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8/9/2019 September 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter
1/8
MountaineerThe
www.mountaineers.org
September, 2009Volume 103, No. 9
M3 Vote with a strokeof a key
M5 Keeping an eyeand foot on
the glaciers
M2 View from the Top
M3 Branches & Limbs
M4 Summit Savvy
M4 Conservation Currents
M7 Off the Shelf
M7 In Support
DiscoverTheMountaineersIf you are thinking of joining
- or have joined and arent sure
where to start - why not attend
aninformation meeting?
Check theGo Guide branch
sections for times and locations.
Are you ready to jump right
in? Visitwww.mountaineers.
org. No computer?See pg. 18.Need to call?206-521-6000.
PERIODICAL
POSTAGEPAIDAT
SEATTLE,WA
T
heMountaineers
7
700SandPointWayN.E.
S
eattle,WA98115
U p c o m i n gU p c o m i n gContinued on M6
The monthly publication of The Mountaineers
Continued on M5
It is about 2 p.m. on the last legof a Mountaineers scramble.
The plangent shower of lug
soles on moist, much-trampled
terra rma betrays the nine hikers
gravity-induced haste to return to
the trailhead. That is where the
cars await big appetites fomented
by the hikers mental pictures of
what will be on their dinner plate in
as little as an hour-and-a-half. First,
they must get down the ridge that
meets the main trail that leads to
the trailhead.
Before reaching the main trail,
one of the hikers needs to heed
natures call and asks for the eu-
phemistic party separation. The
leader directs the group to hold up
and wait.
No, dont wait for me. I dont want
to slow anyone up. Ill catch up with
you all down the trail.
The leader hems and haws, then
says, Id rather we stick together
and reach the trailhead together.
I know the way down. Im not
ve, says the hiker.Upon the hikers insistence, the
leader and remaining hikers contin-
ue down the ridge and just before
the junction with the trail, the leader
decides to wait behind with one
other party member. She wants
to make sure the separated hiker
catches up. She and the other party
member wait for 10 minutes. Thereis no sign of the separated hiker.
Four hours later, the leader has
not had dinner nor has she even
started home. She took her car to
another trailhead to pick up the
hiker who became separated from
By Brad Stracener
Near-miss reports vital to mountain safety
Roadlessrule
zigzagsbackinto...limbo
Owl and the Woodpecker au-
thor Paul Bannick will apear Sept.
17 at club headquarters to unveil in
photographic splendor the lifeline
of habitat shared by these two
Northwestern forest dwellers. See
the ad on M3.
Choose your continent: Moun-
taineers international outings lead-
er Craig Miller, often keeping one
foot on this continent while pointing
the other to another continent, will
be up to the same dexterity this fall
when he offers a backpack trip to
British Columbia and a 2010 trek
to Nepal. See pgs. 1-2 of this Go
Guidefor more.
Owls & Woodpeckers: Seeadvertisement on M3.
Everett
Branch to
present
Peter Athans
Nov. 14. See
pg. 3 of the
Go Guide for
more.
By Leesa Wright
Issued in January 2001, follow-
ing the most extensive public
rule-making in history, the
Roadless Area Conservation Rule
protects 58.5 million acres of wild
national forest land (2 million in
Washington state) from most com-
mercial logging and road building.
More Americans took part in this
rule-making process than in any
federal rule making in history.
The Forest Service held over 600
public meetings. A record breaking
2.2 million public comments were
received with more that 95 percent
of these comments supporting the
strongest possible protection for
our nations remaining roadless
areas. Despite widespread popu-
larity, the Roadless Area Conserva-
tion Rule remains in limbo. Since
the Bush Administrations revisions
of the rule, it has been subjected to
a series of lawsuits and appeals to
allow development in these pristine
areas.
In Washington state, areas without
roads generate over $8 billion an-
nually in retail sales and services
New explorations nowTrailhead eventsintroducing Mountaineers and non-Mountaineers alike to
activities they may not have ever triedare plentiful in September, whether it
be rock climbing near Vantage (above) or learning new backcountry cuisine
skills. Just look for the under the ags of hiking, climbing and family
activities in this GoGuide for a full account of Trailhead events.
Ken Hahn photo
Paul Bannick photo
8/9/2019 September 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter
2/8
M
September009 TheMountaineer
Clubiscatchingthewindsofchange
The
MountaineerAlso see us on the web atwww.mountaineers.org
The Mountaineers is a nonprotorganization, founded in 1906and dedicated to the responsibleenjoyment and protection of naturalareas.
