July 2006, Vol. 88 No. 7

WA

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PO Box 352

Seattle, WA

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Washington Alpine Club

NO JULY BOARD MEETING

LOOKING AHEADJuly 15/16 STP Bike RideJuly 22 WTA Trailsfest Rattle snake Lake, N BendJuly 29 Checkerboard Outings Day ( sign up with the WTA)Aug 12 Work PartyAug 18-20 Graham Family ReunionAug 26 Old Timers ReunionSept 02/04 Kelting/Hughes ReunionSept 09/10 ICO Train the trainerOct 15 Annual Members MeetingNov 04/05 MOFA ClassNov 10/12 MOFA ClassNov 10 Annual BanquetDec 09 Annual Snow Dinner

PRESIDENT’S CORNER Our NW summer has been in high gear for some weeks now. Do-erte and I even had three ripe toma-toes by July Fourth. Chef Nelson’s historic rhubarb is ripe and ready for pies, cobblers, and crisps. It won’t be long until we have ripe blueberries on the trails. The mountains are so amazingly beauti-ful right now in their summer glory. The views from historic Guye Cabin are spectacular. Guye Peak, Kendall Peak, Red Mountain and Snoqualmie Mountain shimmer in the warm sum-mer light. The trails are long melted out and Snoqualmie Pass is warm and green. Take a day, or a weekend,

and get out of Seattle! Pick a place in the mountains, either familiar or brand new, and go for a visit. We are very lucky to live in such a wonderful area and have great easy access to lakes, hikes, climbs, and bike rides. Many WAC folks are off to do the STP, the annual Seattle to Portland bike ride, this coming weekend. Last year we had more than 20 members participate, and this year there will likely be even more. It is always fun to run into WAC friends- at the Cabin, on Pikers Peak, in the SW Chutes, or on the STP! Have you renewed your member-ship yet? If you have, thank you very much for supporting the classes and functions of our Club, and keeping our Cabin in good order. Our dues are very reasonable, an excellent value, and 100% stays in our Club. If you haven’t renewed yet please do so today! You can send your renewal to Lynne Miller, our excellent Membership Chair. Using the Cabin often? Include the Annual Cabin dues and support the Cabin into the 21st Century. Many folks are even including an extra gift! Thanks so much everyone! I am continually amazed when I see Guye Cabin. It is such a fantastic place. So many people have stepped up and volunteered a day or more to make improvements, fix things, put things in order, or simply give support. They took an idea and made it a reality. We have even started initial construction on our new parking area. Have you seen Guye Cabin lately? Come up and take

An enjoyable climb with a group of climbers of excellent spirit in very inclement weather. Ray Way. Ldr.

Lodge Lake. July17, 1966 - Twelve members of the Hike and Outing Group, thoroughly enjoyed the 2 ½ mile hike except for the mosquitoes “big as pigeons” to quote Ed Bauch. The hikers, in the manner of good conservationists, carried out a large bag of litter. Participating were the Leonards, the Johnsons, Helen Thorne, and the Bauchs.

NOSTALGIA

The Rains of Lundin. July 2,1966 - Ten hardy climbers waited in the protection of Guye Cabin for their leader, as was expected. It was raining hard as was expected. Everyone wanted to climb in spite of the weather, as was expected. The staunch group set out, as expected and got thoroughly wet, as was expected. The weather became fouler, as expected. In due time the party reached the summit of Lundin, unex-pected, and made a hasty retreat to more hospitable lands. They had a fine glissade down the chute and an uneventful return trip, as expected.

ON LINE

It’s Still Dues Renewal Time

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WASHINGTON ALPINE CLUBOrganized 1916 Incorporated 1923

MEMBER OF: Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs, Washington Trails Assn.

