OUTDOOR NOTES DEATH IN A SLEEPING BAG-CAMPERS BEWARE! -FROM Eng. Dept Bulletin, City of Seattle, Wash, (curreant) "Last summer in Minnesota, 16-yr old boy died after sleeping in a bag that had bean cleaned in perchlorethylene in a coin operated unit. According to the boy's mother, the bag was left at an attendant-operated unit and picked up the same day. It was received in a roll and put in the car's trunk. The boy is said to have unrolled the bag in a pup tent and to have slept in it approximately eight hours. The boy vomited without having regained consciousness and was in convulsions when found. The county coroner, an MD stated that the autopsy showed death was caused by the solvent. Though the deodorizer cycle was supposed to eliminate this hazard in the cleaning machines, some of the smaller coin-operated units are not adequate to deodorize the huge bulk of a sleeping bag. All bags should be well aired after cleaning and again before being put into use." HOW TO CLEAN YOUR SLEEPING BAG Having your bag cleaned should not be done any oftener than really necessary, since dry cleaning takes some of the natural oil out of the down. Do not use a coin-operated cleaner. The bag gets rather rough treatment in these and often is not properly aired after cleaning. You can clean your bag yourself. Make a soft soap with mild soap flakes, whip with an eggbeater or electric mixer until the solution has the consistency of whipped cream. Wipe this soft foam onto the bag, a small area at a time, with a soft cloth. Wipe it off with a clean soft cloth. Repeat if necessary. This method does not got the down wet, takes off most of the surface oils, and if done two or three times during a season will keep the bag clean and eliminate the need for professional cleaning, or at least postpone it. -Mary G, Anderson, Los Padres Chapter. DESERT LILY PRESERVE The District Manager of the Riverside Office of the Bureau of Land Management has recommended to his department that 960 acres of public land be established as a Desert Lily and Wildflower Natural Area. The proposed reservation lies to the west of Palen Mtn(our qualifying Desert Peak) in the Chuckawalla Valley to the northeast of Desert Center, Calif. Our Sierra Club member, Tasker Edmiston, representng the Nature Conservancy, was instrumental in its initiation. NEW DESERT GAME BIRD The Crested Tinamou, a native of South America, will be introduced on a trial basis as a new game bird in the semi-arid regions of California, according to the Dept of Fish and Game. The native habitat of this fowl is in the creosote bush and hot desert regions where it survives on little water. The Mojave and Colorado Deserts will serve as its new home. TRIP REPORTS    scheduled events NOV 12 -TELESCOPE PEAK AND THE DEATH VALLEY ENCAMPMENT- Bob Greenawalt It was a delightfully frosty morning as we met at Mahogany Flat to attempt the famous summit of Telescope Peak, high above the hundreds of campfires of the throngs of campers at the Annual Death Valley Encampment taking place in the Valley below. A light week-old snowfall lay at our feet. The first western turn in the trail brought the 11,049' snow-clad spire into full view, and all cameras were put to immediate use, along with a well-earned rest stop. Arcane Meadows ahead gave a good excuse for another respite, where the hikers became better acquainted with each other, Lunch was spared 'til we reached our goal, shortly after noon. Two routes were used in the last mile. One, the foot-deep snowed-in switchback trail, and the more tolerable north shoulder. This latter cross-country way has become quite popular in late years. Both pass through some very large Bristlecone Pine stands. Twenty-five persons signed the register and a long lunch period was appreciated on top. Through the low lying cloud banks to the south we were able

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