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| Next General Meeting |
Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Time: 7:30 PM
Program: Climbing Kilimanjaro is luxury. A slide show by Ron Karpel
Is it a climb? Is it a treck? Climbing Kilimanjaro is luxury. And don't miss the safari.
Location Peninsula Conservation Center, 3921 East Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto, CA
Directions: 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 8/29/2004 • Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month. |
PCS Trips
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.
| Hooper and Senger |
Peaks: Hooper (12,349, class 2 with a class 4 summit block) & Senger (12,286, class 1)
Dates: Aug. 13 – Aug. 15 (Fri. - Sun.)
Map: Florence Lake 7.5 & Mt Hilgard 7.5
Leader: Charles Schafer, c_g_schafer@yahoo.com (408) 354-1545; Bob Evans, robtwevans@msn.com (408) 998-2857
Please contact Bob.
Friday we’ll hike from Lake Thomas A. Edison to Marie Lake where we’ll set up camp. Saturday we’ll climb Hooper and Senger, then Sunday we’ll hike back out.
The Marie Lake area is an exceptionally scenic place, and we should get some great views of the western Sierra. This trip is suitable for beginners with backpacking skills who are in very good shape, since it is a pretty long hike in. Also, any beginners will probably need to be content not to do Hooper’s actual summit block, since it is class 4.
| Four Gables |
Peaks: Four Gables (12,720, class 2 or 3)
Dates: Aug. 21 – Aug. 22 (Sat. - Sun.)
Difficulty: Class 2 or 3
Map: Mt. Tom 7.5
Leader: Charles Schafer, c_g_schafer@yahoo.com (408) 354-1545; Chris MacIntosh, cmaci@attglobal.net (650) 325-7841
Please contact Chris.
Saturday we’ll hike in to Upper Horton Lake and camp. Sunday we’ll climb Four Gables and hike out. There are several alternate routes, and we’ll pick one that is suitable for the group’s skill level.
Upper Horton Lake is a really pretty place, and we should get some good views of the Sierra since the peak is right on the edge of Humphreys Basin.
This trip is suitable for beginners with backpacking skills who are in reasonably good shape.
| Charlotte Creek Base Camp/ Mule Pack |
Goal: Recreational Dayhiking to Rae Lakes, Vidette Meadow, Charlotte Dome, Etc.
Dates: Sep 5-11 (Sun-Sat)
Difficulty: O Rated. This is a hiking trip. No rock climbing. Travel on established trails to basecamp.
Location: Eastern Sierra Nevada
Sponsor: Sierra Club, Angeles Chapter, Mule Pack Section
Contact: Yvonne Tsai, yctsai@usc.edu; John Kaiser, kaiser@pulsco.com
A week of relaxation in the Sierra with no heavy pack to carry! Sunday morning hike from Onion Valley trailhead (9200') 8 mi via Kearsarge Pass (11823') with your daypack while hired packers carry your gear (up to 55 lbs) to scenic base camp by Charlotte Creek (10370'). Enjoy five full layover days to hike, explore, photo, fish, and enjoy nature at places like Charlotte Dome, Glen Pass, Rae Lakes, Vidette Meadow, etc. Saturday hike out. Limit 10. Send two 4' X 9' Self Addressed Stamped Envelopes (SASEs) with recent experience + conditioning, rideshare info, H + W phones, email, and check for $250 (payable to Mule Pack Section) .
Mt Baldwin
Follow the Trail to the Summit
July 10-11, 2004
Kelly Maas led this trip, ably assisted by co-leader Linda Sun. Other participants in the adventure were Landa Robillard, Chris Prendergast, Dot Reilly, Tom Curl, Joerg Lohse and Peter Maxwell (scribe). The peak is rated class 2, but it's unusual since there is a trail (of sorts) leading almost to the summit. However, it is quite easy to get into loose class 3 by taking alternative routes (see later), and the trail loses itself in places and the terrain turns into hard class 2 . Despite reports of mosquito infestations elsewhere in the Sierra, it was remarkable that there were virtually none anywhere on our trip. Bug juice wasn't needed at any elevation, which was a welcome surprise for this time of year.
