Skagit Alpine

Newsletter of the Skagit Alpine Club

June 2007

“To promote the use and prevent the abuse of outdoor recreation areas."

____________________________________________

Meeting:

We're meeting June 6  in T-39 (Walter Roberts Hall) at Skagit Valley College.  Roberts Hall is in the north-central area of the campus.  The following shortcut is to a campus map http://www.skagit.edu/images/color_mvCampus.pdf. 

Secretary‘s Report:

• Harold and Maggie got married on Mt Erie on Sunday, April 29th!  Congratulations!
• Thanks to Jonathan for bringing drinks and to Rick and Monica for ordering a wedding cake in honor of Harold and Maggie's nuptials!  We were sad that Rick and Monica weren't able to come to the meeting to deliver the cake themselves, but Maggie and Harold weren't there anyway so the rest of us enjoyed the cake!  Thanks to Kim G. for carting the cake all over SVC. 
• Mountaineering Class Instructor Rick Rogers was not in attendance but reported via a letter that the climbing class is going well, they have had good participation in every outing and no drop-outs at the halfway point. 
  • Rick expressed thanks to the many volunteers from the club who have helped instruct.  
  • The class needs ropes and other new equipment so we should not expect profits from the class. 
  • Two class lectures have been cancelled due to threats at Skagit Valley College. 
  • The Whitehorse trip was a positive outing with perfect weather and conditions and resulted in nearly every student summiting.  However, a complaint was issued due to the large party size of 28 to the Skagit Alpine Club from another climber who was on Whitehorse that day.
• Paul announced that two climbers are going to ski-mountaineer Mt Adams, Mt Baker and Glacier Peak in 72 hours as a fundraiser.  Paul said he would give $15 personally to the cause as this seems like quite a feat.  A motion was made and seconded for SAC to donate $50 to their climb which was scheduled to begin May 7th.
• Helene Zaslow on behalf of Mt Baker Wild (http://www.mountbakerwild.org/ ) reported that the Wild Sky Wilderness Area is almost a reality!  As reported by the Seattle P-I in April, 2007, "The House of Representatives unanimously approved the Wild Sky Wilderness Area on Tuesday, moving the popular 106,577- acre project in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest to the brink of reality after five years of frustrating detours. By clearing the House, the first new wilderness area in Washington in 23 years is virtually assured of final passage, lawmakers and supporters said. The Senate, which will consider the bill in the coming months, has passed the bill three times, only to see it fail each time in the House. 

WHAT THE BILL MEANS

• Under a bill approved by the House Tuesday:
• 106,577 acres in the Mount Baker- Snoqualmie National Forest would receive the highest level of protection afforded federal property.
• It would be off limits to vehicles, including bicycles and snowmobiles, as well as to logging, mining and other commercial uses.
• Road construction would be prohibited, except in emergencies, such as fires.
• The PNT needs your support to be established as a National Scenic Trail.  Please write letters to your congressmen.  Here are the details:  In 1980 the PNTA tried to obtain National Scenic Trail status and become part of the National Scenic Trail system. A study done at that time denied this status for reasons that are no longer valid. We have found that some people in positions of power cling to that study and hinder the development of our Trail even 27 years later. The study has been looked at and discussed by all the members of the National Scenic and Historic Trails group and they all agree that the study is obsolete. The PNTA Executive Director, Jon Knechtel, has recently written to all the senators and congressmen in the northwestern states plus some others in key positions requesting that Congress reverse this study and recognizes the Pacific Northwest Trail as a National Trail. By becoming recognized as a National Trail, funding from the private sector should be easier to acquire as would federal funding. You can help by writing to your senators and/or congressmen saying that you request their support in the reversing of the 1980 feasibility study and in recognizing the Pacific Northwest Trail as a National Trail. If you do write, you will be most effective if you keep it short and hand-written. It is really, really important to hand-address the envelope(s) as Jon has been told by congressional aides that many senators and congressmen do NOT read e-mail letters or letters with typed or printed addresses.
• Thanks to Steve Irving who presented a wonderful presentation of he and Helene and Stan Zaslow's trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  In addition to sharing their photos and experiences from an amazing wilderness trek, Steve, Helene and Stan are interested in showing others that there is indeed abundant life there, despite what those lobbying for oil drilling say.  Visit http://www.savearcticrefuge.org/ for more information, photos and ways to help.

Program:

Jason and Kim Griffith will share their trip to Nepal where they did the Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary Trek, along with a bit of
sightseeing around Pokhara and KTM and then on to Cambodia.

