August 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter

8/9/2019 August 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter

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MountaineerThe

www.mountaineers.org

August, 2009Volume 103, No. 8

M2 Seeding theenvironmental feld

with scientists

M8 A youth grouprevival afoot

M4 Summit Savvy

M4 Conservation Currents

M6 Gear Grist

M7 Passages

M7 Off the Shelf

Discover The MountaineersIf you are thinking of joining - or have joined and arent sure where to start - why not attend an information meeting ? Check the Go Guide branch sections for times and locations.Are you ready to jump right in? Visit www.mountaineers.org.

No computer? See pg. 22.Need to call? 206-521-6000.

P E R I O D I C A L

P O S T A G E P A I D A T

S E A T T L E , W A

T h e M o u n t a i n e e r s

7 7 0 0 S a n

d P o i n t

W a y

N . E .

S e a

t t l e ,

W A 9 8 1 1 5

U p c o m i n gU p c o m i n gContinued on M3

August is for Junior Mountain-

eers! Families can nd a host ofsummer outdoor activities whilesnagging a prize for their effort.See pg. 9 of the Go Guide for de -tails about this new program.

Meany Lodge Weekend: Hikeyour hearts out! See pg. 15 of theGo Guide.

Owls & Woodpeckers: Join au-thor Paul Bannick for a fundraisingevent at Mountaineers headquar-ers. See the ad on M7 for details.

The monthly publication of The Mountaineers

Are you burning for answers about stoves? See Gear Grist on M6 .

Editors note: This is the nal of a two- part article on the in uence of women

climbers, some Mountaineers, on the womens suffrage movement of the early 20th century.

By Shanna Stevenson

The Mountaineers 1909 as-cent of Mt. Rainier was morethan a club achievement; it

served as a bellwether for womensrights nationally, while crowninga regional exposition that drewnational attention.

The clubs third annual outing,organized by noted photographerand Mountaineers founding mem -ber Asahel Curtis, followed itsOlympics outing in 1907 to the topof Olympus and the 1908 outing tothe eastern side of Mt. Baker.

The prospectus for the climb de -picted it as a cooperative venturewith the Alaska-Yukon-Paci cExposition (AYPE), which hadbegun two months earlier and wascompared in stature to the om-nipresent mountain. Indeed, theAYPE ag was planted atop Rainierby Curtis and his throng at thebehest of AYPE Director James A.

Wood. The prospectus also clearlyde ned the protocol for the attire

of what proved to be the gendermajority in The Mountaineers andon the outingwomen. This dressprotocol would later be challengedby women climbers.

Moreover, in tandem with the AYPEag, the 1909 outing afforded

one of the women on the climbto attach a womens-right-to-vote

pennant to the ag posta featthat was replicated by other women

advocates on following climbs.The evolution of attireThe Mountaineers charged eachparticipant in the 1909 climb a feeof $40. For this, climbers wereprovided with a commissary out tthat included provisionsstoves,cooking utensils, general assembly

Women alpinists hastened era of equality

Rainier safety

program earnsnational praise Mountaineersaccident data put to use in seminar By Brad Stracener

Brian Lewis photo

You cant have zero risk in the

mountains, but you can reduce

the risks by being smart. Ed Viesturs, forward to The Zen

of Mountains and Climbing

By applying their smarts, asgleaned from past experi -ences, partners in a safety

program at Mt. Rainier have re -cently received national recognitionfor their success in reducing thechances of tragedy on the moun -tain. The past experience used astheir teaching tool, though, is notalways their own.

In fact, one experience in par -ticularperhaps the most tragicincident to befall The Mountaineersfraternity in its historywas notshared by any of the initiators ofthe safety program, but served asthe impetus for the program itself.

Continued on M5

Conservation via ground-truthing Mountaineers Public Policy Associate Leesa Wright ascends the trail toChiwaukum and Larch Lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Thissummer The Mountaineers and others in a coalition of wilderness advocatesare leading ground-truthing hikes, such as the one above, into wildernessareas of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The hiking teams arelooking for signs of possible incursion by motorized vehicles. For more about the effort and attaining the list of hikes, see the article on M8 .

The Players summer production,High Button Shoes, kicks off Aug.1 for a run of four consecutiveweekends. See pg. 2 of the Go Guide for more details.

Ben McAllister photo


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August 009 The Mountaineer

The

MountaineerAlso see us on the web at www.mountaineers.org

The Mountaineers is a nonpro torganization, founded in 1906and dedicated to the responsibleenjoyment and protection of naturalareas.

Board of TrusteesOf cers

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 large Kirk 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 Trustees Bellingham, Steven GlennEverett, Rob SimonsenFoothills, Gerry HaugenKitsap, Jimmy JamesOlympia, John FlanaganSeattle, Mike MaudeTacoma, Tom Shimko

Interim Executive DirectorMona West

Managing EditorBrad StracenerContributors, proofreaders: BarbButler, John Edwards, Brian Futch,Jim Harvey, Dyche Kinder, NancyNeyenhouse, Susan Pavlansky, SuzanReiley, Brooke Spicher

Photographers & I llustrators: BrianLewis, Gala Lindvall, Ben McAllisterTHE MOUNTAINEER is publishedmonthly by: The Mountaineers,7700 Sand Point Way N.E. Seattle, WA98115; Ph. 206-521-6000; fax 206-523-6763Volume 103, No. 8The Mountaineer (ISSN 0027-2620)is published monthly by The Moun-taineers, 7700 Sand Point Way N.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 Mountaineer are$32. Periodicals postage paid at Seat -tle 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 not nec -essarily represent the views of TheMountaineers.

Purposes and missionThe clubs mission:

To enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about and

enjoy the lands and waters of the Paci c 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 ful llment

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.

Who ya gonna call? Your mentor, of courseAre 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 Founda-tion has been an ardentsupporter of organizations

that bring educational projectsto its grant-proposal table. Thefoundations mission to promotethe study, protection and enjoy-ment of natural areas is particularlysuited to two recent projects.

