BABOQUIVARI AND CERRO PINACATE (private trip) KINO ANV AJO (DPS trip)

This was a grand climbing long weekend, in the style (intentionally) of Randy Bernard's highly enjoyable Weaver's Needle? Superstition Mtn climb over last Dec 31 thru Jan 3. The scheduled trip had to be rearranged from a responsibility viewpoint, as the title indicates, due to the present Sierra Club insurance problems with 4th class and Mexican climbs. Too, several persons wishing to join the trip, but who were not known personally to the leaders, were politely turned down. Still, 39 climbers were accepted and participated. Of these, 23 did Babo on Thanksgiving and 4 on Friday, 10 opted for Ajo on Friday and 7 on Sunday. Bobby Dubeau completed his DPS list with his Friday climb of Pinacate, and Don Cook made his list completion with a solo climb of Superstition on Sunday on his way home after the Kino climb. In summary, you might agree, a pretty successful weekend. Baboquivari is located near the southern edge of, and about half way across, the State of Arizona and is on the Papago Indian Reservation. Kino and Ajo are to the west of Babo in Organ Pipe Cactus Notional monument, while Cerro Pinacate is southwest of Organ Pipe in Sonora, Mexico. For you historically inclined, Ajo means garlic in Spanish and was so named since it grows wild in the area. Kino was named for the Jesuit priest, who rode thousands of miles on horseback to found missions in northern Sonora and Arizona in the late 1600's. I don't know the derivation of the names of the other two peaks (help anyone?) Baboquivari went splendidly in spite of the large group. We set up two parallel belays for the 4th cl pitch (of about 100'), and two separate rappel ropes for the descent. Special thanks due to Ted Pinson and Bobby Dubeau for yoeman assistance to the leaders in belay and rappel work. We were back in camp with daylight aplenty in which to prepare the Thanksgiving dinner. We were given the use of the cabin for the evening. The "cabin" is really a house, with a living room large enough to comfortably hold all (approx) 35 of us in front of a warming fire in the great fireplace. We had lots of turkey and gravy, thanks to the Pinsons and Keats, cranberry sauces, a variety of potatoes and other veggies, salads, pies, cakes, etc, etc, and an adequate variety and quantity of libations. In retrospect, the only item missing was our Indian campground host family, which the sleepy leader had neglected to invite to join us for a real traditional Thanksgiving. we were cozy inside eating when the traditional Thanksgiving storm hit with heavy rain, thunder, etc. Future trips might well reserve the cabin in advance (which we did not), since other parties might be there at the same time.

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