CHINA LAKE MOUNTAIN RESCUE GROUP
TALUS PILE NEWSLETTER
Vol 132, September 2004
TRAINING SCHEDULE
Sep 10-12 Fri-Sun Palisades (from west side--Bishop Pass) Huey
Sep 13 Mon Meeting Westbrook, Castro, Renta
Sep 18-19 Sat-Sun Whitney Trail Myers
Sep 22-26 Wed-Sun OES search management class Yosemite
Sep 24-26 Fri-Sun Zion Narrows Renta
Oct 2-3 Sat-Sun
Oct 8-11 Fri-Mon Yosemite Valley Finco
Oct 13 Wed Stretcher hut night Training Committee
Oct 16/17 Sat/Sun Stretcher practice Training Committee
Oct 18 Mon Meeting Breitenstein, DeRuiter, Roseman
Oct 22-24 Fri-Sun
Oct 30-31 Sat-Sun Desert peak Finco
SUNDAY ROCK CLIMBING coordinated by Tom Roseman
FUTURE CRMRA EVENTS
September 18, 2004 Regional Meeting Hosted by BAMRU
October 8 & 9, 2004 SAR City Barstow, CA
November 5-7, 2004 ITRS Albuquerque, NM
Garland was a professional photographer in Sydney (Australia)
until his partner, Lisa Menke, was appointed chief warden of Kinchega
National Park up the road. He took a job as the regional tourism
and development officer. His territory covered 26,000 square
miles, an area half the size of England, but with a population
of just 2,500. His challenge was to persuade dubious locals that
there are people in the world prepared to pay good money to vacation
in a place that is vast, dry, empty, featureless, and ungodly
hot. The other part of his challenge was to find such people.
--Bill Bryson, In a Sunburned Country
OPERATION REPORTS
2004-06 26 April 2004 Search Tulare
County Mike Myers
This was a search for Sybil Hilton in the Sequoia Crest area of
Tulare County. Members participating in the search were Mike
Myers (Leader), Sheila Rockwell (Coordinator), Linda Finco,
Al Green, Bud Gates, and Dave Doerr.
The pager call came from the Kern County Sheriff's Office on 26
April. Tom Sakai returned the call and then handed off the operation
to me. The initial call was for a 2-year-old girl who had wandered
away from a campsite. Later, we were told that an 82-year-old
female in feeble condition who couldn't walk more than a half-mile
had wandered away. I called the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff
in the Command Post (CP) and learned that the missing person was
an 81-year-old female who was quite a mountaineer, a graduate
of the Swiss school of mountaineering.
On Sunday, 25 April, the subject, a resident of Bakersfield, had
gone for a short hike, about _ mile, from a Sequoia Crest Cabin
to Hossack Meadow. When she did not return from her hike, friends
contacted the Tulare County Sheriff's Office. She was wearing
only light clothing and sneakers.
We were requested to be at the CP at 0530 the next morning. We
met at the Hut at 2130 and drove through Johnsondale to the search
area. Even though the road through Johnsondale was still closed,
the deputy told me we could get through. We camped at a roadside
pullout and drove into base camp the next morning. Kern County
had approximately 30 searchers from various teams.
We were given an assignment to search both sides of a very windy
dirt road that lead from Sequoia Crest to Camp Wishon, a stretch
of about five miles. Our team was augmented by Daryl Crompton,
Randy Glass, one other Kern County member, and Luc Nyguen, a Tulare
County Deputy Sheriff. With a team of nine, we had difficulty
staying together, so we decided on our own to break into two teams,
one covering each side of the road.
Another team found the subject in a deep ravine that ran from
Hossack Meadow to Camp Wishon at approximately 1245. The subject
was reported as having a broken leg and needing medical attention.
With about 30 searchers to attend the subject, all other teams
were extracted from the field. The teams with the subject were
having difficulty getting her to a place where a helicopter could
do a long line extraction. As evening drew closer, the helicopter
headed to Porterville for more fuel, but the incident commander
thought they had the victim well covered and released us to return
to base.