In 2007, the McCall Outdoor Sci-ence School in Idaho asked thefoundation to approve its proposalto partner with the McCall-DonnellyHigh School environmental scienceclass. The ultimate goal was toempower high school students ascitizen scientists to effect changein their community. How could thefoundation resist?

Both a new housing developmentand a golf course are locatedupstream from Shiner Creek. Asa delta formed at the mouth of thecreek, the local water advisoryboard chair became concerned.He brought those concerns to theMcCall Outdoor Science School forfurther examination.

The science school staff collaborat -ed with the McCall-Donnelly HighSchool environmental science pro-gram to create a high school projectthat would not only address issuesin Shiner Creek, but also teachstudents the principles of using ascienti c method through a commu -nity-based and hands-on study.

Results of the research project in -dicated a decrease in water clarityand an increase in dissolved, solidload. The results were reported atthe public forum, but a discussionalso ensued on potential causesand possible next steps. Once theforum presentation was over, onestudent said, We really did it, andthey cared what we had to say.

The Townsend School District ofTownsend, Montana, applied for aMountaineers Foundation grant in2008. The funds helped to supporta continuing high school programthat partners with the local countysweed district. The project identi edareas for mapping of an invasiveplant species, spotted knapweed,and the addition of a bio-controlagent, the root-boring weevil, to

Students were given an introduc-tion to watershed science at thelocal Payette River, within walkingdistance of the classroom. Theythen spent ve months collectingchemical and aquatic insect datafrom Shiner Creek to be comparedand analyzed ins respect to waterquality.

They presented their ndings atthe school science fair, and alsoin a public forum that included thelargest public landowner on ShinerCreek, city government of cials,the watershed advisory board, localpress and community members.Students took the lead, from col -lection and analysis of data to thedissemination of the results to thecommunity, thus empowering them-selves as citizen scientists.

slow the spread of the invasivevegetation.

Students spent an entire semesterlearning how to use a GPS/GISArcView unit and then appliedfor summer jobs with the countyto map the infestation of spottedknapweed. The effort includedmonitoring and caring for insec -taries, where root-boring weevilswere raised and then released intothe knapweed-infested areas. Stu -dents visited sites identi ed overthe past several years, collecteddata from those sites, and identi -

ed new sites for bio-control agentreleases.

They also completed a progressreport for community educationon the success of the bio-controlagent program. Students discov-ereda that a slowing of the spreadof knapweed was evident on sitesthat received weevils a year ago,and other plant life was returningto the area. The report will be usedto continue the placement of thesebio-control agents during the sum-mer and fall of 2009.

Help The Mountaineers Foundation sustain its vision of passing the best possible environmental legacy to ensuing generations. Visit www.mountaineersfoundation.org for granting information, guidelines and an application.

Foundation grant seeds the feld with citizen scientists

Citizen scientists: McCall, Idaho, science students collect Payette aquatic data.


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August 009The Mountaineer

tents and enough auxiliary tents toshelter the group in an emergency.The fee also included cooks, dish -washers, pack-train and packers,and round-trip rail fare to Fairfaxfrom downtown Seattle.

Individuals were required to providetheir own climbing out t, includingclothing and bedding. Women weredirected to provide a short skirt,not below the knee, and bloomers,as well as heavy veils to protectthe face from burning when on thesnow. Additionally, participants hadto apply to the climb leader, Curtis,to participate in the event.

Dress for mountaineering womenre ected their changing role,though women were to forge evenmore changes in mountaineer-

ing attire by the 1930s. Con n -ing corsets could exert as muchas 70 pounds of pressure on ahikers chest while long skirts coulddangerously be caught on rocksor other structures. The weightof traditional clothing restrictedwomens movements, thus imped-ing the skills necessary to climb.One author noted that skirts withbloomers underneath made of woolcould weigh up to 15 pounds dry,let alone wet.

Women often wore skirts at loweraltitudes and discarded them oncethey attained higher elevationson the climb. Slipping on and offbecame the norm. Others simplyhiked up their skirts and securedthem with a ribbon. By the 1930s,women were nally free of theseimpositions on climbing attire, butuntil then, the bloomer costumewas often associated with thewomens rights movement. Womenadvocated dress reform during the

rst Womans Rights Convention atSeneca Falls in 1848. One of the

rst women to wear bloomers formountaineering was Julia ArchibaldHolmes who wore what was oth-erwise known as the AmericanCostume when she became the

rst woman to climb Pikes Peak inColorado in 1858.

A feminist, Holmes had come westwearing bloomers and was chafedat restrictions imposed by men.In photos of the 1909 Mt. Rainierexpedition, it appears that womenwore skirts in camp but shed themin favor of bloomers for climbingper instructions in the WashingtonWomens Cook Book, as writtenby the woman who posted thesuffrage pennant atop Rainier, Dr.Cora Smith Eaton.

The climbThe Mountaineers group leftSeattle on July 17 by train and ar-rived at Fairfax, near present-dayCarbonado, then hiked to the rstcamp on the Carbon River trail, adistance of 11 miles. There weresome 93 people in camp. Most ofthe climbers were from The Moun -

taineers but there were delegatesfrom the Appalachian Club ofBoston; Katherine Reed was fromWashington, D. C.; and Freda San -ford was from Connecticut. One ofthe expedition members was fromthe Austrian Alpine Club.

After their arrival, some of the partybuilt a trail across Carbon Glacierand a horse pack-train went toMoraine Park on the east side ofCarbon Glacier where the outingdirectors established a permanentcamp that they dubbed, Camp Mo-raine. Advance parties tried vari-ous hikes and were later joined by62 (out of a rst group of 77, someof whom turned back) hikers whocamped between Inter Glacier andmain White Glacier on a volcanicash area. They used rocks in their

sleeping bags to keep from rollingdown the mountain.

