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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.
November, 2000 Vol. 34 No. 11
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 11/26/2000
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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, November 14
Time: 7:30 PM
Program: Elections and
"Teton and Wind River Alpine Rock Climbs", by Bruce Bousfield
Directions: Peninsula Conservation Center 3921 East Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto, CA
>From 101: Exit at San Antonio Road, Go East to
the first traffic light, Turn left and follow
Bayshore Rd to the PCC on the corner of
Corporation Way. A sign marking the PCC is out
front. Park behind.
Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday
Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
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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.
*** Annual Snow Camping Seminar
Class Dates: Tuesday, February 27, 2001
Thursday, March 1, 2001
Tuesday, March 6, 2001.
Field Trip: mid-March (exact weekend TBD)
Contacts:
Chris MacIntosh, cmaci@attglobal.net 650-325-7841
Tom Wolf, twolf@snaptrack.com 650-961-2682
Annual Snow Camping Seminar will be held later in the season than before.
This course prepares you for camping happily in the snow, and
gives tips for day skiers or snowshoers caught out overnight.
Participants must be experienced summer backpackers as this
course will give you winter information and tips but doesn't teach
basic backpacking.
Sign up details and form will appear in the February 2001 Loma Prietan.
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PCS Election
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The PCS Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the
following roster of candidates for the posts of Chair, Vice Chair
and Treasurer for the term starting in November 2000 and ending
in October 2001.
The elections are to be held at the PCS November meeting.
Nominations can be taken from the floor at the time of election.
Anyone who is a PCS and Sierra Club member may nominate at
that time.
Chair: Dee Booth
Vice Chair: Nancy Fitzsimmons
Treasurer: Scott Kreider
The newly elected team assumes office right away.
-- Debbie Benham, Bob Suzuki and Arun Mahajan,
The PCS Nominating Committee
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Winter Trip Planning Meeting
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Date: Thursday, November 9, 7:30 pm
Place: Western Moutaineering.
2344 El Camino Real
Santa Clara (between San
Thomas and Los Padres).
Directions: 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.
If you cannot attend the meeting please e-mail your trip ideas to
me and I will put them on the schedule. If you can provide a first
and second choice for dates it will make planning easier.
Hope to see you there.
-- Dee Booth, PCS Trip Scheduler
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Christmas Party Location Needed
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Over the past several years the Christmas party and meeting has
been held at the SGI cafeteria which has been graciously
arranged by John Wilkenson who was an SGI employee. This has
changed so I need suggestions as to another venue for the party
location. It will be hard to beat the nice SGI cafeteria! Please e-
mail me with any ideas.
--Rick Booth, PCS Chair,rwbooth@home.com
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Sarah Schuman
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My mother, Sarah Schuman, died recently after a six week battle
with her intestinal cancer. She was an elegant, educated lady, a
lover of the arts and of books, and that is how I shall always
remember her. She leaves behind in this world my father (to
whom she had been married since she was twenty years old), her
brother and sister, her two sons (my older brother and me), and
many other relatives and friends.
Thank you for your help and support through this difficult time.
-- Aaron Schuman
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Above The Sea of Clouds - Sawtooth, Vandever, & Florence - September 2-4, 2000
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It felt strange to leave the Bay Area for a climbing trip under
cloudy skies and light rain, with the forecast calling for a
snowstorm in the mountains that night followed by wind and
clouds for the next few days. But there comes a point when the
planning and packing for a climbing trip take on a certain
momentum, and it becomes easier to just go through with the
departure instead of canceling out. So the Friday evening of
Labor Day weekend found six of us heading across the Central
Valley to Mineral King: leader Bob Suzuki, Joan Marshall, Jeff
West, Heather Kirby, Eddie Sudol, and your scribe Jim Ramaker.
We got to the very nice Cold Springs campground at Mineral
King at 10:30 p.m. and were surprised to find a couple of vacant
sites on the holiday weekend and even more surprised to see stars
overhead.
After a sound sleep, we ate breakfast at the picnic table on a cold
clear morning and hiked up the trail toward Crystal Lake and our
first objective, Sawtooth Peak (12,343). After a break at the lake,
we cross-countried over the saddle to the north and then did a
sporty traverse across sloping slabs covered with fresh snow, and
then upward along the gentle, snow-covered south ridge to the
summit.
One member of the party came down with severe altitude
sickness and could barely walk, let alone climb, so we gave up on
our second objective of the day, Needham Mtn. (12,520+).
Instead we relaxed on the summit and marveled at the vistas of
snow-dusted peaks and the amazing sea of thick roiling clouds
obliterating the Central Valley out to the west. The cloud layer
extended up to about 8000 feet and stayed around all weekend,
but except for one brief period, skies overhead always remained
clear. From the summit we had great views of the Kaweahs, the
Whitney area, and more distant peaks such as Goddard and the
Palisades.