We got back to the Hut around 2100.
TRIP REPORTS
Whitney Trail incident
31 May-1 June 2004
By Bob Rockwell
No one signed up for my scheduled Memorial Day Weekend climb of
Morgan and Stanford, so
I decided to do an overnight climb of Whitney by the trail. I
picked up the permit early afternoon of May 31, left Whitney Portal
at 1:30 p.m., and arrived at Trail Camp a little before 7:00 p.m..
I had just removed some things from my pack, getting ready for
some dinner, when one of the others camped nearby came over looking
for anyone with binoculars. A half-hour earlier, he saw someone
fall high up in the chute below Trail Crest. The person stopped
sliding after about 100 feet but had not moved from that spot.
He had been observed waving from time to time. He was at the
13,400-foot level. I found Pout later that the person was "Venky,"
from San Jose. I estimated his age to be in the mid-20s.
Several thoughts passed through my mind. What was the problem?
He could be injured. (Dislocated shoulder, like Walter when
he fell a few years ago? Worse?) Perhaps he was uninjured but
stranded or too frightened to descend. (By this time of day,
the snow had iced up.) In any case, I did not know if he was
sufficiently clothed for the coming nighttime temperatures, and
I did not know how he was fixed for food and water. Uppermost
in my mind was the certainty that, because of the time of day,
we had to get to him soon, and there was no one but me to take
charge. Of course, I also did not know if this was going to be
an affair lasting a few hours or all night. It did not help that
I was a little spent from the hike to camp.
I walked around to several other campsites stating that the fellow
needed help. We could not wait to see if he would start moving
on his own because of the impending darkness. I said I was going
to start up in a few minutes and would be happy with a few others
along to help. I was surprised that, of about 30 persons, only
two others (Adam and Ingo from San Francisco) volunteered. A
few said they were too tired because they had gone to the summit
that day, but most just remained silent.
Adam, Ingo, and I started up around 7:15 p.m. Not knowing the
nature of Venky's problem, we took warm clothing, first aid gear,
bivy sack, rope and carabiners, crampons, ice ax, headlamp, food,
and water. In addition, we had our own gear--sufficient to be
comfortable all night. I was happy that there were three of us
to share the load!
Soon after we started up, another person appeared at Trail Crest.
He was wearing tennis shoes and shorts. He descended to Venky
and spent quite a bit of time with him. Then, excruciatingly
slowly, they began to descend together. This meant two things
to us: (1) Venky, if injured, was at least mobile, and (2) we
would not have to ascend all the way up to 13,400 feet.
We reached Venky about 9:00 p.m. at 12,700 feet. It had taken
him and the other fellow over an hour to descend 700 feet on the
snow slope. He was uninjured, but he had lost his hiking poles
in the fall and had no crampons, so he was almost helpless on
the steep icy snow. We put crampons on him and gave him hiking
poles and a headlamp. He was dressed only for the day and was
getting chilly, but he warmed up after walking a bit. He appreciated
the water and food.
We walked him down to Trail Camp and got there just before 10:00
p.m. He reunited with friends at their campsite. I found it
interesting that these friends had not made their presence known
earlier. Some advance information about him (experience, clothing,
equipment) would have been helpful.
Finally, I was able to have dinner and turn in for the night.
Next morning, I got going a little later than usual, but I made
the summit and was down to Whitney Portal in time for a hamburger
and beer.
I got an e-mail a few days later in which Venky thanked us for
saving his life. I don't know about that, but I do know he was
a happy guy when we got him down.