Life in the camp featured suchdiversions as raising the AYPE ag,foot races, tug-of-war contests, afatman race, shoe-lacing contestsand a lemon contest. By July 30,the climbers started their climbto the summit of Rainier alongthe White Glacier. After an eight-and-one-half hour climb of thenortheastern side of Rainier, theyreached the summit in a gale. TheSeattle Times noted that the party

of 62 (Dr. Eaton counted 63) wasthe largest to ever reach Rainierssummit. It reported that some ofthe men had to be revived withsnow but that none of the womengave out.

It was one of the very rst times theroute had been tried and the rsttime women had taken it.

Summit fanfareAt the summit, Curtissufferingfrom a broken collarbone incurredat a baseball game at CampMoraineunfurled the AYPE agwhile being accompanied by buglerF. Ormond Morrill. The Times reported, As a nale to the briefceremony, Dr. Eaton attached apennant to the agstaff bearing thewords, Votes for Women.

Curtis said that the agstaff brokeand Maj. Ingram (sic) broughtanother staff and set it rmly inthe rocks at the crater, for neitherthe AYPE or suffrage ags couldwithstand the wind at the summit.After its ascent the party stayed onthe mountain another week, hikingto Spray Park and other destina-tions accessible from camp. Theyreturned to Seattle by a special trainfrom Fairfax on Aug. 7, and weregreeted by a large crowd.

As part of the climb, a four-inch mir -ror was used to ash a message toSignal Corps men stationed on theAYPE grounds. However, only an Mand W were discernible.

Though historic, the partys featwas challenged when W. C. Pfaffof the Mt. Rainier Club claimed the

group had not reached the summit.

Pfaff said he was with ve otherclimbers at the summit on Aug. 6and did not see the AYPE ag orthe Votes for Women pennant. Healso didnt see the climbers namesin the summit registry.

Curtis countered Pfaffs allegationby noting the summit group couldnot nd the Paradise Valley Clubregistry that Pfaff cited and insteadinscribed their names in anotherbook. Furthermore, Curtis retortedthat the 45-mile-an-hour gale pre -cluded the banners from ying andwere, therefore, placed inside thecrater.

Suffragist-climbers aplentyThe bloomer-clad Holmes of the19th century, Dr. Eaton and theother women of the 1909 Rainierouting were not the only mountain-eering suffragists. Spokane suf -fragist, LaReine Helen McKenzieBaker, planted Votes for Women

ags on several peaks. Baker,described as one of the wealthi -est women in the West and thelargest taxpayer in Washington,was married to Albert Baker, ownerof the Last Chance lead mine inNorthport, Stevens County. Shehad traveled to Europe and was adelegate to the International Suf -frage Alliance Convention in 1909

with the Kangley sisters who hadattempted a 1908 climb of Rainier.

Baker said she wanted to plantVotes for Women agsin yellow,a traditional suffrage coloratopboth Pikes Peak and Mt. Rainier.She climbed Rainier on Aug. 27,1909, via the route from LongmireSprings to Gibraltar Rock. I neverlost sight of the fact that I wasgoing to plant the little ag on thetopmost peak, she stated.

The ag Baker planted atop PikesPeak in November, 1909 was givento her by Alva E. Belmont of NewYork, with whom she attended theInternational Convention of Womenin London in 1909. Baker an-nounced plans to climb CaliforniasMt. Shasta in February of 1910and she climbed to Californias Mt.Lowe Observatory in April of 1910.

Besides being a daring moun-taineer and suffragist, Baker alsoadvocated for limiting the size offamilies and for eugenics. She wasactive in the 1909-10 Washingtonwomens suffrage campaign, at

rst allied with fellow Spokanesuffragist May Arkwright Hutton.Later, however, Bakers insistenceon employing suffrage campaignsof a higher public pro le, like thoseshe had witnessed in England, irked

Hutton. Baker disappeared fromthe Washington scene in 1910 butwas shown campaigning in Portlandduring the 1912 Oregon suffragecampaign when she wrote her book,Race Improvement or Eugenics; ALittle Book on a Great Subject.

Eaton atop GlacierDr. Eaton continued her mountain -eering exploits as well. During the1910 annual Mountaineers outing,Votes for Women , a suffrage news -paper of the time, reported:

In their annual outing, Dr. CoraSmith Eaton wrote Votes forWomen after her name in therecord box, which reposes in acairn of rock at the summit ofGlacier Peak, an elevation of10,436 feet. This splendid peakis very inaccessible and this isthe rst time in its history that awhite woman has set foot uponits glistening glaciers and snow

elds.

There were 25 women and 32 menthat scaled the peak on Aug. 5.

International threadTwo famous international womenclimbers immortalized the traditionof planting Votes for Women agsand similar materials on mountain-tops. In 1911, Annie Smith Peck,who had scaled several peaks inSouth America, planted a yellowbanner reading Votes for Womenof the Joan of Arc Suffrage Leagueon the summit of Nevado Coro -puna, a 21,000-foot peak in Peru.Likewise, Fanny Bullock Workmanhad a photograph taken of herselfreading a paper entitled, Votesfor Woman, when she was atopKarakorum of the Himalayan rangein 1910 or 1911.

Whether the feats of these twowomen helped the cause ofwomens suffrage in Washingtonor nationally is unknown, but theaccomplishments of women alpin -ists of that time were certainly partof the effort to take women into anew era of activism and equalitywith men, according to author M.Deborah Bialeschki. A professor at

This Asahel Curtis photo captures the Rainier summit group at dinner in camp.

W a s

h i n g

t o n

S t a t e H i s t o r i c a l

S o c

i e t y p h o t o

Continued from M1

Mountaineering attire re ected womens changing role

Continued on M6


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Can you identify the summit inthe foreground here? Send your answer

(by Aug. 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 identi cation

of the previous one.