At 3:30 p.m. we traversed slowly northwest toward Sawtooth
Pass, then descended the unmaintained trail westward down
Monarch Creek toward the cars. This trail is sketchy in the upper
section and rocky and rough throughout, but it's a scenic and
shorter alternative to the trails up to Monarch Lake and Crystal
Lake. About 6 p.m., the sea of clouds finally rose up to the 9000-
foot level and engulfed us, and in minutes the visibility went
from 100 miles down to about 100 feet. But no wind and no
threat of rain -- just thick quiet fog. It was almost 8 p.m. before
we all assembled back in camp and fired up the stoves.
On Sunday, the plan was for a mini two-day backpack southward
to get Vandever (11,947) and Florence (12,432). The most
efficient way to do this is to camp on the trail just north of
Farewell Gap. The ranger told us we wouldn't find any water or
any flat camping spots in the upper reaches of Farewell Canyon,
but we did -- a beautiful grassy bench next to a flowing side
creek on the west side of the canyon about a mile north of
Farewell Gap. After setting up camp and eating lunch, we
continued up the trail to Farewell Gap. Farewell Canyon, with its
vast meadowed hillsides, open stands of trees, and rounded
metamorphic peaks, looks a great deal like Colorado, according
to members of the party who've been there.
>From the Gap, we strolled up Vandever, an undistinguished scree
hump that looks like Mt. Dana except a bit smaller. On her first
PCS trip, Heather blew the group away by floating up the peak
way ahead of everyone. She may be a bit of a sandbagger -- while
it's true she'd never climbed in California before this trip, later in
the weekend it came out that she's climbed in Alaska, gone to a
climbing school in the Alaska Range, done lots of outdoor trips,
and is one strong young woman.
Because we decided to do Vandever and Florence in two days
instead of as a dayhike as some PCS stalwarts have done (that's
you, Rich), we were able to relax on the summit for 1 1/2 hours.
We lay down on the inviting scree and took nice long naps, or
explored the tops of the steep, loose, dangerous gullies plunging
down the west face.
Back in camp at 6 p.m., a cold wind came up and the sea of
clouds rose up the Valley toward us, enveloping the trailhead and
almost making it up to our camp at about 9700 feet. Bob had a
queasy stomach and got so chilled from eating almost nothing all
day that he was shivering inside his sleeping bag. Finally he was
able to eat some hot soup and warm up.
Monday the objective was Florence, and this was the most
interesting and beautiful of the three peaks. We quickly retraced
our steps from Sunday up to Farewell Gap, then hiked down one
switchback on the south side of the pass and began sidehilling
across a loose scree slope toward Bullfrog Lakes. We were
surprised to find no use trail here -- apparently most people drop
down into the valley on the trail and reclimb the watercourse up
to Bullfrog Lakes and Florence Peak. The sidehilling paid off --
in just 30 minutes we were at the lakes and wow, what a
beautiful spot. Clean granite slabs and patches of grass surround
the lake, with the inviting south face of Florence Peak rising
above the far end of the lake.
After a break to get water and take photos in the clear morning
light, we headed up slabs and easy talus toward the low point
west of the summit. This was a mistake -- while the west ridge
appears low-angle in profile, it consists of car and RV-sized
blocks that create small dead-end cliffs and steep, awkward class-
3 clefts. Bob powered straight up the ridge, but the rest of us
eventually dropped a couple of hundred feet down and to the
right, then worked our way up sandy class 2-3 chutes and ledges.
We got back to the summit ridge about 300 feet west of the
summit, then followed it to the top. The best way to climb the
south face is to go past the left end of the cliff band near the
bottom of the face, then wander up and right, avoiding various
small cliffs and aiming about 300 feet left of the summit. If you
wander around sufficiently, it's easy class 2-3 all the way.
We topped out at 11:30 and had even better views than the day
before. Besides the giants of the southern and mid-Sierra, we
could clearly see Ritter, Banner, Lyell, and the Clark range over
100 air miles to the north. As an experiment, we tried a more
direct route back to camp, going across the south slope of the
reddish scree hump just west of Florence (Peak 12,146), then
dropping down into a strange scree bowl devoid of vegetation
with a tiny tarn shown on the 7.5 minute map at 11,300 feet.
>From there we passed through a narrow snow-choked slot
between two scree humps, emerged high on the southwest slopes
of Farewell Canyon, and spotted our camp 1500 feet below. This
route saved some distance and time compared to Farewell Gap
and Bullfrog Lakes, but it did involve lots of slogging across
sharp, shifting scree. We got back to camp at 2, packed up, and
hiked down to the cars very quickly in 1 1/2 hours. A delicious
post-trip feast at the Pizza Factory in Three Rivers brought this
trip to a close.
