)
Maps: Mt. Langley and Cirque Peak 7.5'
Leader: Bill Isherwood, 925-254-0739 (h)
925-423-5058 (w), isherwood2@llnl.gov
This is the southernmost 14,000-foot peak in the High Sierra.
Clarence King and Paul Pinson climbed it in 1871, believing that
they were making the first ascent of Mt. Whitney. They found a
cairn with an arrow on the summit.
We will meet Saturday morning at the Cottonwood Lakes
trailhead (driving instructions from Lone Pine are available) at 10
AM. We will camp at Long Lake (11,135) on Saturday and climb
the South Slope to the summit via the New Army Pass trail on
Sunday. Drive home Sunday night. Join us for a leisurely climb
with time to enjoy the scenery. There is a $10 sign-up fee,
refundable at the trailhead, less the cost of the permit. Send check
to Bill Isherwood, 37 La Encinal, and Orinda, CA 94563. Space is
limited to 8.
*** Mt. Goddard
Peak: Mt Goddard, Class 2, 13,568'
Dates: September 3-6 (4 days)
Leader: Debbie Benham, h: 650/964-0558, benham4x@aol.com
Co-Leader: Nancy Fitzsimmons, h: 408/957-9683, pkclimber@aol.com
*** Yosemite: Petit, Piute, and Volunteer
Peaks: Petit, Piute, and Volunteer Class 2
Dates: Sep 4-6 (Sat-Mon) Labor Day weekend
Leader: Steve Eckert
Co-Leader: Erik Siering
*** Cherry Creek Canyon
Peak: None - Cherry Creek Canyon
Date: October 9-10
Leader: Kai Wiedman (650) 347-5234
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Spanish Needle in the Haystack, April 25, 1999
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The year is 1969. A climber from Ridgecrest teams up with a
group of his friends and they try to climb Spanish Needle. Near
the summit, upon discovering the need for a rope and having
none, he passes up on the summit attempt. Since that abortive
attempt, he has always wanted to bag this peak.
It is the 25th of April, 1999 and thirty years have gone by. The
same climber from Ridgecrest teams up with a different group of
friends to try his luck on the Spanish Needle once again.
This climber is Don Peterson and this group of friends includes
Dee Booth, Scott Tillman and Arun Mahajan.
They ride in Don's 4WD on the jeep road that starts a few yards
PRIOR to coming to the fork on the Canebrake Road whose left
arm leads on to the Long Valley. After 1.8 miles, the jeep road is
blocked off and they start walking on it as it gets faint in spots
and eventually ends and there is a faint trail that starts to their
right at this point which climbs steeply and soon drops them onto
the PCT. They take a left (north) on the PCT and within half a
mile are at a broad open saddle.
Faithfully following the description from Jenkins's excellent book
and the couple of trip reports and trusting their compass skills
they drop down on the east of the saddle and traverse south
across the slopes strewn with loose boulders. This section is
rather tedious as they head towards the most prominent of the
summits that they see to their right. They climb up the slopes to
top out on the crest. They head towards the highest point by going
up and then down over a series of humps. They find this to be
easy class-3 and there is no snow.
Finally, they face the summit hump. On their left is the exposed
slab mentioned in Jenkins. Scott traverses a snowfield and then
climbs a few blocky ledges to the exposed slab. It is low angle
but severely exposed and there is some snow on it and the snow
melt has made it slick. He is concerned about the downclimbing
on this slab. While he is on it, the others try out the narrow gully
to the right of the slab. It seems to be class-4 at least but the rock
is solid and there is lesser exposure so they all climb this gully
instead. Everybody is comfortable in climbing this unroped, and
then, from the top of this gully they traverse right and then up
over a friction slab and then over and around some large boulders
to the summit.
It has taken them 5 hours. They gaze over to the high Sierra to
the north and the surprisingly snow covered Telescope Peak to
their east.
The gully looks hard to down climb. Don has brought along a
7mm rope and Scott, who is an experienced rock climber, shows
everybody the dulfersitz (ouch) and they rappel down thusly. The
subsequent traverse back to the saddle seems to be more tedious
than before, perhaps everybody is a little worn out. But even this
is over and after 2.5 hours of having left the summit, they are
back at the saddle and about an hour and half later, they are at the
cars.
To the others it is yet another peak attained, but to Don, it is the
fulfillment of a tryst made thirty years ago with the Spanish
Needle and now, when he sees it from Ridgecrest, he will have
no regrets.