Board of TrusteesOfcers
President Eric Linxweiler, 08-10President Elect Tab Wilkins, 08-10Past President Bill Deters, 08-09VP Properties Dave Claar, 08-10VP Publishing Don Heck, 08-10Treasurer Mike Dean, 08-10Secretary Steve Sears, 08-10
Trustees at largeKirk Alm, 07-10Rich Draves, 08-11Dale Flynn, 07-10Ed Henderson, 08-11Lynn Hyde, 08-11Don Schaechtel, 06-09
Eva Schnleitner, 06-09Dave Shema, 07-10Mona West, 06-09
Branch TrusteesBellingham, Steven GlennEverett, Rob SimonsenFoothills, Gerry HaugenKitsap, Jimmy JamesOlympia, John FlanaganSeattle, Mike MaudeTacoma, Tom Shimko
Interim Executive DirectorMona West
Managing EditorBrad Stracener
Contributors, proofreaders:Barb Butler, John Edwards, BrianFutch, Susan Pavlansky, Jasmine
Stark, Darla TishmanPhotographers & I llustrators:Ken Hahn, Tom Hammond, Paul Ban-nick, Leesa Wright
THE MOUNTAINEERis publishedmonthly by:The Mountaineers,7700 Sand Point Way N.E.Seattle, WA 98115206-521-6000; 206-523-6763 fax
Volume 103, No. 9The Mountaineer(ISSN 0027-2620) is published monthly by TheMountaineers, 7700 Sand Point WayN.E., Seattle, WA 98115.Members receive a subscription as part
of their annual dues. Approximately$12.42 of each members annualmembership dues is spent to print andmail this publication. Non-membersubscriptions to The Mountaineerare $32. Periodicals postage paid atSeattle WA.Postmaster: send address changesto The Mountaineer, 7700 Sand PointWay N.E., Seattle, WA 98115.Opinions expressed in articles arethose of the authors and do notnecessarily represent the views of TheMountaineers.
Purposes and mission
The clubs mission:
To enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about
and enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacic Northwest.
The clubs charter lists its purposes as follows:
To explore and study the mountains, forests and other water courses of
the Northwest and beyond.To gather into permanent form the history and traditions of these
regions and explorations.
To preserve by example, teaching and the encouragement of protective
legislation or otherwise the natural beauty of the natural environment.
To make expeditions and provide educational opportunities in fulllment
of the above purposes.
To encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor
life.
To hold real estate and personal property and to receive, hire,
purchase, occupy, and maintain and manage suitable buildings and
quarters for the furtherance of the purposes of the association, and to
hold in trust or otherwise funds, received by bequest or gift or otherwise,
to be devoted to the purposes of said association.
View from the Top
Whoyagonnacall?Yourmentor,ofcourseAre you a new member wondering about the how-to, where-to and what-to-do
with your club? There are a number of resources available to you, not the least
our websites. Now there is also a real, live person. If you want to know about
expected conditioning for a hike, what not to wear, how to sign up for events or
whatever, call or e-mail the mentor of the month. Mona West is this months
mentor. Feel free to contact her at [email protected] with your questions
or comments.
The Mountaineers, in partnership with The
Mountaineers Foundation, is proud to announce the
launch ofThe Mountaineers Legacy Society. The
Societywill recognize and honor donors who have
included a gift to The Mountaineers and/or
the Foundation through a bequest or other
To find out more aboutThe Mountaineers Legacy Society,please contact us:[email protected] or callJudy Halls, 206-521-6006
estate gift. If you would like to be
recognized as a Founding Member in
the Legacy Society or would just
The Mountaineers Legacy Society
like to learn more we
would love to hear from
you!
A ship in port is safe, but thats not
what ships are built for.
Grace Murray Hopper
By Eric Linxweiler, president
As I write this months View from
the Top, I realize the winds of
change are pushing us towards to-
morrow. Its quite evident when we
see programs such as Trailhead
thrive and the Junior Mountain-
eers program launch. Our Olympia
Branch has had fantastic success
with its Wilderness Skills Courses,
and were seeing that branch grow
as a resultthe only branch that is
currently growing.
Even with those shining stars,
we are facing many challenges
namely, a club that continues to
experience a membership decline
and has since the late 1990s. We
have fewer people joining our club,
but we still must provide basic
services that are needed to be a
functioning organization. Similarly,
many of our assetsproperties
and casharent effectively utilized
to share our mission with the grow-
ing numbers in the community
around us.
If you consider that the Puget
Sound community has grown dra-
matically over the past 10 years,
you have to wonder why The
Mountaineers hasnt. This question
becomes even more interesting
when you think about other moun-
taineering organizations that are
thriving across the countryfrom
California to Colorado, and New
York to New England. Each of them
are nding ways to grow with, and
for, their members and the com-
munities in which they operate. Yet,
we are seeing the exact opposite.This is our problem, and ours alone
to solve.
The answer is as simple as it
is complexchange. We must
change to be more relevant and to
be more valuable. We must change
to be the organization we need to
be, not the one we used to be.
Many of your clubs leaders have
spent the summer working on two
very important items related to our
future. The rst is closing one of
our largest budget gaps in years.
We all enjoy the many benets
of being a Mountaineer, but we
realize that benets come with a
cost. Led by Mona West (our acting
executive director), we have been
able to point ourselves in a direc-
tion that acknowledges we must do
things differently to achieve growth
and sustainability.