-- Jim Ramaker
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It Ain't Over Until The Gale Sings! - September 2-4, 2000
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Labor Day seems to bring rain in the Sierra - and 2000 was no
different. Many people cancelled (too late for those on the wait
list), but we had a stunning weekend with a whole drainage to
ourselves.
The Chiquito Pass trailhead isn't in Yosemite, so permits are
fairly easy to obtain even though it's only a 3 mile walk to the
park boundary. See
http://www.climber.org/DrivingDirections/chiquito.html
for GPScoordinates and written instructions. We picked up a
permit taped to the door of the Visitor Center in Oakhurst, and
followed my GPS to the turnoff at Globe Rock. Near the trailhead
you can spread out and set up tents for primitive camping on flat
ground in big trees... where it started raining around midnight
and seldom let up until after dawn.
Our scheduled departure time came and went, with most of us
huddled in our tent and a few restless souls going for short walks.
Several people went home despite my pleas to wait another few
hours. TOO BAD! The storm WAS over, the Gale DID Sing, and
the rain quit as per the forecast. We slowly gained the confidence
to pack and start up the trail. Not another drop fell the entire
weekend, but the sun was hidden by low clouds until well into
the afternoon. I introduced several people to Yosemite
blueberries, which are normally stripped by the bears as soon as
they are ripe.
Entering Yosemite at Chiquito Pass, we soon turned cross-country
and followed the drainage to Spotted Lakes (hoping, as Warren
suggested, to avoid any crowds at Chain Lakes). The drainage is
poorly defined, and I think we swung a bit too far to the north,
but beginners and old hands alike stuck together and enjoyed the
scenery as we climbed up out of the forest onto slabs and more
open slopes. The short hike in meant we had plenty of time to
find a campsite, mill around, and still eat dinner before dark. The
cliffs of Red Top formed a stunning backdrop as we gazed across
Spotted Lake and decided this wasn't the right place to build a
fire (fairly heavy impact for a place with no trail, and we didn't
want to make it worse even thou there was a fire ring).
The next morning we tromped up the slope toward Sing Peak,
passing through several patches of fresh snow from the previous
day's storm. At the top (Rebecca's SECOND sierra peak!) much
earlier than expected, most of the group decided to head for
Madera while two people returned to camp to hang out with those
who hadn't climbed at all. There is a register on Sing, but none on
Madera. The views were great from both places, but I think I
liked Madera better because it's at the end of a ridge.
Anyway, after a relaxing stay on Madera, we figured there was
plenty of time to stroll over Red Top on our way back to camp.
Quite a change in plans for a trip that anticipated only one peak
that day! The traverse was excellent, and we made a complete
loop out of the day by going right over the Top of Red and back to
camp via the other shoulder. If you're in the area, the northeast
ridge of Red Top is surprisingly interesting 3rd class... or you can
keep about 100' down on the south side where it's 2nd class.
Happy hour, sunset, dinner, up just before dawn: Brian and Chris
and I headed for Gale Peak while the others slept in. All but
Rebecca would pack out before we returned, but we just
COULDN'T leave that one peak unclimbed when the weather was
great and we had only a short pack out.
It turns out that Gale is a harder climb than Sing by a good
margin, but still 2nd class if you stay off the Gale/Sing ridge as
long as possible. Another new register, a fond look north at
Merced/Gray/Red/Clark, and we headed back down.
We took a slightly different route packing down, and it was
almost like a different trip! Staying close to the (mostly dry)
stream, we saw what would be stunning waterfalls in the spring
and generally had an entirely new set of scenery. At one point we
walked a couple hundred yards kneedeep in blueberry bushes
(while the doubting followers whined about whether I knew
where we were) coming back to the trail exactly where we had
first considered leaving it on the way in. "Become one with
themountains, and the mountains will show you the way!"
We were on two or three permits, so I'm afraid I don't have
everyone's name. Here are the ones I remember (I'll update the
web version of the report if Terry or someone with a better
memory sends me the rest of the names) and I apologize in
advance if I've forgotten anyone: Rebecca and Steve Eckert
(leader), Scott Benson, Chris Franchuk, Terry Flood, Jeff George,
Carol Horst, Carol and Gerhard Japp, Bruce Kocka, Brian Smith,
Tony Stegman, Phyllis, Kurt?, JoAnne?, Mark?, and Nevada the
dog.
Thanks to everyone who came, and remember to invite US on
your next private trip!
