The Backside of Beyond

Bardini

The Bardini Foundation Newsletter Winter 2018/2019 Issue

In This Issue

2018 Contributions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2

Half Dome Capers by Don Lauria - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - 3

Incoming & From the Editor - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2

Purpose & Photos - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5

The annual donations in 2018, for want of a better term, were disap-pointing. Disappointing because they indicate a downward trend. The trend over the last ten years has been a slow descent from a regular participation of fifty to sixty contribu-tors to the twenty or so that are now making donations. We have a total of 542 names on our mailing list. The paper edition list had 343 entries. The email list has 199 addresses. Think about it. Only 24 people sent donation checks in 2018. That is a 4% return on our investment. Major changes are com-ing. Read From the Editor page-2 ! The Bardini Foundation can exist only through your generous dona-tions. For tax purposes your donation is 100% tax deductible. If you re-quire confirmation Bardini will snail mail or email you a letter confirming the date and amount of your dona-tion. We provide a donation link on our website (www.bardini.org) for credit card or PayPal donations. No internet connection? Then make your check out to: Bardini Foundation PO Box 1422 Bishop, CA 93515

Bardini Foundation’s

Youth Program

Expanded

Donations Dwindle

50% Over Past

10 Years

The Bardini Foundation continues to provide outdoor activities to Eastern Sierra at risk youth. Over seventy youth from Mammoth Lakes in the north to as far south as Tecopa and Shoshone areas, were involved in these programs this past season. The youth were provided with expert instruction and equipment and . Climbing shoes, harnesses, and hel-mets for the rock climbers , binoculars, compasses, and cameras for the natu-ral history treks The range of activities included:

Rock climbing Day hikes with Leave No Trace principles and natural history taught as part of the program. Fishing Photo workshops Wildlife observation outings Compass Navigation clinics Snow science workshops

We strive to provide our youth with the opportunity to explore, learn and inter-act with other kids. Most of the chil-dren that we work with have never been on a simple day hike or been fishing. We hope to have them experi-ence the Eastern Sierra backyard that is often taken for granted.

The Foundation’s involvement in these services is made possible through your generous donations.

Our Bishop Fall Colors Workshop had two participants for four days of chasing colors on the eastside. We missed the peak colors by about four days and ended up running all over to find good color. In the four days we went from Lundy Canyon to Bishop Creek Canyon and everything in be-tween. We even made a trip out to Dobie Meadows to see the wild hors-es! All told, our clients, Morris and John, had a great time. We did manage to find some color and produced some fine images. This workshop was operated under permit from the Inyo National Forest in conjunction with the Bardini Foun-dation, Inc. - Rick Saez

Saez Photography

Sierra Workshop

Late Start

Eastside Colors

2018 Contributions

2 The Backside of Beyond Winter 2018/2019 Issue

Benefactor $1000+ Paul Rudder

Angel $500+ Jim Barbieri Yvon & Malinda Chouinard Kimberly Knox Brian Parks

Patron $200+ Gilberto D’Orso Peter Hackett Lyman Johnson Jeanne Walter

Partner $100+ Michael Graber Charles Grobe Ken Kerner Stan & Ann Sanderson Walt Pachucki

Contributor $50+ Drew Dembowski John & Debbie Eilts Dion & Cheryl Goldsworthy Bonnie Kamps Joe Kelsey Don Pies Robert & Annamaria McElroy

Sustainer $25+ Carol Broberg James Garvey Leroy Russ

Thank you all!

Incoming

Keep it going!.. Peter Hackett, Ridgeway, CO Allan’s legacy must persist! Good luck in 2018. Brian Parks, Madison, WI Here’s the check I didn’t forget to send. Let’s plan to go see TM soon - while we’re still among the living.. James Barbieri, Onyx, CA As a long-time Sierra Club member and an ex-Sierra Club Ski Mountaineer, I appreciate the work being done by the Bardini volunteers. It is a wonderful thing. Ken Kerner, Valencia, CA Dear esteemed Bardinis—apologies for forgetting last year’s contribution. Our last memory of Allan was his return-ing our call inquiring about how early in the season he thought the route into Charlotte Dome from the east would be safe. His advice: At any time before late June could be an “avalanche shooting gallery”. Bob/Annamaria McElroy, Malvern, PA

