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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.
June, 2000 Vol. 34 No. 6
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 6/25/2000
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This issue of Scree will be on the Official PCS Website at
http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/pcs/scree
The EScree is distributed to email lists as described on "the back page".
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Next general meeting (PCS meetings are the second tuesday of each month)
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Date: Tuesday, June 13
Time: 8:00 PM
Program: Climbing the Vinson Massif in Antartica by Dana Isherwood
Directions: 2344 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
(between San Thomas and Los Padres).
(PDF version has a drawn map here)
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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PCS Leadership Clinic - Date Change to Saturday, June 17
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The PCS Mountaineering Committee is organizing a leadership
clinic. The full write-up of this event is in the April 2000 Scree.
The clinic will be at Sunol Regional Park, Saturday June 17 from
9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Please call or email for more details on
where to meet.
-- Kelly Maas (408) 378-5311, maas@idt.com
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Letter from Leonard Daughenbaugh!
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Editor's Note: Mr. Leonard Daughenbaugh, a member of the
Inyo County Search and Rescue Team, asked me to print this
letter in the Scree in response to an item published in the January
2000 Scree. This letter is the personal opinion of Mr.
Daughenbaugh and is not in an official position of Search and
Rescue or the Inyo County Sheriff's Department. It was not
sanctioned by nor does it represent the opinion of either of these
organizations or any of its other members.
Since Mr. Daughenbaugh's letter appeared to be official, I felt
that as the Scree editor I needed to investigate Mr. Daughenbaugh's
position with SAR.
I spoke with Sgt. Randy Nixon who is the search and rescue
coordinator for the Inyo County Sheriff's Department. Sgt Nixon
told me that Mr. Daughenbaugh had said that he was going to
write this letter. Sgt. Nixon then told him that he could write a
letter as long as it was a personal opinion.
Inyo County Search and Rescue is a fine organization that we
should all support. They are volunteers whose services we may
someday save our lives!
-- Bob Bynum, Scree Editor
Dear Editor:
Mr. Yoav S. Altman's letter in the January 2000 edition of Scree,
and the fact that there was no comment in subsequent editions,
seems to indicate that, in the Loma Prieta Peak Climbing Section,
discovering a dead body, then just leaving it in place without
making a report is not considered unusual or inappropriate. In
any case, it appears possible that your organization has not
considered the serious problems that this official or unofficial
policy can cause others.
In the first place, leaving a body on the mountain and not
reporting it can cause a considerable amount of unnecessary
stress and apprehension for the victim's family. In this instance,
the victim's girlfriend reported him overdue late Saturday
afternoon. She indicated that he was on a "power hike" to the
Palisade area. She wasn't sure which one, but she thought he was
either going to climb the U-Notch or the V-Notch. According to
Mr. Altman, he and his climbing partners discovered the body on
Saturday morning, well before the victim was reported missing.
Our SAR team members, who had arrived on the glacier early
Sunday morning, were not notified until late that afternoon when
Mr. Altman and his partners told another of our team members at
the trailhead about their discovery the previous day. By the time
SAR team members were able to verify the fatality, it was almost
dark and beginning to snow, which required the team to postpone
the recovery until the next day. If, however, someone in Mr.
Altman's group had been willing to walk out and report the
incident at the time of discovery, the victim's family would have
been saved at least twenty four hours of stress and apprehension.
As a matter of fact, the team could probably have informed the
family early on Saturday afternoon, even before they reported the
victim missing. It would also have allowed the team enough time
to complete the recovery on Saturday, or at the latest Sunday
morning, instead of having to wait until Monday.
Secondly, not reporting the discovery of a body puts search and
rescue personnel at unnecessary risk. Had the SAR team been
informed of the fatality on Saturday, the victim could have been
flown out that day or early the next day without the need for a
full callout of members. As it was, a full hasty team was
dispatched on Saturday night to clear the trail and approaches,
and search teams were moved into the area on Sunday morning
both on foot and via helicopter. It should be noted that there was
a helicopter problem on Sunday could easily have added another
five names to the fatality total. The team on the glacier then had
to hike out Sunday night in a snowstorm. Because of the snow, it
was somewhat difficult the next day to find the victim again.
Only a few inches of the team's marker remained above the snow.
If there had been another three inches of snow, the victim would
probably still be there. Also, if there hadn't been that chance
meeting between Mr. Altman and one of our team members at the
trailhead late Sunday afternoon, the snow would have covered the
victim entirely before the rescue team could have gotten there.
And, if so, the victim would definitely have remained on the
glacier until spring. Lastly, because of the season, there didn't
appear to be any animal damage, which is always a possibility
with a body left out. And, to the best or our knowledge, no one
else had to come across the scene.