-- Steve Eckert
Datum,North America 1983,GRS 80,0,-1.6E-7,0,0,0
RouteName,2 ,CHIQUITO PASS
RoutePoint,D,HWY99, 36.9746025876,-120.0748384940,,,
RoutePoint,D,HWY145, 36.9736732222,-120.0431797451,,,
RoutePoint,D,HWY41, 37.0103179728,-119.7939505183,,,
RoutePoint,D,OAKHST, 37.3310174880,-119.6554835393,,,SR 41
RoutePoint,D,YOSVIS, 37.3371799982,-119.6448099624,,,YOSEMITE VISITOR CENTER
RoutePoint,D,YOSFRK, 37.3671242458,-119.6301453663,,,HWY 41 - ROAD 222
RoutePoint,D,222274, 37.3392176702,-119.5859438399,,,ROAD 274
RoutePoint,D,274BEA, 37.3241112462,-119.5541569132,,,RD 274 - BEASORE RD
RoutePoint,D,CHILKT, 37.4150663876,-119.4949601340,,,CHILKOOT LAKE
RoutePoint,D,BEAMDW, 37.4445134270,-119.4719208991,,,BEASORE MEADOWS
RoutePoint,D,GLOBRK, 37.4883055380,-119.4185490964,,,GLOBE ROCK
RoutePoint,D,CHIQTH, 37.5096270578,-119.4180950858,,,CHIQUITO TRAILHEAD
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Black Hawk Mountain - September 23-24, 2000
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Black Hawk Mountain felt lonely; we set out to give it our
company. Stefane Mouradiane, Kirsten Mouradiane, Barfin' Joan
Marshall and I made up the whole party. Saturday morning we
headed up the trail from Kennedy Meadows, a few miles below
Sonora Pass, and walked deep into the Emigrant Wilderness. It's
a long trail, steep and switchbacked places, and dusty from heavy
equine usage. We passed high above Relief Reservoir, across
Grouse Creek and up to Summit Creek. We passed numerous
mounted hunters, including one cheery party of four who all held
their rifles in one hand and cans of beer in the other.
Deer hunting, we discovered, is permitted in the Emigrant during
its season.
We entered the long, broad Lunch Meadow. Stefane explained
how his father was walking the famous Santiago de Compostela
pilgrimage in France and Spain. I observed that every pilgrimage
is like a trek, and every trek is like a pilgrimage. We chatted
about the spiritual intent of mountaineers. Joan reminded herself
to teach me, later on, that I am a mushy headed sentimentalist.
We camped at the head of the valley, near the location that Rob
Langsdorf had suggested to us. I pointed out the ridges around us
that displayed the inverted topography for which the Sonora area
is so renowned.
In the morning we ascended the peak. From Lunch Meadow,
there are an endless supply of plausible class two routes to the
summit. We picked one we liked for the climb and another for the
descent. We were on the summit at 8:00 a.m., taking our time and
admiring the view.
Joan felt great on the mountaintop, and on the whole climb. Our
moderate pace and her thorough hydration warded off the nausea
that often plagues her. We had made a two day weekend out of a
trip that some people do as a day hike, and I'm glad of our trip
plan. There was plenty to do for two days.
On the way down, Joan and I did some bouldering on an
attractive granite outcrop.
On the hike out, we saw a rider fall off his horse. Did he drink
one Budweiser too many? Kirsten, an experienced nurse, helped
the fallen cowboy back onto his feet, and worried about his
injuries.
Great scenery, good companionship, clear weather, lots of
exercise and an early return ... a perfect weekend!
-- Aaron Schuman
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List Finish on San Joaquin Mountain - September 30, 2000
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San Joaquin Mountain(11, 601') is good for a list finish because
it is easy (class one), has area suitable nearby for a large party
and camping, and has superb scenery from its summit. On Sept.
30, 2000, 24 climbing friends met at Minaret Summit near
Mammoth Ski area. The weather was clear and warm. At 9:00
a.m. we then proceeded to walk the six miles along the ridge
from the parking area. This ridge area, along the Pacific Crest
Trail well below, is one of the best in the Sierra for wildflowers -
- along the many streams and wet areas down there that drain out
of the rock and meadows.
As we hiked along, fellow peak climbers reminisced and related
long past and recent experiences as well as talked travel and
current happenings. The aspens were displaying their fall colors:
yellows through reds in the views below. We also basked in the
spectacular vistas of the Minarets, Ritter and Banner and many
lakes including Shadow, 1000 Island, Garnet, and Ediza. Lively
discussions ensued among us, as we had much in common. Some
of the people were there whom I climbed with more than 20 years
ago, for example, I met Mary McMannes on a 20s and 30s
Singles trip I led to Yosemite in the late 70s. And Don Sparks
and I led a trip to Iron Mountain in July 1976.
