SKAGIT ALPINE
May 2003 Newsletter of the Skagit Alpine Club Volume 41, Issue 5

Secretary’s Report
The April meeting started with Kathy calling it to order. There was no old business to bring up. Kathy mentioned about the excellent job Allen Grenz has been doing with picking up the baton and carrying it with heading up the club’s Mountaineering class. It’s not the teaching of the class but the organizing of it, as well as making it safe, that is the real work of being the head instructor. And Allen has stepped up to embrace this responsibility, otherwise the class might not have happened this spring.
Lynn reminded everybody about the work that the Pacific Northwest Trail Association does and their never-satiated desire for more volunteers. She brought up the dates of scheduled work parties (May 3,17,31 and June 14,28). If any of you have ever hiked on Blanchard Mountain, you should think about giving back and volunteer for at least one work party. As I can attest having done trail work for the past three years, it really doesn’t seem like that much work, just imagine doing yard work in a much cooler spot as well as meeting new people. For more information call 424-0407.
I brought up the fact that the key to the PO Box at the Mount Vernon Post Office no longer worked and there had been no mail in the box. I have been to the post office three times this month, however I have been snake-bitten at the times I have been able to steal away there, as the line has snaked out the door. Maggie has volunteered to stop by and find out what is going on. We have not received a notice saying that payment was due on that in the box and George said he hasn’t received anything either.
Bob Buckley then presented an eclectic slideshow. Things discussed include peaks around the Monte Cristo area, views of the Three O’Clock rock area and an ill-fated trip into the crater on Mount Baker. Buckley traveled down into the crater and showed otherworldly photos of what it is like in that pumiced-strewn area, including giant sulfur crystals. He also relayed to those that might be eager to repeat his endeavors that he found out sulfur when mixed with melting snow forms sulfuric acid. Buckley stated that he felt ill for sometime after the trip and if people wanted to go down there, “they ought to read up on that stuff first.”
The kicker of the slideshow was a set of slides Buckley found on the job. While under a house doing duct work he discovered an old metal box with slides in it. The slides ranged from the 50s to the 70s and included photos of skiing trips at Snoqualmie and Stevens passes (people used to ski with those long boards on their feet?! No need for roping up on a glacier, you can span the crevasses!), as well as photos of and on Mount Rainier.

May Presentation
Wednesday, May 7th
Special Guest: Our own Eric Sandbo with “How you’re going to spend your Summer Vacation — An Introduction to the Bugaboos”
‘I once asked a friend what a neighboring group of peaks was like, and he answered, "If the Bugaboos are a 'ten', the Vowells are a 'nine'." Most climbers who have been there agree that the Bugaboos are a ten. The granite is a ten, the glaciers are a ten, the camping is a ten, the trail in is a ten, the drive is even a ten if you do it right, and the Conrad Kain Hut - well, it's off the scale.
There are a few trails to hike in the Bugaboos, lakes to visit, flowers to photograph, climbers and other critters to commune with. But mainly there’s climbing. Bouldering if you feel like it, easy stuff if you want, but especially long, technical ascents on steep, clean granite, high above glaciers.
You'll see a grand introduction to some of the best moderate climbs, compiled from five trips over nine years. You'll see why climbers from all over the world fly to a place you can drive to in a day. And if the guy sitting next to you has climbed in "The Bugs", you'll see him misting up.
Pack before the meeting: a week ‘s worth of food, hardware & slings for long, multi-pitch climbs on clean granite. Tent & stove optional. You won’t want to just drive home after this one. You can call in sick from Golden.’
Sylvia Trask will provide refreshments. The meeting is at the usual spot, the 911 Center, lcoated on College Way east of SVC.

