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SKAGIT ALPINE January, 2003                  Newsletter of the Skagit Alpine Club    Volume 41, Issue 1 Please forgive the mess    If the newsletter is not what you're used to, my apologies. This is my first attempt after taking over for Leigh Agler, who did a superb job for over a year. I took over the duties from Leigh, figuring this would be an easy task, since I layout two editions of the Skagit Valley Herald Sports section each week.    However, Tasha and I just got a brand new iMac and I'm still navigating my way around. After having spent a good part of six years breezing through Quark, I'm working my way through AppleWorks and I'm finding out it's just like a Tri-cam, it takes time to learn how to use it correctly.    So hopefully the layout of the newsletters will improve each issue as I progress in my AppleWorks learning. BTW, if anybody out there can give me some pointer in how to work this bloody program, feel free to throw me a life-preserver. Secretary's Notes    Not much business occurred at the last party. Instead we enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends, mentors, climbing partners and fellow club members. The smorgasbord filled the entire back shelf of the room and if people left hungry, it was due to politeness or that they were in training for a big winter climb. Thanks go out to everybody that brought entrŽes, side dishes, drinks and high-calorie goodies.    Former SAC president Bob Rock, whose photography Harold Mead once exclaimed, His pictures make mine look like crap!, delighted us with a wonderful slideshow, that took some club members rambling down Nostalgia Row, and for some of the newer members, bringing to life the adventurous past of the club all in sharp colors and without anybody's head getting cut off (better than I could do!). Thank you Bob!    A special thank you goes out to our social chair Beth Rogers and our president Kathy Monrad for providing the decorations and the muscle and elbow grease in getting the bland meeting room looking festive and warm; they arrived at 4:30 p.m.!    Since the first Wednesday of January falls on New Year's Day, the January meeting has been canceled, due to the fact that some of us will be hydrating from the previous night, or some of us will be enjoying the Cascade Cement that has finally arrived, or some of us will be looking for some nice chandelier ice. So the next meeting is February 5 at the 911 Center, located in Mount Vernon at 2911 East College Way, just a couple blocks east of Skagit Valley College.    Our slide show presentation for the night will be of regionally infamous Bob Kandiko. Kandiko has an acumen for high traverses and will be taking us on a trip down some of his favorites in the Cascades. He completed a traverse of the Pickets this past year. The King is dead, Long live the Queen    For those that haven't heard or didn't feel the 4.5 quake, it is true that Harold Mead has finally abdicated his throne as president of the club for the past three years. And nobody is probably happier than Harold himself. Harold did a terrific job in leading the group through some growing pains (i.e. new bylaws), while breathing life into and expanding his business. Thank you Harold!    The club's appreciation also goes to outgoing treasurer Kathleen Grimbly, outings chair Lynn Postler (heal quickly) and secretary and newsletter editor Leigh Agler. Thank you Leigh for pointing me in the right direction with the newsletter, I hope to live up to your example.    Our former vice-president is movin' on up, Kathy Monrad is now our fearless leader, taking over the office of President. George Reeves has taken over as new treasurer. Ruth Brunner is our new outing director while Lynn recovers from her shoulder surgery. Opps! Here is an e-mail our former secretary received correcting an oversight: Dear Leigh, I don't know if any older members talked with you as they would be the only ones who would know or remember that I was the first woman president of SAC. Way back about 1973. I even don't remember the year or years, because at that time, Vice Presidents moved into the presidency and then did it for 2 years. I took the climbing course in 1970. And that was the beginning of many years spent in the mountains climbing. Early on there was a very small core climbing group, myself, Cec Thomas and Bill Olsen. We also did quite a bit of climbing on our own, in 1972 we did the Picket Traverse. I also helped with the climbing course for a few years. I've had back surgery, and now arthritis in my hips, but I still enjoy a good hike here and in the canyons of the southwest. Was sick so I missed the Christmas party. Sincerely, Louise Harris Give us your money    Having looked at the club list, many of us (and we know who we are) have Feb. 03 next to our names, meaning that is when our dues are, well, due. So make sure you send or give your money to George Reeves in order to receive this pithy newsletter, support the programs that the SAC does, and to be able to say, Hey, I belong to the Skagit Alpine Club.    