Eagle Mountains #1

27-Jan-51

By: Bob Bear

The EAGLE MOUNTAINS TRIP over the week-end of Jan. 27-28 looked like a complete wash-out by the time our Leader and Asst. Leader had bowed out for health and family reasons, respectively. Even our substitute leader succumbed to the virus at the last minute and your Chairman couldn't locate one single solitary person in or out of the Section who planned to make the trip. It looked like a lonesome week-end for the Bears at Cottonwood Springs until Walt Heninger put in a call Friday night after the Boos. Bros. Meeting with the welcome news that the competing trip to Delamar Mtn. Had been called off and quite a group of would-be skiers would be pleased to enjoy a balmy desert week-end. Which is exactly what it turned out to be for some 52 of us, with a nifty sunset and sunrise thrown in to delight the photographers. Jerry Zagorites led some 17 of the sociable and energetic San Diego group up to join our outing. Besides lending lusty voices to our camp-fire song-fest and hiking around with us, they quickly snapped up the three copies of the guide I took along for advertising purposes. Once again Bill Henderson rendered the Section a yeoman service by taking over the leadership of the climb and getting fourteen of us to the top and back in record time. The five palm oases and the rugged granite formations, not to mention the expansive summit view, amply rewarded those who scrambled up and down the largely trailless route. Peak Climbers included Bill and Marg Henderson, Barbara Lilley, Jerry Zagorites, Gene Vinson, Skip Johnson, Willard Dean, Elgin Pierce, Georgie White, Leroy Arnold, Dorothy Campbell, Glen Warner, Muriel Pope, and Ye Editor. A much larger group, including such DPS celebrities as Marie and Eleanor Smith and Bernice and Walt Heninger enjoyed the 8 mile hike to Lost Palms. Baby-sitting Desert Peakers were Mesdames Dean and Bear.