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Scree for March, 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.
March, 1999 Vol. 33 No. 3
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 3/28/99
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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: Tuesday, March 9
Time: 8:00 PM
Program: Charles Schafer
Come join Charles Schafer as he presents a
slide show of his recent climbing trip in the
Annapurna region of Nepal. His trip traveled
over the highly scenic and popular Annapurna
Circuit, a route which circumnavigates the
Annapurna massif of the Himalayan mountain
range, with side jaunts to climb several trekking
peaks.
Location: Western Mountaineering, Santa Clara
(PDF version 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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Wilderness First Aid
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Have you ever worried about how you would deal with a medical
emergency in the wilderness? Sign up for the Wilderness First
Aid Class offered May 7, 8, and 9 and find out. The evening of
May 7 will be spent on CPR certification, and is optional for
people with a current certification. This class will provide
information and experience for applying first aid in an outdoor
setting. There are pre-class reading assignments. The class will
be taught at the Loma Prieta Chapter office in Palo Alto. The cost
is $63 for Sierra Club trip leaders, $90 for the general public.
To sign up, call Dot Reilly at 415/585-1380 or send e-mail to
der@gene.com by April 2.
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Mountain Rescue - A Different Challenge
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Have you ever thought of using your outdoor skills and
experience through volunteer search and rescue? While there are
many fine search and rescue teams (SAR), my experience is with
an outfit called Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU)
What do we actually do? Mostly, we look for missing people.
They range from back country hikers to disabled children and
folks that are stranded or injured.
What does it take to belong to BAMRU?
Useful abilities and experience include:
-- Comfortable on 2-3 class terrain
-- Good navigation skills
-- Some experience with roped climbing and belaying
-- Experience with harsh mountain weather
Attitudes needed include:
-- A team approach to difficult problems
-- A willingness to learn new subjects such as tracking and field medical care
-- A measure of tolerance for governmental bureaucracy
-- Willingness to leave work and family at the beep of a pager call
If you are interested in learning more about search and rescue,
point your favorite Web search engine to "bamru" or contact me
at hirst@hooked.net or 510 537-0271
-- Will Hirst
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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.
*** Mt Sizer
Peak: Mt Sizer class-1 (3,216 ft. - 980 meters)
Dates: March 21st (Sunday)
Leaders: Nancy Fitzsimmons (H)408-957-9681
Ron Karpel (H)650-594-0211
March 21 Mt Sizer, Henry Coe- Sun. This is a wonderful loop with
great vistas from the ridge. It will be about 14 miles and over 3000
ft of gain. Carpool 7:30am at Cubberly High in Palo Alto
(Middlefield & Montrose) or Meet at Henry Coe Park
Headquarters, 9am. HEAVY rain cancels. This is co listed with the
Day Hikers.
*** Mt Diablo by the North Side
Peak: Eagle Peak(2359), North Peak(3557), Mt. Diablo(3849) Class-
Maps: Clayton USGS 7.5'
Date: April 11 (Sun)
Leader: Arun Mahajan. (h) 650-327-8598, (w) 408-585-2114,
arun@tollbridgetech.com
Co-leader: Ahmad Zandi. 408-255-4233 home 408-616-5783 work.
ahmad@zandi.com
Dayhike this beautiful east bay peak and two of it's surrogate
summits, Eagle Peak and North Peak by the North Side. Carpool
from Cubberley School parking lot at the junction of Middlefield
Road and Montrose in Palo Alto at 7am. The hike is a little less
than 15 miles round trip and has 4000+ feet of gain. Cross-listed
with the Day Hiking Section.
*** Black Diamond
Peaks: Diamond Pk (13,126) and Black Mtn (13,289)
Dates: April 16-18 (Fri-Mon)
Map: Kearsarge Peak 7.5' topo
Leader: Steve Eckert
Co-Leader: Aaron Schuman / 650-968-9184 / aaron_schuman@yahoo.com
NOTE: Co-leader will take applications and maintain the trip roster.
Spring fever? Ditch those downhill skis and strap on snowshoes
or backcountry skis for a fine bowl between two high peaks. Black
is closed much of the year to protect bighorn sheep, so you will
find few names in the register (if we can dig it out!).