I had been high up on top of the ridge twice before, when I took
advantage of its skiability in the wintertime (starting from the
Mammoth Ski Lodge), but both times a snowstorm defeated my
attempts. I had considered other routes for the list finish,
particularly from Deadman Creek to the east, but the ridge would
be the simplest for a potentially large group. I apologize to those
who may have missed the trip, because I did not announce the
trip far in advance and to everybody as widely as I should have; it
was not even an official SPS activity. But I had other conflicts in
a busy summer for me.
As we stopped for each rest it was not easy to start again in
distraction from the congenial conversations and world-class
natural splendor and peace. As we got to Two Teats, less than a
mile from the summit, we picked up one additional person who
had somehow missed us. The group was now 25 people, and one
dog, (belonging to Igor and Suzanne). We then spread out
somewhat on the final steep summit slope, but we all waited
close to the top for the final action.
At that spot I contemplated the significance of the moment, the
realization of a multi-decade goal, completing the ever-sacred list
of the 247 most significant peaks in the Sierra Nevada of
California. I tried to relate my final hurdle of the mere 50 feet
remaining to the hundreds of thousands of vertical feet and
thousand-odd miles traveled in the 40 years I had been climbing
Sierra peaks. I approached slowly, and as I finally stood at the
summit I yelled out to the visual feast all around in celebration.
In tradition, we hugged, kissed, photographed, shook hands,
drank champagne, and ate goodies.
Adventurous and lively discussion continued to be shared by all
as we sat there in the balmy shorts-and-sleeves weather. Bruce
Trotter, a botanist, gave me a copy of the book he had prepared. I
addition to this newest completor, there were four other list
finishers including Barbara Sholle, Don Sparks, Steve Eckert,
and Rich Gnagy. And others present very close to the finish with
only a few peaks remaining -- Greg and Mirna Roach and Pat and
Gerry Holleman. As we proceeded back many stopped at Two
Teats and walked up the east Teat and/or climbed the short third
class section for the west (lower) summit.
We got back to the cars at Minaret Summit around 4:30. David
Underwood helped by driving the rough 4WD road back up the
ridge for two miles to pick up one of our group who had a painful
heel. Next we made a short drive to a nice spot I had selected, in
the open "dispersed camping" area about three miles NW of
Mammoth Town. It was a great spot for our group, with ample
flat area, protected by trees yet still open to the sky, and with
existing fire ring and plenty of wood. Those who needed to could
make a ten minute detour to town for purchases. The tables we
brought were set out and then loaded with the potluck delights
for a feast. The scrumptious dishes included quesadillas, sushi,
hummus/pita, Caesar and bean salads, couscous, wok chicken
and veggies, BBQ chicken, and great cakes and cookies for
dessert.
Around the feast and campfire many more mountain moments
and meetings were mentioned and reminisced upon. I had the
(dirt) floor while I related some items I had compiled from my
Sierra Peaks (spreadsheet) list and notes. They include:
First peak: Half Dome 1960 - trip with my uncle
Most unsuccessful: State - 3 tries to get
San Joaquin - 3 tries to get
Longest Day: Norman Clyde (unsuccessful) 23 hours
Bivuoacs: Henry, Sill, Norman Clyde
Worst bivvy: Sill - no sleep, couldn't got out of the wind and wet
Longest trip: John Muir Trail in 9 days with Whitney at end
Prettiest: Lake Ediza, View from Mt Goddard
Best Flowers: High trail from Agnew Meadows, Cliff Creek Mineral King
Coldest: Morgan South in winter - below zero at night
Wettest: Hilgard , Dunderberg, Emerald - I was completely soaked
Memorable: seeing the northern lights from Norman Clyde,
electricity buzzing and later lightning on McAdie
Most dangerous (loose rock): Devils Crag, Temple Crag (Moon Goddess Arete)
Most frequent: Whitney 10 times
Second most - Williamson 5 times
Number soloed: 54
Number led or co-led: 104
Done more than once: 114
Most in one year: 40 new + 7 repeats - 1984
Most adventurous: Enchanted Gorge (1967), Williamson Creek to Williamson
Division Creek to Colosseum, Middle Fork Kings River Canyon
Easiest: Lamont
Most in one day: 4 - Joe Devel , Pickering, Newcomb, Chamberlin 1988
Most extreme trip: Palisades traverse - 5-14ers - T'bolt, Starlight,
North Palisade, Polemonium, Sill
- light weight in 4 days/3 nights from trailhead
Unusual: cached some food near Taboose pass in 1983, recovered
it in 1995 and it was mostly still good.