According to his letter, Mr. Altman also seems to feel that the
newspaper report contained "several inaccuracies." The first
"inaccuracy," according to Mr. Altman, was that the victim was
"mountaineering" not on a "power hike." As mentioned before,
"power hike" was the victim's description of what he was doing,
so that's what we called it.
The second "inaccuracy" was the fact that the radio news reported
that Mr. Altman and his partners had discovered the body on
Sunday afternoon. Base camp was informed that another group of
hikers had discovered the body. That was put together by the
news media with the fact that it was late Sunday at the time.
Further, Mr. Altman seems to believe that the victim's death isn't
"one of those 'can't happen to me' situations." As described,
however, the victim was solo climbing in the Palisades, arguably
the most hazardous climbing area in the Sierra. Further, he told
his girlfriend he was going to climb the "U-Notch [or the V-
Notch];" then, during the trip, he apparently changed his plans.
This meant that no one knew where he was. As to whether or not
the victim was wearing his helmet, there are several other
scenarios that could describe the position and condition of his
helmet. These actions violate at least two of the most basic
precepts of safe mountaineering, i.e. climbing in a hazardous area
alone, and not letting someone else know where you are. If the
victim was "routinely and knowingly" accepting these
unnecessary risks, by definition, it certainly seems likely that he
felt, consciously or unconsciously, that it "couldn't happen to
him."
We are not writing this to condemn Mr. Altman, his climbing
partners, their actions, or their inaction. We are merely
explaining some of the possible consequences of not reporting the
discovery of a body on a mountain, utilizing the aforementioned
incident as an example, while, at the same time, responding to
Mr. Altman's claim that our report about this incident contained
"several inaccuracies."
In any case, since Mr. Altman's letter was actually in the Loma
Prieta Peak Climbing Section Newsletter, it seemed appropriate
and fair to request that the response be printed there also.
County Search and Rescue Team Members
A Note to Joe Kelsey: Your description of the programming on
our local Bishop radio station seemed to me to be at least
somewhat sarcastic. ("in a stretch of their usual concept of local
news, limited to the LADWP, Caltrans plans to reroute 395
around one town or another, and Mammoth town councilmen
punching each other.") It's definitely a quality of life issue. I've
been living in Bishop for the last eleven years, but I lived in San
Jose [I was a Peak Climbing Section member, too.] for the twelve
years previous to this. During this time, I dealt with the local Bay
Area media that "in a stretch of their usual concept of local news,
limited to "murders, rapes, armed robberies, car jackings, home
invasions, assorted other mayhems and perversions, fatal traffic
accidents, major drug busts, gang activities, malfeasance in
government and private industry, ad nauseam. The main reason I
left the Bay Area was to get myself and my family away from
both the reality of those situations and having to be treated to all
the gory details every time I turned on the radio or TV. There
were other reasons, however, such as smog, traffic, fourteen-hour
round-trip drives to get to the east side, no peace or quiet,
double-locked doors and burglar alarms, uptight people, constant
noise, crowds, not being able to let the kids play in the front yard
alone, etc. While it appears from your comments that our area
isn't "sophisticated" enough for you, please understand that it's
the lack of this so-called "sophistication" that makes this area
such a pleasant and stress-free place to live. So, since you like
your living situation and I like mine, please, let's do each other a
favor. I will not be sarcastic regarding your choice of life style if
you are willing to treat mine with the same respect. How about
it?
-- Leonard Daughenbaugh
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Get even with a bear that raided your food
bag by kicking his favorite stump apart
and eating all the ants.
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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.
*** Four Gables
Peak: Four Gables 12,720', Class 2
Dates: July 8-9 (Sat/Sun)
Map(s): Mt Darwin, Mt. Tom; 7.5'
Leader: Debbie Benham (h) 650/964-0558, deborah4@pacbell.net
CoLeader: wanted
We'll hike over Piute Pass and camp in the moonscape of
Humphries Basin at Desolation Lake. Summit Sunday, then hike
out the same day. Permit for 8.
Backpacking experience required. Asking $10 deposit; fully
refundable attrailhead. Questions? please contact leader.
*** Leap Over Large Abysses
Peaks: L.O.L.A., class 1, 9148 Donner Peak, class 1
Dates: Jun 17-18, 2000 (Sat-Sun)
Maps: Donner Pass
Leader: Aaron Schuman, aaron_schuman@yahoo.com
Co-leader: Pat Ibbetson, djpat@yahoo.com &
Details: http://sj.znet.com/~cynthiam/lola.html
Hike with us, as Pat and Aaron Lead Our Lively Adventure.
June at North Lake Tahoe is the greenest time in the greenest
place in the Sierra Nevada. We're taking a couple of moderately
paced day hikes under the pine canopy to two not very big peaks
with gorgeous lake views. Send us your own expansion of the
acronym L.O.L.A., and you too can be part of the Legend Of Low
Altitude.