Hopefully we can drive to 6000' for this spring ascent, then bag
both peaks on the second day. If not, we'll spend part of the
second day moving packs and do one peak each on the second
and third days. Ice axe and crampons required - submit resume of
recent experience and a $10 deposit (refundable less any permit
fees at the trailhead) with your Sierra Club membership number
(this is a restricted mountaineering trip) to secure a spot.
*** Rolls Merriam
Peaks: Royce Pk (13,280) and Merriam Pk (13,103), class 2 / snow
Dates: June 19-20 (Sat-Sun)
Maps: Mt Abbot 15' topo
Mt Hilgard, 7.5' topo
Mount Tom, 7.5' topo
Leader: Steve Eckert / 650-508-0500 / eckert@climber.org
By June much of the approach should be on trail, but the saddle
between these two peaks is steep and there is a permanent
snowfield.
We'll take crampons and ice axes for the summit but hope for dry
camping at Pine Creek Pass. About a 4000' / 7 mile pack in, and
about a 3000' / 6 mile summit hike means we'll be able to pack out
the second day... but it will be strenuous. Views of Bear Creek
Spire, Seven Gables, and Humphreys will reward our efforts.
Submit resume of recent experience and a $10 deposit
(refundable less any permit fees at the trailhead) with your Sierra
Club membership number (this is a restricted mountaineering trip)
to secure a spot.
Trip is limited to 6 people because there is no co-leader.
*** Mt Goethe
Peaks: Mt Goethe, class 1, 13264, Mt Emerson, class 2, 3, 13204
Dates: Jun 19-20 Sat-Sun
Maps: Goddard 15 min.
Leader: Aaron Schuman H 650-968-9184 W 650-943-7532 aaron_schuman@yahoo.com
Details: http://sj.znet.com/~cynthiam/goethe.html
Saturday, pack from North Lake (9200) to our campsite at Muriel
Lake (11423). Climb Mount Goethe for the view into Evolution
Valley. Sunday, as we hike out, we'll drop our packs near Piute
Lake for a side trip to Mount Emerson. This trip will be strenuous
but only of moderate technical difficulty. .
*** Motherland of the Crows
Peaks: Big, Black & Red Kaweah, Triple Divide, etc; class 2 to class 3
Dates: Jul 17-25, Sat-Sun
Maps: Mineral King, Triple Divide & Whitney 15 min.
Leaders: Charles Schafer H 408-354-1545
W 408-324-6003 cgschafer@lucent.com
Aaron Schuman, H 650-968-9184
W 650-943-7532 aaron_schuman@yahoo.com
Details: http://sj.znet.com/~cynthiam/crows.html
Famed for its isolation, feted for its jagged crags, feared for its
loose rubble, the Kaweah Peaks Ridge stands apart as one of the
least known climbing areas in the Sierra Nevada. Join us for a
challenging, arduous week in the land named by the Yokut
Indians as "The Motherland of the Crows". ($10 sign-up fee,
refundable at trailhead, less cost of permit).
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Sawtooth Peak (south) 7970 feet
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On the 14th of February 1999, on a privately arranged trip, the
four of us (myself, Ahmad Zandi, Don Peterson and Roly, the
poly little Cairn Terrier) took a walk to the top of Sawtooth Peak
in the Southern Sierra.
This is a very straightforward hike with a bit of bushwhacking
and route-finding at the later third of the hike. Accurate details
are in the book 'Exploring the Southern Sierra, East Side' by JC
and Ruby Jenkins.
After spending a rather cold night at a small pullout on the
Canebrake Flat road, we met Don Peterson and Roly at the dusty
junction of 178 and Canebrake Road. The driving on this
washboard surface road was doable for my generic sedan and
after a few miles we were at the point where the PCT crosses this
road. We started walking at 7.45 am on the PCT just as the sun
came up in a cloudless sky and very soon we had removed the
warm layers of clothing. We reached the saddle mentioned in the
Jenkins book which is at about 6300 ft. At this point we took off
left, cross country. There is a foreground hill and Sawtooth is the
rocky peak that seems to peer over this first hill's right ridge.