Second, and probably more impor-
tant, is recruiting our next executive
director (ED). Led by me and four
other club leaders, we are con-
dent that we are going to welcome
the right leader for the future of The
Mountaineers. Weve enjoyed a
very busy summer working through
dozens of nationwide candidates
that include former CEOs, former
EDs, and experts at marketing and
operationsclearly the best of the
best. We know that a new leaderwill bring change, which is exactly
what we need.
As these winds of change blow
over us, please take the time to
embrace our direction with con-
dence. As we all have experienced
in the mountains, it can be an
awesome feeling when you are in a
beautiful placeladen with history
and destined for an even brighter
future.
Onward and upward!
8/9/2019 September 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter
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M
September009TheMountaineer
Mountaineers will be saving a
postage stamp this fall when they
cast votes for board of trustees
candidates. For the rst time ever,
electronic balloting will be used to
elect ofcers of the club.
Members will log in to the clubs
website, www.mountaineers.org,
the same as if registering for a
course or trip. A vote now prompt
will then appear that takes mem-
bers to the ballot.
Members cast their votes and can
then choose an option to have their
ballot printed for reference.
Members of the club who cannot
access the web will be allowed to
cut out a paper ballot to appear in
the October issue of The Mountain-
eer, which will also include proles
of each candidate.
Electronic voting will commence
about Oct. 1 and election day will
be Wed., Oct. 21.
Vote via stroke of a key
Branches& limbs
AccessuptoCongressThe fate of the Stehekin Road is
again in the hands of Congress.
Since the 1970s the road that
allows vehicles into the upper
portions of Stephen Mather Wilder-
ness Area and the North Cascades
National Park has been the subject
of debate after destructive blows
by Mother Naturethe most recent
being a 2003 ood that took out
sections that parallel the Stehekin
River.
A house bill, sponsored by Rep.
Doc Hastings, R-Pasco, would
allow the National Park Service to
relocate a 2.5-mile section of the
road. However, it would cross into
the wilderness area and thus re-
quires an act of Congress to move
the wilderness boundary.
The National Park Service has
expressed its opposition to setting
a precedent for moving wilderness
boundaries.
The park service has spent nearly
$1.5 million each time the road has
been repaired. The Mountaineers
Conservation and Recreation Ac-
cess Divisions intensely debated
whether to endorse reconstruction
of the road for vehicular access in
the mid-1990s. Climbers use the
road to access several North Cas-
cades peaks that can require up
to an extra day of travel when the
road is closed.
For more about the bill to recon-
struct the road, visit the Wenatchee
Worldwebsite:
http://wenatcheeworld.
com/article/20090807/
NEWS04/708079968.
Climber-authordiesWell-known Colorado mountain
climber and Mountaineers Books
author Craig Luebben was killed
and his partner was injured on Aug.
9 while climbing Mt. Torrent in the
North Cascades.
The two were hit by falling ice while
training for an American Mountain
Guide exam at the time of the ac-
cident. Willie Benegas was briey
hospitalized and then released,
but Luebbens fall into an ice moat
resulted in his death.
Luebben wrote Rock Climbing
and Rock Climbing Anchors for
The Mountaineers Books. He had
climbed across the globe and
achieved rst ascents on rocks in
ve states, Canada, Mexico, Cubaand Puerto Rico, among other
locations. Luebben, also a photog-
rapher, had written a total of seven
books on climbing.
AuthorgetsairtimeMountaineers author Paul Bannick
recently received air time on Na-
tional Public Radio via an interview
with PBS host Rick Steves.
The interview precedes Bannicksappearance at The Mountaineers
headquarters on Sept. 17 (see ad
below).
According to Mountaineers Books
Publisher Helen Cherullo, Ban-
nicks appearances to promote his
book, Owls and Woodpeckers,
have been wildly successful.
Many of his events have received
standing-room-only receptions from
audiences wishing to learn about
the importance of healthy habitats
to both the owl and woodpecker inthe Pacic Northwest.
Bannicks presentation at club
headquarters in Magnuson Park
will feature several recently taken
photographs not printed in the book
or shown at other events, accord-
ing to Cherullo.
Proceeds from the Sept. 17 event,
to be held at 7 p.m., will help fund
programs and education toward the
pursuit of preserving natural habi-
tats for birds. Please refer to the ad
below for ticket information.
8/9/2019 September 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter
4/8
M
September009 TheMountaineer
Can you identifythe summit in
the foreground here? Send your answer
(by Sept. 10) to: Summit Savvy, The
Mountaineer, 7700 Sand Point Way
N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. If you guess
correctly, youll receive $10 of Moun-
taineers Money, good for Mountaineers
Bookstore merchandise, and well
publish your name in next months
column. (In case of a tie, one winner will
be chosen at random.) Club employees
or persons shown in the photograph are
not eligible. Each month well publish a
new mystery summit and identication
of the previous one.
Send your photographs (or slides)
for possible publication as a mystery
summit (include identication for our
benet). If we use your photo, you
will get $10 of Mountaineers Money
as well.
