DPS Newsletter

The Chairman Speaks- Bud Bingham
Recent rescue operations involving two students on Cerro de la Encantada came to a happy ending. However this effort points to the fact that we must give more thought to this type of activity.
The problems are related to mobilization and coordination of regularly trained search teams, police authorities, and the Sierra Club.
Questions like: Shou1d our chapter sponsor a search and rescue team? Where and when can the Sierra Club be more effective in rescues? Should we act only as advisors on difficult and remote terrain? What are the costs to an individual and the Club relative to maintaining a rescue team? These types of thoughts need to be resolved so that an efficient procedure can be followed when such an emergency arises.
Most people will agree that the Sierra Club member's parts on the recent search was vastly underestimated. Knowledge of the remote-terrain, climbing routes, and member's endurances added materially to the success of the search.
The DPS, along with the Sierra Peaks Section and the Hundred Peaks Section have taken steps toward these procedures. It is planned to sit in on some of our local organized Rescue Teams in order to work out future problems before these arise.

Annual Banquet- Frank Sanborn
The DPS Annual Banquet at Rudi's Italian Inn in Los Angeles on April 5th attracted 76 members and guests who thoroughly enjoyed the interesting and informative program. A vote of thanks was extended to Bep Bingham for organizing said affair and handling ticket sales. Informal friendly get-togethers preceded the steak dinner for which Rudi's is justly famous.
Outgoing Chairman Bud Bingham introduced the new Chairman(Abe Siemens) along with the other new Officers named below. To Bud We extend a hearty "well done" for his effective leadership of the DPS this year. John Robinson then presented his slide show and commentary on our premiere emblem peak, La Picacho del Diablo, monarch of Baja California, and of the Sierra de San Pedro Martir which it dominates. Trudie Hunt added to the program with pictures of a recent exploratory trip which she and husband Tom took into the remote Matomi Canyon area southwest of San Felipe, in the Baja desert.
Walt Wheelock, longtime DPS enthusiast and publisher of Glendale's La Siesta Press, provided several hard-bound copies of John Robinson's just-out book Camping and Climbing in Baja as door prizes. Myrtle Kolbig conducted the drawing with humor and finesse.
All in all, the banquet was an indicator of the renewed vigor and growth of the Desert Peaks Section. Further interest and expanded activity of our Section seems assured.

ELECTION RETURNS WITH NEW OFFICERS-
As a result of the late March balloting, the fiscal 1967-68 Officers
 
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