It is a bit of a slog to go up this first hill but the moist scree
made it tolerable and once we topped out, we were in a forest of
pinyon pines and low brush. Don pointed out Sand Canyon and
Ridgecrest and the Argus range in the distance. Continuing on
this plateau and then traversing right we aimed for the ridgeline
that is left of the summit hump with it's interesting looking rocky
ridge. At 10.45am, we were at the top. We were the first party to
summit (sign in) this year. The summit register dates back to the
1960's. The view is spectacular and on this clear day we could
make out Telescope and the Panamints, Whitney, Langley and
(we guessed) the Kaweahs and the Mineral King group. The view
of Olancha is the one that takes the breath away. It dominates the
foreground and stands tall and solitary, almost like Shasta. Small
wonder that it is an emblem peak.
After a 45 minute summit dawdle and another bout of cross
country crashing through brush, we were back at the saddle. Then
a pleasant walk in the still warm sun on the PCT that was littered
with pine cones brought the journey to an end. It was about six
hours for the round trip.
On this day at least, there was very little snow and the axes
remained on the packs. Much thanks to Don for getting us to the
summit with unerring accuracy and for sharing his tremendous
knowledge of the beautiful Southern Sierra and to Ahmad for
carpooling with me for the long drive to the trailhead from the
Bay Area.
Some details:
1. The Canebrake Flat Road is 9.2 miles east of the Onyx Store
on 178, in case you are trying to find it in the night.
2. The PCT crosses this road, 0.2 miles before coming to the
Chimney Creek Campground.. There is a sign that says so.
This is where you start hiking.
-- Arun Mahajan
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Crater Mtn - December 22, 1998
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Crater Mtn is the cinder cone ssw of Big Pine. Conditions were
bleak today in the Owens Valley, +1 at dawn with an icy overcast.
Joe Kelsey, Toby, and I picked out a project proportional to the
conditions. We turned left off the Glacier Lodge road at the
McMurray Meadow turnoff and were confronted by an
unexpected "T" intersection after 50 feet. Common sense dictated
the right hand branch, which proved to be not a great road. After
a little over a mile and moving several rocks, it was clear that it
was heading east, not south which we sought. We returned and
took the left branch which proved to be the correct road, and
excellent in quality. We parked west of our objective and after an
hour of easy, although sometimes tedious walking cross country
in the lava, arrived on the summit.
There was a register in what I would best describe as a drug
container with a single entry from 1 November this fall by Andy
Smatko, now 81, and several friends. It was very cold, so we just
signed and left. One hundred feet below the top, Joe noticed that
Toby had picked up a souvenir; he had the register in his mouth.
They went back up and reset it. Crater Mtn is a worthy peak with
a nice view of Big Pine and possibly the Sierra ( we couldn't tell
because of the clouds ) and deserves a real register.
This could be a preliminary entry on the WIMP ( Winter, Inyo,
Mono, Peaks ) list.
Round trip stats: 3.5 miles, 500 feet, 1 hr 45 minutes. Later in the
afternoon Lori and I went running; it read 24 degrees on the bank
sign. We had a few flurries.
-- Eric Beck
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Standard Peak - February 11, 1999
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Standard Peak is the SE highpoint of the Tungsten Hills west of
Bishop. Yesterday was cold and windy, although clear; a good day
for a WIMP ( Winter, Inyo, Mono Peak ). I joined Joe Kelsey and
Toby for this ascent. The name is given by Don Slager as it is a
standard one hour ascent.
We drove up the Tungsten City road about two miles from Ed
Powers road , took a short left and parked in an area which had
seen much shooting. We followed the road up the canyon to the
southwest about one half mile until the slope steepend. We
worked out way up the slope on a series of switchbacks cut into
the slope. Don says that these are not real switchbacks, rather
they are just cuts into the surface looking for ore deposits.
Indeed, several of them just ended in the sage. This section had
several inches of snow. We gained the shoulder west of the peak,
followed another cut along the south flank and then took a short
use trail to the top. Amazingly, the most pleasant conditions of
the trip were on the summit. There was a register with only the
top half of a pair of nested cans.
Round trip stats: 3 miles, 1000 feet, 2 hours. It appears that
coming from Buttermilk road to the south, one could drive to the
shoulder west of the peak, only 200 feet below.
-- Eric Beck
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Unofficial 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.