*** Vogelsang, the Easy Way
Peak: Vogelsang (11,493), class-2
Dates: June 17-18
Map: Vogelsang
Leader: Ron Karpel, ronny@karpel.org 650-594-0211
Take a leisurely stroll up a beautiful high Sierra Summit. Saturday
climb 1300 ft. from Tuolumne Meadow to Vogelsang High Sierra
Camp. We'll set our camp near Vogelsang Lake to escape the
mosquitoes that are likely to be looking for us near Vogelsang
HSC proper. Sunday, we will bag the summit (additional 1200 feet)
following the ridge line from Vogelsang pass. There is a bit of rock
scrambling there, but it is easy, and it can be avoided by
descending a couple hundred feet on the trail to the South and
climbing the scree slop. I expect a few patches of snow here and
there, but nothing which requires an ice axe. The slope to the
summit is facing South and I expect will be clear of snow.
This trip is suitable for children (accompanied by parents) and
beginners.
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Mt. Whitney - March 25,26, 2000
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As exciting as the winter hike up to Mt. Whitney was the drive to
the Whitney Portal. The road is officially closed several miles
before the end, but since there was no gate (just a road closed
sign) I decided to drive ahead and see how far I could get.
After the rockfall hazard sign, the road is nearly covered with
boulders, some small but some the size of a car! There was a path
cleared out, just big enough for one car to drive around the rocks.
In a few places I had to get out and move a few rocks that had
fallen, but the path through the rocks was generally easy to follow
(utilizing parts of both lanes and at times the shoulder). The last
half mile had several large snow patches, but I'm sure those are
gone by now.
Seeing several other cars parked next to the trailhead on Friday
night was a comfort - I wasn't the only crazy one, and there would
be help moving rocks if more fell!
Disclaimer: if you decide to drive to the Whitney Portal and a
huge rockfall happens while you're hiking and your car is stuck
until June, you didn't get the idea here...
In the morning, I started hiking up the trail with 4 other guys - 2
of them soon turned off to go towards Iceberg Lake and the
mountaineers route, while the other 2 were going to do the
standard route and then snowboard down!
The snow was solid from 8500' up, and I put on snowshoes.
Although I have never been to Mt. Whitney before, the route
finding is very easy and there are few obstacles to going along the
general path of the summer trail.
I had planned to camp at 12,000' and then go to the top the next
day, but it was only early afternoon when I got there so I kept going.
The slope from 12,000' to the trail crest at 13,600' is quite steep
and the snow up here was much more solid, making crampons
useful. (This is the slope that is, looking up, to the right of the
summer switchbacks).
From the crest to the summit, the trail was clearly visible and
largely snow-free except for a few large and annoyingly steep and
mushy piles of snow. I slept near the top and then hiked down
(mostly sliding) in the morning.
Many people have done the hike up to Whitney this winter -
there were very few days without signatures in the register. New
Year's must have had quite a party on the summit - dozens of
people signed the register...
The spectacular winter view is well worth the effort.
-- Joe Budman
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Spinach Noodle - April 8-9, 2000
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Official PCS trip, lead by Aaron Schuman with one lone participant (me).
Back in late 1995, as a warm-up for climbing Telescope Peak
from below sea level, I did a solo loop that included Lamont,
Spanish, and Sawtooth. It was a long hard day that convinced me
I didn't need to be in that area again, but when Aaron planned a
trip there and agreed to climb Spanish from the hard side, I
agreed to go. Later we found out that Eric Beck climbed Spanish
Needle two days after we did (pity - we could have used the
company).
Part of my reason for going was to see if my fear near the top of
Spanish had been justified, or just because I was alone and
climbing wet rocks in the fog. You can read that trip report at:
http://www.Climber.Org/TripReports/1995/lamont.html
Aaron checked with some friends via email and called a ranger or
two, and we decided the road to Rodecker Flat (mentioned in the
Jenkins guidebook) was open far enough to give it a try. (Turn
west from 395 onto Sand Canyon Road at waypoint SND395, at
the sign showing Brown Road to the east.) SURPRISE! The road
is well-maintained and quite drivable even for little cars, but it
ends at the edge of the Owens Wilderness. Joshua Trees
outnumber all other tall plants here, and you're about 3 miles
short of the nice campsites at Rodecker Flat (see waypoint
SNDCAR, below).
A warm but windy night departed as we ditched our extra
sweaters and started wondering if we had enough water bottles.
It's an easy road walk to waypoint RODECK (the flats), then a bit
of trail, then you either sidehill in sand or fight scrub in the
drainage. Alarming tales of loose boulders with bad attitudes
can't be ignored, but the main problem with the South Fork of
Sand Canyon is the brush. We tried to cross the canyon around
5500' (waypoint CROSS), thinking we would sidehill up toward
the peak, but soon found ourselves picking our way over rock ribs
in third class crud. Your best bet is to stay in the drainage until
6000', then angle southwest in the gully that leads directly to the
low point (waypoint SADDLE) between the obvious pinnacles
overlooking the PCT and the true Spanish Needle. Don't go TOO
FAR south, or you'll climb Point 7800 a quarter mile away (as at
least one register entry moaned about).