Numerous discoveries occured on this trip, perhaps the most important of which is the fact that the Forest Service has completely obliterated the road leading up to many folks' favorite crash site off Obsidian Dome Road on Deadman's Summit. This caught three groups by surprise, leaving us scratching our heads wondering if we'd gone out of our minds. At the turnoff usually taken, there is now only a road bending to the left, and nothing going up the hill. In it's place is an incredibly well placed camouflage of bushes, twigs, and even a large broken tree trunk right in the middle of where the road should have been. Kelly walked up to this and found that he could wobble it! From a distance, it looks like it's always been there.
It's still possible to get to the sites by continuing further on the road to where it forks, the right one signposted to Hartley Springs campground (this is a free Forest Service campground, which would be interesting to check out). Taking the left fork, it goes up the hill and the first track off this heads back into the area where it's flat enough and stone-free enough to sleep. A front came through Friday night and all through the night the trees were roaring with the wind, but it eased off by morning. I had forgotten to get my balaclava out of the car, and not being bothered to get up and get it, put my shorts on over my head for the night, which worked extremely well. The front blew in more than wind, since Joerg got stung on his eye by something, causing it to swell up to the point where he couldn't close it. Luckily the swelling went down sufficiently to allow him to summit and not worry about trying to drive home at night with only one good eye.
The next discovery was Kelly's group's taqueria in Oakdale. Behind the Beacon station (formerly Rotten Robbies?) on the east end of town is a relatively new shopping center with a Richland supermarket. To the right of the supermarket is a taqueria. Kelly doesn't remember the name, but there's only one. It's light, airy and clean, and they thought the burritos were pretty good. The clincher is that these full size burritos are $3.30, or $4.30 with extras. Also note that the Richland market has take-out Chinese food, inexpensive deli sandwiches, an eating area and bathrooms.
For me, the gourmet discovery was the Mobil station at 120/395, where I followed Chris' recommendation of the fish tacos, which were delicious, although more than twice the price of Kelly's burritos. Many people have eaten here, so now I feel part of the in-crowd.
I had just returned Thursday from Malaysia and being jet-lagged, Kelly kindly moved the start time at Convict Lake from 8 am to 8:30 am. We actually started at 8:40. The ranger at the Mammoth Station had warned that we might not be able to cross the creek by the washed-out bridge, and both Tom and I had brought special water shoes to cross, expecting a wet'n'wild adventure, but in reality it was a piece of cake. A couple of logs bridged the widest part and the rest was a simple step onto a large flat rock in the middle poking out of the water. We both stashed our shoes under some rocks, to pick them up on the way out.
Along the trail there were stunning views of neighboring peaks. Notable was Red Slate, with it's snow couloir beckoning. We arrived at Mildred Lake around noon, where we ate lunch. At the point when the trail turns left and uphill, a vote was taken as to whether we'd do the peak that day or Sunday. The ones wanting to do it Sunday seemed more insistent since they voted with both hands, shaking them in the air. Others were more ambivalent, so the decision was made to press on to camp further up. Kelly obviously wanted to do the peak that day, and did his best to influence the vote, but graciously agreed to Sunday and didn't try to exercise leader's privilege.
The first potential camp site was at 10300' at a wide, totally barren area which did happen to have a water source at the west edge of the bench. Although nicely close to Baldwin, the cool wind whipping across this area and the desolate nature caused us to decide to continue on to Bright Dot Lake, even though it's out of the way. Our own Dot felt quite at home with a lake named after her, and there's even Lake Dorothy just on the other side of Mildred Lake, so she was definitely a VIP in that area.
Going to Bright Dot was a great decision, because the lake is beautiful and, like many other parts on the trail, had a large number of wildflowers blooming. Arriving around 2:30 pm gave us lots of time to soak it all in and socialize, chatting, nibbling and brewing cups of tea, all in a wonderfully mosquito-free environment. Everybody except me had a canister stove, and after some gear discussion the recommendation for my next purchase was Snow Peak, and stop living in the past with my trusty XG/K. Tom took advantage of some nearby snow by putting it in a bag and icing his painful knee.
