General Meeting

Date: May 9

Time: 7:30 - 9:00 pm

Program: From White Canyon

to Dark Canyon

Presenter: Hal Tompkins

Join us in an exploration of several tributaries to the Colorado in the vicinity of Lake Powell. We spent a week descending technical slot canyons in the White Canyon and North Wash areas and then another week doing semi-technical backpacking in the Dark Canyon area.

Location: THE NORTH FACE

Directions: 217 Alma Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301

From San Jose (Northbound Highway 101): Take the University Ave Exit and turn left (south) going toward Stanford. Turn right on Alma Street.

From San Francisco (Southbound Highway 101): Take the University Ave exit and turn right (south) going toward Stanford. Turn right on Alma Street.

PCS Trips

PCS trips must be submitted through the Scheduler (see back cover for details).

Pilot Knob & Lamont Pk

Dates: May 6-7 (Sat-Sun)

Peaks: Pilot Knob (6200+'), Lamont Peak (7,429')

Class: 2

Leaders: Bob Suzuki, w: 408-678-3541, SuzukiR@sd-star.com

Joerg Lohse, h: 408-542-1406, JoergPCS@gmail.com

Maps: Onyx and Lamont Peak topos

Start the spring climbing season with 2 day hikes and
car camping north of highway 178 (east of Bakersfield).
Contact either leader to sign up.

2006 Tentative PCS Trip Schedule

May

May 27-29 Angora Peak, Coyote

June

June 16-18 Palisade Basin/Big Pine Creek area

June 30- July 4 Mt Ruskin, Arrow Peak

July

July 1-4 Mt Emerson, Muriel Peak

July 1-4 Mt Sill

July 8-10 Pettit Peak, Volunteer Peak

July 22-26 Milestone Basin area

August

Aug 11-13 Giraud Peak

Aug 12-16 Mt Goddard

Aug 19-20 Mt Silliman

Aug 19-20 Tuolumne Meadows Carcamp

Aug 25-27 Mt Ritter, Banner Peak

Aug 25-27 Mt Langley

September

Sept 2-5 Piute Peak, Volunteer Peak (redux)

Sept 8-10 Mt Gabb

Sept 16-17 Koip Peak

Sept 22-24 Excelsior Peak, Glass Mountain

Trip Report

Live Freel or Die: a balancing act

by Tom Driscoll with photos by Kelly Maas

For once, the weather forecast was (drearily) accurate:

Saturday

Windy….

Heavy snow in the morning...then numerous snow showers in the afternoon.

Highs 40 to 50….

Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph….

Gusts to 80 mph over ridges….

We hiked up the Fountain Road from Meyers four days after spring in a cold rain. We hoped our Goretex would keep us dry and our pack covers and plastic would protect our down sleeping bags. We were risking hypothermia out here in this weather. We heard the booming of avalanche control mortars at the nearby ski areas and road passes. Six inches of snow had fallen the night before. Our approach towards Freel Peak was in the trees and low angle so avalanche danger was low, but could be a concern later. As we climbed above Fountain Place in the northeast drainage, the temperature dropped, the rain changed to wet snow and the wind speed increased. At the 8400 foot elevation level we found a sheltered campsite in a thick grove of trees and escaped the elements in our tents. The snow stopped and the wind calmed about dinner time, so we gathered in the kitchen Kelly had chopped from a snowbank. The temperature dropped into the low teens overnight, but we were mostly warm in our zero-degree bags.

For the second time in two days the weather forecast was (pleasantly) accurate.

Sunday

Mostly sunny….

High 42….

At first light (or around 8 am) Lisa, Brian, and Kelly stomped a path to the summit of Freel with the rest of the group following. We slathered on the sunscreen and shed layers as we climbed. Six inches of new snow gave way to wind-pack in the bowl below the summit. Three hours of effort rewarded us with fantastically clear summit views of the Tahoe peaks beneath us: Tallac, Pyramid, and Roundtop. The whole of Lake Tahoe was glassy-ice smooth below us. We slid, skiied, and tromped down through softening snow back to camp. The 5-mile trudge back to the trailhead tired us out, but we were pleased with the balance of risk and reward we had achieved. Trip members: Lisa Barbosa, Kelly Maas, Frank Martin, Tony Stegman, Linda Sun, Gabor Szedo, Brian Roach, and leader Tom Driscoll

Private Trips

Private trips are not insured, sponsored, or supervised by the Sierra Club. They are listed here because they may be of interest to PCS members. Private trips may be submitted directly to the editor.

