Newsletter	February 2004 Newsletter December 2003 Newsletter

January Club Meeting 7 pm 911 Center January 7th Doug McKeever Alpine Glaciers Doug McKeever (the “go light guy”) will return with a presentation focusing on glaciers. We will learn to recognize basic glacial land forms, how they were formed and and how they have changed. Doug also has slides to illustrate glacial changes between the 1970’s and the present. When we next climb the Cascades, we’ll be able to identify the history that surrounds us. Doug McKeever is a geologist, a geology professor and a climber. Have tough questions, now’s the time to bring them! plus Jeri Krampetz of the Pacific Northwest Trail Association will give a short presentation at the January meeting. Secretary’s Report Dec 3rd, 2003 Official SAC business was brief, but important. Your most excellent Officers were nominated and unanimously approved to serve another year. That means that the Skagit Alpine Club is led by the estimable Kathy Monrad, President, assisted by the capable Sylvia Trask, Vice-President, financially managed by the esteemed George Reeves, and meticulously documented by Brian Heinrich, Secretary. The election, for lack of a better word, was preceded by an incredible spread provided by the members of the Club. Personal favorites were the curry chicken and the divine salmon, gill net caught in the cold Alaskan waters. Good times. The December meeting is usually the best because of all the good grub and better conversation. Thanks to all who came and a happy holiday to all. Reminder, your $25 SAC dues should be paid in January 2004! Your dues support Club efforts in myriad ways. They provide important revenue to purchase gear, mail the newsletter, assist with outings, and are just a good thing to do. Feel free to mail your check or attend the January meeting on January 7th and pay in person. Logo: It was suggested that SAC have a logo contest and despite grumblings that one exists, and the absence of a motion to approve and subsequent vote to go forward with the contest, you are asked to submit your design at the next SAC meeting and we will discuss what to do with all of the pretty submissions. Finally, a great presentation by a couple of cavers (spelunker, sadly, has fallen out of favor) and, with the utmost respect, they were as weird as any climber I’ve ever met. Something about the mountains and gear that makes people batty, I suppose. Thanks to Ron and Adam for the awesome presentation! Respectfully submitted, Brian Heinrich Some Announcements... Gym Climbing at Cascade Crags with Allen Grenz Is anyone interested in going down to Cascade Crags every-now-and-then to do some working out. Starting next week or so, I will be heading down 2-3 times a week, after work, to work out and get ready for a climbing trip. I would welcome anyone to go along, once, a couple of times or just as often…let me know. My days will more than likely be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and/or Saturday. also from Allen... Webmaster needed The time has come for me to start looking for a new person to take on the task of updating the club’s web site. The web site is currently written in html language. So a good knowledge of html would be a necessity.  Please let me know if you are interested or know of someone who might be. I would like to get back to regular updates to the site; otherwise it doesn’t do anyone any good. Allen Grenz allen@gotooasys.com 2004 SAC Dues As mentioned in the Secretary’s report SAC dues for 2004 are, well, due. The annual $25 is less than ten lattes; about the same as a parking ticket in Seattle; or the price of three shinny new lockers. The dues keep the presses running and give the club financial latitude. So send in your 25 clams to George with the form on the back of the newsletter or better yet bring it in person to the next club meeting. Be sure to let us know your preference on how your would like to receive the newsletter. WHAT A MIRACLE! by Lynn Postler Here's a true story. Hopefully it will remind us all of how dangerous avalanches can be in the back country!   On Saturday (Dec 13) Beth, Wade, Sancho and I were heading up to Mt Baker ski area for a back country ski trip up to Artist Point. Sancho and I were excited since it had been two years since we were out skiing, and I was looking forward to seeing if my old skis could still make those tele turns. We got a late start due to pancakes and car trouble, so it was already 11 AM when we started skiing out of the upper parking lot. It was a blizzard of snow and mist. I was surprised to see 2-3 feet of fresh snow and quickly realized we wouldn't be reaching Artist Point in these conditions.   Wade talked to some ski patrol people while we were heading up next to the ski run. They warned him of high avalanche danger and a possible burial of 2 people on the trail up to Artist Point. Later we heard that actually 3 people on snow shoes had been caught in an avalanche Friday morning approx 11 AM. One man had dug himself out of the snow and walked back to the ski area. It was assumed that the other two people in the party were dead.   We continued up the ski slope still hoping to get a little exercise and a few turns. It was cold and windy with zero visibility when we reached the ski boundary signs on top.  