We hit the saddle around 2pm and headed south toward the peak
by kicking steps through a few patches of snow on the north face
and by running the knife edge ridge in places. You know you're
approaching the peak when both the east and west faces are
cliffs. The Jenkins instructions may leave you thinking "the first
keyhole" is near the saddle, but it's not... it's right under the 100'
vertical monolith that comprises the summit. By the time you
reach the keyhole, you've already had to do a bit of easy third
class and you're less than 50 yards from the summit. Then the fun
starts!(By the way, looking from the saddle down toward the PCT
to the southwest, I can't help thinking that climb would be easier
than the traverse that Beck describes well in his trip report.
Jenkins has you approach the saddle from the northeast, but
someone ought to try it from the southwest to avoid the nasty
traverse.)
From the boulder that creates the first keyhole, face south and
tremble at the thought of climbing the sheer and featureless face
looming above you. Turn to the west and wonder if that class 5
crack would be better than the Jenkins route. Then turn to the
east and find his first "sapling" - well, OK, it's not a sapling
anymore. It's the 10" diameter tree level with where you are.
(Jenkins wrote the book a few decades ago, you see.) We had to
kick steps in the snow over to that tree, wondering where the
blocks he describes are. No blocks, just a set of parallel cracks
that rise from the tree onto the smooth shoulder Jenkins calls a
"ledge". Right. Think downsloping exposed no hand holds lichen
covered (oh, and THIS time a patch of SNOW on it) granite. My
fear in 95 was justified. There isn't much of a way to protect this
stretch, and there are no handholds while you cross the shoulder
to the boulder which Jenkins calls a gendarme (at 4' high, it's a
little short cop, eh?). Now turn southwest and spot the second
"sapling", actually an 8" tree, blocking the best route on the
ridge. Once you're under it, the rest is easy (even the second
keyhole and the 3' step-across to the summit itself). Just don't
look down.
We found a plastic tube register found lying near the first
keyhole, and carried it to the top where we encountered the metal
ammo box with the REAL register in it. Victory! Uh, but now we
gotta get back down that slab and it's almost 3pm. Fortunately the
weather was perfect and the wind had died down, so we picked
our way down 1000' of basket-sized rocks to the welcome sand of
the north side of the south fork of sand canyon (say THAT 5 times
fast, or see waypoint SAND below). We made it to the car before
dark, and had a relaxing dinner with lukewarm beer and a bright
sliver of moon before driving to the Chimney Peak campground
(waypoint CHIMNY) for a below-freezing night.
Sunday morning we waited around for an SPSer who was
supposed to join us on Sawtooth, but no one showed up. Off we
went, south on the PCT from Canebrake Rd (waypoint
CANPCT), to the saddle (SAWTRL) where we could see the
lower reaches of Sand Canyon. Some brush along the ridge gives
way to a few summit blocks (and the famous register where
someone wrote "blah, blah, blah" all over a multi-page entry by
Pat Ibbetson). We lazed around for a while, then tried to
remember which canyon Jenkins recommends descending. Sadly,
I think we took the wrong one (from waypoint SAWJCT, you
should probably go due west whereas we went southwest into the
gully just north of Point 6919). Our gully went as second class,
but was not the beautiful draw I remember from the last trip.
Getting old, or getting lost? Next time I'll go for the most sheer
canyon with the highest spires guarding the entrance.
-- Steve Eckert
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Lamont, Sawtooth, Crag - April 22, 2000
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Bob Suzuki, Joan Marshall, Dee Booth and I were originally
planning on climbing Taylor Dome, Sirretta, and Rockhouse
Peaks, but since forest road 22S14 is still closed (thanks, Richard
Carey, for alerting us to call the rangers) we made a change of
plans and did Lamont, Sawtooth, and Crag Peaks instead.
The weather reports were mostly good for the weekend, but a few
clouds looked potentially menacing as we met in Onyx Saturday
morning .Lamont Peak was the warmup hike for the day. The
trailhead is well marked, and there is a parking area to the left of
Canebrake Road across from the beginning of the trail. Soon we
found ourselves in the clouds, but the trail was easy to follow
most of the way up. Shortly before the trail dips ~100 feet en
route to the final short climb we mistakenly followed a use trail
that went slightly to the left but dead-ended soon after - there is a
fairly good trail the whole way, so if you think you're off route,
back up and find the real trail. The summit is an easy 1 minute
boulder hop, and the register is mostly signed by SPS and PCS
groups. We stayed on top a few minutes hoping that the clouds
would break, but no such luck. While I was optimistic that the
clouds were just fog from the Owens Valley being burned off and
blown away, Bob told us about an epic all-night adventure in a
snowstorm on nearby Spanish Needle. No such fun this time - the
clouds burned off as we descended and we got a few looks down
at the valley and the lamont pinnacles.