Mt. Julius Caesar
12 March 2004
By Mike Myers
With last minute cancellations, we were reduced to only two, which
is not enough for the scheduled winter trip. Bob Huey and I decided
to go ahead for a day climb up Pine Creek Drainage to see what
the area looked like. Switching from a multi-day trip to a day
climb at the last minute created a small issue. I left my overnight
bag at home and with it my socks and gaiters. Bob had an extra
pair of socks, so we went on up the trail. We were on snowshoes
from the parking lot to where we turned around, which was just
short of Pine Creek Lake. We gained quite a bit of elevation,
but without gaiters, my socks got wet quickly, so we turned around
a little early. All in all, it was still a great day to be in
the mountains and on the snow.
Mt. Tyndall
26-28 March 2004
By Mike Myers
Bob Huey, Mike Franklin, guests Brooke Hoem and Chris Sebastian,
and I left Ridgecrest at 0600. We were on the trail by 0800 and
at Anvil Camp by 1700 on Friday. On the way up, we were dazzled
by an air show of two Marine Hornets who seemed to know exactly
where we were. Funny, two Hornet pilots were supposed to be on
our trip, but they had to cancel at the last minute because duty
called, so we had no doubt who was piloting the two aircraft that
were giving us the show.
The weather deteriorated the first day, with high winds and snow
most of the night. About 10 minutes after we lit our stove Saturday
morning, the wind stopped, and the day turned out to be beautiful.
Snow conditions couldn't have been any better for climbing Shepherd
Pass, and with crampons, we were on top of the pass by 0900.
The same was true for the northeast face of Tyndall. The last
1000 feet were steep and hard, but again with crampons, we were
on the summit by 1300 after some mixed climbing across the summit
ridge.
We didn't stay too long on the summit because we wanted to get
back to the tent before dark. We made an uneventful descent and
were back at the tent by 1630.
Climbing Mt. Tyndall is a serious endeavor. Over the three days,
we gained 9000 vertical feet of elevation, mostly in the first
two days. This was my third winter attempt of this mountain,
and I finally got the monkey off my back. It was great having
Franklin lead the charge.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather
to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and
loudly proclaiming, "WOW, what a ride!"
--Unknown
SUMMARY OF PAST TRIPS
Date Location Participants Notes
Mar 14 Telescope Peak Bob Rockwell, Dan Bishop, Bob Huey Started
at the charcoal kilns, got back well after dark. 4500' gain,
17 miles. Used ice axes and snowshoes a little.
Mar 20 Piute Monument Paul DeRuiter, Al Green, Carol Burge, Daryl
Hinman, Walter Runkle, Tom Sakai, Mike Franklin, and 3 guests
Mar 21 Mt Alice Bob Rockwell, Tom Sakai, and guest Chuck Farris
Nice climb up the couloir from SF BP Creek, long glissade down.
4100' gain, 6 miles. Ice axes, crampons, snowshoes.
Mar 28 Kid Mountain Bob Rockwell and Dan Bishop Really nice climb
up the couloir from SF BP Creek, really long glissade down. 4100'
gain, 8 miles. Ice axes, crampons. Took snowshoes but didn't
need them.
Apr 2 Split Mountain Bob Rockwell, Mike Myers, Tom Sakai, Al Green,
and guests Anne Bayer, Art Bayer, and Charlie Echols. Took the
guests to the Jason Bayer helo crash site. Anne is Jason's widow;
Art is his father; Charlie is Anne's father. Tough climb, lots
of brush and rock scrambling, but everyone did well. About 3100'
elevation gain and 6 miles.
Apr 10 Banana Jam at Owens Ridge Dan Bishop, Daryl Hinman, and
Walter Runkle On the way down, we checked out the pictographs.
For pictures, go to http://members17.clubphoto.com/walter784953/2208005
Apr 23-25 Jepson Rockwell, Hinman, Bishop, Huey. Hiked in to camp
(10,000') on Friday. Lucky to find a dry spot in plenty of snow.
Climbed Jepson (13,390') Saturday via Scimitar Pass--a very steep
snow climb, way steeper than the U-Notch--then back to camp.