Washington Environmental Council. Washington Wilderness Coalition.Mid-

FORC CoalitionThe primary objective of this club is to en-

courage the healthful enjoyment of the great outdoors, to preserve its natural beauty and to promote good fellowship among all lovers

of nature. PO Box 352 Seattle Wa. 98111

206-467-3042WAC Home page:

www.washingtonalpineclub.org

Board Of Trustees President Mike Mahanay 206.933.6801 1 st V P Pat O’Brien 206.527.68812nd V P Dave Mitchell 425.235.1039Treasurer Ira Rushwald 206.725.2725Secretary Lynn Simmons 206.543.9024Ex-Officio Pres Junior Officers President Elect John Sargent 360.377.3217 At Large Jeff Wright 206.244.7410At Large Laurie Rich At Large Joe SambartoJr Secretary Kristen Kaupang

Alpine Division _______ Climbing Class Kris Arnold 206-459-3449 co-chairs Katherine Pryde (KP) 206-240-1714 Mica Schonbeck 206-790-2051

Winter Division_______ Telemark Ski Jeff Wright 206.244.7410 Back Country Pete Alderson 206.409.9657 Skiing

Property & Membership __ Cabin Chmn Bill Hooper 206.325.2851Work Party Bill Hooper 206.325.2851Member processing Lynne Miller 206.789.8093Publicity Kay Ishi 206.528.5630Cabin Supply Tami Sargent Public Relations________ Bulletin Editor Bill Hooper 206.325.2851FWOC Mike Mahanay 206.933.6801Circulation Dave Mitchell 425.235.1039By Laws Dave Mitchell 425.235.1039

MOVING ??Send change of address forms to:Washington Alpine Club, PO Box 352Seattle, WA 98111email: Lynn Miller lynne@ohana.org Dave Mitchell dtmitch@mindspring.com

a look. Summer is a perfect time to visit our Cabin to relax and enjoy the mountain summer! If you are lucky you might even have it to yourself. Bring your friends and family up to see it. If you like to paint, chop wood, or do mountain chores come on up for the summer’s last “Second Saturday” work party on August 12. Don’t forget the Old Timers Reunion coming up Sunday August 26. Not an old timer? Well, come up anyway! This is an excellent time to meet the great folks who made the WAC what it is today, and thank them for their contributions! All past and present members are welcome. Lunch will be Potluck. Bring your favorite dish, renew old friendships and make some new ones, enjoy the beauty of the high country in summer! The Cabin should be open by 10 AM if not sooner. Contact Mary Jane Steele for more infor-mation. The Climbing Class wrapped up with their climb of Mount Baker. WAC teams have also been up El Dorado, Mount Adams, Mount Olympus, and Mount Rainier! The WAC is full of backcountry skiers and they have been out every month. Many are doing “Turns all Year”! Mike Beck says “the only thing better than skiing in the win-ter, is skiing in the summer”! The WAC is such a unique special club, full of really neat people. Please have a wonderful sum-mer and enjoy our beautiful summer weather! Mike

OLD TIMERS REUNION

Save the date for the Sixth Annual Old-timer’s Reunion. It will be Saturday August 26 at Guye Cabin. If you have been before, you will know the routine. Cabin will be open all day, Potluck at 1:00, allow time to roam around the grounds before and after the potluck. If you are new to the club, an “old-timer” is defined as one who remembers when we skied on our hill. We had three rope tows and had

tons of fun. Now most of these people no longer ski, but this is a day to come up and reminisce with old friends. If you know of someone who is no longer a member, they are more than welcome. Many like to come up and see how great the cabin is looking.

We’ll repeat this announcement in the next three bulletins, but go right now to put it on your calendar. Mary Jane Steele 206-523-9309.

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This table is pro-rated to 18 months since the renewal year has changed to the calendar year

Annual Dues, renewals) Senior Out of Members WA Standard (65 plus) State 18 months to Dec 2007 45.00 15.00 22.5030 months to Dec 2008 75.00 25.00 37.5042 months to Dec 2009 95.00 35.00 52.5054 months to Dec 2010 120.00 45.00 67.5066 months to Dec 2011 150.00 55.00 82.50

Annual Cabin Fee: Immediate Family of three or more WAC Members $120.00 Immediate Family of two WAC Members $100.00 Individual Member $70.00

RENEWALS Renewals are now past due! We are asking everyone whose membership expires this June to renew for 18 months through Dec 2007 to get everyone on a calendar year schedule! Please note that the best value is to renew for multiple years. Three years reflects a $5 discount, and four and five years reflects a $10 discount! Sorry, there are no discounts for Senior and Out of WA multiyear renewals.