Outing(s):

Nothing for June.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRAIL ASSOCIATION

24854 Charles Jones Memorial Circle #4         Sedro-Woolley WA 98284            360-854-9415        

2007   SKAGIT COUNTY TRAIL  MAINTENANCE  ON THE PNT

     Want to do some trail work?  No matter where you work, wear long pants, have work gloves, have plenty of fluids to drink, and bring a lunch.  Each person working will have to sign a liability release form.  Parents or guardians of those under 18 must sign for the minor.

     For information call 360-424-0407 anytime up until 8 a.m. the morning of the work party.  Tools will be provided--hazel hoes, loppers, McLeods, Pulaskis, chain saws, brush cutters.  You may bring your own tools if you wish.

     If you can only work until noon, please call ahead to see if the work site will be conducive to your leaving early.  Sometimes we will be working behind locked gates or far up logging roads and it would not be convenient for people to leave early.

     Meeting place is the Cook Road Park-n-Ride, exit 232 from I-5 north of Burlington.  Exit the freeway, turn right and then immediately turn right onto Old Highway 99.  We meet across the street from the 76 gas station.  Meeting time is 8:15 a.m. 

Conservation Report:

Nothing for June.

Trip Report:

Sally Portman’s Birthday Traverse May 6, 2007

By Paul Sherman

Sunday morning we headed up to the newly opened North Cascades Highway to ski the Birthday Traverse, a classic backcountry ski route.  Steve Luther, Paul and Laurie Sherman arrived at the trailhead around 9:20 to find not a space left to park at the Blue Lakes Trailhead.  Why the parking lot is not plowed was a question no one could answer.    Upon further inspection we found the last space with just enough room to get all our tires over the white line and got our gear on.  There were quite a few cars and several groups leaving at the same time we were.  The skin up was beautiful as Liberty Bell came into view and then the cornice on top of the Blue Lakes col.  It was sunny and shirtsleeve warm, but the snow on the north side of the col looked powdery and the tele skiers coming down confirmed there was no scraping to be heard.  We decided to bootpack up to the col and beat the guys who decided to ski it.  They were perfect steps, too.  At the top there is a perfect landing area where there were about 15 other skiers.  One of them mentioned a name and Steve thought he know the fellow.  A few minutes later a reknowned backcountry addict named Freeman came up over the south side of the col and we met the first of Steve’s friends of the day.  We kept our cool as we took off our skins and then had a simply glorious 1500’ or so ski down to the bottom of the bowl.  There was plenty of fresh tracks and the snow was nice spring corn.  At the bottom we head off to the east and up into the northernmost col that dumps us back down toward Kangaroo Ridge.  We had a nice lunch and then hiked up the last 20 feet to the entrance.  It was steep and required some side slipping and then dove down into the couloir which opened up into another great bowl.  This time a northern aspect.  We traversed over to the next little valley and were able to ski all the way out to the cars at the bottom of the hairpin.  There we met Steve’s other friend of the day, who gave Laurie a lift back to the car while we smelled the sausages on the tailgate of some other skiers.  About 4 hours and 3500’ elevation gain all in all.  On the way home we hit the Birdview Brewery and ran into Corrina and Shannon enjoying the fine brew.  Now that’s my idea of a great day, skiing car to car and great beer on the way home.

Ed. Note:

If you had an outing you would like to describe or embellish, whether the trip was with other SAC members or not, please contact the webmaster and the newsletter editor.  Contact information is listed at the end of the newsletter.

Special Announcement/Event:

From Helene Irving:

Below is mission statement for Mount Baker Wild!   There are many volunteer opportunities both out in the field and in outreach/education.  Further information is on our website: www.mountbakerwild.org .  Feel free to call with any questions, Helene and Steve Irving  (360) 384-1618. 

Mission Statement:

Mount Baker Wild! is a group of volunteers in Whatcom and Skagit counties in northwestern Washington State organizing to protect wilderness through public education, outreach and mapping of the unprotected special places of our region.  Saving these unspoiled areas depends on strong public support. The principal goal of Mount Baker Wild! is to protect wild areas in the Mount Baker region through wilderness designation in the Congress.

Special Event:

Nothing for May.
 

Officers:

President – Paul Sherman  293-2984 or 391-6078 (cell),  pshermanpt@verizon.net

Vice President – Jeff Smith

Treasurer - Kim Griffith  (360) 419-7480 jkgriffith@gmail.com

Secretary - Angie Vandenhaak Angela.Vandenhaak@wwu.edu  (360) 756-6950

Newsletter - Corrina Marote corrina.marote@gmail.com

Webmaster - Steve Trent skagitalpineclub@comcast.net

Programs - John Seehorn jseehorn@hotmail.com

Lookout - John and Marie Erbstoeszer erbst@cnw.com

Outings - Lynn Postler sancho999@comcast.net

Conservation Com- Maggie Sullivan 724-3158

Social Com- Wade Bessett bessettw@hotmail.com