-- Arun Mahajan
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As the Clouds Roll in Mount Silliman
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May 1-2 1999, Web version of this report is at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~karpel/Silliman_99.html
We were supposed to climb Mt. Shasta that weekend, but got an
unfavorable weather forecast, so we decided to climb Mt.
Silliman instead. We thought Shasta, Silliman, what's the
difference?
Reading through the many trip reports for Silliman and talking to
people about it, it becomes clear that Silliman is not as easy as
one would expect. Although, the statistics of 4,500 ft. and 10
mile round trip imply a relatively easy mountain that could be
climbed as a day hike, in winter or early spring things can be quit
different. The rout is covered with snow that makes progress
difficult. Worst, the weather pattern seem to be clear in the
morning, but getting cloudy and stormy in the afternoon. Many
trips to Silliman end with a statement such as: "We made it about
80% of the way to the summit, but alas we did not beat the
clouds closing in on an otherwise perfect weather morning."
(Rich Calliger)
Our plan was to make this into a 2-day trip, and attempt the
summit early on Sunday before the clouds have a chance to play
their dirty trick. We started Saturday morning under bright blue
sky on the Twins Lake trail. The trail was free of snow until it
bends north at the end of the long assent. From there it was
mostly firm snow 2-4 feet deep. The trail was marked by an
indentation in the snow, but we managed to loose it at one of the
creek crossing. We left the main trail at Silliman Creek and
followed the drainage high on the right bank. The use trail was
not visible as was the main trail to Twin Lakes, and snowshoes
were needed to avoid post holing. We setup camp in a nice flat
area on the north side of the creek just after it makes the sharp
bend to the east.
The bright blue sky that greeted us when we started the hike
quickly turned into a complete overcast. By 10 AM the clouds
hovered at around 8,500 ft and would have made summiting
impossible. This served as a warning for the following day, the
summit day.
We finally got rolling at 6:30 on Sunday. The clouds were
already forming on the west. We started climbing the steep
slopes of the canyon heading to Silliman Lake, and so were the
clouds. It was a race against the clouds, so we allow ourselves
only short breaks as we were climbing. After staying on the
right, we crossed the creek on broad snow bridges well below the
lake and continued on the left were there was an open couloir
about 25% which made the climbing reasonable.
Once we reached the top of the couloir we could see the summit
and continued on the left side of the bowl towards the tree area,
which covers the southwest slopes of Silliman. We reached the
summit a little after 9:00. The clouds, having lost the race, were
getting closer by the minutes. We can see them as a wall rolling
towards us. There was not much time for celebration. We took a
few photos, signed the register, and headed down. By 9:45 the
clouds reached the summit, and a few minutes later the summit
was out of view.
A series of long glissades got us back to camp in about an hour,
and we took our time heading out. I got back home by 9:00 PM,
not a common thing on PCS trips.
Participants: Ahmad Zandi, Nancy Fitzsimmons, Scott Kreider,
Stephan Meier, Stephane and Kirsten Mouradian, Ted Raczek,
and scribe Ron Karpel.
-- Ron Karpel
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Tower Peak on Skis, May 15-17, 1999
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The bear went over the mountain. By doing this, he showed us an
excellent ski slope. His tracks were a pleasure to find; not so the
snowmobile tracks we discovered in the same area, crossing from
Hoover Wilderness into Yosemite National Park. But why were
tracking wildlife along Yosemite's remote northern border?
It was mostly because of the way Tower Peak forms a striking
profile from Highway 108. Many times while driving past Leavitt
Meadows I had risked ending up in a ditch to get a good look at
this mountain--distant, yet perfectly framed at the end of the
Meadows, isolated and symmetrical -the only Crest peak visible
from that viewpoint.
On a sunny Saturday Lin Murphy, John Langbein and I set off
from Twin Lakes up Robinson Creek, skies on our backpacks for
the first four miles. (At the trailhead, we had bumped into Jim
Curl and some other Sierra Club climbers who were going up to
climb the Doodad.) We passed Little Slide Canyon; its snowy
slopes and jagged granite pinnacles said "come ski, come climb,"
but that was not the way to Tower Peak. We took the last turn in
the valley up past Barney Lake instead. Before heading up I
scoped out the high pass at the west end of Robinson valley. It
had what looked like skiable snow: perhaps it would provide an
interesting shortcut on our return trip (Oh, what fools these
mortals be).