Send your photographs (or slides)

for possible publication as a mystery

summit (include identi cation for our

bene t). 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 willreceive $50 of Mountaineers Money

good for purchases at The Moun -

taineers Bookstore.

No one correctly guessed last

months mystery summit, Mt. De -

ception, as photographed by Curt

Baxstrom.

S ummit Savvy

conservation

CURRENTS

Editors note: This is the second of a series of articles examining species recovery in the Northwest as it relates to the Endangered Species Act.

By Dyche Kinder

If protecting endangered orthreatened species is viewed

as a battle eld, the state govern -ment could accurately be called thefrontline. If it fails to protect a spe -cies, then the federal governmenttakes command.

Dramatic battles over the futureof species listed under the federalEndangered Species Act (ESA)those that breach the states front -line, such as the northern spottedowl or snail dartercan shift thepublics attention from the criticalrole state agencies must play inprotecting species to the immense-ly complicated arena of federalprotection via the ESA.

Suites of species are being re -duced in numbers and distributionin Washington as habitats suchas prairies, coastal dunes, shrubsteppe, oak woodlands, forestedhabitat, wetland and marine sys-tems are being lost, fragmentedand degraded.

Other factors, such as disease,non-indigenous predators and

competitors, toxic contaminationand human-caused mortality candecimate a species. In other cases,so little may be known about a spe-cies that factors causing declinesmay take years to determine.

A variety of factors determinewhether states succeed or fail inmeeting their objectives of manag -ing healthy populations of animals.Washington State has succeededin varying degrees with its efforts toprotect species it has listed as sen-sitive, threatened or endangered.

Mercifully, the high levels of politicalmeddling that have plagued imple-mentation of the federal ESA haveproved nearly non-existent here.

Examples of state effortsThe Washington Department ofFish and Wildlife (WDFW) hasadopted approaches in policy, suchas the Comprehensive WildlifeConservation Strategy that aims tokeep common species just thatcommon. However, deleteriousfactors, such as habitat destructionas with the spotted owl or huntingin relation to the sea otter or sher,make listing by the state unavoid-able. Recovery efforts for thosespecies are then developed andimplemented by the state.

Washingtons listing provisions aresimilar to those of the ESA. A statelisting triggers a process that cul-minates in attempts to recover thelisted species. The states study,data and analysis can prove usefulto federal authorities in makingtheir decisions on a federal listing.Examples of this in the Northwestinclude the orca or killer whale, thespotted owl and the pygmy rabbit.

To date, 28 species are listedby the state as endangered, 10threatened and 8 sensitive. Simi-

lar to the federal ESA, the statedeclares a list of candidate specieswhich currently numbers 113. So,with roughly 150 species to worryabout, the states wildlife of cialsare charged with much to do withlimited resources. Therefore, itenters into partnerships with manyother entities, governmental and pri-vate, whose help can prove critical.

In most cases, it takes a longtime for species to become en -dangered and usually decades toachieve recovery, sometimes with

only modest results. Sometimes,however, signi cant success isachieved after only a few years ofimplementing recovery strategies.

According to the WDFW, recoverystrategies include monitoring andprotecting known populations of aspecies and may include popula-tion management practices, suchas reintroductions or augmenta-tion of existing populations. Somemethods entail the moving of aparticular population of a speciesto another part of the state, whilesome involve augmenting or es-tablishing populations from outsidethe state borders. Other methods

may include captive breeding of alisted spe-cies and thenreintroducingit to its healthyhabitat.

The most pro-li c successwith recov-ery so far inWashingtonhas been thereintroductionof the sher to

the OlympicPeninsula.It started in

January of 2008 at ve sites in theOlympic National Park with therelease of 49 animals from Can -ada. Another 45 are planned foraugmentation this fall and winter.WDFW is pleased with the survivalrate: only 14 have died. It is notas pleased with the reproductionrate, though there have been twoveri ed cases of reproduction andthree suspected cases. The sh -

ers have dispersed over a broadrange as far away as Neah Bay tothe north and Ocean Shores to thesouth.

The western pond turtle is anotherexample of success in Washington.The WDFW reports that headstart -ing and overwintering younghatchlings to a size large enough toescape bullfrog predation is show -ing good results once the turtlesare reintroduced. Efforts to help thepond turtle date back to the 1980sand have resulted in the establish-

ment of new populations whileincreasing the numbers in pre-exist-ing populations.

In other efforts of recovery bythe state, the picture is mixed oreven bleak. The northern spottedowl was federally listed in 1990.Despite massive expenditures andefforts to restore its population, itcontinues to steeply decline. Itsnumbers inside Washington havebeen halved since its listing. Federalof cials have described the speciesas on life support with the plug inthe wall sticking halfway out.

The leopard frog is nearly extinctin Eastern Washington. Habitat

manipulation, captive breeding andreintroduction are currently beingexamined to stem a decline that noone has yet been able to abate.

Meanwhile, the Oregon spottedfrog recovery program of rearingwild eggs from the wild is sur -prisingly successful but, like theleopard frog, it is suffering from thedisappearance of suitable wetlandhabitat.

The Oregon silverspot butter yis extinct in Washington. Habitatrestoration has proven dif cult andtakes many years.

A captive breeding program begunfrom 14 wild pygmy rabbits hasproven unsuccessful to reintroducethat species in Washington. Trans-location from outside the state maybe considered next. The captivepopulation has already been inter-crossed with rabbits from Idaho tohelp overcome genetic problems inthe captive-bred population.

Efforts to augment the SelkirkMountains woodland caribou in

an ecosystem that stretches fromthe Canadian province of BritishColumbia to Washington and Idahohas prevented extinction of a verysmall existing population, but hasnot resulted in large populationincreases. Continuation of this ef -fort is on hold, however, becauseof dif culties with transplantingthese caribou in British Columbia,according to the WDFW.

Dyche Kinder is the sh and wildlife representative for The Mountain- eers Conservation Division.

