A reminder - The monthly meetings of the Skagit Alpine Club have been changed to WEDNESDAYS!

Our next meeting will be WEDNESDAY, October 2 at the 911 Building
in Mt. Vernon, located just east of Skagit College on College Ave.

MAKE THIS CLUB YOURS
   The nominating committee is looking for  people interested in serving as a club officer for the upcoming year.  All positions are open - president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and we need a new newsletter person.  Here's your chance!  Or, think about pulling in a couple of friends to run the [WORLD, er. . .]show together.  Elections are held in November and the one-year positions begin in January.  
   Please contact Harold Mead at 299-8196 or hmead@fidalgo.net if you or someone you know is interested in a position.
   Interested in taking over the newsletter?  Contact Leigh Agler at 299-9079 or lagler@fidalgo.net ANYTIME!

SECRETARY'S REPORT:
Leigh Agler
   A slew of people successfully found the new meeting site last month, coming to hobnob, tell tales, and catch Wade's show before he leaves us to explore parts south.  Harold brought the crowd, er, meeting to order.
Old business:
€ The website, skagitalpineclub.com, is great but can't be found on a search.  Allen is working on it.
€ The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs met in July in Canada and made 22 resolutions on conservation issues..  We need to download these to discuss at the next meeting.
€ New officers needed.  A nominating committee will be created in October for finding new club officers.  It looks like all positions are open.
€ A second official vote was taken and agreement was made to continue meeting on Wednesdays at the 911 center.
New business:
€  The Park Butte lookout stove had some "event" which required both fire extinquishers to be emptied.  Craig is bring up replacements and will check to see if there are instructions.
€  Sept. 29th is an Easy pass Trail work party day.  Dogs OK, equipment provided.  See OUTINGs for info.
€ You can now call Ryan Budnick "Keymaster."  He has agreed to hold the PO box key and check it from time to time.  
TRIP REPORTS:
New SAC motto: "We Don't Do Anything in Good Weather"
Several trips were described at the last meting.  If you are thinking about doing any of the following, contact these folks for all the details of conditions and routes:
   Wade Bessett: Cheval Peak,             Harold Mead: Chowder Ridge
   Ryan Budnick: Yosemite's Cathedral Peak,     Brad Monrad: Liberty Bell

SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE COURSES OFFERED BY SAC MEMBERS
CROSS COUNTRY SKI TOURING AND CONDITIONING
WINTER RECREATIONAL FUN WITH KATHLEEN GRIMBLY
Wednesdays, October 2- December 11,
7-9 pm New Building N-120
Ski the winter blues away!  In weekly class sessions we'll learn how to get in shape, plan, and prepare for fun on skis in our beautiful North Cascades.  Some topics to be covered include: stretching and conditioning to improve performance and reduce injury risk, touring safely, techniques and route finding, weather conditions, destinations, and survival.  Weekend outings take place on 10/5: hike an clothing assessment,
10/19: hike or ski equipment assessment,
11/2: day ski: technique,
11/16: day ski: technique and route finding,
11/30: day ski: technique and avalance assessment,
12/7-8: optional overnight for winter camping skills.  
Fee: approximately $20 for text to be purchased from instructor.  Register for: 6005 SERV 8 AG

   Rick Rogers has discussing a possible backpacking/environmental awareness course for Spring or Summer 2003 with SVC.  The target population is novice level backpackers, and the objective is to impart some practical backpacking knowledge and foster or spark some interest in the wilderness environment.  Tentatively, the course would run one quarter for 1 1/2 or 2 hours Tuesday and Thursday evenings with three weekend backpacking outings offered.  Tuesday sessions would be for practical backpacking demonstrations, while Thursdays would offer environmental topics.  
   Tuesday topics might include:
Boots, blisters and gear, Trip Planning and Backcountry regulations, Maps and orienteering, Backcountry First Aid, Camp cooking, Packing for short and long trips, The unexpected night out, and Wilderness Ethics.
   Thursday topics might include:
Skagit geology, Forest/Fire ecology, Salmon ecology, Skagit native cultures and traditions, Pre-1800s Skagit landscapes, Grizzlies in the Cascades, GMA and stream buffers, Spotted owls, marbled murrelets and bats, Early miners and trappers, Watershed ecology, mushrooms of the NW, and indicator plant species.
   SAC members or others that would like to share their knowledge or passion for an environmental issue with a 90 minute talk or slide show, should contact me at ricknbeth@valleyint.com .  Help, especially with the environmental education portion of this proposed course, is definitely needed.

WANT A MOUNTAINEERING-ORIENTED-FIRST-AID (MOFA) COURSE?
Maggie researched the possibility of getting a MOFA course in our area.  She found that if we have 6-12 interested people, the instructor will offer a 30 hour class taking place over 2 weekends.  This would include getting CPR and 1st aid cards, and responding to lots of practice scenarios.  Interested?  Let Maggie Sullivan know at 724-3158.

UPCOMING OUTINGS:
September 29- Easy pass Trail Maintenance
   Meet Dan Rogers 9 AM at the trailhead.  This is an annual event for the club and I hope you'll join us. Everyone is welcome including well behaved dogs.  Will work on brush clearing, trimming, digging, drainage, etc.  Should be fun!  If interested call Lynn and Sancho at 428-4237 for more details.