When renewing, members also have the opportunity to support Guye Cabin proj-ects and pay annual fees for the year in lieu of single day or overnight fees each time you visit. These annual cabin fees are effective for the membership year through the end of 2007. (Annual Cabin fees will also go on a calendar year) Can you afford an Extra Donation? Riding that wave of prosperity? Feeling grate-ful for what our unique Club has to offer? Well, throw some extra on the collection plate and help ensure we can remain the intimate small Club we have always been! All our funds stay in the Club and we are 100% volunteer! Please mail your check made out to “WAC”, to:WAC Membership c/o Lynne Miller, 3040 NW 57th St. Seattle, WA 98107

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CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES The WAC Board has approved a list of organizations to support as a Club, and as individuals for 2006. Access Fund www.accessfund.org/Audubon Washington wa.audubon.org/Cascade Land Conservancy www.cascadeland.org/Conservation Northwest www.conservationnw.org/Earth Corps www.earthcorps.org/

Land Trusts in Washington State Mountains to Sounds Greenway www.mtsgreenway.org/The Nature Conservancy www.nature.org/Washington Trails Association www.wta.org/

MAZAMA LODGE

Many of you know that Mount Hood has lift served skiing 364 days a year. Our friends the Mazamas have a lodge near Government Camp where WAC members can stay for the mem-ber’s rate of $15 a night. The Lodge is hosted, so meals are extra. If you are planning on climbing Mount Hood, doing some backcountry skiing, or lift skiing this summer, the Mazama Lodge is a good choice for a base camp. Perhaps we should organize a WAC trip there sometime? For more information go to:http://www.mazamas.org/lodge/index.php Mike

WORK PARTY REPORT

The biggest news is the brand new refinished floors in the kitchen and dinning room, mostly done by Les and

Laura Sargent! Les and Laura spent over 8 full days making sure it was done right, up to our high standards, and completed in the shortest possible time. A collective Club thank you is in order for their hard work! We also spent two Tuesday eve-nings working on various projects to get the Cabin in the best possible order. Our July 8 Work Party was one of the best ever! We had 22 hard working volun-teers for the day. Thanks to everyone who has participated this year! Here is a list of some of the things we have done in just the last month:

Tuesday June 20Install the new toilet seatsClear brush by the river Saturday June 10-28Finish the refinish the kitchen/dining room floor project to protect it. (8 days work!) Tuesday June 27Repair the shop vac (2 new wheels)Planted a treeGeneral clean up Saturday July 08 Enlarged the shelves on the back porch for more storage Give the men’s, dorms walls and floors a good WET wipe down and mop. ( women’s and family dorm already done) Dust and clean Dining room and kitchen Flip all the mattresses. Cover the insulation over the vent go-ing to the furnace room. Back fill at power transformer and next to Cabin. Dug out the old oil tank Restored the Guye Cabin Sign above the upper entryway

New paneling at entry to mens and womens dorm area. Touch up painting outside and on the window glaze, green Sand, prime and paint outside railings on stairs up to 2nd floor. Repair and paint back stairsWood detail, chopped wood Split and stacked wood Repaired front door lock Checked out sprinkler system Worked with the Fire Department for placement of additional smoke detectors. New banister on back stairs to family room Cleaned the coal storage area Hauled old metal and treated lumber pieces to recycling center. Removed the remnants of the old bridge Left to do: Replace two cracked windows Clean all the windows inside and out with glass cleaner

Fireplace Room Get rid of the toys & games bro ken or dismantled over the last year. Repair drapes hanging from curtain rodMisc Replace ceiling tile in women’s rest-room Put a proper handle on the door from kitchen up to family room (the door next to refrigerator Frame the posters with 1X3’sClean the chimney (chimney, brushes are not expensive) Various small repairs such as electrical box covers, loose wires, Seal the front and back doors better 3 sheets of paneling in upper dorm area

Basement Extend the workbench by fussball table to the furnace room wall. In progress. Hang a door closer on the furnace room door. Add more permanent/substantial wire for clipping gloves/hats in drying room.