State listing of endangeredspecies: hits and misses

Paci c sherU.S.Fish& Wildlife Service photo


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In 2005, three experienced alpinists and members of The Mountaineersdied on a climb of Shark n Tower. Among the group was a longtime Ta -coma Branch member and climb leader, a leader from the Seattle Branchand a mentored leader. They died from a rock fall and what proved to be afaulty belay. However, as one of the Rainier safety programs founders putsit, It was the type of accident, which so many are, in which the reason forit was not just technical knowledge or a fatal aw in an anchor, but a seriesof decisions.

It is through the assiduous work of The Mountaineers Climbing SafetyCommittee that the Rainier group was able to bene t from the unraveling ofan outing on Shark n that shook the clubs climbing community. The SafetyCommittee, as it is charged to do, presents reports on all serious accidentsthat occur during club-sponsored climbs. It interviews those in the partywho survive the accident, it documents the interviews, reads the accidentreports and pores over all other input it can glean. It then issues sugges-tions on how the accident possibly could have been avoided.

The Shark n report tells a tale of decisions made, noted Mindy Roberts,an avid climb leader for The Mountaineers and former chair of the Ta -coma Branch Climbing Committee. Decisions made in emergency condi -tions, she added. The rst decision was to move the victim of a rock fallfrom one location on the slope to another. The next decision was to belayher in order to bring her down the slope. Underlying both decisions was aroute- nding decision by two leaders that proved to be in error and integralto the dislodging of a rock that created the emergency.

According to Roberts and Mountaineers Safety Committee Chair DanLauren, the Shark n incident, as tragic as it was, is one that serves well interms of understanding how a chain of decisions can lead to fatal resultswhat Roberts calls the human factors. These are factors that can surfaceeven among the most experienced and adroit climbers, such as those whofell victim at Shark n.

But one report does not make a curriculum. Roberts, Lauren and then-chiefclimbing ranger at Rainier, Mike Gauthier, tapped a number of accident re -ports from The Mountaineers committee as well as reports on near misses,incidents that the committee only began examining a couple of years ago.

We can see patterns in these reports, noted Roberts, who was recentlyawarded by the U.S. Department of Interior for her work on accident pre -vention at Rainier. The patterns are not just related to decisions. The abdi -

cation of expertise is a common culprit. Some members of a team may bemore experienced or a member of the club longer than others. They maytalk more than the othersthe less experienced who assume that the onedoing most of the talking knows more than they do.

She noted that everyone brings a little of their own expertise to a team butunfortunately not all of the expertise reaches the communication stage ofthe decision-making process.

To prevent tragedies we must recognize when we begin to fall into thesepatterns, stated Roberts, who remembered cancelling her Ptarmigan Tra -verse trip when hearing about the shocking news at Shark n.

With a doctorate in engineering, Roberts is used to methodically examin -ing conditions over a long period of time, and stakes are high, so there areparallels between my work and climbing. This proclivity is likely instrumen-tal to her success in teaching the accident prevention program.

In the three years since the program started, noted Gauthier, who nowworks for the park service in Washington, D.C., the accident rate droppeddrastically, as did the fatalities. There has not been a climbing fatality onRainier since 2005. The climbing search-and-rescue rate decreased bymore than 50 percent from 2006-08. Injury rates decreased by more than65 percent during the same period.

According to Gauthier, Mt. Rainier National Parks partnership with par -

ties outside of the park, including The Mountaineers, was part of thereason the park service presented the Rainier program with the AndrewClark Hecht Public Safety Achievement Award, the park services highesthonor for public safety. Noted climbing guides Eric Simonson and PaulBaugher helped The Mountaineers with the investigation and suggestionsregarding Shark n, as did Tacoma Mountain Rescue. The cadre of climb -ing rangers under Gauthiers helm assisted as well with the educationprogram.

Gauthier also credits an increase in electronic reporting for the decline intragedies on the mountain. Three years ago, we lost our website (at thepark), Gauthier stated, so I started my own interim blog just on climb-ing issues. It ended up being a superior medium to communicate. At

rst people just started giving climbing reports on it. People then startedcommunicating things like, have you heard about that crevasse at 16,000

feet? It just skyrocketed from there.He added, Even people outside the climbing community started using it.I started giving safety messages on it and started to see a decline in mybudget on the amount of money being spent on rescues.

He would like to see the safety curriculum at Rainier implemented as amodel for mountaineering courses in other institutions, such as communitycolleges.

Lauren concurs. Wed like to replicate it, he said, but each branch andgroup is distinct. So some tailoring is needed, he indicated. Backcountryskiing and kayaking rst come to mind, he said. They can use these real-life scenarios and reports from their respective committees to customizetheir own program from the original climbing model. He noted that one ortwo leaders from these activities actually attended the Rainier seminar.

Lauren credits the increase in near-miss reports for bolstering awarenessabout accident prevention.

Initiators of the Rainier accident-prevention class, held at the TacomaBranch Clubhouse, all agree that it is the widely-shared information fromthose who either make the mistakes or witness them that make the schoolsuccessful. At rst the curriculum focused on snow travel and self-arrest onfalls, Lauren noted, but the focus shifts as the program evolves.

It seems that now it is shifting to party separation, he noted, thoseincidents when a participant on a hike or climb becomes separated fromthe group. He said the near-miss reports will become extremely criticalin resolving the party separation dilemma, a topic to be examined in nextmonths Mountaineer .

Brad Stracener is managing editor of The Mountaineer.

Serious accidents down since initiation of safety education

Continued from M1

Tacoma Mountaineers Mindy Roberts and Jim Feltus pose with the public safetyachievement award, granted by the National Park Service.


6/8

M6


How low can your stove-weight go?By Brian Lewis

If you want to keep your packweight low, one area to consideris your overall backcountry kitch-

enstove, pot, etc. The weight-conscious backpacker often sticksto simpler evening meals, mosttypically meals that require only theaddition of hot water.

