OUTLAW TRIP
PATTERSON-GLASS TRIP
January 17, 18, 1976 Hubbard
Mantle
Manchester

The phone rang and it was George. "How about Patterson this weekend and maybe Glass? The prospect of two new peaks caused me no hesitation and I said "right". The desert car, Doug's motored mount, was out of commission. George's station wagon was not available until very late Friday and that is how the Gran Torino, my company car, went to Patterson and Glass.

We left Roxford at 5:00 P.M., ate dinner at Indian Wells and bought tire chains in Lone Pine due to reported road conditions above Bishop. The chains were not necessary.

We made a right turn off of U. S. 395, north of Bridgeport at the Swager Canyon Road. We drove up the road about three and one-half miles and turned left onto another dirt road. We followed this road to about elevation 8400. The road was covered by snow patches. It was 1:00 A.M. and we made camp.

It was mighty cold when we woke up at 8:00 A.M. George was taking his usual deliberate approach to getting ready. I decided to start the car, turn on the heater and get warm. The motor didn't start. Several attempts ran down the battery. A fish and game warden, on patrol in his four wheel drive, came to our rescue with jump cables. The warden did not readily accept our explanation for being where we were. When the Gran Torino was running, I naively asked him where we could locate him if we needed help later and his reply cut us all to the quick: "I'm not in the business of helping stranded motorists anymore than the Auto Club is in the business of enforcing the fish and game laws!"

It was 11:00 when we started for the peak. The climb involved unstable boulder fields and brush to about 10,000 feet. The rest of the climb was largely over snow and was straight forward. There was no register on the summit. The snow covered Sierra Crest, the Nevada ranges, the Whites and Glass Mountain all contributed to spectacular scenic views. Although roads crisscross this peak, our route seemed to meet no roads until near the summit. Some spectacular scenery, good weather, a near roadless route and 2,500 feet of elevation gain made this a good climb.

We returned to the car at dark and the car started right up. We were in business and ready to go. Instead of working off the day's soreness in Hot Creek, having a nice dinner in Mammoth and taking a leisurely trip home, we decided to have a quick dinner in Lee Vinning, take Highway 120 to the Sawmill Meadow Road and that road to the meadow. We got to within a mile of our objective before the snow got too deep for the Gran Torino. After George finished breakfast on Sunday, we took off for the peak. The views were again a
 
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