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SPEAKING OUT |
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(This column is dedicated to the presentation of ideas and opinions on
pertinent issues that affect the Section. It is hoped that this forum will
prove stimulating and thought-provoking, resulting in the clarification, and,
where necessary, improvement of Section policies. This month Andy Smatko speaks
out critically concerning the Section's policy on adding, peaks to the DPS
List. Comments on this issue, or any other section issue, are invited from
other members - Ed.) "At the last DPS meeting, four new peaks were added to the DPS List. I voted against two of them: Mt. Stirling, which I have climbed, and Navajo Mtn., which I have not climbed. My objection to Navajo Mtn. was based on the contention that peaks added to the DPS list should first be officially led by the Section, climbed, and then voted on by those attending the appropriate meeting wherein the several members who climbed the peak could present their views pro and con. On the instance of Navajo Mtn., only one person present at the last meeting had climbed the peak. This one person is respected and admired by all Desert Peakers, and on his recommendation, the peak was voted to our list. I do not feel that one person's, or even two individuals' opinions should be considered sufficient to recommend qualifying a peak, and I would like to have Navajo Mtn. reconsidered at the next meeting, with the views expressed above taken into serious deliberation. It used to be section policy to schedule a peak first, climb it, and then vote on it. Why this was not applied to Navajo Mtn., I do not understand. I feel it sets a bad precedent. Apparently, distance no longer is a consideration as far as qualifying peaks are concerned. I have a peak to propose - one I have stood at the sheer south face of - and that is Guadalupe Peak, near El Paso, Texas. It is the highest peak in Texas and a spectacular one as well. Also, I propose for consideration the high point of the Organ Mts. near Las Cruces, New Mexico. These are spectacular peaks which may involve some high third and possibly fourth class climbing. I have seen these mountains four times, but have not climbed them. However, several people who have climbed them state they are truly magnificent. They are worth exploratory trips. Comments from others in the DPS are invited. - Andy Smatko |
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| EIGHT NEW MEMBERS WELCOMED INTO THE SECTION | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gordon MacLeod and Lothar Kolbig have earned their DPS emblems. |
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