At the end of each year, all correct
respondents names are placed in a
hat and the winner of that drawing will
receive $50 of Mountaineers Money
good for purchases at The Moun-
taineers Bookstore.
Two correctly guessed last months
mystery summit, Mt. Baker, as
photographed by Curt Baxstrom. The
coin ip went to Steve Glenn of the
Bellingham Branch.
SummitSavvy
conservation
CURRENTS
IRA holders 70 or older
have another way to
support the great outdoors!
Throughout2009,donorsage70and
oldercanusetheirIRAfundstosupport
TheMountaineersFoundationwithoutthe
withdrawalbeingsubjecttoincometaxor
withholding.
Thisgivingopportunitywasextendedin
theEmergencyEconomicStabilization
Actof2008.Beforethisgiftprovision,
youhadtowithdrawmoneyfromyour
IRAandthencontributeit.Theamount
youwithdrewwastaxableandyou
receivedacharitabledeductionforthe
amountofthecontribution.
Insomeinstances,makingagiftdirectly
fromyourIRAunderthisspecial
provisionwillallowmoremoneytogotothefoundationandlesstotheIRS.In
otherinstances,thereareadvantagesto
notincreasingtheamountofyourtaxable
incomeevenifyoucanusetheoffsetting
charitablededuction.
Thisgivingopportunitywasextended
onlyfortwoyearsandexpiresinafew
months(theendof2009).Thegiftis
easytoarrangejustaskyourIRA
administratortosendacontribution
directlyfromyourIRAaccounttoThe
MountaineersFoundation.
Torequestacopyofaformlettertouse
inmakingyourrequest,ortoaskany
questionsyoumighthave,contactJudy
206-521-6006formoreinformation.We
wouldbehappytoassistyou.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addresses a crowd at Seward Park in Seattle
about his vision for forest management in the coming years.
Leesa Wright photo
By Leesa Wright
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom
Vilsack held his rst major address on
the state of the United States Forest
Service in Seattles Seward Park on
Fri., August 14.
A moment that seemed to generate
great excitement at the local level oc-
curred even before Secretary Vilsacks
speech began when the new Region
6 Forester Mary Wagner introduced
Congressman Norm Dicks. Wagner
thanked him for his tireless work on the
Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation
Act. Dicks informed the crowd that in
Washington state alone the U.S. Forest
Service (USFS) is facing a $300 million
road maintenance backlog. With this in
mind, Dicks said that he will ask for an
increase from $50 million to $100 mil-
lion in federal appropriations for legacy
roads projects.
In outlining a new direction for the
USFS, Vilsack presented a near 180-
degree turnaround from past Forest
Service policy direction. According
to Vilsack, while timber harvests and
ghting forest res will continue to oc-
cupy large segments of Forest Service
operations, a new emphasis and guid-
ing principle will be placed on conser-
vation and restoration.
In his opening remarks Vilsack ac-
knowledged the many uses of our na-
tional forests while recognizing them as
the national treasures that Americans
increasingly understand them to be:
A healthy and prosperous America
relies on the health of our natural
resources, and particularly our forests.
Americas forests supply communities
with clean and abundant water, shelterwildlife, and help us mitigate and adapt
to climate change. Forests help gener-
ate rural wealth through recreation and
tourism, through the creation of green
jobs, and through the production of
wood products and energy. And they
are a nationalrequiring all of us to
protect and preserve them for future
generations.
Why restoration as a driving principle
in forest policy? There is no doubt that
we are facing a health crisis in our
forests. Climate change places them
under increasing stress that exacer-
bates the threats of re, disease, andinsects. Throughout the West but in
other parts of the country as well a
legacy of re suppression has resulted
in forests that are over-stocked and
much more susceptible to catastrophic
re and disease. Restoring forest
ecosystems, particularly in re-adapted
forests, will make forests more resilient
to climate-induced stresses and will en-
sure that our forests continue to supply
abundant, clean water.
Vilsacks cabinet-level appointment as
head of the Department of Agriculture
was received by the local conservation
community with cautious optimism.
While it will take some time to see
change, within months of his appoint-
ment Vilsack rolled out initiatives to
stop the loss of Americans agricultural
land and reinstated the Clinton era
roadless rule which protects over 50
million acres of our nations roadless
national forest lands from logging, min-
ing and oil and gas drilling.
Of course, the real metric by which to
judge the Forest Services commitment
to this new vision will be how funds
are allocated within the infamously
underfunded agency. It is this fact and
the often competing expectations of the
Forest Service that make Vilsacks job
one of the toughest jobs in the country.
An important and often overlooked
point made by Secretary Vilsack is that
80 percent of Americas forested land is
actually state and privately owned:
The Forest Service must not be
viewed as an agency concerned only
with the fate of our national forests, but
must instead be acknowledged for its
work in protecting and maintaining all
American forests, including state and
private lands. Our shared vision adopts
an all-lands approach, requiring close
collaboration with the NRCS (Natural
Resources Conservation Service) and
its work on Americas private working
lands.