Look at the donor list to the left — only 24 people! We used to have more than twice that number in years past. Why only 24? You might surmise that our supporters are dying off — literally. But a scan of the past few years’ donors reveals that the same people donate year after year, but just not necessarily in consecutive years. The most consistent donors are those who donate in the higher brackets. It’s the small donations that we are losing. The generosity of those listed on the left of this page is greatly appreciated. Their names appear in the Contributions section year after year. Anyone that pays atten-tion to the donor list will notice that one donor in particular is outstanding.. Paul Rudder has donated $100 every month for over 20 years. Here’s what Paul wrote in our “Incoming” section a few years ago: “Well, the truth be told, if you love something, you gotta give till it hurts. So here's bucks to help you pay the piper and keep the program going. No-body can say enough good things about the Foundation; you guys are terrific and deserve all the support us Bardini fans can muster. After all, whenever you put on skis and glide off through the woods, or hike up a trail and stop by a beautiful lake, Bardini Lives!”

Paul Rudder, Mammoth Lakes, CA

As CFO of the foundation and editor of the newsletter, I will be removing all the names on our mailing list that have NEVER contributed to the foundation. Publishing and distributing the The Backside of Beyond is a time consum-ing and expensive undertaking. The news-letter is written, published, folded, sealed, and stamped in my home computer office in Bishop, Califiornia by me - all 343 cop-ies. If you are reading this, then The Backside of Beyond deserves your support. If you have never taken the time to send us a check and you want to continue receiving this newsletter you had better get a check in the mail this year. - the Editor

From the

Editor

Winter 2018/2019 Issue The Backside of Beyond 3

Continued on next page

Twilight had turned to darkness. The early moon cast a hazy sheen over the valley floor. Below, blossoming campfires flick-ered through the black curtain of Half Dome's shadow. And to the north, over Tuolumne, high wispy clouds moved slowly on the tide of a brisk breeze that rolled across Tenaya Canyon and broke silently against the northwest face of Half Dome. I lit a cigar and leaned back against the rock. A few feet away, along the ledge, Chuck was peering in-tently into the gloom of the summit overhang. Somewhere in that dark-ness lay an easy friction move—the final pitch separating us from the-summit. "Would you like the honor of lead-ing the final pitch, Chuck?" I in-quired, assuming an unconcerned pose. "I really think the honor falls to you," Chuck replied. "After all, it's your lead." The word "falls," I felt, was a very poor choice of words. I had been told that one could take a nice "thirty-footer" coming off the friction move. “Let's wait for the moon to light up the face," I suggested, leaning for-ward apprehensively. Chuck nodded. "Okay, let's wait." I leaned back again, took a deep drag, and hooked a finger through a perfect smoke ring. We both knew that moonlight would not reach the northwest face that night. Thus, at 10 P.M. on July 1, 1966, Chuck Haas and I convinced ourselves of the wisdom of bivouacking 100 feet below the summit of Half Dome's northwest face. Our situation, annoying and frustrating as it was, seemed a mere inconvenience compared to the disap-pointments that preceded the climb—disappointments that must plague many "weekend" Yosemite climbers. The comedy of errors, failures, and defeats that led up to this final bivouac began in mid-May when Russ McLean and I found ourselves at the base of the awesome northwest face, kicking steps in the snow to reach the first pitch. It was early afternoon; we had just finished the nine-mile trek from Happy Isles and had decided to start climbing immediately in an attempt to complete seven pitches before dark.

With boyish impatience and sloth-like precision, we climbed four pitches and fixed the fifth before collapsing into that cramped, semi-conscious state fondly referred to as a bivouac. We "over-bivouacked"; that is, we regained consciousness later than planned and resumed our scorching pace up the wall. Five hours and three pitches later, Russ complained that the water bottle was leaking, the haul bag had a dangerously large hole in it, and we were climbing too slowly. I argued that this was no reason to rappel off. Russ replied that he hadn't mentioned rappelling. I agreed that he hadn't, but we did anyway, leaving an expensive trail of over-driven Chouinard anchors down the 800-foot rappel route.