Came out Sunday. Used ice axes and crampons. Took snowshoes,
but didn't need them. Stashed them at Willow Lake on the first
day.
May 1-2 LeConte Huey, Sakai, and 3 guests Got to Upper Meysan
Lake in afternoon. Sunday went up LeConte. Did Mallory, but didn't
get to Irvine.
May 7-9 Whitney Runkle, Miles, Bishop Up the Mountaineer's Route;
down the trail
May 21 Heller Hinman Changed trip to Willamson & Tyndall.
Three-day trip. Camped below east side of Shepherd Pass. 1500-foot
snow climb. Coming down at about 5 pm ran into two guys going
up. Climbed Tyndall Sunday.
Date Location Participants Notes
May 23 Kern Slabs Runkle, Werner, Sakai Still nice temperatures.
May 26 Thor Rockwell, Sakai Up the SE couloir; down the E couloir
May 29-31 Whitney Rockwell No one signed up, so I did a solo overnight
on the trail. See the trip report above.
Jun 4-5 Matterhorn Peak Runkle, Franklin, B. Niesen
Franklin and Runkle climbed the North Arête (5.7) of Matterhorn
Peak. Climbed three-on-a-rope with Niesen. Climb was 8 pitches.
Runkle led the odd-numbered pitches; Franklin led the even.
Franklin led the crux pitch (6), rated 5.7. Climbed the 8 pitches
in 5 hours. Franklin and Runkle also got in some glissading and
a couple of ice axe arrests on return from the summit. The snow
this year was perfect, not like last year, when it was all mush
and not like 3 years ago, when it was really hard.
Jun 4-6 Kern Peak C. Burge, Finco, Renta, Green, Hinman 6000 feet
of climbing
Jun 6 Cirque and Trailmaster Sakai, Doerr, and guest Sue Faris
Jun 11 Alabama Hills Runkle, Hueber Did climbs ranging from 5.7
to 5.10a.
? Edge of the World Botham, Finco, C. Burge
Jun 13 Owens Ridge Runkle, Hinman, Gates, Bishop Hinman and Runkle
climbed "Triplet" and the Clove cracks. Gates and Bishop
climbed "Right Side of the Block". Left at 0600 to
beat the heat.
Jun 18-20 Mt. Whitney East Buttress Runkle, Bishop, Huey, Gates
Dan & I (Walter) climbed as one team, Bob & Bud as another.
We hiked in on Friday and spent the night at Iceberg Lake. Most
of the snow is gone from the chute, so ice axe & crampons
were not needed. We started climbing shortly after 0600. Dan
& I topped out at 1300, Bud & Bob a couple of hours later.
We spent Saturday night again at the lake and hiked out Sunday
morning. Dan & I swung lead for the first five pitches.
I led the first, third, & fifth, and Dan led the second and
fourth. After the 5th pitch (ending just below the Pee Wee),
I wasn't sure of the route, so I led the last three pitches in
case I led Dan astray. After the eighth pitch, we unroped and
climbed a short section of 4th class and then climbed mostly 3rd
class the rest of the way to the summit. We used a 50-meter rope.
I think Bob and Bud also used a 50-meter rope.
Jul 2-4
Mason Canyon Traverse Rockwell, Bishop, Hinman, Huey, and guest
Lone Pine Peak. Some did LeConte. Mallory & Irvine. 6 peaks
total.
Jul 5 Gould Peak Toler and Doerr
Jul 9 White Punks on Dope Runkle and Hinman Great day and a great
climb (5.8).
Jul 10/11 Summer Class Trips
Trail Peak Breitenstein, Finco, Gates, and Green, and 7 students
Six students made it to the summit. Nice easy day.
Dragon Franklin, Renta, Najera-Niesen, and 5 students Roped
everyone across. Good glissading on way down.
Thor Sakai, Runkle, D. Burge, Doerr, and 9 students Everyone
made it to the summit.