Vilsack also mentioned that new eco-nomic possibilities in emerging energy
technologies were of common interest
to landowners and the Forest Service:
Emerging markets for carbon and
sustainable bioenergy will provide
landowners with expanded economic
incentives to maintain and restore
forests. The Forest Service must play
a signicant role in the development
of new markets and ensuring their
integrity. Carbon and bioenergy arent
the only new opportunity for landown-
ers. Markets for water can also provide
landowners with incentives to restore
watersheds and manage forests forclean and abundant water supplies.
These markets can also create (rural)
jobs.
He further emphasized the common,
shared interests among public and
private forests in ghting wildres and
bark beetle infestations:
The threats facing our forests dont
recognize property boundaries. So,
in developing a shared vision around
forests, we must also be willing to
look across property boundaries. In
other words, we must operate at a
landscape-scale by taking an all-lands
approach.
The only sour notes concerned thinning
and woody biomass:
Our shared vision begins with restora-tion. Restoration means managing for-
est lands rst and foremost to protect
our water resources, while making
our forests more resilient to climate
change. Forest restoration led by the
dedicated people at the Forest Service
opens non-traditional markets for
climate mitigation and biomass energy
while appropriately recognizing the
need for more traditional uses of forest
resources.
Recent research from Oregon State
University reveals that forest-thinning
projects designed to lower fuel levels
in big, crown-class res are counter-productive to the new mission to use
our forests as carbon sinks in an effort
to mitigate climate change. Collection
of woody biomass from snags and
downed logs on our forest oors is also
counter to the protection of clean water
and the alleviation of downstream
ooding, and interrupts the natural
nutrient cycling where decaying organic
material is broken down to elements
essential to the regeneration, overall
health and ecology of forests.
Leesa Wright is Mountaineers public
policy associate.
Agsecretaryconveysvisionforforests
8/9/2019 September 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter
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M5
September009TheMountaineer
while supporting 115,000 jobs. Additionally, water and air ltration as well
as ood control are invaluable ecosystem services provided for free by
roadless areas. Support for the Roadless Area Conservation Rule in 2001
managed to cross party lines and garner bipartisan support:
it makes no sense to continue to build new roads at the publics ex-
pense when we cant evenafford to maintain the ones we
already have. Leaving roadless
areas roadless not only saves
tax dollars, it also helps local
economies. Roadless areas
provide scenic vistas, hunting,
camping, shing, hiking and
touring opportunities that can
retain current residents and
businesses, while also attracting non-resource-extracting businesses.
Former Washington State Sen. Bill Finkbeiner
We cherish our roadless areas as sources of clean water, critical habitat
for rare, sensitive and endangered species, and as destinations for rec-
reation and beauty. Many of our states leading businesses, who seek to
attract highly mobile employees, and much of our tourism industry, depend
on the environmental quality and amenities that roadless areas and adja-
cent park and wilderness lands present.
Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire
Roadless areas are unique zones that, once gone, are gone forever. Tom
OKeefe, chair of The Mountaineers Recreation Access Division and avid
whitewater kayaker, puts it this way, Paddling along remote rivers and
waterways (in roadless areas)the original highways used to explore our
great nationoffers a truly unique way to experience our national forests
and some of the last vestiges of wild and unspoiled lands in America. It
would be a shame to lose it all for a short-term gain.
Through the introduction of complex legal processes, the Bush Adminis-
tration seemed intent on eliminating protections for our roadless forests.
Among these was a provision that placed the onus on state governors by
requiring them to petition theU.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) if they wanted road-
less national forests in their
states preserved. This and
other purposeful impediments
to the rule have resulted in 55
percent of the original 58.5
million acres now standing
unprotected.
In September 2006, Judge Elizabeth Laporte, magistrate for the U.S. Dis-
trict Court in Northern California, ruled that the Bush Administration illegally
repealed the Roadless Rule and reinstated the original 2001 version of
the rule. The case was immediately appealed by timber interests and has
been awaiting decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for nearly three
years. Last month, the court reafrmed the lower-court decision to reinstate
the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.
However, the legal battle is far from over. In a different case, a Federal Dis-
trict judge in Wyoming decided in 2008 that the Clinton-era rule, adopted
in 2001, was invalid because it violated environmental statutes. Conserva-
tionists appealed that decision to the 10th Circuit, which has not yet ruled.
Stay tuned as news develops on the fate of the Roadless Rule.
Leesa Wright is public policy associate for The Mountaineers.
it makes no sense to continue to build new roads at the
publics expense when we cant even afford to maintain the
ones we already have. Leaving roadless areas roadless not
only saves tax dollars, it also helps local economies.
-- former Washington State Sen. Bill Finkbeiner
Continued fron M1
By Tom Hammond
Founded by Dr. Mauri Pelto of Nichols College in Massachusetts, the North
Cascades Glacier Climate Project (NCGCP) was established in 1984 to get
an important perspective on climate that glaciers offer.