We hit snow at about 8,000 feet but had to take our skis off again
to get around the lake, which was beginning to thaw. At the head
of the canyon, Crown Point, broad and majestic, dominated the
view. The scenery was already grand; would Tower Peak be
worth the extra miles? We passed a collection of backpacks
beyond the lake. The owners were apparently out on a day trip.
Despite the mid-day sun, the temperature was surprisingly chilly,
and the snow was firm underneath, remaining frozen in shaded
areas.
We skied up a narrow side canyon for a few miles. Abruptly it
opened out into to the broad frozen expanse of Peeler Lake. Here
at 9600 feet we traveled back in time to mid-winter: arctic blasts
of wind encouraged us to keep moving after we fetched water
from a pool at the outlet. We traversed the immaculately white
Kerrick Meadow, then slogged up our final pass in late afternoon,
fatigue gnawing at our limbs. A cold wind blew at the top.
It was not a pleasant place to camp, so we skied down into the
lovely valley at the base of Hawksbeak Peak. A strange melted
out track went straight up a nearby slope. Snowmobiles? In
Yosemite National Park?
The evening was a cold but windless. John's sweet-and-sour
chicken and rice fortified us for the night. To pass the time, Lin
and I discussed Wagner's Ring operas, which we are attending
later this year. John endured this highbrow chatter stoically.
The next morning we slept in. It seemed to be a silent,
consensual conspiracy among the three of us. My rationalization
was that our bodies needed the extra hours after the long day of
skiing--besides, we were within 4 miles of Tower.
When the sun hit the tent we finally stirred. Despite our late
start, I nursed grandiose schemes of both climbing Tower and
skiing all the way around it. We crossed a gentle pass south of
Hawksbeak Peak into the Walker River drainage, skirting the
north side of the Sierra Crest. Happily, the cold weather had
given way to a mild spring day. As we descended, the soaring
granite buttresses of Hawksbeak made us feel like Lilliputians.
More curving tracks in the valley confirmed that snowmobile
yahoos had been violating the wilderness.
Ahead, Tower Peak swung into view. We were pleased to see that
a series of snow bowls would allow us to ski to the base of the
steep granite for which it is named. En route to these bowls we
crossed bear tracks descending in lazy arcs from the Sierra crest.
This mountaineer had built-in crampons but I don't think he
(she?) needed them. He had been smart enough to descend the
slope when the snow was soft, plunge-stepping on all fours.
At the steepest part of our ascent we had to sidestep carefully to
get our skins to grip. At last we pulled up onto the northwest
ridge, with views down into Mary Lake and north to the distant
green-brown swath of Leavitt Meadows. The ridge was gentle
enough to ski up, but the snow was rock hard.
Ahead we saw the cleft in Tower's armor: a steep, recessed
snow gully pocked with outcrops. If that snow were also rock
hard, we would be in trouble, for we did not have crampons (or
sharp claws). At least one member of our party expressed
pessimism. I wanted a closer look. "Horsewhipped up another
peak by Butch," was the tongue-in-cheek response.
The rocky intervening ridge was a fun scramble. Inevitably,
though we had to test the 40-degree snow in the gully. No
problem--it was easy to kick steps in it, and the occasional
outcrops also afforded good hand and footholds. Soon we were
clambering up an airy tilted slab to the summit rocks. To the east,
steep rock fell away to lower crags. To the south, long snow-
covered canyons stretched down toward the direction of Hetch
Hetchy Reservoir; one contained the slender snow-covered
expanse of Tilden Lake.
After backing down the gully, we reclaimed our skis. It was 3:00,
a bit late to continue our ski around Tower. After all, we had only
done about one-third of the circuit. The good news was we looked
forward to a 2000-foot ski descent on nice corn snow. At the
jumping off point below the ridge the snow was still crusty, but
soon we were plowing S-turns down the big bowl below. At the
bottom, John and I skinned up the smaller slope that the bear had
descended from the crest. That too was a fine run.
The next morning, I suggested we ski Hawksbeak Peak before
heading home.
Its east-facing slopes, already softening in the morning sun,
would ready to carve by the time we packed up camp. The snow
cover at the top looked sparse, but as we approached I was
delighted to see corridors of snow between the scrub pines
leading nearly to the summit. A short scramble led to the top, and
a nice cruising descent brought us back to camp in 15 minutes.