Among long-distance hikers, themost popular stove option is oneusing denatured alcohol as a fuel.This fuel is readily available, not

just in sporting goods stores but athardware stores and sometimesgas stations. Its a less ef cientfuel than traditional stoves use,meaning that you need to carry a

larger volume of fuel to produce anequivalent amount of heat. Alcoholstoves also typically take longer toproduce the same amount of heat.Some alcohol stoves offer somedegree of temperature control (toallow simmering food), others donot.

In addition to the availability, how-ever, a lightweight alcohol stoveavoids the downsides of canisterstoves. These include the carryingweight of the canister itself, dispos-ing of the empty canister, accumu-lating partially full canisters, anddetermining how many canistersto bring on a trip. With an alcoholstove you can carry exactly theamount of fuel that you choose withminimal container weight.

For a long multi-day trip with no re-

Gear Grist supply, the alcohol option can startout heavier (less ef cient fuel). Atsome point in the journey you hit abreak-even point, and the alcohol-

stove user will have the lighter loadfor the rest of the trip. For shortertrips of a few days or less, the alco-hol stove option will be lighter fromthe start, depending on how muchand how often you cook.

can nd more information aboutthese and other referenced stoveoptions via an internet search.

Another possibility for the keep-it-light user is an Esbit solid (tablet)fuel stove. Like alcohol, Esbit is aless ef cient fuel (lower heat outputper fuel weight) and its use isgenerally limited to heating water.Some dislike the smell and resi-due on the cook pot, but its easyto use, and the combined stove-fuel weight is low compared to anequivalent canister setup. Esbittablets are harder to nd than de-natured alcohol, but they eliminatethe issue of pouring out the correctamount of alcohol for each use.

The stove for burning Esbit tabletscan be very inexpensive (or, again,free if you make your own).

site in the form of twigs, branches,or dry leaves (please dont cut livetrees for fuel). Its more ef cientand uses a lot less fuel than mak-

ing a traditional camp re, yet offerssome of the smoke smell, re light,and old time feel of a camp re.

A signi cant factor in using thisrelatively new option is whetheryour local forest managementauthority will consider this a stoveor a reparticularly in areas orseasons where camp res are notallowed. You also need some skilland perhaps extra gear to light asmall re when available fuel isdamp.

Whatever you choose, make sureyou consider the total weight ofstove + fuel + fuel container(s). Andkeep in mind there is a reason thatcanister stoves are so commonlyseen on the trailtheyre easiestto use, theyre clean, they heatthings up fast, and you can controlthe heat output. Nevertheless, Imhappy with my alcohol stove as theright balance of weight and otherfactors for me; the right answer foryou may be different.

Brian Lewis hiked the entire 2,663

miles of the Paci c Crest Trail in 2008; nd his trail journal at http:// postholer.com/brianle. He is also conducting a Trekking Fast and Light seminar for The Mountain- eers (see pg. 8 of the Go Guide ).

I use an alcohol stove, and a friendwho uses a Jet Boil (perhaps themost popular and nicely designedcanister stove) regularly teases meabout how much faster he can heatwater and prepare his meal. I dontcare, because my trail cooking islimited to heating water for just onemeal a dayand I know that mytotal trail kitchen kit weighs signi -cantly less than his does.

For those who nd pack weight animportant criteria, Id suggest look-ing at alcohol stoves, which canrange in cost from free ( nd in-structions to make your own online)to perhaps $30 or so for choicessuch as a Brasslite or Vargo stove,and somewhat more for a completesystem like the Caldera Cone. You

Alcohol stove:

Thrifty on the

pocketbook

and in the pack.

A nal option thats an old but nowimproved choice is a small wood-

burning stove. The stove itselfis heavier than a typical alcoholstove. For example, the Bush Bud-dy Ultra weighs about 5 oz., whilemy Brasslite alcohol stove weighs1.6 oz. With the wood stove, how-ever, you typically dont carry anyfuelyou nd it near your cook

Even lighter:

Tablet fuel is

light and so is its

stove, but heating

ef ciency is

sacri ced.

University of North Carolina ChapelHill, Bialeschki states, The entry

of women into sports and physicalactivities was a signi cant part ofthe general movement for femaleemancipation.

She goes on to point out thatthese women challenged the mythof frailty and the illusion of malesupremacy. This helped make the

case for equal voting rights. Mean-while, AYPE offered a spotlight forsuffragists. While the eyes of the

world focused on Seattle and itsenvirons, a statement about wom-ens strength and equality couldbe showcased in outdoor pursuits,which reinforced womens veracityof equality at the ballot box.

These womens high-altitude ex-ploits, at least in Washington, may

have in uenced men to see themin a new light, for on Nov. 8, 1910,the men of Washington voted to

amend the state constitution andgrant women the right to vote bya count of 52,299 to 29,676. Next

year marks the centennial com-memoration of that event.

Shanna Stevenson is coordinator of the Womens History Consortium for the Washington State Historical Society.

Continued from M3

The Mountaineers, in partnership with TheMountaineers Foundation, is proud to announce thelaunch of The Mountaineers Legacy Society . TheSociety will 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 inthe Legacy Society or would just

The Mountaineers Legacy Society

like to learn more wewould love to hear fromyou!

Expo helped to cast spotlight on Rainier climb, suffragists


7/8

M


Passages

The latest from your Mountaineers LibraryOff the shelf

Esperanza Gonzales Rich,a 50-year member of The Mountaineersand recognized for her untiring philanthropy, died May 21, 2009, at the ageof 89. Rich, born in Mexico, spent her childhood living in a dirt- oor shackand then a boxcar in Nebraska, where she picked sugar beets.