Remembering Russ Huse (1908-2004)
By Nick Bottka
Some people are born to climb mountains. Russ Huse, Honorary
Member of CLMRG who died on May 1 at age 96, was one of them.
I first met Russ in the mid-1960s. I still remember following
Russ and trying to keep up with him on the trail of Mt. Williamson.
He was carrying the largest REI backpack ever made. I was 30-some
years younger than he, and I admire the stamina of Russ going
up that mountain to this day.
During the 1970s, Russ and I kept in shape by running up B Mountain
(the local China Lake aerobics hill) every morning at 5:30 a.m.
At dawn, we drove to the trail head, warmed up, and attacked
that hill. At the top, Russ always placed a rock on a cairn to
commemorate our assent. Then we stretched and admired the sunrise
over the Argus Range. Down we ran at full speed sometimes jumping
over sleeping sidewinders along our path. Arriving back at our
car, we were greeted on occasion by Naval Weapons Center security
patrol headlights shining into our faces. B Mountain in those
days was a restricted zone, and one had to call security the day
before to get permission to hike or run up that hill. Numerous
times, the call was forgotten, or the night dispatcher forgot
to inform the morning shift that two crazy CLMRG members would
be in that area. On those unfortunate occasions, we were escorted
to headquarters and had to plead guilty to the chief of police.
The year 1976 was the 200th anniversary of our country's independence.
Russ and I decided to celebrate that memorable Fourth of July
on top of some exotic mountain. We opted for a mini-expedition
to the Swiss Alps. Spring training that year meant hiking and
climbing in the Sierra and doing some overnight bivouacs on high
mountain ledges. Our target mountains in the Alps included the
Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.
We met at Saas Fe (a village in the valley east of Zermatt) and
prepared to tackle the fabulous Nadelhorn (needle horn) peak.
I must admit that we were rookies from California used to eternal
sunshine in the Sierra and leisurely rock climbing on perfect
granite. Inexperienced as we were, we wasted much time at the
mountain refuge hut waiting for our perfect California weather.
We soon learned that in the Alps, even in middle of summer, raging
snow blizzards could be the norm.
We finally ventured outside the warm hut, roped up at the ends
of an 11-mm rope and assaulted that cursed needle mountain. I
will never forget the razor sharp ice covered ridge called Windjoch
(wind tunnel) that led to the summit. The wind was so strong
on this infamous ridge that we had to crawl inch by inch to avoid
being swept off the mountain. Never before did I experience a
150-foot climbing rope arcing toward the sky. Only later we learned
that in the Alps, nobody uses 150-foot,
11-mm rope under such icy conditions. The standard technique
is to join two climbers with a short piece of rope.
Another thing we learned that idyllic summer in the Alps: Get
a local mountain guide!
Russ retired in the 1980s, and I moved to Washington, D.C. We
kept in touch in the interim for some time reminiscing here and
there about past adventures. In later years, when hiking or climbing,
never did I forget to place a rock on a cairn when reaching the
top of a mountain.
Russ, I salute you! I promise to place a special rock on a cairn
in your memory on my next climb.
NICK BOTTKA
Honorary Member and past president of CLMRG
Retired and currently residing in Charlottesville, Virginia.
TRANSITIONS
Dennis Burge reports:
Nick Bottka's story about Russ Huse reminded me that that
Russ was one of the founders of the CLMRG. Also that he climbed
Mt. McKinley (also known as Denali), Chinchey (20,400 feet) in
the Andes of Peru, and Chimborazo (20,600 feet) in Ecuador on
CLMRG expeditions.
Walter Runkle reports:
Former member Steve Florian of Ridgecrest married Dr. Jacqueline
Subka of Thousand Oaks on May 15, 2004. The bride is a dentist
with a private practice in Thousand Oaks, California.
