us right under the only remaining trestle of the old Tonopah & Tidewater RR, which was a delightful shade from the warm sun. Added to this was the small stream of Willow Creek, which was clear and drinkable. The cattle hadn't invaded this branch. Farther on we paused at possible swimming holes, but said no since the tempting pool at Shoshone would see us several hours later. Imagine our surprise upon seeing several hikers meeting us on their south-bound ways, having read their schedule upside-down. Just short of the small hamlet of Tecopa is a wonderful spring, not unlike Darwin Falls. Here some of us showered, not intentionally, but as result of trying to fill the canteen a from a waterfall. The car shuttle worked out perfectly well, even though the last vehicle had 16 passengers on its return trip to base camp! Campfire singing spent the evening, along with some after-dark cuisine. All did not return before night fell. Sunday morning we walked down the southerly part of the Canyon and out thru the huge RR cuts and fills to reach the easternmost part of the Dumont dunes, well attended by dune buggies this weekend. The wind was enough to create slight sand gusts which was enjoyed by all. We ate lunch at the base of one dune, protected by it from any wind. Though no peaks were attempted in the two days, Avawatz Mtn looked down on us from the south and said that it was ready for the DPS one month hence. I think everyone enjoyed this type or activity-a slight diversion from usual DPS activities. Non-Sked Trip Reports Avawatz Mtn and Granite Mtn #1- Jan 28-29 Richard (Steve) Smith Ed, note-As Avawatz Mtn is one of the scheduled peaks being attempted during the write-up of this Newsletter, we'll save this one peak write-up for a later date. In order to reach Granite Mtn, we drove 12 miles south of Kelso on an excellent dirt road, At this point a poorer dirt road heads in two miles to a cattle corral due north of Granite's summit. This particular road has been extended farther than shown on the topo sheet. From this point, it is an easy one-hour climb to the summit. The register is located on a small pinnacle (6,786') which I believe is about twelve feet lower than a mound 200 yards farther up the ridge. If study is given the topo sheet, it can be seen that although the mound's elevation is not given directly, extrapolation from the contour lines is easy. Perhaps we should move the register to this point? Old Dad Mtn -Feb 4 -Steve again In the heart of the Devil's Playground one must be prepared for sand and poor driving conditions. On a second and successful try, Bill Banks and I left Baker Sat morn on a good southwesterly road and drove about 9 miles. Here we turned off onto a badly washed out road that runs along the western side of the range (get out your maps). Bill drove across four large sandy washes but we spent three hours extricating our VW from the fifth one! Luckily the final one. An interesting and fast route can be made for climbing Old Dad can be utilized by driving a fair but passable dirt road to a mine area two miles north of the peak. It is possible to drive 1/2 mile past the mine and up a dry stream bed running along the eastern side of the range. Starting here, we followed one mi. of wash, and attained the ridge. The obvious hi-point is reached in i-1/2 hrs. An interesting item on the summit is a large X, constructed by flown-in NASA men for use as a reference point in making speed-time trials for the new F-112 jet fighter planes. Seems our peaks can't be left alone! More Smatko Sojourns or Andy's Actions- Mar 4-5 -Andy Smatko Tom Ross, Ellen Siegel & I spent two days in the Death Valley area climbing the high points of the Bullfrog Hills and Corkscrew Peak. As one passes over Daylight Pass enroute to Beatty, Nevada, one is immediately struck by the view of a sharp-pointed peak, the high point of the Bullfrog

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