If you are willing to pitch in on problems that directly concern you and the areas that interest you, that's fine. We will be content with that - for the present - in this first Conservation Committee article of what we hope will be a series in your publication.
Remember that this is your column as well. All contributions will be welcomed, not only for their intrinsic worth, but as an indication of your interest in the whole field.
NEW PEAKS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS
Two new peaks in the White Mountains were
explored over the Decoration Day week end (May 28-30). Campito (11,543) and
Blanco (11,280), located in the southern end of the White Mountains, were the
peaks climbed. The DPS party met where the White Mountain road turns off from
Westgard Pass, east of Big Pine, Saturday A.M. With Bob Bear as leader, our
caravan of five cars struggled up the steep and narrow road to our campsite at
Big Prospector Meadow, at about 10,000 feet. It was low gear work, engines
boiled over and some cars had trouble getting up. My car was one of them. On
the steeper pitches, I had to turn around and go up in reverse.We found an abandoned miner's cabin at the meadow, equipped with cook stove and table so our party of 15 used it as headquarters. Campfire sessions were held in the cabin with the stove going full blast to ward off the frosty air. Sunday A. M. we hiked up Campito Peak and enjoyed the ever-wondrous view of the snow-mantled Sierra. Blanco was climbed in the afternoon.
On the nearby slopes we found the bristle-cone pines, believed to be found nowhere else in California except here, and in a few spots in the Inyos and Panamints. A beautiful obsidian arrowhead was found near camp by Wallace "Avocado" Smith.
NEW DESERT PEAK
Looks like one of our favorite desert camping places is about to be included in a new State park. News reports state that 36 square miles of Coachella Valley's Box Canyon, Hidden Springs and Painted Canyon area will be acquired through an appropriation of $9600 by the Riverside County Supervisors. This sum will be matched by the State Parks Commission to cover the remaining cost of acquisition. Not long ago, Salton Sea State Park was established.
DPS NOTES
In case you haven't seen George Wallerstein around lately, he's spending the summer on the Greenland Icecap with the Snow, Ice and Permifrost Research Establishment for the Army Engineers. We hope George brings back a lot of fine pictures.
Last year's DPS trip to Glass Mountain was featured in the April issue of DESERT MAGAZINE. "We Climbed Glass Mountain" by Louise Werner describes the trip. Watch DESERT for more interesting articles on our trips by Louise.
Ten people, including DPS members, made an unscheduled ascent of Rabbit Peak on May 10th. The trip was made by moonlight, with Wallace Tinsley as leader. Four members won their DPS emblem pins on this