We then drove down the road and parked near the sign that says
0.2 miles to the campground. The PCT trailhead is marked but
tough to find ifyou drive by too fast - it starts near the .2 mile
sign. We followed the PCT to the saddle of Sawtooth Peak and
then began the cross-country hike up the ridge. I think it's best to
climb the hill in the foreground of Sawtooth from the ridge and
continue approximately on the ridge line from there (described
very well in Arun Mahajan's report of last year).The pines and
brush are not too thick and there were only a few places where
there isn't an easy way around the trees. The summit view is quite
nice - not as spectacular as the more northerly Sawtooth Peak, but
the Owens Valley, Spanish Needle, Olancha Peak, and snow-
covered peaks of the High Sierra give a nice panorama. Spanish
Needle still has a solid dusting of snow on it from the storm 1
week ago although Sawtooth is snow-free. For the descent, we
took Dee's advice and followed the beautiful little canyon
described in the Jenkins guidebook. A little water still runs in the
canyon but the rock scrambling is very straightforward.
We were back at the cars around 5 and drove to the campground
at Kennedy Meadows for the night along the beautiful (and
paved!) Kennedy Meadows road. The beautiful meadows
surrounded by hills resembled a lower-elevation Tuolumne
Meadows in the evening light. Sawtooth and Lamont are easily
doable in a day that still leaves time for some relaxing - where
else in the Sierra can you do 2 peaks in an easy day?
There is a general store at the intersection of the road that leads
to the campground and a restaurant a few miles before that. The
area has some private property but is still very quiet since fishing
season doesn't start until next week.
The campground was less than half full (but we were told that the
situation is quite different once the fisherman arrive en masse)
and we got to sleep early to compensate for the lack of sleep of
the previous night. I was told not to reveal the identities of the
people who cooked and camped vs. ate at the restaurant and slept
in a car!
The next day's objective was Crag Peak and possibly Chimney
Peak if we had time later, so we set off at 7:30 down the PCT.
The trailhead is found on the campground loop road and there is
a relatively large parking area. This 5-mile section of the PCT is
quite scenic, following a river through a glacially carved valley.
We knew that we'd have to cross the river eventually, and while I
was trying to mentally prepare for a cold wade across by
mentioning the virtues of a relaxing foot rinse partway through a
hike, we soon found that the trail crossed a bridge.
There are a few slight ups and downs but the trail is almost flat
for the first few miles and then gains less than a thousand feet en
route to the meadow 5 miles from the trailhead. There were a few
backpackers camped here, and we took off cross-country in the
direction of what we thought was Crag Peak in the distance:
only1.5 miles away but 2500 feet of elevation gain remaining.
Don't go the way we did! Here's why: we headed in the direction
of a hill in front of Crag Peak whose ridgeline leads to the
summit. There were a few cliffs on this hill with what appeared
to be an easy passage between them. As we started to climb,
though, what appeared to be little tufts of grass from a distance
turned out to be thick, thorny manzanita and other much less
pleasant brush. Ugh. As is the case when you're sitting on101 in
traffic, every path to the left and right of us seemed better than
the one we were on, yet they turned out to be just as steep, sandy,
and prickly. Wearing shorts probably didn't help, but eventually
we got to the steep cliffs and ended up circling them completely
on the right side on some large rocks. There were a few patches
of snow to traverse here (around 8200 feet elev.), and we soon
got to more forested, less brushy terrain. We made much better
time from this point on, heading in a fairly straight line to the
right side of Crag Peak's ridge. From our direction, this was the
peak with a steep and narrow summit ridge with the pinnacle on
the left side. There were only occasional snow patches after we
left the shadier north-facing slopes, and we saw some bear prints
in one of these snow patches. No sight of Mr./Mrs. Bear, though.
What I originally thought were glissade marks of hikers further
on was also probably made by bears since I again found bear
prints further above. Do bears glissade!?
After a few more minutes of thorny brush and nasty bushwacking
before the summit area, we found ourselves on the summit ridge,
large class 2 blocks. Just before the final 20-foot climb to the
high point is the short, narrow knife-edge which had sounded
much scarier that it was. You can straddle the rock and move
across on your behind or be bravel ike one member of our group
(hint: his name begins with B and ends with OB), but the
exposure is not that bad (maybe 20 feet). The final rock section is
even less directly exposed. We were the first people to sign the
register in 2000. There are only a few groups who visit this
summit each year - again mostly from the SPS and PCS.
Although the ratio of bushwacking to climbing is very high (I
wanted to rename the peak "crap, then crag"), the view is very
nice: a large meadow below, Olancha Peak (still snow-covered),
the Whitney area, the Kaweahs, and the peaks of the Mineral
King area.