During her teens in the elds, she was helped and impressed by two youngsecretaries who brought her family food and clothes. Rich considered themrole models. One of them moved to Seattle and Rich eventually moved,also, becoming a secretary at the University of Washington. The generosityof her two role models inspired her to give something back to the immi -grant community. She did so by directing immigrants to services, schoolsand jobs through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She also devoted herextra hours to Leave a Legacy Foundation of Western Washington, which

encourages people of all means to make a will and leave a gift to charity.In 1999 she was one of 11 Americans honored at the White House Confer -ence on Philanthropy by then-President Clinton.

At age 84, she went to Peru, where she climbed a12,500 ft. peak. Twoyears later, she traveled to Guatemala to help with medical outreach in aremote village.

She was known for her no-waste ethic of recycling and reusing itemsaround the house as well as in the community. For 10 years she livedwithout a car, walking up a steep hill to her home in Magnolia. In her earlyyears at The Mountaineers, she reveled in the folk-dancing events at theclubhouse and was involved with The Mountaineers Players.

Though she loved the outdoors and travel, she especially loved music. A

member of the Seattle Classical Guitar Society, she also performed withthe Seattle Mandolin Orchestra.

She married a schoolteacher, Bernard Rich, who died 20 years ago. She issurvived by her sister, Maria Guzman of Gary, Indiana, her brother, As -cencion Joe Gonzales of Lincoln, Nebraska, 10 nieces and nephews, andmany friends.

The library houses a wealth of timely books just waiting to be checked out bypatrons. The following titles may be of interest to hikers, naturalists, outdoorsphotographers, climbers, canyoneering enthusiasts, skiers, sailors and environ-mentalists.

Circulating collection: Accidents in North American Mountaineering (2006 and2007); Alaska-Yukon Wild Flowers Guide; Allen & Mikes Really Cool Back -country Ski Book: Traveling & Camping Skills for a Winter Environment; AnselAdams: 400 Photographs; Ascent: The Invention of Mountain Climbing & ItsPractice; Best Loop Hikes: New Hampshires White Mountains to the MaineCoast; Canyoneering: The San Rafael Swell; Canyoneering 2: Technical LoopHikes in Southern Utah; Colorados Quiet Winter Trails (2007); A Different Kindof Country; Emerald City: An Environmental History of Seattle; Field Guide to theCommon and Interesting Plants of Baja California; First on Everest: The Mysteryof Mallory & Irvine; High Odyssey: The First Solo Winter Assault of Mount Whitneyand the Muir Trail Area; How to Ski the New French Way; Mount Everest: TheReconnaissance, 1935: The Forgotten Adventure; Mountains of Kenya; OceanPassages and Landfalls: Cruising Routes of the World; Traversa: A Solo Walk

Across Africa from the Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean; Voyagers Handbook:The Essential Guide to Bluewater Cruising (2007).

Guidebook collection: Canyoneering Arizona; Central Washington Boulder-ing: Leavenworth & Gold Bar (2007); Kluane National Park Hiking Guide (2007);West Coast Ice.

DVDs: Dozen More Turns (Skiing, SafetyAvalanches); Return to Schralptown(Skiing); White Book (Avalanche Safety).

Special Collection: Matterhorn Centenary, by Arnold Lunn; Switzerland in Eng-lish Prose and Poetry, by Arnold Lunn.

Besides books you can check out, the library and bookstore feature carts full ofbooks to buy at sale prices from 25 cents to $50 and up (we have some valuabletitles for collectors of the mountaineering classics). Additionally, if you make anappointment with the librarian, she can open the cabinets storing the over ow ofbooks for sale.

LIbrary hours: Please visit www.mountaineers.org to view current library hours.

By Kathleen McCluskey, librarian

Lindsey White, a Mountaineers basic climbing student, died Sun.,July 5, from a fall while climbing Monte Cristo Peak. She was 39.

White, who joined The Mountaineers in 2008, was ascending Monte CristoPeak with her boyfriend and fellow Mountaineers member, Bill Tyers, whenshe slipped on a snow eld a few hundred feet below the summit. She wasunable to arrest herself with her ice ax and slid about 700 feet, according to

the Snohomish County sheriffs report.A celebration of Whites life was held July 22 at The Mountaineers head -quarters in Seattle. The family asks that donations in her memory be madeto the Snohomish County Search and Rescue, Planned Parenthood or theGrey Muzzle.

The Owl and the WoodpeckerA fundraiser event with author

Paul BannickThursday, September 177 pm @ The Mountaineers Building

Join us for an evening of owls and woodpeckers as Paul Bannick shares 100never before seen images of our localspecies.

Space is limited! All who register beforeSeptember 10 will be entered to win aprint, a signed copy of Pauls amazingbook or a private photo outing with Paulat a local outdoor destination.

Please visit www.mountaineers.org fordetails and ticket information.

Tickets: $10 advance/$12 at the door

Forest Theater folliesThe Forest Theater opens its summer show, High Button Shoes, this month.

In the top photo, Floy (Nathaniel Jones) and Pontdue (Mick Etchoe) run afterbeing discovered by the Keystone Cops. Above, Mama (Gail Foster) and

Junior (Katelyn Cooper) urge Fran (Amy Beth Lindvall) to look for security from a man, not love. For more about the show, see pg. 2 of the Go Guide .

Gala Lindvall photos


8/8

M8


Washington: Cedar Springs - October 19-21, 2007$295 includes all organic meals, classes, double room

Costa Rica - November 23 Dec 1, 2007 - Roy H & Christine Borys$1,195 Shared room, Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, ground

transport (Or: $1,895 includes RT air from Seattle)Mexico: Yelapa - January 18-26, 2008 - Roy H & Linda Lapping$1,195 shared: Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, Mexico groundtransport (Or: $1,695 includes RT air from Seattle)

Guatemala: Lake Atitlan - Feb 14-25, 2008 - Roy H & Kara Keating$1,295 shared: 11 nights Hotel, Most Meals, Classes, Ground transport($1,895 includes RT air from Seattle)

Yoga Hiking Culture Swimming Sunshine

Roy is a Mountaineer member, hike leader, yoga and meditation teacher, minister, andre exologist. Classes & Workshops in the Everett area. Weddings of ciated too!

