SIERRA CLUB DESERT PEAKS SECTION NEWSLETTER #15 September 26, 1951

Dear Desert Peakers There's no use trying to start on any other subject. It's just a case of putting first things in my life first -- because there have been big doings in our Bears' den since my last communique. Yes, Emily really delivered in a big way in Burbank on the night of September two when OUR SECOND BABY GIRL arrived, a whopping 10-1/2 pounder! Just to prove we were expecting her, we immediately slapped the moniker, Virginia Ruth on her waiting birth certificate. Guess I'll never have a better excuse than Ginny for taking 7 weeks between issues of my literary "throw-away". In the brief span of 6 weeks we polished off the last THREE DPS TRIPS in the summer schedule. They were all to the High Sierra, so it's axionmtic that they were all extra satisfying. I suppose they were bound to seem especially satisfying to Papa Bear, whose cubs have kept him from prized Sierra vacations for three years running now. Actually I had to miss the Labor Day trip I was supposed to co-lead to Mt. Russell in order to be on hand to welcome the littlest bear. Considering the pleasure all or us who were on the trips to Mallory and Agassiz experienced, it's too bad the attendance on these trips was uniformly in the 15-20 range. Are we Desert Peakers degenerating into arm-chair mountaineers or becoming confirmed outlaws? Perish, forbid, considering our primary activity consists of these scheduled trips! Consider now, what a swell trip to Mt. MALLORY Toni Gomero and Ed Peterson led August 4 and 5. Typically fine Sierra weather provided a pleasant respite from mid-summer heat in town. A fine trail led to a beautiful campsite under the pines beside one of the lower Meysan Lakes. Sunrise found us already on our way to attack the 500 foot zone of cliff between Meysen Lake proper and the LeConte Plateau, which constituted the main difficulty of the climb. We were gratified to find two relatively easy routes through the cliffs. Then it was a long walk across the plateau northwest to the base of the rocky summit pyramid. This provided some 500 feet of scrambling over huge rocks, which brought one breathless and relieved to the 13,865 foot summit. Here was enacted the usual scene of registering, lunching, picture-taking, peak identification, complete collapse, foot repairs and self-congratulation. By way of collecting double satisfaction from the trip, your editor made a surprisingly quick side trip to climb Mt. LeConte, which lies a scant mile south of Mallory. Needless to say, I was pleased to discover that the standard, easy route Mt. LeConte was just barely easy enough to allow a solo climb. Shall I say it was a bit sporting! The trip to MT. AGASSIZon Sept. 15 and 16 seemed in many ways a retake of the Mallory trip; the same comfortably short back-pack, a scenic high camp near a timberline tarn, with only a relatively short climb to the peak, which permitted of a reasonably early return to civilization Sunday night. On both trips local Desert Peakers were outnumbered by San Diegans and other non-members of the DPS. All the way up from South Lake the lakes and streams were well-populated with fishermen, and several of our group swelled their ranks at our private high-camp lake. Although numerous trout were visible both under water and jumping, they gave our eager fishermen little play. Thanks to an early start and Freda's route-scouting last year, she had the entire party on top by 9:30 a.m. Coming up from the Bishop Pass side of the peak, it was a sudden thrill upon arriving at the summit to have all the familiar Palisade country opened to close-up view.

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