Ah, wilderness. I convinced the others to try my "shortcut" back
to Robinson valley. We descended easily to Buckeye Pass, then
began a 2-mile traverse to the pass between Hunewill Peak and
Cirque Mountain. This was a scenic route, but tedious, with lots
of shallow gullies to contour around--probably more like 3 miles.
In retrospect, a descent-ascent would have been more efficient
than contouring. Moreover, the slope right before the pass
became very steep--treacherous for traversing on skis. "I don't
want to slide into a tree," John remarked as he packed his skis.
He was right: kicking steps in this terrain was faster and more
secure. Examining the map, I was sobered by the bunched up
contour lines awaiting us on our descent--even steeper, I now
realized than what we were now climbing. I began to feel I had
made a big mistake: John had been rehabbing a broken hip for
over a year and had expressly told me he wanted to avoid
dangerous slopes ("you fall, you die" slopes as he called them).
But we had come too far to back off without checking it out. The
only problem: we had to descend part-way down from the pass
before we could check out the steep 400-foot section. It was 4:00.
With the tension mounting we skied down to the hanging valley.
At the outlet we could see the blue waters of Twin Lakes at the
end of the valley below, only about 4 miles away. We skied up to
the big drop. Cliffs lay below us, but snowy ramps led to the
right. We could see easier ground about 300 feet down. Could we
find a way through? If we had to turn around here, the route out
was 11 miles--requiring either a death march or another night
out, without food.
Below a row of trees I saw a short, steep chute go through the
cliffs. The runout looked reasonable. At 45 degrees, it was one of
the steepest slopes I've ever skied--sideslipping that is. We also
discovered an old set of steps kicked into the snow, which John
used to descend. Was another bear showing us the way to go?
Relieved, we telemarked down the lower slopes, dodging islands
of underbrush. Our luck held as a well-placed snowpatch allowed
us to cross over the creek and access a long avalanche gully, a big
ribbon of snow that deposited us to within a few hundred feet of
Barney Lake's outlet. A few minutes of willow bashing brought us
to the trail to Twin Lakes.
-- Butch Suits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Icy Clearly Now The Rain Is Gone, May 29, 1999
A short film by Brian Wachter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The location:
Mt. Shasta's Bolam Ridge, Bolam Glacier, Hotlum-Bolam Ridge,
and Hotlum Glacier
The cast:
George Van Gordon, Alex Keith, Bill Kirkpatrick, Arun Mahajan,
Mike Rielly, David Shaw and Brian Wachter
The story:
It's Saturday morning, May 29. Shasta's bulk is shrouded in gray.
Its namesake village begins to fill
with alpine aspirants, including our entire cast but for Alex and
Arun. A light rain is falling.
George: "I don't like this weather. Let's do the West Face."
David: "Well, if we're only going to Horse Camp today, we
certainly have plenty of time to wait it out."
The cast is milling about the premises of the local mountain
retailer when Alex and Arun enter.
Alex: "If the weather doesn't get any better we won't be climbing
any route, so we might as well go for the glacier."
The rest of the cast nods.
Cut to a flat, small pebble beach at the foot of the still-shrouded
upper mass of Shasta. Low-lying hills, fields and pocket lakes are
visible downhill.
Brian: "This place is awesome!"
The cast sets up tents, pausing every so often to look up
quizzically at the cloud seemingly permanently planted upon
Shasta.
Bill: "I struggled too much today getting up here. I'm gonna stay
in camp tomorrow."
Cut to first light.
George: "Let's climb it!"
The cast slowly emerges from its tents, some at first testing the
dawn by popping just a head out through a fly.
The full moon looms like a lantern over the glowing western cone
of the now majestically naked volcano.
Slowly, the six remaining cast members straggle out of camp and
up the snow ramp that feeds the neat row of morainal steppes
beneath the mountain's Hotlum glacier. The distinguishing
feature of the great north aspect of Shasta in this late spring
incarnation is its lack of distinguishing features; its glaciers are
smooth and snowy, its ridges low and round and its face
uniformly higher in angle as it rises.
Thus, as our now-roped cast traverses beneath the Hotlum-Bolam
ridge and above the lower bergschrund of the Bolam Glacier onto
the glacier itself, the most promising line of ascent is elusive.
Additionally, we can see by the way their boots remain on the
surface of the snow with each step that the unsettled weather,
while gone, has left a firm legacy.
