The hike to Winnedumah, led by Parker Severson and Jerry Zagorites, got under way early Sunday morning after some commotion caused by a rattlesnake in the trail. The rattler was lurking under a low shrub and several people stepped over it before it cut loose with its buzzer. A second rattler was killed in camp later in the day. More rattlers than we have seen in a long time on a DPS trip. Lets carry those snake-bite kits along more often.
The trail winds steeply up the mountain side and disappears in a maze of huge rock outcrops on the west side of the summit ridge. Here the route dips in and out of several arroyos. Five or six miles of hiking brought us to the pinnacle, where we had lunch.
According to Chalfant's "The Story of Inyo," Indian legend has it that Winnedumah was the great medicine man of the Paiutes, whose principal stronghold was in the Black Rocks, a great field of tunneled lava in the middle of Owens Valley. A band of Diggers invaded the valley from the pass of Pahbatoya in the Sierra to raid the hunting grounds of the Paiutes. After days of bitter fighting, the Paiutes were beaten and forced to flee. Among the fugitives was Winnedumah, whose medicine had been useless against the invaders. Alone and exhausted he gained the summit of the Inyos, where he stopped for a final view of his domain and to await the coming of his warrior brother, Tinnemaha, war chief of his people. While he was invoking the aid of the Great Spirit for his stricken people, a great convulsion of nature came and one of its effects was to transform him into a pillar of stone. So there he stands silhouetted against the sky, looking out across Owens Valley.
CHARLESTON PEAK NEVADA
This ll,910 foot peak located 35 miles NW of Las Vegas, was the objective of the DPS July 2 - 4. A lively campfire session was enjoyed by the group Saturday night in Kyle Canyon, with Janet Delmonte leading the singing. The hike up the mountain on Sunday, was led by Bob Bear, John Delmonte and the Werners. 25 turned out for the trip and 15 made the 18-mile hike to the summit and back. An interesting feature of this mountain are the fossil beds on top. On the summit they found the fox-hole used by the atom blast watchers.
Three new members were added to the DPS when Trudie, Tom and Peter Hunt completed the required number of peaks for membership by climbing Charleston. Their address is: 310 A Allendale Rd., Pasadena 5, California.
DPS NOTES
Pardon us for getting our peaks and parks mixed up in the last NEWSLETTER.
The June issue of NATURAL HISTORY magazine had an interesting article and pictures on the bristlecone pines in the White Mountain Natural Area.
If you are not planning a long trip over the Labor Day week-end, you will find it well worth while to attend the Convention of the Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs to be held at Idyllwild September 3 - 5. Please make your reservations as soon as possible. See page 54 of your schedule for details.
Sincerely,
Parker Severson, Chairman