MEMORIAL 11/12/76
BY JERRY KEATING


The Sierra Club suffered a profound loss October 16, 1976, when three members of the Angeles Chapter and an associate from Mexico met their deaths while attempting to make the second ascent of 23,184-foot Dunagiri Peak in the Himalayas.

Falling to their deaths were Graham Stephenson, a certified public accountant with offices in Los Angeles; Arkel Erb, a systems programmer from Malibu; John Baruch, a University of Colorado premedical student from Pacific Palisades; and Benjamin Casasola, an insurance executive from Mexico City.

Graham, 55, was the leader of the party, which on the day of the tragedy consisted of the victims, Arkel's wife Ruth and a group of porters. Five other members from California earlier had departed for home.

Ruth Erb was alone at an advanced camp at about 20,000 feet when the falls occurred approximately 2,000 feet higher on the mountain. She reported seeing two climbers fall from an icy ridge and she subsequently sighted their bodies, as well as those of the two other climbers, on the glacier below the camp. Arkel and John, according to Ruth's report, were close to the peak before beginning the descent to an area where Graham and Ben earlier had experienced difficulty, but whether any member of the party actually reached the summit is not known.

Graham and Arkel, both members of the American Alpine Club and the Alpine Club of Canada, had participated in a variety of expeditions, while John's experience abroad included a Himalayan trek.
 
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