Progress Report on Mountaineering Class
By Allen Grenz
The Class of 2003 is moving right along this year. After a slow start, and a couple of people dropping the course, the students that are there, are there to stay. The outings have all been great and everyone seems to have a good time. We have a wide variety of experience levels this year in the class, from lots of climbing under their belt to absolutely none! It's great to see the smiles of those that are pushing themselves into new areas of comfort.
The classes main rule is safety, and there have been lots of questions to ensure that the students feel safe.
The students are energetic and ready to tackle what ever we bring their way. The outings are starting to get harder and will continue to get harder as time goes on.
Thanks go out to all the volunteers that have been helping thus far in the class. Without the help, this would not be possible.
Secretary’s note: As of April 24th there are five scheduled trips remaining, as well as the student’s choice fun outing. While trip leaders are filled for all of the outings, I’m sure that Allen could always use an extra hand with more volunteers or assistants, it’s a good way to reunite with club members you haven’t seen in a while or never met before. Remember, we’re helping teach others to foster a love for these high climes like we do. What we teach them now will help keep them safe and want to protect these areas as well. Also it was nice putting faces with names I had only known from e-mail lists and mailing labels on the Mount Erie class of rappelling and belaying. There was a great turnout despite the soggy and chilly conditions.

A word from the Doctor
Soon or now, the snowshoe and ski folks will be reaching the Park Butte Lookout. We have a few things to be taken up; I think that the Erbstoeszers also have gear for the cabin.
If there are problems too complex to be corrected by club members while there, people should please tell us what is needed when they return.
Regards,
Fred

Outings
Mountain biking in the Four Corners area
I am looking for people to go Mt. Biking from June 30th - July 6th, 2004 (7 days, 6 nights) in Colorado and Utah. We would be following the San Juan Hut System. Check out the Web site: http://www.sanjuanhuts.com
Please contact Don Jenkins at 360-679-4410 or e-mail at don.jenkins3@gte.net if interested. These trips are already filling up for 2004 so the sooner the better.

The Great Adventures of Sylvia & Lynn May Hikes - We don't know what we're doing. We don't know where we're going. But if you would like to join us on Saturday May 10th for a good spring hike with the dogs give us a call. Not sure what the snow level will be by then, but you may want to throw in your snowshoes. Call Lynn and Sancho at 428-4237 or Sylvia at 856-4050.

Eldorado Peak or Silver Star Since Tasha is part of the class, am looking for a partner to head up Eldorado (or Silver Star if the weather is better by Washington Pass) with some weekend in May. Let’s compare schedules and do it. They’re a couple of Cascade classics I still haven’t done and would like to before moving out of the area. Call Ryan at 856-6894 or e-mail me at plexus12@yahoo.com.

Trip Reports
Anderson Butte
April 13
By Ryan Budnick
I tell friends one of the things I like about the mountains is that on every trip you learn something new, sometimes through observations, sometimes by just thinking while on that 10-mile approach, other times by stupidity, like falling through a snow bridge into a creek.
This winter as some of you can attest to, I’ve had a slight obsession with getting up Welker Peak. Mind you it’s not a very impressive summit to achieve, more so it wasn’t so much that peak in general but more of an excuse to get myself out of the apartment and do something when the weather might be, well, Washington-like.
Twice I had made plans to head up there. Twice Tasha and I met people to do it. And twice we wound up climbing around on the bouldering wall in our bedroom instead. So while at the Mount Erie class, I hit up some people to see if they might be interested in what would be my final attempt, weather be damned. The more-seasoned climber knew better and remembered, summer will get here sometime. But maybe Steve Trent is just as off-kiltered as myself and agreed to go. He also talked his friend Sandy into coming as well.
So the next morning slightly groggy from not getting much sleep the previous two nights, we’re driving up the Anderson-Watson Lakes Road. We stopped at 2,900 feet at some patchy snow and began getting ready under a steady rain. At this time I realized that we drove past the Anderson Creek drainage and we would need to backtrack 500 vertical feet to start our bushwhack. Considering there was no snow coverage at this point other than on the packed-down road, a wet and very green bushwhack did not seem to savory. So up we walked (Steve skiing, having brought his AT setup) the road figuring we’d just get some exercise. Well before long, the three of us, as well as Steve’s dogs Angus and Sky saw Anderson Butte, something both Steve and I had done before, but I only on the trail in the summer. It seemed like an objective, but nothing serious, if we got it, we got it.
Sooner still we found ourselves at the base of Anderson Butte. We climbed higher than the freezing level on our trudge up and were no longer getting rained on. Also the snow was so packed, there was no need to use the snowshoes. Well we brought the bloody things let’s put them to use. On they went, and finding a suitable route, I began the up the steep forest, until we interested another snowmobiling route and slightly-easier travel.
Looking at a pair of northwest-facing couloirs leading up to the false summit, we saw recent avy debris and we made our way up more steep forest. Poor Sandy. In my sick sense, I picked the steepest slopes, 45-50 degrees, and satisfied my addiction to kick-stepping. And since I broke trail, she followed. But she did wonderful for being a San Diego native. After about 900 feet of some fun steep snow we found ourselves at a small col, 80 feet short of the summit rocks, but greeted with deteriorating weather and pseudo-white out conditions.
Proud of our high point, we toasted on some 150 proof rum Steve brought (and which kept me warm all the way back to the truck) and headed down.
So what did I learn? I learned that in certain weather, you’re going to get wet no matter what you wear. And also, that sometimes the objective isn’t what you climb.