Organized Groups I did peaks with: UCLA Mountaineers ('65 -
'68), Westwood Ski Club ('71 - '73), West LA Sierra Club, SF
Valley Group, RCS, BMTC, SPS, PCS, SCMA, CMC
Animals: Cougar on way to Mt. Kennedy. Big horn sheep on
Muir Trail - Rae Lakes
After my tales, the group listened intently while Dave German
and Judy Rittenhouse told of their recent survival adventure
where they spent 4 nights in snow caves with bad weather on Mr
Ranier. Participants (all made it to the summit and party) not
already mentioned include Paul Graff, Keith Martin, Barry
Holchin and Karen, Murray Zichlinski, Cathy Reynolds, Bob
Suzuki, Dave Sholle, and Bruno Geiger.
And the inevitable question - what next? Yes, I'll continue in the
Sierras. Maybe not so intently but I want to still do technical
climbs, and new and exploratory routes. Thanks to all those who
accompanied me on the various trips over the years. And to John
Muir and the others who kindled and keep alive the mountain
and climbing spirit and wilderness ethic.
-- Ron Hudson
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Mt. Ritter - September 30-October 1, 2000
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For anyone who has read John Muir's account of the first ascent,
or the accident report from the 1969 climb on which four Sierra
Club climbers lost their lives, the north face of Mt. Ritter has a
serious reputation. So it was with some determination that seven
of us hiked in to attempt it on the morning of Saturday,
September 30. The group included David Harris (leader), plus
his colleagues Cora Hussey, Roy Shea, and Alfred Kwok from the
Claremont colleges in Pasadena, and Zander Brennen, Nicolai
Sapounov, and myself (Jim Ramaker) from the Bay Area.
We left Agnew Meadows at 8:30, hiked down into the aspen-clad
valley of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, then up the
beautiful trail past Shadow Lake to Ediza Lake, where we arrived
about noon. Along the trail, we met a wild man from Belgium
named Paul Wilms, and invited him to join our group. I later
found out that Paul works for the same company I do in an office
about 100 yards from mine.
On the hike in, we had discussed the possibility of attempting
Ritter that afternoon, but after lunch, the group drifted into
listlessness, setting up tents and taking naps. Later on, most of
the group took an easy hike south to Iceberg Lake at the foot of
the Minarets, while I strolled north into one of my favorite places
in the Sierras -- the wonderful alpine Valley between Ediza and
the foot of Mt. Ritter. While exploring the creek, meadows, and
cliffs up there, I ran into a solo climber just down from the north
face of Ritter, who gave me some tips about the route. I also ran
into a young couple planning to bivy on the south face of Ritter
with nothing more than fleece jackets and an old wool blanket.
The "gentle wilderness" of the Sierras is often forgiving toward
fools -- the low temperature that night was an amazingly warm 45
degrees -- about 20 degrees warmer than you'd expect at 10,000
feet at the end of September.
Our group of eight gathered back in camp around 5 p.m. for an
early supper, and by 7 we were all in our sleeping bags. Maybe
one reason climbing trips are so enjoyable is that they sometimes
let us revert to childhood -- we get to play all day and then go to
sleep at 7 p.m.
But things were different on Sunday morning -- David had us up
in pitch darkness at 5:30, and rolling by 6:30. We strolled up the
valley toward Ritter as dawn flamed the east faces of Banner,
Ritter, and the Minarets, and by 8:30 we were at the cliffs leading
up to the Banner-Ritter saddle. David and Nicolai zig-zagged up
the rocks in the center of the cliff band, while the rest of us
climbed the easy snow couloir at the right end, which was frozen
neve but pitted with sun cups and no more than 35 degrees steep.
Gathering at the saddle, we realized that Alfred was suffering
from altitude sickness and lagging behind, so we decided to split
the group, with Paul, Zander, Nicolai, and I going ahead to scout
the route. David straightened out our confusion about the left-
and right-hand gullies described in Secor -- the left-hand gully
heads up from the highest snow of the North Ritter Glacier, while
you enter the right-hand gully via a 30-foot long ledge leading
right from about 100 feet below the highest snow. The glacier
leading up to the gullies was icy, but again pitted with suncups
and no more than 35 degrees steep, so a self-arrest would've been
pretty easy.
I led up the right-hand gully, which gave us fun class 2-3
climbing on solid rock and rubble-covered ledges. With a bit of
care, it was possible to climb without knocking anything down. It
was a warm, clear day with a light breeze, and except for Alfred's
sickness, the climb was going great and proving much easier than
expected. At the top of the right-hand gully an arete leads left,
and on the other side of it we were surprised to find a class-1
scree terrace. We strolled up that until it and the arete were
blocked by a large tower. I climbed past the tower to the left and
came to the top of the classic north face route, with its class 3-4
headwall and an ice-covered ramp leading up and left.