The project is not about remote sensing: it is boots on the ice every year
to obtain high delity measurements of mass-balance, longitudinal proles
and stream ow and discharge. The team has measured the same eight
glaciers (formerly nine glaciers, but the Lewis Glacier of Corteo Peak has
disappeared) on an annual basis since the project began. Other option
glaciers are surveyed on an approximate ve-year rotation as time allows.
From south to north, and from wet west to dry east, the glaciers are se-
lected for aspect, location and relative ease of access. The project teamtravels more than 98 miles and 33,000 vertical feet in a typical season, rain
or shine. It is hard, hot and cold work.
The glaciers are Columbia Glacier (Monte Cristo Peaks), Easton Glacier,
Sholes Glacier, Rainbow Glacier (Kulshan, aka Mt. Baker), Lower Curtis
Glacier (Mt. Shuksan), Big Four (optional visit to view avalanche cycle,
resulting ice caves, and age of deepest ice), Ice Worm/Hyas Creek Glacier,
Daniels Glacier and Lynch Glacier (Mt. Daniel). The team consists of Director Mauri Pelto (Nichols College, MA), his son
Ben (Alfred University, NY), daughter Jill (high school), and hired eld
assistant Shannon Skinner (Evergreen State College). Researchers from
Montana and the Discovery Channel will make single-glacier appearances
during the season.
Columbia Glacier trip: July 27-30, 2009
As with many trips this year, I had a bit of trepidation going in because the
forecast called for record highs (90+ F), and Id be hiking in the heat of the
day. Still, the thought of being on a glacier during a week of high heat also
had great appeal.
It started off nice enough, with a new sign denoting entrance into the Wild
Sky Wilderness, but thats where all that was nice ended, at least for this
day. It began with quite a climb up the steep hill. I normally go 50 minutes
of hiking between breaks, but here I was looking at my watch after only
17 minutes and wondering about a break. I pushed to 30 minutes, and as
soon as I stopped, I was covered in black ies. I could only stand it for a
couple minutes before I had to get moving. But the trail was so steep and
my pack so heavy that I couldnt out-hike the bugs.
Glacier monitoring team feels climates pulse underfoot
Continued on M6
Legalbattlesoverroadlessrulefarfromover
Tom Hammond photo
The monitoring team spent three days on the glacier and at Blanca Lake, above.
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the group. He had taken a spur
from the ridge that he thought was
the trail on which they had come
up the mountain. He had broken
an ankle and the leader took him
to the hospital before nally turningher steering wheel homeward.
This is an embellished depic-
tion of an actual trip taken earlier
this summer. Despite a couple of
augmentations, it is a representa-
tive example of an issue that has
particularly haunted the club this
summer, according to trip reports
received by The Mountaineers
Safety Committee.
Dan Lauren, chair of the com-mittee, stated, We are seeingmore near misses. These are in-cidents that may not result in injury
or rescues but quite easily could
have. Five were cited in leaders
reports in 2008. According to Lau-
ren, it is likely that more occurred;
they were just unreported. Some
become public knowledge because
a search and rescue is required,
he noted.
In the past couple months, there
were two incidents in which the
whereabouts of a party member
was unknown. One was the subject
of a rescue. In the other, the hikers
location was reported by hikers
outside of The Mountaineers party.
The Safety Committee encour-
ages leaders to report nearmisses when they occur. It helps
fulll the committees objective: to
promote a culture of safety among
The Mountaineers by collecting
and reporting on accidents as well
as near misses. It uses this infor-
mation for educating and training
the many leaders and instructors in
the cluba system similar to that
which won a National Park Service
award for The Mountaineers and
Mt. Rainier National Park over the
summer (see last months Moun-taineer).
Our mission is to write up these
reports in a factual format and
include recommendations or what
needs emphasizing, said Lauren,
a Tacoma Branch member who has
been active with the club for more
than 10 years.
The summaries and suggestions
then end up in the annual safety
report produced by the committee,
which consists of 15 members from
the various club branches.
We want to make sure people
read our annual report and learn
from it, stated Lauren. It is cur-
rently a paper document, but he
said the committee soon would
you cant leave anyone alone. He
said the leader should have a buddy
system in place that keeps at least
two people together at all times.
There are many reasons aleaders party becomes sepa-rated. In fact, it is sometimes theleader who must request separa-
tion because he or she becomes ill.
Especially in those cases, Lauren
maintains, there must be a buddy
system.
The leave-no-one-alone and bud-
dy-system rules must be pervasive
throughout our climbing and hiking
programs, Lauren said.
A leader on many club climbs over
the years, Lauren added, We
have all made mistakes. I have let
people go back by themselves on
occasion. But we also know what
we have been taught.
As long as the club practices what
it teaches, The Mountaineers can
continue to be recognized as an
industry leader in safety for outdoor
activitiesthe Safety Committees
ultimate objective.
Brad Stracener is managing editor
ofThe Mountaineer.
