“It is not the mountains we conquer but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: It looks like everyone enjoyed the mild January. I haven’t skied once, but the kitchen remodel is done and I kept my 14 month old from successfully killing himself, despite multiple attempts. It’s the little victories in life. We’re also adding a new newsletter section to get to know some of the newer club members, since we can’t get to know them at the Train Wreck. (It’s at the end, so you can either read the whole newsletter or just scroll to the bottom…)
Cheers!
February Meeting:
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 3, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: We’ll be meeting again over zoom using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073052339?pwd=a2YxdytyRGx0QWRLOE01aFJyU3hFQT09
Program: The Skagit 60. Phil Wilson and friends will present some of the stories, photos, and highlights of the Skagit Alpine Club’s attempt to summit all of The Skagit 60 peaks in 2020 to commemorate the formation of SAC in 1960. We will also be discussing routes, plans and logistics for completing the remaining climbs on the list.
Skagit Alpine Club Meeting Notes: January 6, 2021
There was an update to the Treasurer’s by-laws.
Johanna Garton gave a great presentation about her book called, The Edge of the Map, which chronicles the life and story of the high altitude mountaineer Christine Boskoff. To learn more about Johanna and purchase her book go to www.johannagarton.com. Check it out!
February SAC Monthly Social Outing:
Social outings will take place monthly on the weekend after the club meeting, and are open to anyone. There is no sign-up or registration required, but it is a good idea to email the outing planner to let them know you intend on joining. You may also contact the outing planner if you have any questions or concerns about the outing.
Above: SACsters, big and small, at the January outing. (Photo: Phil Wilson)
Outing Date: Saturday, February 6
Outing Planner: Phil Wilson (wilson.phil@hotmail.com)
Outing Location: Frailey Mountain Lookout Site
Trailhead/Meeting location:
DNR Gate on Deer Creek Road: https://goo.gl/maps/JvZCWbeddQ9YFYuj6
From the south end of Lake Cavanaugh, drive south on Deer Creek Road for 0.8 miles.
From HW530 (Oso), drive north on Lake Cavanaugh Road/Deer Creek Road for 5.1 miles.
Planned departure time: 9:00 AM
Estimated Trailhead return time: 1:00 PM
Hike description:
Approximately 6 miles roundtrip with 1700 feet of elevation gain. An out and back trip mostly on logging roads (some snow covered) allowing for distanced side by side walking and talking. Weather permitting, we will get some nice views of familiar mountains in all of their winter snow covered glory.
Left: A great day for a Lake Ann ski tour. (Photo: Cac Kamak)
Trip report: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1089554
Historical information:
Historical Information:
Gear: Waterproof boots, warm waterproof layers, food, water. Depending on snow conditions, gaiters and traction enhancers might come in handy.
The Basic Mountaineering Course:
Registration: Registration opened on January 15 and half the courses are already full! So if you’re interested or know someone who is, sign up now! For any questions or to register, check the BMC website: https://www.skagitalpineclub.com/about-bmc
Instructors: Juliet has finalized the instructor list. If you’re available as a back up for any of the outings, please let her know.
Safetys: If you’ve signed up to be a safety for an outing, but don’t have a current WFA certificate, please see below for details.
New Business:
Dues are due! It’s a new year, so please remember to pay your dues for 2021 using this link: https://www.skagitalpineclub.com/membership
Wilderness First Aid: Medical Guides is putting on a hybrid Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course with an online portion and a in the field training day on April 4th. Receive 10% off with the code SAC2021. SAC will reimburse $75 for attendees because we need instructors with current WFA certifications for the BMC (and it’s just a good idea and a great course). https://www.backcountrymedicalguides.org/wilderness-first-aid-courses/wilderness-first-aid-bellingham
Old Business:
SAC Charity Auction
The charity auction raised $2,398! Thank you to everyone who donated to the auction and to all of those who participated in the bidding wars. But mostly, Thank You to Juliet who organized the auction, while also heading up the BMC.
SAC 60th Anniversary!
Help us celebrate 60 years of SAC by climbing mountains! The club is attempting to summit all the Skagit 60 peaks in 2020 to commemorate the 60th anniversary. The website used to track our progress is skagit60.com.
New Member Profile:
Joshua Emery, in his own words:
Hello! I am new to the area and the club so thought I might take the opportunity to briefly introduce myself. My name is Josh and I live out in Deming, WA. I am a high school health teacher and live in a Tiny House that my significant other and I built while living in Seattle 5 years ago now. It's moved 3 times already but I think it found its forever home here in Deming.
My most memorable climb to date would be a shoulder season climb up the west ridge of forbidden mid October. The ridge was snow covered but the climbing was manageable. What made this climb so memorable was the fact that we spent 3+ hours doing circles around our bivy site trying to find it. Finally we found it at 3:00 a.m and made it back to the car at 6:00 a.m 24 hours after we had left the sleeping bags the day before. Many lessons learned on that outing.
Being new to the area, I am hopeful to find some climbing buddies through the club. If I was to say I had a mountaineering project or goal it would probably be to finish of the Bulger list of which I am 40 or so into at this point. I also just like to get out and climb. Thanks for bringing me into your community and I look forward to getting to know some of you. Also enjoy the ultra running scene if anyone wants to spend some hours in the trail. If you wanted to reach out and do some climbing or running shoot me an email. jemery78@gmail.com
Trip Report:
Hidden lake lookout on Dec 5, 2020 from Logan McKay:
After years of dreaming about sleeping in the Hidden lake lookout in wintertime, McKinley and I made it! My friend McKinley, a boe-alps member and trainer, had a great time taking the summer route to the summit. We had the perfect weather window and drove about 1.5 miles from the trail head. It was about 6 miles to the summit in nice hard snow. The wind was stiff and almost knocked me off my feet. Once we reached the top, we were happy to find a nice comfy mattress to rest our bodies. The sunset was outstanding even viewed thru the lookout windows.
With lookout provided binoculars, we noticed another climber on his way. We welcomed and enjoyed the company. Frank told us there was a winter route that saves almost 2 miles! We were jealous! We found the flagging tape on the way down on one of the road’s switch back corners.
Definitely a worth while venture during the winter and will be planning additional trips in the future.
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