The next morning, Kelly's cock-a-doodle-doo was at 5:40 am and we were packed up ready to start hiking at 6:50 - quite an achievement. There was no point in returning to the lake after the climb and we left the packs on the ridge before heading up to the peak. About halfway up the trail lost itself in sand and rocks and it wasn't obvious which way to go. Linda, Landa and I headed up the rocks just to the right of a snow gulley but this quickly turned into class 3, with loose rock to make it even more "enjoyable". There was enough solid stuff to enable climbing, but one had to be very careful to test any rock wasn't going to pull out before using it. Linda said they were fine to push on, but don't pull on them. I was left wondering how I was going to climb by pushing only.
The rest of the group was watching our progress and decided it was more than they wanted to do so elected to go to the right and pick up the ridge lower down. This, of course, was the correct route, and the trail soon became evident again. The 3 of us continued on, not particularly wanting to downclimb what we'd already done. Linda did a great job in route finding and we had a fun time on relatively straight forward class 3.
Amazingly enough, we crested on to the ridge at exactly the same time as the rest of the crew arrived, so we all rejoined forces for the final assault. We made the summit by 9 am and were treated to unlimited visibility and no wind. It doesn't get any better than this!
After spending 45 minutes or so we reluctantly headed down. We were back at Mildred Lake for lunch at noon and at the cars around 2:45. Some of us had deliciously greasy and salty fish and chips at Mono Cone in Lee Vining, while others had "pretty good" pizza in Groveland. Back home by 9:20 meant there was actually time to unpack before hitting the sack.
Many thanks to Kelly and Linda for organizing such a successful trip.
• Peter Maxwell
First Aid Classes
| Bay Area Wilderness Training |
Dates: August 7-17, 2004
Description: Wilderness First Responder Course
Location: Santa Rosa
Cost: $625
Contact: Kyle MacDonald, 415-788-3666 x125
Prepares participants for wilderness emergencies involving prolonged patient care, severe environments and improvised equipment. Topics covered include leadership and prevention strategies, advanced patient assessment, anaphylaxis treatment, field wound management, CPR, spinal injury evaluation, and field reduction of dislocations. Ideal for training for trip leaders who want to lead extended trips in more remote areas.
| Wilderness First Aid (Palo Alto) |
Dates: September 25-26 8 AM to 5 PM
Description: Wilderness First Aid - 20 Hours
Pre-requisites: None
Contact: Bobbie Foster, bobbie@fostercalm.com, 530-265-0997
This is a great class for practicing wilderness first aid skills in an outdoor setting. In addition to a half day of outdoor scenario practice of first aid and leadership skills, this class focuses on practicing skills and covers wilderness first aid topics: patient assessment, shock and bleeding, head and spinal injuries, wounds, musculoskeletal injuries, heat and cold illnesses and much more. A three year Wilderness First Aid certification is available upon successful completion of this course and passing a written wilderness exam. There are pre-class reading assignments. Cost $78
For more information on Foster Calm go to www.fostercalm.com.
| October Class |
Dates: October 16-November 21 with October 30-31 off
Location: San Francisco 5 Weekends (Sat and Sunday)
Description: Same as above
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.
| Upper Basin Upper Class |
Peaks: Striped, Thumb, Birch, Bolton Brown, Observation, Prater, Perkins, Pinchot, Wynne, Et Al.
Dates: Aug 7-15 (Sat-Sun)
Difficulty: Class 2
Contact: Aaron Schuman, (650) 968-9184 climberarron@comcast.net
Come spend a week hiking trails and climbing peaks in the country north and south of Taboose Pass. The steep, dry trail leading into the region discourages many would-be visitors, but the scenic beauty of the Pacific Crest makes it worth coming and staying a while. All of the climbing routes on our itinerary are rated class 2. I have a permit for 6.
| Climb Mount Shasta for BAWT |
Peaks: Mt Shasta
Dates: August 27th-31st
Contact: Kyle MacDonald, 415-788-3666 x125, kyle@bawt.org
Bay Area Wilderness Training invites you climb 14,000-foot Mt. Shasta, while raising money to help get youth outdoors.
The goal of the Mt. Shasta Expedition is to introduce like-minded outdoor enthusiasts to the joy of mountaineering while supporting BAWT programs.