You cant leave
anyone alone. Dan Lauren, Safety
Committee chair
like to create a safety link on the
club website in which resources
on safety can be easily found. We
would like to distribute this club-
wide in a factual and non-judgmen-
tal manner.
Group separation is an espe-cially tough issue to rem-
edy because it hinges largely on
personalities and the ability of one
person to persuade another that
separating for a few minutes is
hardly going to result in a tragedy,
especially on hikes when technical
equipment is not used to ascend or
descend.
But the bottom line, Lauren says, is
that all leaders need to understand
Continued from M1
Mistakesaremade,butweallknowwhatwehavebeentaught
I was struggling big time, trying to
stay hydrated, but never able to
really stop. Hell. I made Virgin Lake
in 2.5 hours, having consumed a
half-gallon of Gatorade and still
very dehydrated. My clothes were
literally as wet as if right out of
the washtub. I had another liter
of water from the lake, but could
not quite get enough uids in me.A tough night for sure, but by
morning I had drunk enough to be
functional.
Mauri and the team showed up
at my tent at 6:15 a.m.they had
camped close by, and were on
the path early to beat the extreme
heat, though it was already hot. So
we met at the outlet of Blanca Lake
for breakfast and the icy ford. Last
year the lake was virtually frozen
over; this year there was not a bit
of ice in the water. I was fortunate
to snap the picture you see with
this article of the amazing vista.
From left to right, you see Colum-
bia Peak (two big towers), Wilmans
Peak(s), and the Columbia Glacier
below Monte Cristo Pass, Monte
Cristo Peak, and Kyes Peak (three
towers on right). We would spend
the next three days living on the
glacier and by the lake, surrounded
by glory of the North Cascades.
Neither Shannon nor Jill had ever
experienced the North Cascades
in terms of backcountry travel, so
it was especially fun to introduce
them to snow caves, moulins, and
the local relief that make this area
so impressive. At times the Ever-
green eld technician was speech-
lessand rightly so. There were
many spectacular moments.
The 2008-2009 season was a great
will suffer a signicant negative
mass-balance. Mass-balance is the
difference between accumulation
and ablation (melting and sublima-
tion). The reason it is negative is
because weve had the driest May
through August in recorded history
(including an ofcial record of 30
days without measurable precipita-
tion in May and June).
carving and cutting the glacier with
runnels more than a meter deep.
Small super-glacial streams are
common on the Columbia, but
these were fast-rushing streams
more reminiscent of the water
courses found on big glaciers in
Greenland and Alaska.
We happened upon a rather large
moulin that opened a window into
the glacierthe cutting action of
the water made me ponder the
impact on the mass-balance over
time. Perhaps hot days or even
hot weeks might not show up on
overall mass-balance analysis, but
the heat-related water action must
increase the disintegration of the
terminus (the lower glacier). One
would expect this would manifest
as a more rapid retreat.
The main outlet stream of the
glacier proceeds out of the upper
cirque of high peaks in a series
of spectacular cascadesnorth
cascades one might saywa-
terfalls roaring with an intensity
that shakes the air and quickens
the pulse as the water races to
Blanca Lake. One can appreciate
the extremes of this worldthere
are no fewer than eight species
of wildowers growing next to the
outlet falls. So much power and so
fragile all at the same time. And, all
Continued on M7
Continued from M5
Power and fragility of glaciers revealed in teams time on ice
The avalanche snow could not hide the
obvious: the Columbia is disappearing;
and, this year it will suffer a signicant
negative mass-balance.
year for snow at all elevations, but
especially at lower ones. It was
also a great year for big avalanch-
es, and this was evident throughout
our visit to Columbia. Indeed, the
avalanche cycle provided some
amazing snow-cave action, as well
as a nice covering of snows on the
terminus of the Columbia. The new
lakes are there, but they were eas-
ily walked due to snow. The same
snow cupped a surface pond of
remarkable aquamarine color.
The avalanche snow could not
hide the obvious: the Columbia
is disappearing; and, this year it
The week of our trip would produce
the highest temperatures ever
recorded for the Puget Sound area.
At the same time the lowlands
were being scorched, we were
throwing on jackets at mid-glacier,
as the breeze coming down-glacier
was a bit chilly.
It is simply awesome to tread a
kilometer long, three-quarters of a
kilometer wide sheet of ice under
withering heat. The streams run-
ning on the surface of the glacier
were remarkable. By afternoon
each day we were there, trickles
had turned into full-blown creeks,
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September009TheMountaineer
ThelatestfromyourMountaineersLibraryOff the shelf
In support
The book, Natural Areas of the San Juan Islands, by Terry Domico,lives up to its description as a must for birders, kayakers, botanists,naturalists, conservationists, and outdoor explorers who want to get to
know these amazingly diverse island environments.
This book gives the user information on sites, facilities and access for the
islands of San Juan, Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, Yellow, Little McConnell, Gos-sip, Cone, Strawberry, Saddlebag, Sinclair, Cypress, Jones, James, Clark,
Matia, Sucia, Patos, Waldron, Stuart, Fidalgo, DArcy, Sidney, Mandarte
and Rum.
