Glass Mountain Ridge

May 1954

By: Willard Dean

The Memorial Day three-day week-end saw 55 eager persons gathered at the base camp of Glass Mountain DPS outing. Camp was made by 18 carloads of people in a lovely spot complete with a running stream in a pleasant wooded area. A cool breeze mad a campfire welcome while everyone enjoyed marshmallow toasting, brief speeches, and singing. The following morning in pleasantly cool weather, 41 started off on the ascent led by Lloyd Balsam. Reaching first the low saddle we traversed the ridge to the top, passing several snowfields and glass studded areas. Pausing on the summit for one and a half hours during which various persons ate, slept, talked, took pictures, peeped through binoculars, and enjoyed the magnificent view of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. The return trip was made by a slightly different route using a steep descent by way of a solid mass of obsidian (volcanic black glass) at the top of one of the ridges. The descent was a quick glissade over soft fine talus to the bottom of the upper canyon through which we reached the base camp in only 2-1/2 hours as compared to the ascending time of 5-1/2 hours. Joyce Delmonte, a junior, and Nelson Nies attained their sixth desert peak. Congratulations!