*** Mt. Reba
Peak: Mt. Reba
Date: March 6-7
Leader: George Van Gorden, 408 779 2320, before 9PM
Mt. Reba is near Bear Valley ski area. From the road the elevation
gain is just over 1000 feet, but we will travel along a long ridge and
the looking is good. We will meet at the end of highway 4 on Sat.
at 12:00. We will ski or snowshoe in a short distance and make
camp and then we can start having fun. For those interested in
skiing, this area provides some good intermediate terrain.
*** Roundtop
Peak: Roundtop, 10,600
Date: March. 21, Sunday
Contact: George Van Gorden 408-779-2320(before 9)
We will meet Sunday morning at Carson Pass snowpark at
around 8:00 and climb Roundtop. Skis or snowshoes for the
approach and crampons and axe for the last few hundred feet.
We should be back to the cars by 3:00. I will be going up Saturday
and camping at the near the pass Sat. night for those wishing to
do same.
*** Telescope Peak via Surprise Canyon,
Peaks: Telescope Peak
Dates: March 26, 27, 28
Maps: Telescope Peak
Contacts: Bill Kirkpatrick, W (408) 279-3450;
H (408) 293-2447, Wmkirk@earthlink.net
Nancy Fitzsimmons, h 408-957-0983,
w 408-495-1761, pkclimber@aol.com
In this trip we will experience the western side of the Panamints.
We will form up early on Friday, March 26, in Ballarat, motor up to
Chris Wicht Camp and park. Then we backpack up Surprise
Canyon on what's left of a miner's road to Panamint City, which is
what is left of a miner's camp. On Saturday we will gain the ridge
of the Panamints and climb to the top of Telescope. Sunday we
walk back to the cars. This is likely to be a very demanding trip,
with a total elevation gain of nearly 9,000 feet in two days.
*** Southern Sierra Day Hikes
Peaks: Spanish Needle, 7,851 ft
Sawtooth Peak, 8,000 ft
Rockhouse Peak, 8,383 ft
Dates: April 2-4
Contacts: Bob Suzuki (408) 259-0772 (H)
(510) 657-7555 (W)
Rich Leiker (510) 792-4816 (H)
(408) 453-4253 (W) after 4pm
Shake off that winter rust for an early season trip into the southern
Sierra. We'll be climbing each peak as a day hike and car
camping at night.
*** Breaking in Lassen
Peaks: Mt. Lassen (10457), Brokeoff Mt (9235) snow
Dates: Apr 3-4 (Sat-Sun)
Map: Lassen Peak, Reading Peak 7.5' topo
Leaders: Ron Karpel, ronny@luxsonor.com(H) 650-594-0211
Nancy Fitzsimmons Pkclimber@aol.com (H)408-957-9681
Also known as Lawson's Peak, Mount Joseph, Mount Saint Jose,
Snow Mountain, and quite a few other names, Mt Lassen is an
easy summer hike, but in the winter it makes a challenging goal.
Saturday, we will ski or snowshoe the 14 mile 3,500' round trip
from Sulphur Works to the top of Lassen Peak. Sunday, we will
ski or snowshoe the closer, lower, but challenging Brokeoff
Mountain. This is not a beginner's trip. Ice axe and crampons as
well as experience in using them are require.
*** Yosemite Valley Peak Climb
Peak: Grizzly Peak, Sierra Point, Mt. Broderick, Liberty Cap, and Eagle Peak.
Date: April 24-25
Contact: George Sinclair 650-941-2160; geosinc@aol.com
Spend the weekend climbing some "peaks" about Yosemite Valley,
including Grizzly Peak, Sierra Point, Mt. Broderick, Liberty Cap,
and Eagle Peak. Some climbs will involve class 4 climbing.
*** Mount Shasta
Peak: Mt Shasta class-2 (14,161ft. - 4,317 m), snow
Maps: Mount Shasta USGS 7.5'
Dates: May 1-2 (Sat-Sun)
Leaders: Ron Karpel (H)650-594-0211
Nancy Fitzsimmons (H)408-957-9681
Early May on Mount Shasta promises superb snow conditions.
From Bunny Flat to the summit is about 6 mile and 7000' elevation
gain. This is a 2 day trip with camping on the snow on Saturday
night. Saturday, we will ski or snowshoe the Avalanche Gulch or
the Green Butte route depending on conditions. Sunday we will
summit and return to the trailhead. Crampons and ice axe
required for the summit.