Students from the last Mountaineering Class, pay special attention that this is the time that your free supply of newsletters runs out. Give George money. He's nice. He scrambles like a goat and skis really well. He also has a nice disposition. He will gladly take your money! There's a nice cutout box on the back page that can be sent to him or you can hand over the money to him at the February meeting. Outings Snowshoe Adventure We found 2 feet of fresh snow up on the trail to Watson Lake. It is FINALLY time to pull those snow shoes out of the closet and head for the hills. Join Sylvia, Maggie, Lynn and Sancho for a snowshoe trip Saturday Jan. 11. Tentatively plan on going up the Hannegan Rd., but plans may change depending on snow conditions. If interested in getting a good workout call Lynn and Sancho at 360-428-4237. Joshua Tree Anyone interested in making a trip to Joshua Tree in March, for some fun-in-the-sun rock climbing on the awesome rocks of the high desert, should contact Allen Grenz at allen@gotooasys.com. Dates not set yet, would like to get a group going down. You shouldn't miss this trip!!!! 03 Mountaineering Class Anyone interested in helping with the Mountaineering Class this year is asked to contact Allen Grenz via e-mail at allen@gotooasys.com. Let him know your e-mail address and your interest in helping out. More information will follow and a planning meeting will happen after the first of the year. Trip Report Black Peak, Dec. 7 Rick Rogers, Don Slack, George Reeves, Brad Monrad, Dave Walker, Shawn Taipale (As told by Rick Rogers)    We ended up going to Black Peak instead of J-berg, I'm not 100% sure, why, partners' preferences I guess. We reached the trailhead at noon and it took us a good four hours to camp below Wing Lake, at which time it was nearly dark by the time we got the tents set up. The approach into camp was maddeningly unpredictable thigh to waist-deep post-holing through a talus field. Two of 12 knees in camp were painful Saturday night.    After camp was established we partied and celebrated the lack of estrogen in camp with manly discussions about climbing gear, shooting animals, best brands of whiskey and beer, among other things.    The NE ridge didn't look to be in too good of shape from camp, with more snow on it than we hoped. After a late start out of camp we made our way past Wing Lake, Don pointed out that if only two of us went up the NE ridge that it would be much faster. Also we were carrying a rope and alpine rack weren't we? So we went, Don and me. We were at the base of the route at 10:45 and climbing by 11. Don started on lead, with the first bit being simul-climbing. Then we swung leads.    The leads on most of them were very short because of monster rope drag, not as much of an issue during summer, but a pain when there is snow on the climb. Climbing wasn't fast or fluid. Most of it was protectable, sorta, so we kept on going up.    The ridge gets real narrow, varies from about two to 12 feet wide the entire way up, with great views down both sides left down to Wing Lake and right down 2500' feet to a glacier. It was a clear day so we could see Logan and the heart of the Cascades and west.    We were about halfway up the ridge when we saw the other guys up on the summit. They had sensibly gone up the standard South route. don gave them a rebel yell and I, as it happened to be leading at that moment, just gave them my customary, sharp-end greeting of Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. Don is a medical person, an ER doc and mountain rescue guy. This gives him a unique perspective to his climbing attitude in regards to risk assessment. Don assesses the risk at the chance of having an incident occur, where extraction, recovery and rehab would prove difficult. Not being an emergency-rescue-medical type myself, I think, Forget that, I don't want to get hurt! This subtle difference put Don on the sharp end of the rope in some of the more, let us just say, interesting pitches. Though I'm not sure I wouldn't just as soon want to be leading those ugly pitches myself anyway.    When leading, I'm very focused and workmanlike. Belaying a pitch while scrunched into a powder-infected alcove with a knee on an ice patch for what seems like hours while the rope goes out 'doink', 'doink' one bloody microscopic portion of an inch at a time gives me lots of time to think, and kind of usually pisses me off.    That day I was mostly disgruntled about decorative nite lites. I knew that if we enjoyed some sort of unsurvivable incident, there would be a memorial service and everybody would reminisce about Rick and Don. And everybody would think, Man that Rick was a dork. And why? Because people keep giving me and Beth these frigin' decorative nite lites, like we're scared of the dark. All of the time, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, just rip off the paper and what is it? Oh it's another friggin' nite lite. Let me find a place to stick it. How about that socket over there next to the other one? Yeah, the upside-down one. they're all upside down. Why? Because I rewired the house by myself, saved a bundle by not hiring an electrician, and installed all of the 110-volt outlets upside down. Man those nite lites were really pissing me off.    Well about then, we could start using the nitelites. We reached the summit pyramid at 5:15 p.m., a long time to do eight pitches. Got back to the tent at 7:30 p.m. and decided to wait until Monday to head out. Skagit Alpine Club PO Box 513, Mt Vernon, WA 98273 www.skagitalpineclub.com Officers President: Kathy Monrad; 853-8901 Vice President: Sylvia Trask; 856-4050 Secretary: Ryan Budnick; 856-6894 Treasurer: George Reeves; 293-3417   email: climbingfool2000@yahoo.com Directors: Keith Kraft; 428-8568 | Eric Sandbo; 755-0746 Committees: Conservation: Fred Darvill; 424-5854 Lookout: John & Marie Erbstoeszer; 336-5896 Programs: Maggie Sullivan; 724-3158 Outings: Lynn Postler Social: Beth Rogers; 856-4517 Website: Allen Grenz; 422-7593   email: ryan@gotooasys.com Newsletter: Ryan Budnick; 856-6894   email: plexus12@yahoo.com 725 Sapp Rd Sedro Wooley, WA 98284

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