There is more than the usual guidebook fare here. The book is lled with
stories that will excite the reader to visit the islands while offering history
and trivia that will enhance the experience. For instance, did you know
that 250,000 to 400,000 European rabbits roamed San Juan Island in the
late 1970s? Did you know you should beware the poisonous secretions of
the rough-skinned newt? Did you know that the pure-white, rocky cliffs of
Mandarte Island get their color from an aerial visitor (i.e. thousands of birds
leave their mark) or that you may see up to 100 harbor seals at Shark Reef
Park?
Did you know that Canadas DArcy Island was used as an escape-proof
leper colony, or that the Lime Kiln area includes some of the most dramat-ic coastal views in Washington State, as well as one of the best places in
the world to see orcas from shore?
The English Camp National Historic Park commemorates the site of the Pig
War and hosts a British cemetery. At Bell Point you can nd one of San
Juan Islands geological anomalies: a limestone cave, and site of the lm,
Journey to Spirit Island.
This is a book that ensures endless days of fun on family outings and
brings history to life for the kids. It can inspire the next generation not only
to love the outdoors but to act to preserve the habitats that are home to
more than just the obvious, large and lovable creatures. It casts its lens on
other tiny creaturessuch as the rough-skinned newtand plants that are
critical to the ecological survival of the natural wonders of the San Juans.
Dont miss the appendix, Cooperative Conservation Resource Guide, if
you want to not only enjoy the local treasure known as the San Juans, butalso to ensure it is around in all its splendor for the next generation.
LIbrary hours:Please visit www.mountaineers.org to view current library
hours.
By Kathleen McCluskey, librarian
Mountaineers Foundation DonorsThe Mountaineers Foundation desires to acknowledge and thank all its donors.
Unless individuals request their names not be published, all donors will be acknowl-
edged in The Mountaineeron a quarterly basis (usually September, December,
March and June). If you have donated during the period of May through July 2009
and your name is not on this list, please notify Paul Robisch, Mountaineers Foun-
dation, 206-363-1989, [email protected]. Your name will then be added to
the next published list of acknowledgments. Donations received after July 31 will be
acknowledged in the December issue of The Mountaineer.
The Mountaineers Foundation thanks the following donors:
Aagaard, Eric
Amos, Barrett
Anderson, KareenaBaron, Anthony
Berner, Richard
Boeing Corporate Match
Boone, Aaron
Carey, Kathleen
Caster, William
Cordone, Richard
Davis, Tom
Davis, Robert
Dejanikus, Daphne
Dexter, Marilyn
Draves, Richard
Eades, Glenn
Eby, Scott
Finn, Judith
Gilmur, Thelma
Greenaway, Leonard (bequest)Gross, James
Grubb, Suzanne
Hall, David
Haven, Sylvia
Hensley, Russell
Hickey, Robert
Hurlbutt, Cynthia
James, Frank
Johnson, Jean
Jonquiere, Martin
Karlstad, Mari
Kastama, Diane
Klein, Fritz
Kornreich, Louise
Lester, Evelyn
Marshall, Margie
Maughan, DavidMcMahon, Patrick
Microsoft Corporate Match
Moss, Sandra
Navasio, Gretchen
Nelson, Robert
Olson, Donald
Pearson, Matthew
Pelz, Ruth
Price, Scott
Sayers, Linda
Schultz, Betsy
Sevareid, Max
Simpson, Dean
Thomas, M.
Troje, Frances
Tubb, Barbara
Tyers, WilliamVanhaagen, Paula
Walyor, Bruce
Washington Falconers Association
Watrous, Diane
Wick, Debra
Wiseman, Paul
Wittrock, Paul
Zobel, Christian
In Memorial:
Engle, Stanley
Elvin, Ann Miller
Elvin, Frederick Eldwin
so beautiful as to take the breath away.
Water is the profound difference our planet affords uswater as a vapor,
water as a liquid, and water as a solida glacier.
Even with a huge winter snowpack (1.5+ meters at Big Four picnic area)
and a healthy avalanche cycle, the Columbia Glacier is minus 0.6 meters
for the year. This provides a key lesson in glacier science: summer meltingis a more critical component to mass-balance than heavy precipitation in
winter.
Look to future editions of The Mountaineerfor nal data on all of the North
Cascades glaciers measured by NCGCP during the 2009 season.
Tom Hammond works at the University of Washington as a technology
manager. He has been fortunate enough to pursue post-graduate classes
at the UW to better understand the geologic processes in the North Cas-
cades, with a focus on glaciology. He is a volunteer for the North Cascades
Glacier Climate Project for which he has served as a eld scientist for the
past six summers.
Continued from M6
Summermeltoutpaceswintermoisture
What's your @ddress?Help us keep in touch with you! We are
asking all members with email addresses
to make sure we have it in our records. As
the club moves into the future, we rely more
and more on electronic media to communi-
cate.
Log in to your Profle page today and add or
update your email with us. Thanks!
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