Paul checked to the right of the tower and found a broad class 2-3
gully leading up to the apparent summit. Could this be it? He,
Zander, Nicolai, and I scrambled up the gully and topped out at
11:30, just 20 feet left (east) of the summit. We were amazed at
how easy the climb had been -- about 80% of the rock was really
class 2, and there was not a single move I'd call exposed.
Obviously, we went a different way from John Muir,
approximately following the "Starr Variation" to the north face
described in Secor.
David, Cora, Roy, and Alfred soon joined us on top, and we
relaxed in the warm sun for the usual photos, snacks, and
identification of distant peaks in the clear fall air. After an hour
or so, it was down the scree slope to the southeast and down the
loose but easy gully onto the Southeast Glacier. Alfred was really
suffering, and David, Cora, Roy, and Paul stayed back to help
him out. Zander, Nicolai, and I waited for them for an hour on
the rock island in the middle of the southeast glacier, then talked
to Cora and Roy and decided to hike out, figuring that Alfred
would feel better as he descended. Zander, Nicolai, and I had a
nice hike out in the late afternoon, getting back to camp at 4 and
out to the cars just after dark at 7:30.
Meanwhile the rest of the team was having a bit of an epic. Cora
took a short fall in the gully above the southeast glacier, bruising
her hip so severely that she later started going into shock. And
Alfred continued feeling very unsteady. David, Paul, and Roy
rallied the team, and Cora, in a lot of pain, recovered enough to
hike out carrying all of her gear. The five of them hiked out by
headlamp and got to the cars at 10:30 p.m., then went to the
hospital in Mammoth to have Cora looked at. David, Cora, Roy,
and Alfred finally got home to Pasadena at 5 a.m., just in time to
start another work week. Mt. Ritter treated us to a great climb in
beautiful conditions, and to another lesson in mountaineering --
even when the summit is won and the descent seems easy, the
unpredictable can happen and we need to be prepared.
-- Jim Ramaker
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Ice Climb - North Peak (12242 ft), the north couloir. Class 4-5, ice. - October 1, 2000
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participants: Ron Karpel and Arun Mahajan. Ron Karpel was
rightfully tired of North Peak. He had climbed both, the right and
the left couloirs in years past but had not tagged the summit
because he had run out of time, so with the summit goal in mind
and doing it the way of the left couloir, we decided on doing it as
a two day trip and so we hiked in the three or so miles from
Saddlebag Lake to Cascade Lake in about two hours on late
Saturday evening, just as darkness fell. Sunday, up before dawn
and rolling by 6.30am, we climbed to the toe of the steep left
couloir. By 8.30am we were ready to go and Ron soloed three
fourths of the first pitch on the icy slope and belayed me up,
having found a secure place on the right wall. I took the first
pitch after that which was mostly neve and angled diagonally to
the left wall needing to set up two screws on the way. Hard ice
nearer the rock, but I made it to the rocks, almost running out the
rope. Ron then took the next pitch and brought me up and I
continued on, past him to a more secure spot, traversing some
more horrible ice to the rocks on the left. I belayed him on the
3rd pitch and he stayed on the centre of the couloir willingly
going to the steeper and icier sections. After a while, he moved to
the right wall at the point where there was a flake met by a band
of lighter coloured rock. Ron also led the fourth pitch, staying on
the steep right side (probably 50-deg), sometimes dropping into
the gully between the ice and the rock, ending at a huge rock
behind which he set up for belay. The area near this rock looks
superficially as neve but underneath is hard ice and sometimes
chunks of ice fracture off. I took the fifth pitch, staying to the
centre and this was much clement and I did not have to front
point and a little after noon we had topped off, enjoying the warm
sun. Great ice climbing and then warm sunlight at the top,
blessed California! From there we traversed on the rock staying
below the top-off point for the right couloir. We were hailed by
PCS-er, Tim Hult who had just topped off the right couloir. I
gathered later on that Jim Curl and Dot Reilly, also of the PCS
had climbed up the right couloir and the summit after Tim.
Traversing on, we found a spot to dump ice gear and went
straight up a gully to the ridge and then to the summit at about
1.30 pm. Back down to get gear and then traverse behind and
below the couloir to a plateau and then down a rock gully which
soon turned into steep ice. The angle was easier than the main
couloir that we had just climbed and we were in no mood to do
technical stuff coming down. Ron down climbed with his tools
and crampons. I asked for a rapel and very soon after that, we
were back at camp(3.45 pm), packed and headed out to be at the
cars at 6pm.