Optional, bring a rope and climbing harness and join us practice
glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques in preparation for
Rainier. If you like extreme skiing, from the top of Shasta suppose
to be a hell of a run, and early may should be a good time.
*** The Doodad
Peak: The Doodad (11600'+) Class 4
Dates: May 15-16
Contact: Jim Curl 415-585-1380
Scanning along the skyline of the Sawtooth Ridge, one can't help
but feel affected by the alpine character of the area. The dark
rock, precipitous and beautifully serrated, pocketed with glaciers,
along with a blanket of snow in the foreground, makes this one of
the most attractive regions of the Sierra. But just west of
Matterhorn Peak, sandwiched between the Dragtooth and the
Three Teeth, one's eye is caught by a rather odd protuberance, an
ungainly wart of stone sticking up embarrassingly from the ridge
top -- it's The Doodad.
Climbing it is not a popular goal. Attaining its summit will not
garner any fame. More likely, admitting that you've climbed it will
cause your friends to smirk. But its unique qualities, even if
scorned, are precisely what makes climbing it so attractive.
*** Mt Tinemaha
Peak: Mt Tinemaha (12,561) Class 2 / snow
Dates: May 15-16 (Sat-Sun) (weather may delay by a week)
Map: Big Pine 15' topo
Contact: Steve Eckert 650-508-0500
Tired of every trip requiring lots of experience? Want to get out in
the spring snow, but don't have a long resume? This is the trip
you've been waiting for! We'll pack from about 6500 to about 10500',
a pretty long day, starting on trail and probably finishing on snow.
It's not steep and I don't expect ice axes will be required. The peak
itself probably WILL require an ice axe, but won't be hard climbing
(Secor rates it Class 1 in the summer).
Only 2000' of gain on summit day leaves us some time to review
ice axe and snow travel techniques, but THIS IS NOT A CLASS.
I'll be happy to share what I know and to discuss what you know,
and I'll even watch if you want to practice, but you should have
taken a class or read Freedom of the Hills or had some experience
with the axe before you come.
Sign up at your own risk. See required waiver at:
http://www.climber.org/eckert/LiabilityWaiver.pdf
If you've never climbed with me before you should check out
http://www.climber.org/eckert/ClimberExpectations-SRE.txt
*** Mt. Stanford & Mt. Morgan
Peaks: Mt. Stanford (N) and Mt. Morgan (N) (Class 3, Snow)
Dates: May 29 thru 31, Sat thru Mon
Maps: Mt. Abbot and Convict Lake 7.5'
Contacts: Charles Schafer (408) 324-6003 (w) cgschafer@lucent.com
Steve Eckert, (650) 508-0500, eckert@climber.org
Come join us for an interesting traverse of Mts. Morgan and Stanford.
Saturday we will hike in to our base camp at Davis Lake, on the
eastern side of Mt. Stanford. Sunday we will climb Mt. Stanford,
traverse across to Mt. Morgan, then descend back to our camp.
Monday we hike out. That is, unless conditions dictate that we do
it differently, in which case we will do it differently (a lot depends
on the state of the snowpack).
You must be proficient with ice axe and crampons, since we are
expecting there to be plenty of snow. You will probably need
snowshoes or skis, and snow shovels and avalanche transceivers
may be de rigueur, again depending upon the snowpack. This
should be a fairly strenuous trip; just how strenuous will, again,
depend on the conditions.
*** 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.
*** Taboose: Climb-O-Rama '99
Peaks: Wynne, Pinchot, Pyramid, Striped, Goodale,
Cardinal, Ruskin, Pinchot, Marion, State,
Prater, Observation
Dates: July 3-11 (Sat-Sun, July 4th week)
Leaders: Steve Eckert, eckert@climber.org 650-508-0500
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.
It's a 9 day trip but all the peaks except Observation fit into an 8
day schedule (spare day for weather!) with no day over 12 miles
and only one day over 5000'. You can skip a peak now and then
to relax, or skip entire days by leaving the group and joining us
later. Send $10 (payable to Steve Eckert and refunded less permit
fees if you show up at the trailhead) with any requests you have
for peaks we forgot (be prepared to lead or solo). Tell us as much
as you can about your skill and conditioning. We'll collect names
and decide in a month or so about the exact schedule and trip
roster. In addition, we'll need a signed copy of this liability waiver:
http://www.climber.org/eckert/LiabilityWaiver.pdf
Editor's Note: This trip is full. However, a waiting list is being kept
so send in your name anyway.