Members Mike Myers and Walter Runkle and former member Mark Lambert
attended the wedding. Member Curtis Davis and former member Jerry
Kong were in the wedding party. The bride and groom plan to reside
in Thousand Oaks as Steve has taken a job at Pt. Mugu.
Debbie Breitenstein reports:
I'm back in action after some minor neck surgery.
Debbie Breitenstein reports:
Mike Myers's older brother, Bobby, suffered a fatal heart
attack. Bobby (70) and their other brother, Wayne, were diving
for abalone in Northern California. Bobby surfaced with his catch
and went to a float to store it when he realized he needed help.
Wayne was with him immediately and pulled him from the water
but believes that Bobby had died within the first minute or two.
Mike feels that Bobby was doing something he loved right up to
the end.
Nature, as we know her, is no saint.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
What nature delivers to us is never stale. Because what
nature creates has eternity in it.
-Isaac Singer
MT. WHITNEY TRAIL CENTENNIAL
At Whitney Portal
By Loren Castro
The Mt. Whitney Trail Centennial Celebration started at 10:05
a.m. on Saturday, July 17, 2004 at Whitney Portal and enjoyed
a thunderous ending about an hour later. Jeff Bailey, Inyo National
Forest Supervisor, was the Master of Ceremonies. The Turner Barnes
VFW Post #8036 presented the colors to start the ceremony. The
following speakers talked about various aspects of the trail's
history:
Lew Stults Field Representative for Congressman Buck McKeon, 25th
District
Bill Maze California State Assembly, 34th District
Jack Blackwell Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service, Pacific
Southwest Region
Dick Martin Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National
Parks
Michael Dorame Inyo County Supervisor, 5th District
Mike Martin Chair, U. C. Berkeley Department of Architecture
Mark Anderson Professor, U. C. Berkeley Department of Architecture
George Marsh Grandson of Mt. Whitney Trail Builder Gustave Marsh
In his opening remarks, Jeff Bailey acknowledged a long list of
groups and persons who had participated in the history of the
Whitney Trail. Among those he mentioned were Dr. Bob Rockwell
and the China Lake Mountain Rescue Group.
Dick Martin spoke about the western trail from Sequoia National
Park, which was constructed at about the same time as the eastern
trail from Whitney Portal. Mr. Martin acknowledged the builders
of the western trail, Colonel Charles Young and his Buffalo Soldiers,
who had been stationed at Sequoia National Park. Colonel Young
was the third black man to graduate from the Military Academy
at West Point and the highest ranking black officer in the Army
at that time in his career.
By the time George Marsh rose to speak, dark clouds had rolled
in, a light sprinkle had started, and thunder pealed gently in
the distance. Possibly because of the threatening weather, Mr.
Marsh spoke briefly. He ended his remarks by thanking a few groups
and persons. With exquisite timing immediately after the final
"Thank you," a tremendous clap of thunder provided a
proper exclamation mark to end that part of the ceremony. It
was, literally, "Thank you KABOOM!"
After we recovered sufficiently from the thunderclap and stopped
buzzing about its timing, Mr. Marsh and a dozen or so of his family
walked to the ribbon for the traditional cut to open the new structure
at the trailhead officially. So many family members and dignitaries
were at the ribbon that I couldn't see who actually cut it.
That afternoon, at Statham Hall in Lone Pine where we had our
exhibit, Mr. Marsh talked about his grandfather and the construction
of the trail. At the end of his talk, Mr. Marsh responded to
several questions.
I asked him the final question: "Who actually cut the ribbon
this morning?" He pointed in my direction and replied, "My
youngest granddaughter, Hailey Schoenberger." Hailey, from
Santa Clarita, was sitting right in front of me. She stood up,
smiled charmingly, and bowed to the applause from the appreciative
audience.
At Lone Pine
By Bob Rockwell
Events were held in Lone Pine as well as at Whitney Portal. The
China Lake Mountain Rescue Group staffed a booth in Statham Hall
for the weekend and displayed numerous items of specialized mountain
rescue equipment. Members explained the use of this equipment,
answered questions, and talked about the various educational programs
offered to schools and to the public.