Some details from Ron: Excellent neve in the centre of the
couloir, tools sink with ease and cramponing is good. Pickets go
in with some effort. Hard ice on both the sides and sometimes in
the centre. There is a lot of dinner plating and screws go in well
but there is some fracturing. Lots of opportunities to set rock pro
on both the sides. Cuoloir is 40 to 45 degrees with some 50-
degreespots. The top is somewhat melted out from his memory of
it two years ago. There is no bergschrund.
-- Arun Mahajan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private 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.
*** 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
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leavett and Blackhawk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** Leavitt - October 4, 2000
The short version: I followed the PCT south from Sonora Pass to
where it turned left under a snowbank below the south shoulder
of Leavitt. From there I followed the excellent use trail to the
top.
The ammo box register is in good shape with even an extra empty
notebook. In retrospect, Leavitt might have been a mistake. It is
one of the easiest SPS peaks and would have made a good list
finisher, assuming I ever get near that point.
Drove down 3000 feet to the west and spent the night at
Deadman CG near the Kennedy Meadow resort. The
campground was amazingly almost full.
*** Blackhawk - October 5, 2000
The previous day I got permission to park up by the store.
Apparently this is always okay for day hikers. Off bright and
early following the trail up past Relief Reservoir. The section
between the two bridges is quite rocky and tedious. Also, just
after the first bridge, there is a sign "trail" pointing left. Follow
this, not unsigned right turn.
Further on, there is now a sign for the left turn to Kennedy Lake.
Continue straight past the large green PG&E building. Beyond
the reservoir there is a "T" junction, now signed. Take the left,
reading "Lunch Meadow". Going around the reservoir, Granite
Mountain, with its lenticular shaped black summit and horizontal
snow patch is visible. Then near the far end of the reservoir,
Blackhawk itself, comes into view briefly, with the same
appearance.
I had both the Steve Eckert and Mark Adrian writeups with me,
to compensate for no map. Steve mentions the "sandy meadow
where the trail turns sharply east" which is supposed to be a mile
or two beyond Saucer Meadow.
I am hiking along and hiking along and not finding Saucer
Meadow and becoming concerned about the time. Around a
corner and there I am in the "sandy meadow", more of a sandy
area. Above the famous "class two defects" were visible. I
continued up the trail, as Mark had, maybe another 0.3 miles and
started up the slabs. These were easy and fun in my five-tennies,
although I kept getting forced left by small headwalls. I finally
finished up the slabs going up thru a long square slot, maybe 8
feet wide and 15 feet deep. This deposited me in a flat sandy
area just below the first subsidiary summit. The flat sandy area
continued south around the subsidiary summit and the true dark
summit of BlackHawk came into view, surprisingly close. Two
more very easy square slots, some meadows and easy sand led to
the summit. 90 minutes up from the trail. I was on the summit
30 seconds, only long enough to sign the register. Saw the entry
from Aaron's crew a few days before.
On the way down, I met the only person I saw all day, also
coming in to do Blackhawk.
Round trip stats: 19 miles, 4600 feet ( 300 gained and lost
around Relief Reservoir ), 10 hours 40 minutes.
At this moment in Mammoth Lakes it is clearing with four inches
of new snow on the ground.
-- Eric Beck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telescope Peak - October 28, 2000.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Susan Carlsson & I left LA at about 4AM.
Hit the trail at Mahogany Flats at 8:40.
Mostly clear skys with only a small cirrus cloud on the horizon.
Susan led all but 100 feet of the 14 miles.
During the first hour she tells how she isn't feeling energetic and
I started wondering if I should have brought a second flashlight.
At the saddle south of Bennet peak the sky was covered with
cirrus.
At 10000 feet we had lunch and Susan had a coughing spell that
set us back about a half an hour.
I was thankful for the break as I was eating No-Doze like candy
trying to keep up with her.
We arrived at the summit at 1:40.
Kern was already hidden by low clouds and now there were
lenticular clouds forming up and down the Sierra.
After chatting with the only other six people on the trail that day
we left. Without stopping except to look at the rocks, trees and
birds we made it back at 4:25 with plenty of daylight.
Susan whipped that mountain into submission like it was a lazy
thief.
All night long the jet stream intermittently swept down and tried
to blow up off the ridge.
High of 42 Saturday and low of 38 that night.
Cruised back to LA through Death Valley visiting the geological
spectacles there.
What a wonderful trip.
-- Ed Lulofs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BACK PAGE
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Scree is the monthly journal of the Peak Climbing
Section of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter.
Our mirror website is
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and our official website is
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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.
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Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 11/26/2000.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month.
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"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe
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