Alex: "I'm not feeling very strong. I'm going down."
Now a single rope team of five, they keep traversing to the far
side of the glacier and onto its western ridge. As it steepens, its
icy surface forces their feet increasingly downward, which causes
them to have to step sideways as they go up. Small rocks begin to
pock the icy skin of the ridge.
Brian: "I don't like it up there...let's traverse over to the other
ridge."
The cast begins, more slowly now at 13,000 feet, to move back
across the face, with George and Mike out in front, climbing
steadily. They thread upward between the rocks of the Hotlum-
Bolam ridgeline, stopping to rest and regroup at the base of the
mighty rock buttress guarding the summit ramparts at 13,600
feet.
George disappears around its corner to reconnoiter the final few
hundred feet of the route, reappearing minutes later:
George: "It doesn't look good. There's another party up there
belaying a guy up right now. It's icy."
The cast discusses the climactic scene. A final, fearless push? Or
a gracious retreat? Unprepared for the final technical challenge of
what has become an ice climb, they gingerly descend the
hardened surface of the North side, moving first onto Hotlum's
face, then back to the west. Cheap motels and in-room pizza--
longed-for luxuries--await.
-- Brian Wachter
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Mt Starr King (9092 ft) Sunday, June 13, 1999
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Sunday, 13th June 99, Scott Tillman and I, Arun Mahajan,
went up Mt Starr King in Yosemite. This is a brief description of
the conditions and the route we took.
It is straight forward hiking on trail from the Mono Meadows
trailhead on the Glacier Point Road till the Illoutte Creek. The
water in the creek is fast flowing and deep at places and it took
us a long time to find a way across. A fallen tree about a quarter
of a mile upstream served as a good bridge. We caught the trail
after the stream crossing and left it after walking a mile, to go
cross-country toward the three obvious domes that make up the
Mt Starr King peak.
We crossed another trail and then a small stream and then headed
up via brush and friction slabs to the notch between the right and
the center domes. Once at the notch, we frictioned our way up to
the top of the central dome. It is low angle and presented no
problems. We then dropped into the notch between the true
summit dome and the center dome and were confronting the
southeast route mentioned in Secor and the other PCS trip
reports.
We frictioned up an obvious groove in the rock and at the head of
the groove, set up for climbing. Scott led, going left first, as if
intending to go towards a chockstone that has a few slings around
it, but then veered right on a crack (which has a rather old sling
in it) to the point where the crack ended in a horn.
The point where the horn ended, proved to be a comfortable belay
station and we could set up good anchors. The next pitch gave no
problems either to Scott. It ends at a rock that has a few slings
and a rappel ring. We got off the rope here and walked up to the
summit. We were happy to note that we were the first party to
sign in this year.
We had 2 ropes, a 50M and a 60M, but we found out to our
concern that this was not sufficient, with a two-rope rappel, to
reach the chockstone with the slings for the next rappel.
So we rappelled to the horn, which was our first belay point on
the way up. The horn provided a good rappel point for the lower
rappel back to the notch.
More friction down climbing and an exciting stream crossing got
us to the Mono Meadows where we found a small bear with a
light brown coat staring at us, with it's head cocked on one side.
It was just across the bog from us. After a few minutes of staring,
it proceeded with it's foraging.
But it was right on the trail, so we simply walked toward it.
This time it loped off into the woods, just as I was regretting
having run out of film to take a quick picture.
No snow on the route at all. Tevas or something similar would
help in the stream wading. Various people have different opinions
of the rating of the route. Scott Tillman felt that it was 5.5 or 5.6.
-- Arun Mahajan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unofficial 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.
*** Broad Peak Expedition!
Peak: Broad Peak 26,400 ft
Dates: June-July 1999
Contact: Tom Masterson
masterst@ucsu.colorado.edu
phone, fax (303) 499-6363
address: 250 31st Street, Boulder, Colorado U.S.A. 80303
We are a Boulder based group seeking to add 3-4 more members
to our June-July 1999 expedition to attempt the standard route on
Broad Peak.
This is a non-commercial, non-guided, non-profit expedition! Price-
wise, it is a great deal: Land costs should be about $3800, plus
airfare of 1200-1500. We want to put together a Colorado-based
team, so that we can climb together this winter & spring, get to
know each other and get used to climbing with each other.
Experience climbing over 20,000 ft very helpful. For more
information call Tom Masterson at 303 499-6363 or Mike Marsh at
303 499 3395.