Yoga Retreats

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Roy Holman

Contact for more info: Roy Holman 425-303-8150,www.holmanhealthconnections.com Yoga For Every Body

Mexico: Yelapa - Jan. 16-24, 2009$1,195 Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, groundtransport (Or: $1,795 includes RT air from Seattle)

Guatemala: Lake Atitlan Feb. 26-March 9, 2009$1,295 11 nights hotel, most meals, classes, ground transport($1,995 includes RT air from Seattle)

Costa Rica - Nov. 28-Dec. 7, 2008$1,195 Shared room, Includes 9 nightshotel, most meals, classes, ground transport(Or: $1,995 includes RT air from Seattle)

Yoga Retreats

Washington: Methow Valley Retreat, Oct. 2-4, 2009$350 Includes two nights shared lodging,organic meals, classes, hikes, and other activitiesCosta Rica Oct 17-25, 2009

$1,395 Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, ground transport(Or: $2,195 includes RT air from Seattle)Mexico: Yelapa - Jan 22-30, 2010$1,195 Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, ground transport(Or: $1,750 includes RT air from Seattle)Guatemala: Lake Atitlan Feb. 18-28, 2010$1,395 11 nights hotel, most meals, classes, ground transport ($2,150includes RT air from Seattle)

Yoga Hiking Culture Swimming Sunshine

Roy Holman

mountaineersmembers

onlynight

Mountaineers Members Only

Mountaineers members receive 30%

off their purchases during the eventMeet the staff; learn about Mountain

Hardwear products

Door Prizes

The

Mountaineersw w w . m o u n t a i n e e r s . o r g

Dormant for the past few years, aMountaineers youth group is un-dergoing a revival and is welcom-ing anyone who would like to helpshape direction.

The Mountaineers Youth Commit-tee of the Seattle Branch allows

young outdoor enthusiasts to plantheir own group excursions in theoutdoors. In the past, activitieshave included hiking, backpack-ing, climbing, sea kayaking, riverrafting, trail maintenance, beachcleanups, snowshoeing and skiing

among other outdoor endeavors.

The reorganization of the youthgroup will tackle the questions ofhow to revive it and where it will

nd its members, according to pastadvisor Leonard Russell. Will itinvite all kids or will it nd youthsfrom existing groups such as Boysand Girls Clubs or Scouts. Or, will itaf liate with such groups? Russellsaid the door is wide open withpossibilities. Will it promote itselfand recruit by visiting schools,recreation centers and other youthorganizations? Who will do this?Will it hold fund-raisers?

Russell said all these questionsand more will be examined.

The Youth Committee was co-founded in 1991 by Pat Whitehill-Bates, Jeroldine Hallberg and Rus-

sell. It allows youths of ages 14-18to interact in outdoor activities

characteristic to the club in general.However, under adult auspices, theyouths choose, plan, organize andlead their own activities.

All youths are welcome to join,especially those who have not ex-perienced the great outdoors.

The group is now seeking inter-ested volunteersyouths andadultswho are willing to give theirtime reviving the youth programand even leading trips.

When enough volunteers expressinterest, a meeting will be held tobegin the process of reestablishingan active program for youths.

If interested in helping this pro-gram, contact Leonard Russell,206 325-1310, [email protected] , or Sunny Reming-ton, 206-354-8518, sunny9@

u.washington.edu.

Youth group seeks to revive itself with a little help from volunteers

Create a legacy withoutchanging your will or partingwith any assets no wMany Mountaineers members want togive generously to the club to help ensureits future, but are concerned about havingenough resources to meet their own futureneeds. For all such members, a gift bybeneciary designation may provide justthe right answer.These gifts allow you sole access to yourfunds during your lifetime, can always bechanged if your circumstances change, andare easy to arrange.You can name The Mountaineers as abeneciary of:Retirement assets This includes your IRA(regardless of the type of IRA) and mostqualied retirement plans, such as 401(k)and 403(b) plans.Life insurance policy Perhaps you tookout a policy when the children were youngbut no longer have a need for it.Bank accounts (savings or checking)Brokerage accounts (investments)U.S. Savings BondsAnother benet to making a gift bybeneciary designation is that it can be atax-wise way to support The

Mountaineers. Some of the assets above(e.g., IRA proceeds) are subject to incometax in addition to possible estate taxes.However, this double-taxation can beavoided by gifting all or part of the asset toThe Mountaineers.*You can name The Mountaineers as thesole beneciary or as one of several.This allows you to make a gift wh ile stillproviding for family members or otherloved ones. Legacy gifts of all sizeslargeor smallare greatly appreciated.For additional details on these givingstrategies, or how to become a member ofThe Summit Society, please contact JudyHalls at [email protected] g or call206-521-6006 for more information.*Assuming the gift is directed to tax-exempt

programming at the Mountaineers or the Mountaineers Foundation.

Resource reconnaissance welcome!This spring the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest re-leased a scoping document on for-est travel management delineatingwhich roads and trails are open tospeci c uses (e.g., street vehicles,ORVs, hiking, horseback riding,mountain biking).

In several cases, roads and trailsidenti ed for motorized recreation

intersect with or dead-end at non-motorized trails and trailheads thataccess congressionally-designatedwilderness areas, thus inviting

incursions by ATVs, dirt bikes and4X4 vehicles.

The Mountaineers, WashingtonTrails Association, Alpine LakesProtection Society, Conserva-tion Northwest and The Wilder-ness Society have compiled a listof hikes to survey for potentialincursion of motorized vehiclesinto wilderness and other sensi-

tive areas. To participate in one ofthese ground-truthing expeditions,contact Mountaineers Public PolicyAssociate Leesa Wright, [email protected], 206-521-6012.

August 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter

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