Late Sept. or Columbus Day - Baker via Coleman -
   Naked ice (the ice, not you) glacier climb, Coleman rt Baker 3 days sometime late Sept or Columbus Day weekend, depending on ice and weather conditions.  Climbing on hard ice when conventional ice ax arrest is impossible.  Will practice picket and screw placements, advanced footwork and protection techniques.  Pre -reqs of 2 previous Cascade volcano summits and/or trip leader invitation.  Who's invitation?  That would be Rick Rogers, 856-4517 or ricknbeth@valleyint.com

GOSSIP REPORT
NEW SAC MEMBER:
For those of you who know DJ & Denise Mattern, Denise took the mountaineering class two years ago, they had a healthy baby boy on August 28th at 4:20pm. 8lbs., 6oz., 20.75 inches.
TWO MEMBERS BECOME ONE:  
Angie Vandenhaak and Brian Heinrich were married Septemebr 21st, surrounded by friends and family, with mt Baker as witness.  Beautiful.  Check this out - Brian popped the question at Fragrance lake and they were married at fragrance Park.  Also noted: Angie promised in her vows to always share her chocolate.  Where else would they honeymoon but in the Canadian Rockies?

ASK THE GEAR GUY
Dear Gear Guy,
I'm gearing up for a gnaaaarly mountaineering trip.  What's your thoughts on ice axes and crampons?
Clueless

Dear Clueless,
Here are some thoughts.  Take Œem or leave Œem.
Ice Axe;  If you are buying a primary ice axe, get a light one.  I got a dragonfly ice axe from Pro Mountain Sports (PMS) in Seattle's U district.  If you're buying a secondary axe, get one with a hammer head instead of an adze.  PMS carries a $90 steel head axe/hammer combo, that's the cheapest I've seen and I'll be buying one soon.  My second tool is a heavy old monster.  I don't like the super short axes, even if they are in style.  Mine come to the top of my ankle bones when held casually.  Also, I like a long leash, you can buy a cool one from Black Diamond for an extra $35 or so, or buy some super tape (9/16") and tie or sew your own.  The wrist loop should hang down so it's about 6-8" longer than the axe.  I like mine sewn rather than tied; if you do that use cotton-coated nylon heavy duty thread, a rather strong sewing machine needle with spares, and safety glasses.  Use the medium zig-zag setting and make a series of bar-tacks perpendicularly across the supertape.
Crampons; I've just bought Stubai Guides from PMS and like them a lot.  Grivel and BD make similar models that work well.  These are steel 12-point crampons.  The points should be widely spaced so that the points are out on or very near the edge of your boot sole.  When you're crabbing up steep stuff, you don't want the edge of your boot to contact the ice before your crampons like they will with the narrow waterfall ice style crampons.  Footfangs and switchblades are like that and are only good for hard nearly vertical stuff.  I don't care for the Stubai ultra lights and other brands of aluminum light crampons because they are not very aggressive, however they will fit on any kind of boot including tennis shoes.  
My favorite places to get gear:
1  Pro Mountain Sports- get directions off their website if you are happening to go to Seattle.
2  Base Camp- in Bellingham, just tell Tim or Mike what you are going to climb and they will take care of you right.
3  REI- in Bellingham, they have a lot of stock and good return policies.
4  BCO- in Mt Vernon, very handy.
love and icy kisses,
       The Gear Guy

TRIP REPORT:
PTARMIGAN TRAVERSE by Wade Bessett
   Completing long-awaited goals can lead to that relaxed feeling that lacks of need to do something "big" for a while.  It's been two weeks since Will Guckenburg, Steve Trent, Andy "Digger" Gorzola, and I stepped out of the wild land between Cascade Pass and the Suiattle River Road known by all Cascade Mountain climbers as the Ptarmigan Traverse.  Well, the malaise is nearly over.  Sometime soon I'll feel the need to go climbing again without regard for weather reports, ominous events, or comfort.  After all, the traverse did produce a wealth of laughs, stunning vistas, excellent cuisine, and a wonderful camaraderie that will linger for a long, long time.  The difficult parts of the trip are becoming fond memories, so it's time to write them down and move on (after one more Saturday night of wine and comfort, of course).
   The idea to do the Ptarmigan Traverse was hatched about a year ago when Will and I were discussing his move to San Antonio.  Now, for anyone who thinks that San Antonio is a good place to prepare one's mind and body to climb in the Cascades, give Will a call . . . .  [for the full version, download the attachment to this messege.]

Have you seen the new website?  www.skagitalpineclub.com
Please send any photos, links, or stories to: ryan@neffis.com   
OR mail them to:  Allen Grenz / OASYS, Inc.
1320 Riverside Drive, St. E, Mt. Vernon,  98273

Skagit Alpine Club
PO Box 513, Mt Vernon, WA 98273
www.ncia.com/~twinn/sac
Oficers:
President        Harold Mead                299-8196        hmead@fidalgo.net
Vice President:    Kathy Monrad        853-8901    
Secretary:        Leigh Agler                299-9079
Treasurer:        Kathleen Grimbly        856-5622
Directors:        Keith Kraft                428-8568
                      Eric Sandbo                755-0746
Committees:        
Conservation:     Fred Darvill                424-5854
Lookout:        Fred Darvill                424-5854
Programs:        Maggie Sullivan        724-3158
Outings:        Ruth Brunner                428-6813
Social:            Beth Rogers                856-4517
Website:        Allen Grenz              422-7593               ryan@neffis.com
Newsletter:        Leigh Agler                299-9079        lagler@fidalgo.net                
                       4324 Ginnett Rd., Anacortes, WA 98221