*** Nepal October 1999
Peak: Chulu West
Date: October 1999
Contact: Warren Storkman
4180 Mackay Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Phone 650-493-8959
FAX 650-493-8975
dstorkman@AOL.com
Climb or Trek, We'll combine both for the ultimate adventure.
The trekking peak is Chulu West 21,750 ft. (6630 m). Its rating
classifies it as moderate -difficult. Chulu West is on the
Annapurna circuit, north of the village of Braga. After the climb we
pass over the Thorung La Pass (17,700 ft)
Our walk down to beautiful Muktinath brings us to a Hindu
religious setting. You'll see many older Indians from India who
made this arduous journey. Most of the older people consider this
visit the fulfillment of their religious life.
Before reaching Jomson Airport There will be a side trip to
Kagbeni, A village that lost its way in time.
Its a 19 day trek from Besisahar, return from Jomson
Trekkers Climbers
A) Trek Cost $1235 $1330
B) Internal bus & Air $180 $180
C) Sherpa -walk-in $55 $55
W/food, equip etc.
D) Climbing Sherpa / Ins
3 persons @ $27 $90
E) Permit fee
10 persons @ $350 $35
Total Cost $1470 $1690
D and E could swing a little either way.
B could swing a little also.
Thai Air $1200 from San Francisco.
I'm only the facilitator, you pay the provider.
*** The Coming Millennium Celebration
Peak: Kilimanjaro 19,340 Uhuru Peak.
Date: Jan 12, 2000
Contact: Warren Storkman
4180 Mackay Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Phone 650-493-8959
FAX 650-493-8975
dstorkman@AOL.com
Visit Africa for a walk-up of one of the seven continental summits.
We'll leave San Francisco January 12th 2000 arriving in Arusha,
Tanzania. This special package of 4 hotel nights plus 6 nights on
the mountain is around $1000 1998 prices. The prices should
hold for 2000.
The standard package is for 2 hotel and 4 hut nights.
Why longer for us? Jet lag and acclimatization . We are looking
for better than the average success rate. 20% not good enough.
K.L.M. Air looks attractive. '98/'99 price $1240.00
San Francisco to Kilimanjaro Airport.
We have 26 persons with a strong commitment. Lets make it a
century for the millennium.
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Tungsten Hills Highpoint (6348') - February 18, 1999
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Today dawned nicely enough, then the wind started to rise.
Auspicious conditions for a WIMP ( Winter, Inyo, Mono, Peak ).
From Ed Powers road, we drove up the Tungsten City road, good
dirt, easy 2wd, about three miles to the saddle near BM 5435 (
old 15 minute map ). This is only a few hundred yards from the
end of the road and the easiest parking spot for Tungsten Peak.
Toby, Joe Kelsey and I headed almost directly for the peak. This
was easy open terrain in the sage. En route I found an excellent
bleached antler. A few minutes later, Joe had found a pair of
antlers complete with a fragment of the intervening skyll and a
bit of fur. The wind increased dramatically as we neared the
peak. Near the summit it was gusting and knocking us over. We
estimated the velocity at 50 mph with gusts to 60+. On the
summit there was a rudimentary register with a metal film can, a
few entries from 95 and 97. We left an excellent real register,
and the antlers, then descended several hundred feet to a warmer
spot for a quick bite to eat.
Descent went well in the sandy terrain. Back at the vehicle, we
made a weak search for benchmark 5435 ( Mark are you proud of
us? ) without success. When we started the Sierra Crest was
clearly in view. Upon return, no Sierra peaks were visible and it
appeared to be precipitating lightly on our peak. Upon return to
town the television was out. The local radio reported that a
cottonwood had taken out a power line near the airport and all of
Bishop was without cable. Winds of 100 mph had been reported
at Chalfant, 8 miles north.
Round trip stats: 4 miles, 900 feet, 2 hours, class 1.
-- Eric Beck
Editor's Note: It is unusual to run three trip reports from the same
leader in a single issue of the Scree. Also note that the Standard
Peak and Tungsten Peak trip reports are very similar. I decide to
run all three due to the WIMP designation. It is important to be
familiar with small peaks that we can climb in winter when we
cannot or are not willing to trudge through heavy snow.