For the descent we came down the ridge and then followed the
forested slopes just to the southeast of the ridgeline that goes
directly from Crag Peak to the PCT. Much easier than the route
up! Steep and forested areas seem to correlate well with an
absence of brush on this peak. We reached what we thought was
the PCT but was really a good use trails lightly to the west of the
PCT and led us south to the PCT near the meadow from which
we had started the bushwack. If you do Crag from this direction,
hike the extra mile on the PCT and take the more forested route -
your legs and clothes will be much happier.2 hours of trail
walking got us back to the cars at 7 and the long drive back to the
Bay Area brought the pleasant weekend to a close.
NOTE: Sherman Pass at 9200 feet remains closed. There are a
few patches of snow above 8000' on the north-facing slopes from
the storm that passed through this area about a week ago, but a
few more sunny days have probably melted most of that..
Don't let the rangers convince you that there is significant snow
in this area of the Sierra right now! They're just being lazy in
opening the roads.
-- Joe Budman
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Moses Mountain - April 30, 2000
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Maybe it was because we had just seen Charlton Heston in The
Ten Commandments on the tube for the first time since I saw it as
a kid in the 50s. Maybe it was because Passover had just ended.
Or maybe it was because I just needed to get back to the Sierra.
Whatever the cause, Richard Stover and I headed for Moses
Mountain.
We began our dayhike of this 9331 ft. peak from Mountain Home
State Forest, a sequoia wonderland east of Porterville and west of
Golden Trout
Wilderness. Even if you don't climb, this unique park is well
worth visiting. Over 5200 old-growth sequoia, young sequoia,
mature douglass fir, white fir, incense cedar, sugar pine and more
give one a sense of what a marvel the sequoia forests must have
been before we attacked these gentle giants with a vengeance.
On the cross country hike to the base of Moses, we passed tree
after tree which would have been given a name of a president or
general had they been growing in a more traveled spot. Instead of
a few trophy groves as found in other parks, here were thousands
of gigantic trees growing freely in a natural setting. A sight not to
be missed.
We followed Steve Eckert's advice and took the trail to Redwood
Crossing, then without getting our feet wet, stayed on the west
side of the river, took a compass reading from the map and made
a beeline to Moses. If you are on the right trajectory, you should
pass the boundary marker and benchmark for the northwestern
corner of the northernmost section of Mountain Home State
Forest.
Unfortunately, we were not able to start hiking from Shake Camp
since snow covered parts of the road and the gate was locked.
Our climb was about two miles longer because of that, but we
had most of the park to ourselves.
Whether we took the brush filled or rocky gully described in
previous reports, we couldn't say. The one we ascended was
directly below the summit and filled with snow. As we sat on a
rock for a snack, a golden eagle soared into view.
The climb up was uneventful, however, by the time we
descended, the sun had melted enough snow to force us onto the
rock to avoid the danger of plunging through the snow into the
rushing water beneath. As a result, we downclimbed some high
3rd and 4th class sections, sometimes using a long sling for hip
belays.
Once down, we meandered through the forest examining more
magnificent trees and vowing to return to explore some more. On
the drive back to Springville, we stopped often to admire the
profusion of wildflowers including rare calypso orchids, speckled
Clarkia, lupine, blue fiesta flower, wally basket, and baby blue
eyes.
-- Debbie Bulger
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Claustrophobia on the Summit - May 13, 2000
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The weather Saturday morning was cloudy, but the summit was
out of the clouds. The road was open for driving to the Bumpass
Hell Parking lot near Helen Lake. From there, a 1/2 hour walk on
the plowed but closed road got us to the upper parking lot. There
were 5-8 feet of snow at this area, but higher up on the ridge
there were many bare spots. To gain the ridge, some of us took a
shorter steeper path, keeping a straight line to the summit, while
other gained the ridge a little lower skirting the steep and ice
section on it's right. Another 1 hour or so of following the ridge
on mostly stiff snow got us to the summit. It was windy, and the
clouds where forming a low ceiling above the summit, but we
managed to find a place protected from the wind and the sun
popped through a few times to warm us up a bit for our early
lunch break.
We started down, and as we descended, so did the clouds. About
half way down the ridge, it started snowing, and we made the rest
of the way to the cars in the intensifying storm. Hopes for
bagging Brokeoff the same day melted as quickly as the fresh
snow hitting the plowed pavement, and with forecast which
expected things to get worst, we headed home. On the way down
to Red Bluff I managed to get a last glimpse of Lassen popping
out of the clouds again, but it was too late.
At least we bagged Lassen which is way better then the previous
couple of years when bad weather turned us back without
summiting.
Participants: Arun Mahajan, Bill Kirkpatrick, Fi Verplanke,
George Van Gordon, Jan Nicholas, Linda Smith, Maxym Runov,
Ron Karpel, Ted Raczek.