Outside Install a handrail outside the entrance door, make a step or cement ramp Wood detail, chop wood Split and stack wood Finish the touch up painting outside and on the window glaze, green Cut some brush, mow, and weed wack Finish digging up and remove the old oil tank Repair the bridge permanently. per haps with steel and then planking on top. 40’ span Make a few permanent outside bench-es that would withstand the weight of snow.

Repainted entry sign.

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Annual Meeting day in October Plant 30 to 50 trees as a buffer be-tween the road and Cabin

Needed Donations: New used toys/games for next season. New couches and wooden chairs that go with the Cabin stylenew range hood new or good used side by side fridge If you have some rounds to split bring them up! Mike

AUGUST WORK PARTY Come join the Guye Cabin renais-sance! Our final summer work par-ties will be August 12 from 9 to 4. As always, well have a potluck cookout lunch!

Inside: Dust, do the windows, paint Outside: Repair the bridge! Do you have some rounds you can get to the Cabin? Clean up the WAC grounds. Let’s chop and stack some more wood! Mow and weedwack, clear brushPlus lots of little projects. There is lots to do! Just a reminder, the morning of the annual meeting we’ll plant and trans-plant trees.Mark your calendar! Please Email or call Bill or Mike to RSVP Mike

CPR CHILD/INFANT CERTIFICA-TION CLASS

Description Infant/Child CPR Certifica-tion Free Infant/Child CPR Class taught by the Seattle Fire Dept.To Register call 694-6861July 19, at 6:30 PM at

Family Works1501 N 45th StreetSeattle, WA http://www.seattle.gov/fire/medics/me-dicTwo.htm

We will organize these once a year, or on an as needed basis. To find one that is convenient for you, call (206) 684-7274. http://www.seattle.gov/fire/medics/med-icTwo.htm Mike

THE 10TH ANNUAL CHECKER-BOARD OUTINGS DAY Saturday, July 29th - The 10th an-nual Checkerboard Outings Day will take place July 29th near Snoqualmie Pass. This year’s event features guided hikes and other outings in Checkerboard Country along with opportunities to meet with forest rangers, highway engi-neers, wildlife biologists, and environ-mental activists. Find out more about the proposed wildlife bridges on I-90. The Sierra Club’s Cascade Check-erboard Project has been working to protect and restore the lands in the cen-tral Cascades. The recently completed campaign of The Cascades Conservation Partnership acquired over 35,000 acres of pristine roadless lands, valuable wildlife habitat, salmon streams and popular recreation areas. There is still work to be done, especially in areas under threat of development.

Full Day of Fun We will rendezvous at Hyak Ski Lodge just east of Snoqualmie Pass Saturday morning and return there for refreshments & discussions in late afternoon. We’ll provide the drinks and munchies. All outingsare led by experienced leaders. (Changes may be made due to weather or other conditions.)

Sign up at --http://www.wta.org/~wta/cgi-bin/wtaweb.pl?0+cb

MT ADAMS 12,276’ ANNUAL BACK-COUNTRY SKI WEEKEND!

On the web with photos:http://www.grandcanyontreks.org/back-country/adams070206.html The Washington Alpine Club has a long history of climbing and skiing dating back almost a hundred years, so what better than to combine the two disciplines into one event! Mount Adams has been the scene of the summer ski event for several years now. There is a very good reason for this! This year the WAC fielded no less than 5 teams with over 20 people total for an unofficial trip! Weather on any mountain, much less a volcano can be suspect in early summer. I have witnessed zero visibil-ity and winter conditions in past Junes. Some years it is extremely cold on the mountain, and the wind can be fierce. This year we had near perfect weather! As usual Michael Balise, Christy True, Doerte and I arrived at theCold Springs Trailhead, 5,600’ in the late afternoon. (After gettingour permits, and stopping for treats at the Trout Lake CommunityCenter) Our usual campsite was not quite accessible due to snow, sowe parked and carried our gear to it. We relaxed, carbed up withveggie spaghetti and decided on what gear to take. Beta from folks returning on Sat-urday was that the snow was very nice, and the Southwest Chutes in excellent condition. Folks alsoreported that it was possible to ski al-most back to the Trailhead.