-- Bob Bynum, Scree Editor
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Traipsing Around Tucson - February 8-19, 1999
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For this month's Scree, it seems that I don't have as many trip
reports as I would like to have. This is partially due the snow in
the high Sierra that prevents some of us from climbing. My
solution is to go out create some of my own.
For two weeks in February, Gretchen Luepke and I visited her
mother in Tucson, Arizona. While the Sierras are covered in
snow and the Bay Area weather was cold and rainy, the weather
in Tucson was warm and sunny. Tucson, a city surrounded by
several mountain ranges, is a hikers heaven. Within a few
minutes of the city there is every type of hiking anyone would
want. Terrain includes perfectly flat hiking right in town along
the Rillito (Spanish for little river) to various degrees of
strenuousness in mountains ranging from 2,500 feet to almost
10,000 feet. In addition, there is plenty of technical rock
climbing. Gretchen and I went out on three different hikes.
Geologically, Southern Arizona is what is know as basin and
range country. This means that you have mountain ranges rising
out of the flat basin areas. In some cases there are just individual
mountains that look like they have been placed on a flat surface
like chess pieces on a chess board. Tucson (elevation 2410') is
located in an area known as the Sonoran Desert, an area that
covers most of Southern Arizona and extends into the Mexican
state of Sonora.
The flora on the Sonora desert is unlike anything else in the
United States. On my first trip to Tucson several years ago, I
walked around in awe, feeling like I had landed on another
planet! Having lived in New York, Alabama, and the Bay area, I
was more accustomed to broad leafed trees and pine trees.
In the Sonora desert the only trees you find are mesquite and palo
verde. These are bush like plants that grow to about 10 feet in
height. In size and structure, they are like the manzanita which
we find in many of our Bay Area open spaces.
Many of the plants in the desert are cactuses. They come in all
shapes and sizes. Most prominent is the saguaro (pronounced
sow-war -owe), which is the stereotypical cactus that is always
associated with the Western United States. It is the giant cactus
with multiple arms. They often grow to over 15 feet in height and
can be as old as 200 years. Although many cheap western films
show these cactuses as being in Texas and Nevada, they only
grow in the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona.
Other cactuses include the prickly pear that we have here in the
Bay Area, the cholla(pronounced choy-yah), which has cute
fuzzy-looking branches that are actually tiny sharp spines, and the
barrel cactus which is shaped like a beer keg and has fish hook
shaped spines on it. There are many other varieties as well.
At first the desert appears barren, but with a little experience,
you learn to look for the small things such as different types of
lizards scurrying about, the teddy bear cholla glistening in the
sun. Appreciating the desert is a like appreciating a Beethoven
symphony or fine Cabernet Sauvignon wines. It is a special place
that is appreciated only after some study and hiking there several
times.
Some people associate the desert with hazards such as poisonous
snakes and Gila Monsters. However, much of these hazards are
myths created by corny westerns or cheap science fiction movies.
Poisonous snakes and Gila Monsters are there but in many cases
they are elusive creatures that avoid confrontations with humans.
According to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum snakebite
victims for 1995 were 95% male between 15 and 25 who were
handling the snakes, 80% were white, 98% were drunk, 85% of
bites were on the hand, and 90% of the victims had tattoos. So go
figure how great the hazard is.
With regards to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum that I just
mentioned, this is a great institution for learning about the
natural history of the Sonoran Desert. On display here are all
kinds of desert animals in natural habitats, plus geological and
plant exhibits. If you are in Tucson, this museum is a must see.
*** Golden Gate Mountain
Our first hike was on the David Yetman trail. This trail goes
around Golden Gate Mountain, a 4288 Ft peak in the Tucson
Mountains, a range to the northwest of Tucson. We hadn't set out
to do this mountain, but were just passing by, saw the trail and
decided to go on an impromptu hike. As is true of most of the
trails in the Tucson Mountains, the Golden Gate Trail is basically
a desert ramble with your usual assortment of prickly pear,
cholla, and ocotillo (a spiny member of the lily family).
There are no trees to provide shade here. This is the land of
mesquite and palo verde, of the saguaro, prickly pear, cholla, and
hedgehog cacti, of creosote bushes, ocotillo, and catclaw.
