Paiute Monument

11-Mar-67

By: Arkel Erb

Fifteen eager climbers met in spite of threatening weather reports and cloudy skies at 8AM, just south of Independence. We then drove up Mazourka Canyon and began the trek near Barrel Springs.

A couple of hours 1ater we reached the base of the 80' monolith. Eric Schumacher made a fine, fifth class lead to the top and eight other climbers followed within the next couple of serious hours. The weather remained cloudy most of the time and a fire was built to keep the waiting bodies happy.

For anyone making a future ascent useful hardware should include a bolt hanger and nut for a 1/4" bolt and, a few short-bladed pitons. There is a good eyebolt on the summit from which to rappel. A register which had blown off the summit was found below and was replaced by tying it to said eyebolt. After returning to the cars, the group then split up, some going to the Merry Go Round for dinner, while others cooked out in the wind at Ed Lane's home in Big Pine.

Oh Sunday trip members could be seen scattered from Squaw and Waucoba Pks to Saline and Death Valleys, to Dirty Sox Spring, and up the Wanoga Road to Cottonwood Basin.