*** Arrow Peak
Peak: Arrow Peak, Northeast Ridge, Class 3
Dates: July 3-5
Contacts: Kai Wiedman (650)347-5234.
Cecil Ann, cecilann@earthlink.net
John Moynier says Arrow Peak is a beautiful, symmetrical
mountain when viewed from nearby Bench Lake. Kelly Mass calls
it the best 3rd class climb he has done in the Sierra. The
Northeast Ridge is an ever narrowing, hideously exposed, knife-
edge. We will go light and fast as we leave the desert floor to
climb to Taboose Pass with its breathtaking views. From here, our
adventure takes us to our camp at Bench Lake with its classic
view of Arrow Peak.
*** Castle Mountain, Colorado
Peak: Castle Mountain, 14,265
Dates: July 3-5 (Sat-Mon)
Contact: Bill Isherwood,
925-254-0739 (h)925-423-5058 (w)isherwood2@llnl.gov
This is a class 2 climb up one of Colorado's beautiful 14'ers. The
plan would be to fly to Denver Friday evening, drive to the base of
the climb Saturday, make the climb on Sunday and stay overnight
in the Aspen area, returning to the Denver airport on Monday for
return home. Contact leader for coordination of travel plans.
*** Tower Peak
Peaks: Tower Peak (Class 3)
Dates: July 3 thru 5 Sat thru Mon (3 days)
Maps: Tower Peak & Pickel Meadow 7.5'
Contact: Charles Schafer (408) 324-6003 (w) cgschafer@lucent.com
This trip will expose us to some new and different views of the
area just north of Yosemite. Tower Peak is said to be the
northernmost Sentinel of the High Sierra, in that the character of
the range changes at about this point. It is the tallest peak in the
neighborhood, so the views from the summit should be great. It is
also rated as one of the Sierra classics, so it should be a very
satisfying, although not too difficult, climb. It is a long hike to get
to it (about 15 miles), which is why the trip is scheduled for three
days.
This should be a great trip, but you'll need a bit of class 3 climbing
experience to join us. Ice axe may be required.
*** Taboose: Climb-O-Rama '99
Peaks: Wynne, Pinchot, Pyramid, Striped, Goodale,
Cardinal, Ruskin, Pinchot, Marion, State,
Prater, and Observation
Dates: July 3-11 (Sat-Sun, July 4th week)
Contacts: Steve Eckert, eckert@climber.org
Bob Suzuki, bobszk@BIGFOOT.COM
We're planning another Climb-O-Rama for peakbaggers who just
can't live with only one peak per day. This year's trip features
fewer campsites (we hope to spend two nights in the same place
several times) and more seldom visited peaks (probably including
some first ascents of the year) and you get at least one peak
every day, but the first one.
Editor's Note: This trip is full. However, a waiting list is being kept
so send in your name anyway.
*** Middle Palisade
Peak: Middle Palisade (14,040 feet)
Dates: July 16 - 18, (Friday - Sunday)
Contact: Sam Wilkie, 650-941-1794 sam.wilkie@intel.com
We will hike in to the Middle Palisade glacier area on Friday. On
Saturday, we will take the NorthEast face, a class 3 route, to the
summit.
This is not a technical route, but does involve some snow travel
and requires climbers to be in good physical condition.
*** Conness, Dana, & Gibbs
Peaks: Conness, Dana, Gibbs
Date: July 17, 18
Contact: Tony Cruz 408.731.1915
These three peaks are in the vicinity of Tioga Pass. Conness is
class 3, the others class 2. We will day hike Conness on Sat and
Dana Gibbs on Sunday.
*** Mt Sill
Peak: Mt Sill 14,162' Class 3,
Map, USGS Mt Goddard 15
Dates: July 17, 18, 19, 1999
Contact: Bill Kirkpatrick, wmkirk@earthlink.net
(408) 279-3450. H(408) 293-2447
Co-contact: Ahmad Zandi, ahmad@zandi.com
(408) 616-5783 H (408) 255-4233
Secor says that Mt Sill "has the best view from any summit in the
Sierra." We will climb from the southwest ridge. Leaving from
South Lake, we will backpack about 10 miles over Bishop Pass
and Thunderbolt Pass to camp in the Palisade Basin. To gain the
summit we will have to cross difficult terrain and climb about 4,000
feet. Use of ice axes and crampons may be required. This trip will
be a lot of grunt work, but worth the effort. Permit for six.