-- Ron Karpel
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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.
*** Mt Shasta
Peak: Mt. Shasta 14,162 ft.,Class: 2/snow
Date: June 3-4
Contact: Kai Wiedman (650)347-5234
Co-Contact: Cecil Anison cecilann@earhlink.net
Mt. Shasta is a climbers' mountain, singular in its magnificence.
Sargent's Ridge will be an airy, challenging route with steep
traverses and mixed climbing. Please join us on this exhillarating
adventure.
*** Morrison and Bloody
Peaks: Morrison (12,277'), Bloody (12,552')
Maps: Convict Lake, Bloody Mtn, 7.5' topos
Class: 2, snow
Dates: June 3-4 (Sat-Sun)
Contact: Bob Suzuki, w: 510-657-7555, h: 408-259-0772 bobszk@bigfoot.com
Sam Wilkie, w:408-765-7548, h: 650-941-1794 sam.wilkie@intel.com
Have you ever noticed the sheer face of Mt Morrison as you drive
south of Mammoth Lakes on highway 395 and wondered how it
would feel to summit this spectacular peak? Well, this is your
chance! We'll also climb nearby Bloody Mountain on a separate
day hike. Expect snow, and be prepared.
*** Where is Mt. Powell?
Peaks: Mt. Thompson (13,494), Mt. Powell (13,360), class-2 snow
Dates: Sat-Sun, June 10-11
Maps: Mt. Thompson, Mt. Darwin (W)
Contact: Ron Karpel, ronny@karpel.org,
Bob Suzuki, bobszk@bigfoot.com,(H)408-259-0772 (W)510-657-7555 X223
Not only the SPS and the USGS disagree about the location of the
"real" summit of Mt. Powell, the USGS itself changed it's mind a
few times in the previous millennia. So, where is Mt. Powell? come
and help us find out. There are 3 summits to chose from, and if
you know Bob, he will probably make us climb all 3. As for me, I
just have my eyes on the snow couloir on its northern slope.
As for Thompson, it's the higher mountain, but it is overshadow by
it's wandering neighbor. We will have to climb it simply because it
is there. Ice axe and crampon experience required.
*** Gilbert and Johnson
Peaks: Gilbert (13,106'), Johnson (12,871')
Maps: Mt. Thompson, 7.5' topos
Class: 2/3, snow
Dates: June 10-11 (Sat-Sun)
Contacts: Dee Booth, 408-354-7291(H) rdbooth@worldnet.att.net
Rick Booth, 408-354-7291 rwbooth@home.com
Join us for an early June trip into the Sierra. We will start at South
Lake and hike into Treasure Lakes where we will camp. On
Saturday we will also climb Johnson. On Sunday we will climb
Gilbert and hike out. Participants should be prepared for snow,
bring ice ax and crampons and know how to use them.
*** Darwin
Peak: Darwin (13,830) Class 3-4
Date: July 1-4
Contact: Chris Kramar (510)-796-6651
Darwin, king of the Evolution crest, is one of the finest summits in
the Sierra. Walter Starr, Jr. wrote that the Evolution country was
"the region where the grand crescendo of the Sierra touches at
once the heart of the mountaineer and the artist."
We will start at North Lake and take the Lamarck Col route to
Darwin Canyon to position ourselves at the foot of the glacier.
Expect snow and rock travel that may be roped at times. Mt.
Mendel will also be attempted.
*** South Lake/Bishop Pass
Peak: Mt. Goode, Gilbert, Johnson Black Giant, Mt. Solomons, and Mt. Goddard
Date: July 1-4
Contact: Tim Hult 408-970-0760, Timdhult@aol.com
This trip will get us into an area loaded with class 2 and 3 peaks.
Expect long days and miles. Early season conditions may require
ice axe and crampons. Extensive snow coverage may turn this
into a ski trip!
*** Rainier via the Kautz Glacier
Pealk: Mt Rainer, Snow, Ice, Glacier, Altitude
Dates: July 5th-9th 2000 .
Leaders: George Van Gordon: 408-779-2320, gvangord@mhu.k12.ca.us
Ron Karpel: ronny@karpel.org
This is a private trip, not affiliated with the Sierra Club.
The Kautz Glacier route using Camp Hazard as high camp is
much less traveled then the normal Disappointment Cleaver route,
which is likely to be extremely crowded at this time of year. This
trip involves both glacier travel and a short moderately steep alpine
ice climbing (around 45%). We will travel roped up on the glacier
and use pickets and ice screws for belay on the steep ice section.
Participants must be experienced in using ice axe and crampons
for snow travel and have previous training in glacier travel and
crevasse rescue techniques.