Wade wanted to go a little further and I figured we would end up stopping before the steep avalanche slope that heads up to Artist Point. A few minutes later Wade yells back to us that someone had found another avalanche survivor and they needed help. He asked Beth and I to go back to the ski area and get a message to the ski patrol.  We told the first responsible skier that we saw to ski down to the chair lift and give the operators the message. Then Beth and I turned around to follow Wade's trail and see what we could do to help.   The snow was deep and made slow going.  We were sweating in spite of the cold as we tried to hurry up the ski trail. Wade was still ahead of us and said he could hear their voices. I looked up to see we were just at the start of the steep snow slope. Perfect place for an avalanche. Sancho, Beth and I were following the main road and passed by the short cut trail that switch backs up to Artist Point. If we had just been out skiing for the day I think this would have been our turn around spot.  But since there was someone alive and needed help we kept going. A few minutes later we found a group of people at the hair pin curve in the road. Wade had already talked to them and was getting ready to head back down. His job was to find the ski patrol people and have them send a snow mobile or cat up there to evacuate the survivor.   Beth and I looked around at the group. We could see one woman lying in the snow across a man's lap. Two other people were digging out the third person who was dead.  Immediately we emptied our packs and got out all our extra clothes and gear. I started talking to the victim and found out her name was Lisa. Her teeth were chattering but she was still able to talk. We put the packs down on the ground and Sancho laid down next to Lisa. We piled all our jackets and coats on top of them. The man holding Lisa was named Adam. He gave us some more information on what had happened that day.   Adam and a friend were skiing down in Swift Creek Saturday morning when they heard someone shouting.  They skied over to help and found the man who had dug himself out of the avalanche. He had been buried all night but was okay. Adam helped the man walk back down to the ski area to get medical attention. Then Adam and his friend headed back out to the avalanche sight to see if they could find any other survivors.  They probed the area with their ski poles until they found Lisa under about 3 feet of snow and dug her out. Two other back country skiers in the area had also come over to help with the search and digging.     Wow. I still couldn't believe that anyone could survive a night after being buried in an avalanche. It was about 12-12:30 when we had arrived on the scene and I expected to hear the ski patrol drive up any minute.  Adam gave Lisa a little water and some hot soup.  Beth and I rubbed her body and tried to shield her and Adam from the snow that was still coming down. They had tied Lisa's legs together with a ski pole. Adam said her knee looked twisted when they found her buried, and they were also afraid she might have back or neck damage. I kept Lisa talking and we found out she was a student at Western Washington. We talked about nothing and everything just trying to keep her awake and warm her up.   It took much longer than we expected to get help. About 2 PM we heard an engine and saw the big snow cat moving toward us across the avalanche slope. Beth and the other skiers moved all of our gear out of the way to make room for the cat. People jumped off the back of the cat and brought a litter over to Lisa. We loaded her carefully into the litter and then lifted it onto the back of the cat. The driver yelled over to us to get in and let's get going. Beth, Sancho and I piled into the front of the cat.  Adam and some others rode in the back with Lisa.  A second cat had also come up. They would gather up our gear and bring it down. The driver wanted to get Lisa back down to the ski area as quickly as possible and didn't want to waste any time.   Before we knew it we were inside a ski patrol hut and they were moving Lisa onto a bed. Sancho and I stayed with her to try and reassure her as a crowd of people started working on her. Everyone was wonderful and before long Lisa had blankets and hot water bottles all around her and she started to warm up. It was around 3 PM that the Fire Department crew arrived with the ambulance from Bellingham. We saw Lisa safely into the ambulance and then gathered up our gear.   What a Miracle! I called Lisa at the hospital a few days later and she was doing well. So glad that she made it!  I told her Adam and his friend had been the real heroes that saved her life. Beth, Wade, Sancho and I were just happy that we could be of some help with the rescue. It's a day I won't forget. Skagit Alpine Club PO Box 1054 Mount Vernon Washington 98273 www.skagitalpineclub.com Officers President Kathy Monrad 853-8901 Vice President Sylvia Trask 856-4050 Secretary Brian Heinrich 756-6950 mtkulshan@yahoo.com Treasurer George Reeves 293-3417 Climbingfool2000@yahoo.com Directors Keith Kraft 428-8568 Eric Sandbo 755-0746 Committees Conservation Fred Darvill 424-5854 Lookout Fred & Ginny Darvill 424-5854 John & Marie Erbstoeszer 336-5896 Programs Maggie Sullivan 724-3158 Outings Lynn Postler 428-4237 sancho@fidalgo.net Website Allen Grenz 422-7593 allen@gotooasys.com Newsletter Thad Hink 770-4528 sacnews@thinkstudios.net

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