It was early June before I could make arrangements for another three-day weekend in Yosemite. The snow at the base of Half Dome was almost gone when Michael Cohen, Valerie Menden-hall, and I approached it. Valerie had come along for the hike—we as yet did

not realize it, but so had Mike and I. Mike was taken ill after one pitch and we were forced to retreat to our campsite on the northeast shoulder to give him a rest. That evening, after a stubborn left-handed struggle with a GI can opener, Valerie applied some of her innate culinary talent to a Kraft dinner by adding clams and tuna. As Mike looked on, I voraciously consumed three generous helpings of this glop. Mike's condition took an abrupt turn for the worse.

We shared our campfire that night with two familiar "resident" climbers, whom we shall refer to as "Mutt and Jeff." They had climbing intentions that lay slightly right of ours and suggested that we might arise very early the following morning and proceed to the base in one large jolly bunch. However, when the alarm woke me at 4:45, I could coax nei-ther Mutt nor Jeff to leave the security of their sleeping bags. I was taken aback when Mutt rolled over in his bag and, in the affected tone of a cultured dowager,

uttered the words that every weekend climber wishes he could utter. "Jeff,' he said, "we should not feel that we are under any obligation to climb today." They both convulsed in hysterical laughter. I arrived at the base ahead of Mike and filled the water bottles at the spring. I unsympathetically ignored the complete lack of color in Mike's face when he arrived. "Are you ready to go, Mike?" I asked without looking up. "I'm not leaving the ground, Don," said Mike with convincing finality.

Half Dome Capers 1966 ascent of the Northwest Face of Half Dome

By Don Lauria Reprinted from the September 1967 issue of Summit

Thank God Ledge

4 The Backside of Beyond Winter 2018/2019 Issue

Half Dome Capers - continued

Back on the shoulder, the residents were still in their sleeping bags when Mike and I came shuffling back into camp. They resumed their uncontrollable laughter upon realizing that we too had admit-ted defeat. Mutt gave me ten good reasons why he and Jeff were returning to Camp 4. I adopted two of his best reasons and went along. Climbing Half Dome had now become an obsession with me—much to the amusement of my family and friends. I again went through the complex procedures of arranging for a trip to the Valley. I don't think the list is called for here—only those climbers with a wife, three children, and three jobs would appreciate the implica-tions, anyway. On June 25 the five members of the Lauria family were plodding their way up the trail to Half Dome under the guise of a family hike to the summit. However, hidden within my pack was fifty pounds of miscellaneous climbing hardware and bivouac food which, according to plan, was to be cached on the northeast shoulder. Chuck Haas and I would pick up the cache when we returned within the week to climb the northwest face. After an overnight stay in Little Yosemite, the family planted the cache, climbed the cable route to Half Dome's summit, and returned to Camp 4 before dark. I was quite proud of my group—they had made the ascent on their first attempt, which is more than I can say for Dad. Three days later Chuck and I arrived at the base. We put up three pitches, leaving fixed ropes, and returned to our campsite on the shoulder. By 5:30 AM the following day I was leading the fourth pitch—we were off to a good start. Six hours passed. We had completed only four additional pitches—our pace was disappointing. However, by late afternoon we had fin-ished the loose fourth class traverses that lead out onto the face. Two more pitches brought us to the ledges below the great flake system. Being unsure of the difficul-ties above, Chuck fixed the thirteenth pitch and returned to the ledges for an early bivouac. We didn't drink much water during our first full climbing day due to the inconvenience of extracting the water bottle from the hauling sack. During the night Chuck lost considerable sleep trying to match my water consumption, sip for sip. By dawn only a single quart of water remained. At 4 A.M. we were up and climbing the fixed rope. The "under-cling" pitch, two chimneys, and the Psych Flake were soon behind us. The jamcrack pitch to the Sandy Ledges proved more difficult above the jamcrack than Chuck had anticipated, but he climbed it in fine form, and we were ready to start the three Zig-Zag pitches at noon. Our confidence was high, but shaken momentarily when a large log

came whirring down from the summit. Someone up there had tired of throwing the usual rocks, possibly figuring the log would get us both with one blow. Our vehement protests were met with stunned silence, astonished disbelief, and immediate cessation, in that order. I led the first Zig-Zag, an enjoyable lead with an intricate fin-ish. Chuck strung out the second pitch about twenty-five feet beyond the customary belay spot—giving me more than enough rope to reach Thank God Ledge at the end of the third Zig-Zag. Thank God Ledge was not a disappointment—it was as exhil-arating as all accounts had described it. Chuck scurried across it without hesitation. We had planned in advance how to handle the hauling problem at this point. However, I suc-cessfully foiled the plan when I dropped the haul line too soon, firmly snagging it thirty feet below the center of the ledge.