Some parties were doing a high traverse at 7,100’ to get back to thenormal South Spur Route rather than use the lower Round the Mountain Trail. At Cold Springs Camp we had a calm, clear, noisy, moonlit night, and then left for the mountain at 6 am. Most parties had already started. Many parties were camped at the Lunch Counter. Boots or skins? Your choice! Both worked well. We had great views of Mount Hood, Mount Jeffer-son, and Mt. Saint Helens. We rested at the Lunch Counter, and had snacks on Piker’s Peak. The weather was perfect! We hiked up the stairway, the climber’s path straight up the 2,600’ up to the False Summit (Pikers Peak). It was slow and steady going and took us about 2.0 hours. A few ecstatic, de-scending climbers wouldwiz by in a three foot deep glissade chute. I ran into Chris Arnoldon the way up. We saw 3 or 4 groups of skiers descending the South Spur, a mixed bag of telemark, alpine, and snowboarders. The telemarkers lookedexcellent and set a high standard for us! The standard climbing route goes up the South Spur, and is alsocalled the South Climb. The mountain was first climbed by the NorthRidge in 1854. For a time there was a mine, and then a Fire Lookout on the summit, supplied by mules. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like to spend some time there. Now, it is just a ruin, and just barely visible on dry years. It can be very windy on Pikers Peak but not today. We had great views of Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson to the South, and Mount Saint Helens to the West.

We regrouped, adjusted equipment, added some layers, hydrated, ate some snacks and visited with other climbers. We talked with IraRushwald, Megan Hilgart, and Andy Nicholls. They were all skinning with alpine gear. They had camped near the lunch counter and were on a leisurely 3 day trip. Shorts were the order of the day! Our friends Chris Snow, Laurie Rich, and Jeff Wright appeared on their way to the summit, all sporting telemark skis, and out from Cold Springs for the day. After relaxing a bit we got ready to ski down. The snow was in niceshape and we had high hopes for a good run! From here we had todecide to ski the SW Chutes or the South Spur Route? Both are fantastic runs! The Southwest Chutes drop SW from the false summit at a 35-40 degree slope for over 4000 vertical feet. Woohoo! Initially the snow was quite heavy and sloppy, but after a few hundred feet it firmed up and became very nice to ski. Aside from all the fun, and the excellentturns, the views were fantastic! Our team consisted of two telemark-ers, one snowboard, and onerandonee. IN the SW Chutes we met up with Nate, Kirsten and team.They are all excellent telemarkers. It was a pleasure to ski with them for a while. Here is what was said about skiing the SW Chutes in 2005 - “Best run of the year”“9”“9.5”“Amazing, perfect snow!”“Where is everyone else?”“It does not get any better!”“The best run in the Pacific Northwest” I think everyone would agree it was the same in 2006, if not better! We skied until the notch at about

7,100’ were we traversed left, or East. This section definitely had the feeling of a tour, with lots ofroute finding and decision making by group. We had to remove our skis several times to cross boulder fields, and once put the skins on togradually traverse a big gully. We had lots more nice turns.Eventually we joined up with the South Spur Route. Near the end we ran into our friends Mike Beck, Linda Cox, and Dave Schuldt who were on their way up! 11.5 Hours. Total elevation gain, 6,676’ for those that went to thetrue summit, 12 miles round trip, 6,000’ skied from the False Summit,6,600’ for Michael. An excellent weekend with wonderful friends and lots of great turns! There is $15 climbing fee ($10 Mon-Thurs) required above 7000 ft from June 1 to September 30. A Northwest Forest Pass required for parking at the Trail-heads. The permit can be picked up in Trout Lake at theForest Service Office. Also, on Saturdays at the Community Center inTrout Lake the town hosts a bazaar with homemade stuff. We loaded upon Huckleberry Cinnamon roles, Rhubarb Pie, Carrot Cake, andStrawberry jam! Don’t pass it up!

For more info go to:Skiing the Cascade Volcanoes

Missed out? We’ll do this again next year Mike

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Mt. Olympus - Return from the top.

Mt. Olympus - To the top.

Mt. Olympus Success - At the top.