What BAWT brings to the climb:
Extensive information to help you prepare
Fundraising materials and support
Professional mountain guides
Mountaineering skills and training hikes
Top quality gear and supplies
Food, including gourmet meals in camp
What you bring:
Each climber is asked to raise a minimum of $2500 in sponsorships that goes to support BAWT programs for youth and youth leaders.
| Peaks of the Kings-Kern Divide |
Peaks: East & West Vidette, Deerhorn, Junction, Stanford, Ericsson, Center, Keith & Bradley (12.3k'-13.9k')
Dates: August 14-22 (Sat-Sun, 9 days)
Difficulty: Class 3 ice ax
Contact: Bob Suzuki, SuzukiR@sd-star.com w: 408-918-2588, h: 408-259-0772
Repeating Climb-O-Rama 2000, hopefully with better weather, we'll pack over Kearsarge Pass and setup camp in upper Vidette Meadow.
Sunday we'll begin with our ascent of the first of 9 peaks. These will be challenging climbs - please be comfortable moving over class 3 terrain. To join this outing send an email, then mail a $10 deposit to hold your spot on the permit (forfeited if cancel, difference refunded at TH).
| Trinity Alps Traverse |
Peaks: Trinity Alps Traverse
Dates: Sept 4-6, 2004
Contact: Tim Hult, timdhult@sbcglobal.net, 408-970-0760
This is a full 3 day traverse of the seldom visited little cousin of the Sierras. Think Granet peaks and rushing streams but on a smaller scale.
We'll drop a car at one end and circle around to begin our trip on the North. An attempt on Mt. Thompson will also be made on the 2nd day.
| Nepal/ Chulu West Climb + Trek |
Peaks: Chulu West (21,752'), Trek Manang Region
Dates: Oct 4-24 (Mon-Sun)
Difficulty: Trekkers Peak Class A, Moderate to Difficult (Or Trekkers Can Skip Peak)
Location: Nepal - Manang Region
Contact: Warren Storkman, Dstorkman@aol.com
This trip to Chulu West (21,752') is a Class A trekkers peak from the Manang region of the Annapurna Circuit. We would leave for Nepal early October 2004. Trek Charges are US $1045.00 per person 16 day trek also covers internal air. Peak permit is US $350.00 for up to 4 persons – above 4 persons US $40.00 each. Extra Sherpa equipment allowance US $250.00 each sherpa. After peak climb the group will cross the Thorung La foot pass to reach the Jomson airport and then fly back to KTM. On the way to Jomson we'll visit Kagbini, a village that is the same as it was 500 years ago. Those who only want to do the trek without the peak climb are also welcome.
| Aconcagua 22,800 Argentina |
Peaks: Aconcagua
Dates: December 28, 2004
Contact: Warren Storkman, Dstorkman@aol.com
A difficult walk-up to the highest peak in South America
Elected Officials
Chair:
Pat Callery / pcs-chair@climber.org
1225 Bracebridge Court
Campbell, CA 95008
408-871-8702 home
Vice Chair and Trip Scheduler:
Linda Sun / lindasun@sbcglobal.net
P. O. Box 3208
Saratoga, CA 95070
408-378-7533
Treasurer and Membership Roster (address changes):
Jeff Fisher / han1cannae@msn.com
876 Lewis Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
650-207-9632
Publicity Committee Positions
Scree Editor:
Bob Bynum / pcs-editor@climber.org
510-659-1413 home
PCS World Wide Web Publisher:
Roger Dettloff/ pcs_web_roger@pacbell.net
650-474-0352
Redwood City, CA
Publicity Chair:
Arun Mahajan / pcs-pub-chair@climber.org
650-327-8598
home
1745 Alma Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Scree is the monthly journal of the Peak Climbing Section of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter.
Our official website is http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/pcs/
Subscriptions and Email List Info
Hard copy subscriptions are $13. 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 the email list the PCS feeds (pcs-issues@climber.org), you have a free EScree subscription. For email list details, send "info lomap-pcs-announce" to "listserv@lists.sierraclub.org", or send anything to "info@climber.org". EScree subscribers should send a subscription form to the Treasurer to become voting PCS members at no charge. The Scree is on the web as both plain text and fully formatted Adobe Acrobat/PDF.
Rock Climbing Classifications
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.
| Deadline for submissions to the next Scree is Sunday 8/29/2004 • Meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month. |
Peak Climbing Section, 789 Daffodil Way, San Jose CA 95117
"Vy can't ve chust climb?" - John Salathe