Our next scheduled backpack is a repeat on April 4-5 of Ron's Martinez Canyon hike of last year. Also join Ron and Leora on their one-week Utah vacation exploring the Anasazl ruins in Crend Gulch on Nay 2-10.
The work party an 28 September 1991, in my experience, was the largest yet in terms of work accomplished. The turnout was not as large as it was hoped, but everyone worked extra hard, doing enough work for those that did not come.
The work entailed cleaning up an old dump and the surrounding area where people had been dumping trash and junk. We picked up an old car, car parts, assorted hunks of rusted metal, untold amounts of cans and garbage and general trash. We loaded the truck with all kinds of metal junk and took it to the Twentynine Palms dump. We expected to have to pay about $10 for the load, however the cashier told us that it will be $60. Bureau of Land Management, whose truck, equipment and money we were using, was not authorized to pay that much, and we had to come back with a full truck. We thought that this was the and of our effort. But then, we decided and BLM agreed, that we will pick up everything, bag it and stack it, and next week BLM would come and pick it all up. We filled up over 50 trash bags, and stacked up some renaming metal parts, equivalent of about two good truck loads. We also burned a lot of tree clippings and junk wood along with several carpets. If we had a few more people, we could have picked up the whole area. As it is, small amounts of trash is still scattered, but it looks 1000% better.
We received sane unexpected help from Archie Eaton, his son, and two friends, Brad Folding, and Joshua Beavers, if they had not been helping we would have had to work even harder. Archie has patented a clam on the old mine, maybe there is some gold still left.
My appreciation and many thanks to the other workers; John McCully, Wendy Ruess, Bill Faulkner, Bruce Turner, Eric Trujillo, Duncan McDonald, John Hoffner, Anna Valkass, Jim Schoedler and Jim Farkas. The last but not the least, the BLM person, Bill Hawkin.
Maris Valkass
MOPAH AND TURTLE 5-6 OCTOBER 1991
Eleven of us met Saturday morning at 7:00 at the Vidal Junction Cafe. After eating a fine breakfast, we started out for the Mopah roadhead. It was pretty warm already, and it felt like it is going to be HOT.
Using the peak guide, we did not have any trouble finding the remains of the stone house at the roadhead. We all carried about three quarts of water, and I even brought an umbrella for shade. The walk was uneventful, except for a coyote we encountered a long the way. Once we arrived at the massif, we had some discussion and regarding the notch where the route would start. Thanks to Graham Breakwell, who was the co-leader, we found the right place and followed up to the summit. it took us about two and a half hours. The "crux" presented no problems. Ascending and descending, one of the leaders was at the top of the "pitch", the other at the bottom for moral support, if anyone needed it. No one did.