*** The Isherwood Special
Peaks: Mt. Rose (10,776) with optional climb of Mt. Tallac (9,735)
Dates: July 7-9, 2000
Leaders: Bill and Dana Isherwood dana@isherwoods.net
(925)254-0739 (h) or (925)423-5058 (Bill at work)
Climb Mt. Rose, Tahoe Basin's third highest peak, and leave your
sleeping bag, tent, backpack, etc. at home. Join us for a decadent
weekend at the private Carmel Ski Lodge in Truckee. Spend
Friday and Saturday nights at the Lodge. Climb Mt. Rose
Saturday and celebrate your ascent at a fun filled "happy hour",
followed by a pot luck barbeque, and your favorite climbing videos
Saturday night. Optional climb of Mt. Tallac on Sunday. Limited to
12. Cost: $15/person/night (private rooms for couples). For
reservations, call Bill or Dana Isherwood .
*** Palisade Crest
Peak: Palisade Crest 13520', Class 4
Date: July 14-16
Contact: Peter Maxwell (408) 737 9770, peterm@aoraki.dtc.hp.com
We'll start off hiking the South Fork of Big Pine Creek, heading to
camp at Elinore Lake. This hike in involves a large amount of
boulder hopping. The route up the peak, which will occupy a long
day, will be the Northwest Ridge, which leads off from Scimitar
Pass. There is considerable exposure along the Sierra crest
between the pass and the base of the roped portion of the climb.
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.
I'm going to be away until May 31, but send me email if you're
interested.
*** Polemonium Peak
Peak: Polemonium Peak (14,000+')
Maps: Mt Goddard 15' & North Palisade 7 1/2' topos
Class: 4, rock
Dates: July 21-23 (Fri-Sun)
Contact: Bill Isherwood, bi@llnl.gov w: 925-423-5058, h: 925-254-0739
Polemonium Peak is one of those Sierra points over 14,000' that
can be debated as whether it should be considered a separate
mountain or not. But here's a chance to hedge your bets, if you
want to make sure you get all the 14'ers. (Note that this is not the
peak labled 'Polemonium' on the North Palisade 7 1/2' map, but is
the high point just south of the U-notch.) Starting at the South
Lake trailhead, we will go over Bishop Pass and make camp at
one of the lakes in Dusy Basin. From here, there Is some high
traversing over talus and ascent of the Polemonium Glacier to
reach the SE ridge route, as described by R.J. Secor. With good
route finding there should only be a couple of pitches of 4th class,
but everyone should be experienced in ice ax, crampons, 5th class
climbing, and prepared for rappelling and possible off-route
contingencies. Still looking for an assistant leader.
*** Khumbu region of Nepal
Peak: Island Pek or Mera Peak
Date: Oct-Nov 2000
Contact: Tim Hult 408-970-0760, Timdhult@aol.com
Four week trip into a spectacular and storied region of the
Himalaya. These are "minimal" trekking peaks open to qualified
class 3 peak baggers with snow experience. Views of Everest and
all those places you've heard about. Experience and compatibility
with groups on long "wilderness" trips a must.
*** Argentina - January 2001
Peaks: A Seven Summit Mountain
Aconcaqua 6959 m
Contact: Warren Storkman, 650-493-895
*** Denali
Peak: Denali, 20,320 ft.
Date: May-June 2001
Contact: Tim Hult 408-970-0760, Timdhult@aol.com
Been there twice but unfortunately haven't done it yet as weather
and sickness (the flu) have kept me off the summit. Third time a
charm? Looking for qualified partners for this major, no nonsense
peak. Must have extensive experience in the following: high
altitude climbing (18,000 ft +), excellent winter camping skills and
equipment, proven ability to get along with partners on a multi-
week trip. Ice climbing and crevasse rescue will be taught if
required. Prefer those with the ability to ski or willingness to learn
how to ski with a pack on - need NOT be an expert! Serious
inquires only.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BACK PAGE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scree is the monthly journal of the Peak Climbing
Section of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter.
Our mirror website is
http://www.climber.org/pcs/
and our official website is
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/lomaprieta/pcs/
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Elected Officials
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Chair:
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408-354-7291 home
237 San Mateo Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Vice Chair and Trip Scheduler:
Dee Booth / pcs-scheduler@climber.org
408-354-7291 home
237 San Mateo Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Treasurer and Membership Roster (address changes):
Bill Kirkpatrick / pcs-treasurer@climber.org
408-293-2447 home
435 N. Second St. #217, San Jose CA 95112
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Scree Editor:
Bob Bynum / pcs-editor@climber.org
510-659-1413 home
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:
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650-508-0500 home
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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 official email
list (lomap-pcs-announce@lists.sierraclub.org) or one of the email lists
the PCS feeds (either the sierra-nevada@climber.org discussion list or
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subscription. For email list details, send "info lomap-pcs-announce" to
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EScree subscribers should send a subscription form to the Treasurer to
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both plain text and fully formatted Adobe Acrobat/PDF.
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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 6/25/2000.
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!