The renewed interest in attending meetings is fantastic, overwhelming and superb. The Nov. meeting at our new, very comfortable conference room at DWP was most surprising and gratifying. People began arriving and soon some of the men had to go downstairs for more chairs. A short time later the entire group of about 60 retired to the auditorium, which fortunately was not being used. Louise Werner had contacted 20 of the long-time DPS'ers by phone. It was fun to have them identify some of the people the rest of us have only heard about.
Our Dec. meeting with Joe McCosker's slides of the Chilean Desert and Betty's excellent empanadas was attended by almost as many people. I have to assume the good programs and the new location are responsible for the renewed interest in attending meetings. Don't miss the Jan. program by Jon Inskeep on "Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Activities".
It's annual renew time again. Send in your $3.00 before Mar 31, 1981 and beat inflation. The DPS will raise its renewal fee to $4.00 per year after March 31, l981. Inflation has finally hit the Sage printing.
This year there is very little interest in peaks additions, except a letter in this issue of the Sage from Peter Yamagata of Sacramento. He has a whole list of peaks in Northern Nevada that would make great summer exploratories.
On a recent trip to White Mountain, I learned from the White Mountain Ranger Station that special permits are no longer necessary. The road past l0,000 feet officially closes Nov. 30. Weather permitting you can do late Nov climbing in this area.
Beware the Tule Elk this time of year on the backroads of the Owens Valley. A very large one antlered elk and my Toyota nearly collided a mi1e from Pig Pine. Fortunately the Tule didn't spook, turned around and retreated, otherwise I would have had l000 pounds of Elk in my front seat or no more truck.
Then the pitfalls of venturing out of the desert to climb such HPS peaks as Chalk, are not, only the hordes of shooters, but a whole canyon full of Poison Oak.
So Beware all you DPS'ers, avoid bagging a case of Poison Oak like your chair-lady and remain forever Desert Rats.
Happy Desert Peaking