*** Ragged & Conness
Peak: Ragged Peak (10,912'), Mt. Conness (12,590')
Map: Tuolumne Meadows 15' topo, Class: 2-3
Dates: July 24-25 (Sat-Sun)
Contact: Bob Suzuki, w: 510-657-7555 >8pm: 408-259-0772; bobszk@bigfoot.com
Bonnie Ruesch w: 408-795-1393 h: 408-997-8323, BonnitaR@aol.com
Enjoy a moderate backpack hike from Tuolumne Meadows
to our basecamp at lower Young Lake; we'll bag Ragged
Peak on the way in. Sunday morning's ascent will reward
us with scenic vistas from the summit of Mt Conness.
Expect mosquitoes and bears. Ice axe maybe useful.
Note: Trip is full, but we will maintain a wait list.
*** Lucky Sevens: Mt. Ritter Annual Pilgrimage
Peaks: Mt. Ritter (13,150'), Banner Peak (12,900')
Dates: July 26-31, 1999
Contact: Alan Ritter jar@storz.com
(314) 225-7600, x5362 (7:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m. CST
Reference: http://www.climber.org/pcs/Feature/Ritter1998/
Not being one to give up easily, I will make a lucky seventh
attempt at my namesake peak this summer. Trailhead date is
Monday, 26 July, at Agnew Meadows. We will hike in via the
Shadow Creek trail and camp near/above Ediza Lake (9,200').
From there, the climb will follow the same route as last year (sans
route-finding error!), via the Southeast Glacier and on to the
summit of Ritter. Summit day will involve about 3,500' of gain,
almost all class 2, perhaps a little low class 3 snow, depending on
conditions. Ice axe and crampons will be required. Time,
weather, and energy permitting, we will attempt neighboring
Banner Peak (12,900') one of the following days. Plan to return to
Mammoth on Friday, 30 July or Saturday, 31 July.
*** Palisade Crest
Peak: Palisade Crest 13520', Class 4
Dates: July 30- Aug 1
Contact: Peter Maxwell (408) 737 9770
We'll start off hiking the South Fork of Big Pine Creek, heading to
camp at Elinore Lake. The route up the peak will be the
Northwest Ridge, which leads off from Scimitar Pass. This is a
class 4 peak for experienced climbers only. The trip is private and
participants should be known to the organizer, or be able to be
vouched for by someone known to the organizer.
*** Bear Creek Spire
Peak: Bear Creek Spire (13,713 ft.), Northeast Ridge, Class 4
Dates: Sat. July 31 - Sun. Aug. 1
Maps: Mt. Morgan, Mt. Abbott, Mt. Hilgard
Contacts: Bob Suzuki, bobszk@bigfoot.com, W 408-259-0772, H 510-657-7555,
Jim Ramaker, ramaker@vnet.ibm.com, W 408-463-4873, H 408-224-8553
People who climb this route rave about the exhilarating climbing,
great rock, and spectacular setting. We have room for one or two
more rope teams -- let us know if you're interested.
*** Colby Pass Cleanout
Peaks: Glacier Ridge (12416) Kern Point (12789)
Picket Guard (12302) Whaleback (11726)
Dates: July 30 - August 3 (Sat-Tue)
Contact: Steve Eckert, eckert@climber.org
I'll be joining RJ Secor for part of his CMC trip, entering on my
own permit a week after he starts and exiting before he does.
Expect some high mileage days, and a bit of class 4 near the
summit of Glacier Ridge. Whaleback is class 3, the others are
class 2 with trail approaches to all of them. Since we're joining
another group mid-trip, schedules may change and everyone
should be comfortable without a formal leader.
*** McDuffie, Black Giant, Charybdis, Fiske, etc.
Peaks: McDuffie, Black Giant, Charybdis, Fiske, Huxley, etc. (Class 3)
Dates: August 7 thru 15 Sat thru Sun (9 days)
Maps: North Palisade, Mt. Thompson & Mt. Goddard 7.5'
Contact: Charles Schafer (408) 324-6003 (w) cgschafer@lucent.com
Co-Contact: Bob Suzuki(510) 657-7555 (w) bobszk@bigfoot .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. . We
will hike in over Echo Col on Saturday and set up camp near
Helen Lake (at Muir Pass).