2006 Tentative Private Trip Schedule

May

May 20-21 Stanislaus Peak, Mt Morgan

June

June 3-5 Mt Henry

June 2-4 Red Slate Mountain

June 10-12 North Guard, Mt Farquhar

July

July 1-4 Goat Mountain, State Peak, Marion Peak

July 7-9 Mt Lyell, Mt Maclure

July 22-30 Whaleback, Glacier Ridge

July 28-30 Red, Gray, Merced

August

Aug 11-12 Matterhorn, Whorl Mountain

Aug 12-20 Wind River Range, Wyoming

September

Sept 7-10 Rodgers Peak, Electra Peak

Sept 22-24 Middle Palisade

2006 Private Trips Open for Signup

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Arun Mahajan and Doug Bardsley, escreality@yahoo.com

·Date: May 6-7

Peak: Matterhorn Peak (12,281')

Difficulty: Class 2-3, Ice axe, snow travel & camping

Location: Northern Yosemite

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Bob Suzuki, SuzukiR@sd-star.com

Chris Franchuk, clif2694@earthlink.net

·Date: May 27-29 (Sat-Mon)

Peak: Coyote Peak (10,892'), Angora Mtn (10,198')

Difficulty: Class 2

Location: Southern Sierra Nevada

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Cecil Anison, cecilann@comcast.net

Kai Wiedman, (650) 347-5234

·Date: June 3 - 4

Peak: Red Slate Couloir 13,163’

Difficulty: Ice axe and crampon experience required

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Bob Suzuki, w: 408-678-3541, SuzukiR@sd-star.com
Steve Eckert, http://www.climber.org/WhosWho/Steve_Eckert.html

·Date: Sat. 6/3 - Sun. 6/4 or Mon 6/5 (2 or 3 days)

Peak: Mt Henry

Difficulty: class 2, ice axe, snow travel

Location: western Sierra Nevada

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Bob Suzuki, w: 408-678-3541, SuzukiR@sd-star.com
Linda Sun lindasun@sbcglobal.net

·Date: June 10 - 12

Peaks: North Guard 13327', Mt. Francis Farquhar 12893'

Difficulty: class 3 with class 4 summit, snow travel, ice axe, crampons, rope

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Lisa Barboza, lisa.barboza@gd-ais.com

·Date: July 7-9, 2006

Peaks: Mt Lyell, Mt Maclure

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Dee Booth, Linda Sun, lindasun@sbcglobal.net

·Date: July 22-30, 2006

Peaks: Milestone, Table, Thunder, Jordan, Barnard

Difficulty: class 3, class 4, rope

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Lisa Barboza, lisa.barboza@gd-ais.com

·Date: July 28-30, 2006

Peaks: Red, Gray, Merced

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Bob Suzuki, SuzukiR@sd-star.com

Bob Evans, 408-998-2857, robtwevans@email.msn.com

·Date: Sat. 7/22 - Sun. 7/30 (9 days)

Peaks: Kern Pt (12789 ft, class 2), Picket Guard (12,302 ft, class. 3) Whale Back (11717 ft, class 3), Glacier Ridge (12,416 ft, class 4

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Steve Eckert, http://www.climber.org/WhosWho/Steve_Eckert.html

Bob Suzuki, http://www.climber.org/WhosWho/Bob_Suzuki.html

·Date: August 12 - 20

Peaks: Gannett, Fremont, Arrowhead, Lester, Ellingwood,

Stroud, Winifred, Elephant

Difficulty: class 3 & 4, ice axe, crampons, glaciers, rope

Location: Rockies

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Warren Storkman, 650-493-8959, dstorkman@aol.com

·Date: October 2006

Peak: Kala Pattar (18300’)

Location: Nepal, Everest Base Camp

For the following trip listing, please contact:

Warren Storkman, 650-493-8959, dstorkman@aol.com

·Date: January 2007

Peak: Kilimanjaro

Location: Tanzania, optional safari following

Free Ski Boots

FOR FREE: Leather Ski Boots-- Asolo Snowfields,

3-pin binding. Fits a woman's size 9, double-wide Pretty roomy; stretched-out actually (so if you're a guy and have size 8 feet....)

Contact: Debbie Benham, deborah05@sbcglobal.net