Desert Peaks Section Angeles Chapter Sierra Club

Arkel Erb (d. 1976)
Active in the DPS: 1962-1977 Active in SPS DPS
A former chair of the SPS Arky was among the strongest climbers in the Angeles Chapter. He wasn't a founding member of SPS but he came into the section early enough to lead with and be respected by founding members. His strength was exhibited on an August 8-9 1964 trip led by Frank Sanborn and John W. Robinson. A participant experienced acute appendicitis at camp seven miles from the roadhead on Sunday morning and Arky and another climber (Ron Jones) volunteered to go down the trail for help. After calling the sheriff and arranging for a helicopter evacuation the two volunteers hiked the seven miles back to camp and then climbed the peak Julius Caesar before returning to the car late that afternoon. Arky's leadership role was cut short when he died in an October 1976 climbing accident on Dunagiri in the Garwhal Himalaya of India.-Jerry Keating

Arkel (Arky) Erb--taken during an
independent backpack to the
HPS Big Four in late March 1975

Photo by Ellen Wilts
Ellen & Chuck Wilts Collection
Sierra Club-Angeles Chapter Archives

Yvon Chouinard (plaid shirt)
Arkel Erb (alpine hat) rock climbing
at Tahquitz. Date not given.

S I E R R A C L U B C H R O N O L O G Y T H R U 2 0 0 6

1961	SPS Emblem
1962	Joined the Desert Peaks Section
1964	DPS Emblem
1964	Vice Chairman - Desert Peaks Section
1965	DPS List Completion on Navajo Mountain
1965	Member-at-Large - Desert Peaks Section
1965	Chairman - Sierra Peaks Section
1966	Schedule Chairman - Sierra Peaks Section
1966	SPS Master Emblem
1966	SPS List Completion on Goat Mountain
1967	Schedule Chairman - Sierra Peaks Section
1968	Mountain Records Chairman - Sierra Peaks Section
1969	Mountain Records Chairman - Sierra Peaks Section
1975	HPS List Completion
1977	Last year active in the Desert Peaks Section