In addition, Al Green (on Saturday) and I (on Sunday) gave slide
presentations on the various features of Mt. Whitney and related
the history of mountain search and rescue (SAR) in Inyo County.
We also reminisced about several memorable past rescues there.
Group participants were Linda Finco, Tom Sakai, Al Green, Bob
Rockwell, Eric Toler, Elaine Riendeau, David Doerr, Loren Castro,
Debbie Breitenstein, Dennis Burge, and Ellen Schafhauser.
Meanwhile, back at the Portal
By Loren Castro
The Los Angeles Times printed what I thought was a wildly imaginative
description of conditions at the centennial ceremony. During
the four hours or so that I was at Whitney Portal that morning,
the threatening weather kept me from a semi-ambitious hike up
the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek toward the "daredevil"
Mountaineer's Route, but I experienced only a light rain that,
at its worst, might have melted the three sheet cakes that were
produced for the audience at the end of the ceremony. Now read
what two members who were a bit higher on the mountain have to
say.
On the Mountain (Part 1)
By Barry Niesen
Loren, you should have been at East Face Lake! Lightning worse
than I have ever experienced in the Sierra; approximately 4 solid
hours of hail and rain; the worst erosion of the North Fork of
the Lone Pine Creek trail that I have seen in the 7-8 years that
I've been doing it; people rapping off the Buttress to get out
of the hail and lightning; Mike Franklin and me rapping off Fishhook
to get out of the same; lightning striking Russell as we headed
back to the col to get back to East Face Lake; Mike, Walter, me,
and others huddled under a boulder at East Face Lake because it's
raining and hailing too hard to get into our bivy sacks or pack
our stuff to leave; and watching several of the needles and Whitney
being hit by lightning and then bracing for the crushing thunder.
Descending from Whitney via the Mountaineer's Route looked a little
dare-devilish to me during all that. When we were finally able
to leave, the rocks that we used to tiptoe across the stream at
Lower Boy Scout Lake one day earlier were a good 6 inches under
water. I didn't read the LA Times fantasy, but I lived my own.
On the Mountain (Part 2)
By Walter Runkle
Loren, obviously you weren't up at Iceberg Lake that day! It
was quite a display of lighting and booming thunder up there!
Those of us who were out climbing that day saw the worst storm
we had ever seen in the Sierra. I'm sure there have been worse.
I'm sure Rockwell has seen worse. You probably have, too, but
it was the worst storm *I* have ever seen up there. From the
erosion of the trail (Mountaineer's Route), I would say there
had been flowing mud, too. And the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek
was just shy of being a raging river and impossible to cross.
DONATIONS
Dave Doerr
CLMRG gratefully acknowledges recent gifts from the following
friends:
Lyal D. Viers Thanks for the great work you do.
Denise Ann & Don Terry In memory of Robbie Dow on the occasion
of his mother's birthday (Mimi Dow). Thank you for the important
work that you do.
Dorot.//////hy Gould In memory of Milton.
PG&E
Marceleno Ortiz
SCREE
Werner Hueber reports that the "SHARE THE ROAD" with
bicycles signs in memory of Robby Dow on College Heights Blvd.
are up.
Check our web page at http://www.clmrg.org.
Check the California Region's web page at http://www.crmra.org.
Newsletters from other MRA groups, catalogues, etc. are available
in the hut.
All telephone numbers in The Talus Pile are area code 760
unless noted otherwise.
The February issue of Gripped magazine contains Peter Croft's
article on his climb of the 3rd class ridge on Mt. Carl Heller.
Bob Rockwell reports that if "Mt. Carl Heller" becomes
common enough usage for Peak 13,211, the name can be granted by
the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
A man said to the Universe: "Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the Universe, "the fact has
not created in me a sense of obligation."
--Stephen Crane