Secor says McDuffie, Black Giant & Charybdis are easily day
hiked from there, so we want to give them a try. There are also a
number of other peaks in that area that are worth climbing, and
between Bob and I we'll go after most of them. Towards the end
of the trip we will move south and climb Wheel, and perhaps
others in that neighborhood. Saturday and Sunday we will hike
out over Bishop Pass.
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. Ice axes
and possibly crampons will be required.
*** School's Out
Peaks: Recess, Gabb, and Hilgard
Dates: Aug 13-16 (Fri-Mon)
Contact: Steve Eckert, eckert@climber.org
A somewhat mellow west-side trip starting near Lake Edison. The
permit is full, but there is a short wait list if you want to get in line.
You could also get another permit and join us!
*** Agassiz & Winchell
Peaks: Agassiz (13,893'), Winchell (13,775') class 2,3
Maps: Big Pine, Mt Goddard 15' topo
Dates: August 28-29 (Sat-Sun)
Contact: Bob Suzuki, w: 510-657-7555,
>8pm: 408-259-0772, bobszk@bigfoot.com
Nancy Fitzsimmons, w: 408-764-1761,
h: 408-957-9683, Pkclimber@aol.com
Last fall our attempt to climb these 2 magnificent peaks in the
Palisades never got beyond Sam Mack Meadow. Constant snow
almost from the trailhead encouraged us to save these high peaks
for another weekend. We'll try again this August.
A fast hike in to basecamp will be followed by an assault on
Agassiz via the class 2 south ridge. Sunday won't be easier. We'll
enjoy the classic east arete of Winchell, then backpack out to the
cars for a late return to the BA, hopefully, with fond memories of
two successful climbs.
*** Clarence King & Gardiner
Peaks: Clarence King and Gardiner.
Dates: Sept 3-6
Contact: Rick Booth at 408-354-7291 or rick_booth@worldnet.att.net
Dee Booth, rdbooth@worldnet.att.net
Pack in from Onion Valley over Kearsarge Pass Estimated
distance is 10 miles.
Requirements: Both peaks require rope and modest rock climbing
skills. You should know my wife or me or know someone who
knows us. This is a private trip.
*** Capitol Peak, Colorado
Peak: Capitol Peak, Colorado (14,130'), Class 3-4
Dates: Sept 4-6 (Sat-Mon)
Contact: Bill Isherwood, 925-254-0739 (h)925-423-5058 (w)isherwood2@llnl.gov
Exposed knife-edge ridge. Roped climbing experience required.
*** Needsaw, Hamtooth
Peaks: Needham (12467), Sawtooth (12343) class 2
Dates: Sep 18-19 (Sat-Sun)
Contact: Steve Eckert
*** Nepal October 1999
Peak: Chulu West, 20,500Ft
Date: October 1999
Contact: Warren Storkman Phone 650-493-8959
dstorkman@AOL.com
*** The Coming Millennium Celebration
Peak: Kilimanjaro 19,340 Uhuru Peak.
Date: Jan 12, 2000
Contact: Warren Storkman
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BACK PAGE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scree is the monthly journal of the Peak Climbing Section
of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter. Visit our website at
http://www.climber.org/pcs/
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Elected Officials
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Chair:
George Van Gorden / pcs-chair@climber.org
408-779-2320 home
830 Alkire Ave, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Vice Chair and Trip Scheduler:
Ron Karpel / pcs-scheduler@climber.org
650 594-0211 home
903 Avon Street, Belmont, CA 94002
Treasurer and Membership Roster (address changes):
Dee Booth / pcs-treasurer@climber.org
408-354-7291 home
237 San Mateo Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030
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Publicity Committee Positions
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Scree Editor:
Bob Bynum / pcs-editor@climber.org
510-659-1413 home
761 Towhee Court, Fremont CA 94539-7421
PCS World Wide Web Publisher:
Aaron Schuman / pcs-webmaster@climber.org
650-943-7532 home
223 Horizon Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043-4718
Publicity Chair:
Steve Eckert / pcs-listmaster@climber.org
650-508-0500 home
1814 Oak Knoll Drive, Belmont, CA 94002-1753
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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 one of the PCS email lists (either the sierra-nevada@climber.org
discussion list or the california-news@climber.org read-only list,
you have a free EScree subscription. For online info, send Email to
info@climber.org. 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
http://www.climber.org/pcs/Scree/index.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.
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Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 7/25/99.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe
First Class EMail - Dated Material as soon as it's published!