In response to several letters in The Desert Sage concerning lists, special awards, emblem peaks, fist pins, awards, . . . for peaks in Baja California, Mexico, "easy does it", "whoa", "stop", no más! Few people would deny that it is helpful to know about interesting places in Baja California and some hints of how to get there, but part of the beauty of these places is the lack of organized lists, awards, and "competitive peak baggers". Keep it simple! Relax and enjoy the splendor of the isolated outdoor beauty where few have been before. Keep it register free! Leave it to the people of Mexico to decide what they are going to do with those who get to the tops of their mountains.
Carl Johnson
Dear Ron:
Here are a couple of favorite photos, showing also one of my favorite hiking companions. Meet longtime DPSer, EPSer and SPSer Tom Anmeus atop Mount Inyo, on Oct 30 19601 He and John Robinson led the scheduled DPS climb, and helped get me to the top. The register box was quite shiny at the time, as this Emblem summit became a Qualifying Desert Peak in Dec 1956. From here, one sees the so-relished Sierra scene unfold across Owens Valley. Behind Tom, the placed wooden pole serves as a landmark.
The metal box bears a 1957 date, and is one linked to our presumably-late Sierra Club member, Kasper Casperson. As a foundryman, he was responsible for the creation of so many of these classic, well-designed, cast-aluminum receptacles. Not many remain intact today, due only to the effects of theft and vandalism, and it is a joy whenever we come upon one!
Also shown is an earlier sister container on New York Butte, with a 1946 inscription, taken on another scheduled DPS thriller, Oct 25 1959. This is one of our original Qualifying Peaks septet--proclaimed so in 1941!
I wonder how many Casperson momentos still exist? What a fine thought Kasper left for us!
And keep up the good pace, Tom!
-Bob Greenawalt
Dec 1993