The terrain is a jumble of boulders and craggy ridges and is of
volcanic origin. Winter is the perfect time to hike here. In
summer it becomes way too hot.
The trail itself has little elevation gain so I decided to go off trail
and head straight up the peak. Going off trail and up a peak in the
Sonora Desert can be tricky. Although there is plenty of space to
step among the cactuses, you need to be careful not to actually
bump into one. The spines on cactuses have a structure similar to
fishhooks such that they enter the skin with ease, but are very
difficult and painful to extract. The worst spines are the little
hairlike ones found on the teddy bear cholla. You can hardly see
them, but they are quit painful and can remain embedded in you
skin for weeks.
I knew that we didn't actually have time to summit. It was late
afternoon and we were expected home for dinner. When I went
off trail, I headed straight up a chute for several hundred yards so
that I at least could get a good view. I did a little of class 3
climbing. One needs be especially careful when doing this
because cactuses can grow in the smallest of rock crevices.
As you gain elevation you can see Old Tucson Studios. Built in
1939 by Columbia Pictures for the filming of the first outdoor
western, Arizona, the set has been home to many Westerns since
then. Also the TV series Gunsmoke, High Chaparral, and
Bonanza used this set. In the exact area where we were hiking,
outdoor scenes in many westerns have been filmed because there
are no power lines in the area. When you look out over the desert
from a high elevation, it seems to stretch out endlessly.
*** Picacho Peak.
Picacho Peak is a 3374' peak that rises majestically 2000' out of
the Sonoran Dessert about 35 miles north of Tucson and is a state
park. It is just off of I-10. Difficulty wise it is comparable to
Mission Peak in the Bay Area. In the spring, there is a brilliant
display of wildflowers, if there have been winter rains.
This peak is an extinct volcanic neck with a dual summit. When
seen by moonlight, it looks like the Night on Bald Mountain.
scene in Walt Disney's Fantasia. During a thunderstorm at night
it is a quite a show!
We started out late and began hiking at 3:00 PM. Due to a 6:00
PM dinner engagement, we did not go all the way to the summit,
but we had a great hike and had spectacular views. We decided to
hike independently and I decided to turn around in 45 minutes.
On this peak you take a trail up to a saddle between the dual
peaks and them drop before ascending the taller left peak on the
back side. There are lots of cables along a rocky trail. Many types
of cactus grow out of the rocks. Gretchen made it up to the saddle
and I made it partially up the peak on the back side. This was
mostly class 1, but on the steeper parts was class 3. Our hike
lasted about an hour and a half and was a nice little climb for an
afternoon.
*** Mt. Kimball
On Thursday, February 18 we climbed Mt. Kimball which is a
7258' peak in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson's highest and
most rugged mountain range. The trailhead was at 3100' and the
trail is five miles long or 10 miles round trip. Elevation gain is
4158'. This hike is comparable to climbing Half Dome from
Happy Isles due to similarities in elevation gain and elevations of
trailhead and summit. Since I had not reached the summit on our
other two hikes, I was determined to reach the top this time.
For the first mile or so, the trail is relatively flat and goes through
an impressive forest-like stand of saguaro cactuses. After that the
trail climbs relentlessly for the next four miles through a steep
canyon. As the trail ascends in elevation, the flora changes.
Saguaro cactuses disappear and then at the higher cooler
elevations, the flora changes to pinon pine, juniper, manzanitas,
and oak.
We started hiking at 11:19 AM and I summitted at 3:21 PM. I
returned at 5:55 PM. Gretchen did not go all of the way, but she
had a good 5 hour, 25 minute hike. She decided to turn around at
2:00 PM and returned at 4:45 PM. I summitted in 4 hours and
took 2 hours, 25 minutes to return. I was absolutely exhausted
and I drank water constantly for the next several hours.
This was a very exhausting day, but I had the satisfaction of
reaching a goal. The views were worth every step and the scenery
was spectacular. There are stark cliffs towering above tall pines.
On the summit you can look out in all directions with views
comparable to what you find in the Sierras. It is great to be able
to do such a peak climb without a six hour drive.
-- Bob Bynum, Scree Editor
Note: Some of the material in this report is taken from the book
Tucson Hiking Guide, by Betty Leavengood (1997).
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THE BACK PAGE
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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.
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