The days are lengthening and that old sun gets hotter as we go up our Desert peaks. It will soon be time to turn to the Sierras for our climbing. In Executive meeting in reply to the question -- why is your group turning to the Sierras to schedule trips when you are a Desert Peak group?, your chairman replied, "No other section has been working up weekend hiking trips to these mountains. And since the summer months make Desert peak climbing impractical, and since the Desert Peak Section seems to be the long endurance climbers, it is a natural for us to turn to the cooler Sierra." That may answer the question for some of you who are wondering the same thing. As Bob Cosgrovo, chairman of the Rock Climbing Section pointed out, most of the climbers who were on the trip to that 14,000 ft. Split Mountain belong to the Desert Peak Section. Despite the fact that we often try to point out to newcomers that you do not have to be a power-house to come along on desert peaks, we have a high percentage of well-conditioned hikers who are able to - or have had to learn to - go long distances with heavy pack. It is true that many of our members did their early conditioning by finishing the hundred peaks game. Parker Severson, leading a rather novice lot up to Volcano Peak back of Little Lakes, perhaps helped condition some of the new-comers to the DPS. Besides such old-timers (on DPS trips, not years) as Walter and Bernice Heninger, Chester Versteeg, Alda Van Pappebendam, Willard Dean, Margie and Bill Henderson, Fritz Sloman, and Parker, there were some relatively new faces on the top, such as "Sparky" Wilson with four of his "boys", Jim Gardener, Dick Lindner, Tom Peterson, and Thayer Crandall; John Del Monte and his son, Jim, and two unidentified climbers. The group met in Red Rock Canyon which was the Friday night camp spot. Saturday morning they drove to various near-by places of interest where "Sparky" could tell them about the geological aspects of the countryside. At 10:00 A.M. the group, some 35 strong, wandered over a pasture behind Little Lake to study a rock-mound covered thickly with Indian petrogyphics. A large and fully bloomed purple "Beaver Tail" cactus sent some of the photographers scurrying up the rock for a closer picture. Hitting the hot and sandy trail toward Volcano Mt. the group eventually reached the rough and deep...red lava flow which had oozed over the divide toward which we were headed. Because of the heat and the distance, a portion of the group did not go beyond this divide. Perhaps they looked up the steep side of the volcano and decided the soft cinders weren't too navigable - which they weren't! But 17 were on top that day. A strong wind, though warm, was welcome. Needless to say, the soda fountain at Little Lake did a rushing business when that gang returned. The next day was spent in Last Chance Canyon in the El Paso Mountains where the remaining 25 persons found some fire opals. The Old Dutch Cleanser Mine and the Petrified Forest were visited. In last month's letter you were listed the schedule of trips which Bob Bear and his Mountain committee had worked up for this next schedule. But here is a hike for the hike for the month of May, which you can't miss - and still be able to have anything to talk about to others at Friday night dinners!
I doubt if the aspens will be that same gorgeous color of fall when we return, but may be a beautiful new-leaf green instead. And the creeks may not be dry as before. One thing which will always set this trip aside from the other DPS sponsored trips, however, is the lake for swimming and the boat for cruising. Here's the word:
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Sincerely yours, Margie Henderson (temporarily elevated from typesetter during UCLA exams) |
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