pole tore thru the tent top. As the Jacumba Jilton slowly sank. into the west, I went thru my Laurel and Hardy routine. I got my fingers pinched, a flailing metal arm belted me in the eye, and I finally had to retreat. The Toyota reclining sea wasn't nearly as bad as I had remembered it. I finally got to sleep in time for Doug Hough to awake me at 7:00. It was an ugly morning. Our Sunday arrivals came, and we took off at 7:50 wearing everything we owned. Betty waited for the Stein family, but caught up with us going up the ridge. We were all on the summit by 9:15, and were in no mood to linger as it was miserably cold and windy. Norm and Maureen Schmidt got their DPS emblems, but the champagne was deferred until we returned to the cars. Then the wind quit, the air warmed up, the sun came out, and it looked like a nice day to go hiking; but by this time the bubbly had weakened our moral fiber and our plans to climb Whale kind of died. A few die-hards led by Jack Grams of the San Diego chapter took off to climb North Peak, and I herded the rest of them back out of the boonies to the paved road, where they either got home or are still circling around somewhere in San Diego County.
MITCHELL AND PROVIDENCE March 24				Paul Nelson & Dick Akawie
Two years ago there were 17 on this same trip. This time there were 34. If that's any indication of the mob we will get next time, I resign. Seeing that many at the roadhead did bother the leaders a bit. However, everyone in this large group proved to be in good condition for this rough outing. Good peakbaggers! The hike was made in 8-1/2 hours which bettered our last time by two hours. The same route was followed as last time. Some dry snow was encountered in places for both good and bad. We had to be cautious on the narrow ridge to Mitchell because of the snow, but it made the steep scree slope to Providence much easier. Your noble leader being older, wiser and also tired, talked two long-legged young men into breaking trail through 1 to 3 feet of snow on this steep north slope of Providence. Thank you, Jim Wilkie and Mike Inskeep. The honors of the day go to Shirley Akawie. Shirley was struck on the shoulder, leg and foot by a 3-foot rock. One of those rocks that 8 or 10 people passed and used as a hand hold finally decided to roll just before Shirley got there. She was badly shaken but after a short rest was able to go on. Later Shirley slid down a steep rock rock losing her wrist watch in the process. Still she made both peaks and was among the first out to the cars--still smiling! After the cars were retrieved from the Mitchell end of the hike, a vote was taken on the desires for the location of Sunday's climb. This ended in a three-way tie. Eleven people wanted to go to Old Woman Mtn., eleven to Tipton Peak and eleven wanted to go home. The latter group was given their wants with no argument. Because the leaders wanted to do Tipton, that broke the remaining tie. With lots of good instructions and maps, ten people headed for a night's camp near Old Woman Mtn. The remaining eleven made the long drive to the roadhead for Tipton Peak in northwest Arizona, arriving there at 10:00 p.m. Here again the leader showed his true colors by talking Roy and Barbara Magnuson into leading us up Tipton. The peak was climbed in 2-1/2 hours in fine clear weather. Besides some snow at the top there was a fine view of the GREEN desert. We were back to the cars by 1:00 p.m. and the long drive home.

Page Index	Prev	Page 4	Next	Issue Index