Paying to Park in State Parks
Because of the weather, something has gone mainly unnoticed so far this year in the State Park system. Since the beginning of the year, the public lost the ability to freely roam its state parks. Now a parking fee is required at all state parks. I discovered this information while visiting Rasar State Park in Birdsview for the first time in February. Since I was there on work-related business I was able to haggle the ranger for not charging me. but it seems like a steep price to pay for a mere day visit.
Here is some information gleaned off of the Washington State Parks Department Web site (www.parks.wa.gov)

A Natural Investment Vehicle Parking Permit
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission requires a vehicle parking permit to park in state parks systemwide. The commission set the daily vehicle parking permit fee at $7 daily and $70 for an annual permit. This permit is discounted to $5 daily and $50 annually until 2006.
Daily and annual parking permits are available for purchase at State Parks headquarters in Olympia, regional offices, online and in person at the parks. Although revenue from this fee will not solve the long-term funding issues of state parks, it will help hold the park system together.
The fee will not solve the long-term funding issues of your state park system, but it will help hold the park system together. Your state park system is almost 90 years old and is one of the largest, most developed and most heavily used in the nation, with 48 million visits each year. According to the National Association of State Park Directors, Washington’s state parks are ranked fourth in day-use visits, 10th in overnight visits and 47th in state per-visitor spending among state parks systems nationwide.
Citizens pay for about 70 percent of the parks operating budget through taxes, but the budget isn’t keeping up with costs and needs. In a little more than a decade, while business costs have been rising, inflation grew 32 percent and park visitation increased 30 percent, while the State Parks budget increased by only 13 percent. To get by over the years, staff has put off doing repairs, consolidated operating units, eliminated lifeguard and interpretive programs and limited park and interpretive centers hours to seasonal-only. With the park system at risk, the commission feels it would be irresponsible not to do all we can to hold the system together, and it seems fairest to ask the people who use the parks to pay more.
More than 35 other states charge day visitors in some way, and Washington is the last western state to charge a fee. Some states have per-person park user fees, and others charge by the vehicle.
Volunteers currently donate more than 200,000 hours of their time each year – the equivalent of 100 full-time employees – working in Washington state parks, and their work is greatly appreciated. In developing the vehicle parking fee concept, it was assumed from the beginning that volunteers would not pay for a vehicle parking permit on the day they volunteer. The commission further directed staff to develop a tiered system to allow park managers to award an annual fee waiver for a specific park to volunteers who meet certain hours criteria. Exceptional volunteer commitment could result in a systemwide fee waiver.

Closed for the season
The Northwest Avalanche Center, a very useful tool for the backcountry skier and winter recreationist, has closed for the season. The center, which is funded by various state and national agencies, as well as by fund-raising, usually closes when the snowpack enters a spring cycle.
That does not mean avalanches have called it a year. Spring sloughs are very frequent this time of year and it is essential to check the snowpack and conditions, as well as effects of sun on the slope or couloir to be traveled.

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