SKAGIT ALPINE
March 2003 Newsletter of the Skagit Alpine Club Volume 41, Issue 3

Secretary’s Report
President Kathy Monrad called to order for the first time and had a good start with no old business needing discussion. Monrad gave praise to Allen Grenz for the good job on the club’s Web site, as well as stepping up and teaching the spring mountaineering course. The class is a big moneymaker for the club and is where a huge chunk of the budget comes from. Grenz held a meeting the last week of January laying out the schedule and getting trip leaders for the spring course. A schedule of the class is available at the club’s home page (www.skagitalpineclub.com), and there is need for some assistant instructors for the outings. The best bet is to contact Grenz or the outing’s instructor if you’re interested in helping out.
Dr. Darvill contacted Monrad about the way the funds are handled for the Park Butte Lookout. After a call to vote, it was passed that the donations from lookout will no longer go to the club’s PO Box. Instead all of the envelopes will be stamped and sent directly to Dr. Darvill. This makes it more convenient, since the Darvills get the supplies for the lookout and don’t have to wait to be reimbursed.
Speaking of the lookout, Treasurer George Reeves brought up a conversation he had with John Erbstoeszer about the lookout needing a new roof. Apparently the cost of the supplies with be picked up by the Forest Service and will be flown in. There will be a need for volunteers for the labor. We will keep you updated about this project.
Former president/course instructor/do-it-all Rick Rogers has stepped down from teaching the mountaineering course, figuring he’s had a lucky run and he doesn’t want to push it. Instead Rogers is teaching a backpacking course through Skagit Valley College this spring. While a separate entity from the club, it will be advertised on the club’s Web site, and more information about it can be gotten there. The class will feature guest speakers and will deal with more than just backpacking essentials, but also ecology and botany.
Dues have risen. After over 17 years of the annual dues being $15, it was passed unanimously that they be raised to $25 starting next calender year. This will help the club cover expenses and bring in speakers and presenters, without dipping into fund normally left for the climbing class.
A big thanks to North Cascades Natl Park climbing ranger Kelly Bush, whom hopefully none of us will have to meet on a helicopter evac, for an impromptu introduction to the night’s presentation.
A huge thanks to special guests Bob and Karen Kandiko for their presentation of high traverses in the North Cascades. Normally three trays of slides seems to last too long, not this time. This couple is an inspiration and proof that one can go from Thunder Arm down the Eldorado approach, and only need nominal bushwacking.

March Presentation
Duane and Joan Melcher will present a slideshow entitled “People and Places along the Pacific Northwest Trail”. The trail stretches from Glacier National Park in Montana to Cape Alava in Olimpic National Park. The PNTA is also interested in recruiting volunteers to help with trail construction and maintenance in the area. There will be a sign-up sheet for those interested. Information can also be gotten at the PNT Web site at www.pnt.org.
The next Skagit Alpine Club meeting will be at 7 p.m. on March 5 at the 911 Center. It is located at 2911 East College Way in Mount Vernon, a few blocks east of SVC.

Estoy en Antigua, Guatemala
Hola amigos y familia,
I arrived in Antigua, Guatemala two days ago and immediately changed my plans for traveling 4 hours further to Xela for studying Spanish there. The main reasons are climate and lifestyle. Xela is 4000 feet higher and therefore pretty cold at this time of year, whereas Antigua is very comfortable day and night (about 70 and 55 deg. F respectively). Xela is a large city (100,000) with pollution problems, but Antigua is small (6000)
and fairly clean and tranquil. I have everything I need here to study Spanish, including McDonald's and Burger King (but not Walmart).
On the bus to Antigua I met a man who is part owner/manager of a Spanish school. Within an hour of arrival I had toured the school, interviewed two students, talked with the other owner, and signed up for classes. I've had two 5-hour classes already and will study 1-4 weeks before traveling further or studying more somewhere else. I'm living with the school owner's family and the kids have taken a liking to beating on me (you don't need to speak
the same language for that).
I spent six days living on the beach near Tulum, Mexico, then another three on the island of Caye Caulker, Belize. At each place we campers/hammockers would buy fresh fish (barracuda, snapper, others) and make great meals with it along with some rice, vegetables, and rum or beer. The snorkeling was great at both places, but at the latter I swam with a couple of nurse sharks
and 20-plus rays up to 5 feet across (attracted by the sardines the guide spread in the sea). Once I got comfortable with the rays they became comfortable with me, rubbing me along my legs and torso and letting me glide my hands across their bodies.
After Caye Caulker I had a long, memorable ride on a “chicken” (third-class) bus in which we broke down and then combined passengers with another full bus. I spent a long day at the Tikal ruins in Guatemala, walking around and up the old stone structures all day, watching toucans, parrots, spider monkeys, and hearing howler monkeys. Next was a horrendous four-hour chicken bus ride to Rio Dulce (eastern Guatemala) from which I lost 10
years of my life. Corner after corner taken too fast, passing vehicles in blind spots, and having my backpack along with buckets of raw chicken, bags of vegetables, boxes of other things thrown from the lower storage compartment around a corner at 60 miles an hour. Let just say my backpack doesn't look new any more with melted holes all over and melted zipper from the sliding on asphalt and down the embankment. I'm happy that I and my backpack
made it to Rio Dulce fairly intact. Then I made a poor decision to accept a boat ride across the river to the hostel/hotel without getting to know the captain an boat enough. I doubt that the captain had operated a boat more than a few times before and the boat does not belong in any body of water greater than a swimming pool. The boat was perhaps eight feet long and an eighth-inch thick at most, more of a toy than a vehicle to cross a river 500 yards wide. I really thought we were going to sink and I knew that I
could swim to shore but not with either the large or small backpack. Of course we made it, but upon my exiting the bow rose high and water spilled in from the stern. The captain acted like this was normal, not wasting time bailing out the 5 inches of water before returning to the other side of the river.
I needed to feel cotton again and so bought a t-shirt for 3 dollars. The hostel (Hotel Backpackers) was interested in having me for a volunteer for their sister business next door, an orphanage and school for poor children, but I felt I needed to learn Spanish much better before delving into volunteer work, so I moved on in two days to here, Antigua. I almost feel at home. I'm surrounded by 3 volcanoes, all within a couple of miles with one being quite active. I may climb one with the school on a Saturday/Sunday break. Although pretty tall (10,000 to 13,000 feet), they don't have snow and look more like steep hills. Also, the town is small like the one I grew up in and everyone says hello (Hola) or good day (Buenos dias), even to gringos! There are hundreds, maybe a thousand travelers here studying Spanish like me.
I have plenty more to tell, but I need some sleep so that I can study for four hours tomorrow morning before having five hours of one-on-one instruction. Now I'm sure I'll never go back to graduate school!
¡Hasta luego!
Wade

Mount Dickerman TR
WOW! We had a beautiful day of sunshine when we headed up Mount Dickerman in February. The Mountain Loop Highway is still
open from Granite Falls to Darrington. No snow to block the pass.
Found ourselves above the fog when we hit the trailhead at 1900 feet. The trail switchbacks a million times up through the woods. Stopped for lunch at 4700 feet when we were above the tree line, finally in some snow, and had gorgeous views of Big Four Mountain, Vesper Peak, and all the other Monte Cristo peaks.
Sancho led the way to the summit at 5700 feet. There we lucked out with a 360 degree view including Baker, Shuksan, Glacier, Sloan, Mount Rainier and the Olympics. It's days like this that make it all worthwhile!

Joshua Tree Trip
My climbing partner had to bail on me today for our trip to Joshua Tree...Anyone at all interested in going???????? At this point I am very flexible as to when I can go up to the beginning of April.
I’d like to drive down and stay for a 1 - 1 1/2 weeks. Can’t you imagine warm, sunny weather for some awesome climbing in
MARCH! Very inexpensive trip, just pay for food. I would pay someone to go with me if I had the money.
Anyone, PLEASE>>>(Yes, I am begging!) Somebody save Allen Grenz at allen@gotooasys.com or at 360-428-3637

March Snowshoe Hike
Sylvia will be leading the way up Goat Mountain on Saturday,
March 22. The trailhead is just a couple miles up the Hannegan Pass Road. You warm up following the trail up through the trees, then before you know it, you're in a winter wonderland of snow. Look across the valley and you can see the crowds of people riding the chairlifts of Mt Baker ski area. But it's peaceful and quiet on Goat Mountain. Give Sylvia a call if you are interested in joining her and Lynn and Sancho at 856-4050. Bring your snowshoes, just in case we get fresh snow!

A plea for help
I'm in desperate need of some exercise, and I'm hoping others will
join me in trying to kick out the winter jams and maybe warm up for hiking/climbing season. I'd like to set up what I call "conditioning hikes", as follows: Every Tuesday evening in March, let's meet at a different trailhead on Blanchard/Chuckanut mountain at 5:30 for a 5:45 departure (since some folks will be coming from work, some folks need to change into their hiking clothes at the trailhead and it does take awhile to greet and get organized). Rain or shine, daylight or darkness. (Bring headlamps or flashlights!). The point is to start off easy and get a little more elevation and distance each week. (Note that the park officially closes at dusk, and parking at the trailhead technically isn't allowed after dusk, though the park rangers can ticket cars parked "illegally". So try to carpool as much as possible and we'll try to be quick about getting to the cars before dusk). Also, you can make these hikes as challenging as you want by loading up your packs with as much or as little as you want (do bring rain gear, 10 essentials, that kind of stuff though).
My idea of a schedule is:
March 4, Fragrance Lake.
March 11, Pine and Cedars Lake(s)
March 18, Lily and Lizard Lake(s)
March 25, Bat Caves and Oyster Dome
Also, I'm fairly flexibly on days, so if there are a lot of folks out there who can't make Tuesday but could do another evening, let me know. P.S. Well-behaved dogs and kids are welcome. Trish Botsko.

Skagit Alpine Club

Officers
President Kathy Monrad 853-8901
Vice Pres Sylvia Trask 856-4050
Secretary Ryan Budnick 856-6894
plexus12@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 Dr. Fred & Ginny Darvil 424-5854
John&Marie Erbstoeszer 336-5896
Programs Maggie Sullivan 724-3158
Outings Lynn Postler lypo@ltus.com
Website Coordinator Allen Grenz 428-3637
allen@gotooasys.com
Newsletter Ryan Budnick 856-6894
plexus12@yahoo.com
725 Sapp Rd. Apt. 5
Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284