Chuck patiently backtracked and spent many tiring minutes shaking the line loose. This extracurricular activity wasted thirty minutes of valuable day-light and tired Chuck considerably. I crossed T.G. Ledge and quickly began the aid crack leading to the bolt ladder. Hastily, I clipped into fixed pitons without testing them—and Chuck was able to save even more time by removing these pins without the use of his hammer. Time was the major factor now. Twilight was waning when Chuck took off on the 24th pitch, a fourth class traverse. When I reached him, twilight had turned into darkness, and our infamous final bivouac began. The nights prior to this bivouac had been warm, and we purposefully had left our down jackets in Camp 4. Now the cold breeze and lack of adequate clothing made prolonged naps impos-sible. We eventually quit trying to nap, and just shivered and talked about water until dawn. When I reached the friction move the next morning, I thanked Chuck for his foresight in not insisting that we climb it by flashlight. Either of us could have made the move in the dark—if we could have found it.

On the summit we paused briefly to take pictures and soak up some warm rays from the rising sun; then we literally slid down the cables and raced to our refreshment cache. Two hours later we were met by our families in the Happy Isles parking lot. The afternoon was spent taking the verbal abuse of various Camp 4 climbers who caustically suggested that one more bivouac and we would have established a record for the most time-consuming ascent. We week-end climbers tend to ignore these quips—we are generally too busy packing for the return trip home. In my case, however, I had to agree. It had taken forty-two days to accomplish what I had originally set out to do—climb Half Dome.

Lauria family on the Half Dome cable route

Statement of Purpose

The Bardini Foundation is a group of friends and relatives who wish to honor and com-

memorate their friend and brother, the late Allan Bard, fondly known as "The Great

Bardini". The Foundation was formed to continue Allan's work and carry out his plans

and dreams of exposing people to the total mountain experience. In Allan's memory,

the Foundation will strive to provide the common man with Muir's inspiration to "Climb

the mountains and get their good tidings". The Bardini Foundation is providing: 1. Year-round backcountry guide services 2. Sponsorship of courses in avalanche safety, mountain Emergency medical practices, mountaineering skills, and wilderness appreciation 3. Continued publication and distribution of Allan's Shooting Star Guides 4. A newsletter to promote mountain ethics, protocol, and safety 5. Publication of Allan's writings and photographs 6. Funds for search and rescue groups, for training and equipment 7. Slide shows and seminars on mountain sports, and safety, 8. Funds to train and accredit, in cooperation with the American Mountain Guides Association, mountain guides of Allan's quality 9. Support for environmental and cultural projects of community interest in Bishop, California

Winter 2018/2019 Issue The Backside of Beyond 5

Youth in the Sierra

Tim Villanueva, Bardini Youth Program Direc-tor, supervising climbing at South Lake

If one is wondering how the Bardini Foundation “fits” into the category of environmental activist, one can go to Patagonia’s website grant application guidelines where it is stated that “the battle to save our environment will never be won unless the public is informed. “ The Bardini Foundation has three approaches to reach the goal of an informed public: Recreational through guided treks, ski tours, and peak climbs Educational through rock climbing and avalanche courses Conservationist through leave-no-trace classes. All of our youth activities are conducted gratis. Our guiding and educational service fees are mini-mal--priced well below the market because we seek no profit and require no growth. We need only meet the immediate expense of the service. Our general operating expenses are covered through donations. Muir wrote that the Sierra should be explored by everyone with "the right manners of the wilder-ness". In that vein, we strive to enlist the support and cooperation of our clientele, the common man, in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra Nevada by allowing them to explore and enjoy the Sierra Nevada with specific attention to minimum impact use. Excursions of this sort, properly conducted, do an infinite amount of good toward awakening proper interest in the forests and the other natural features of the Sierra. Ansel Adams said "the mountains are more to us than a mere proving ground of strength and alert skill. Rock climbing should be considered a thrilling means to a more important end." After all, rock climbing has spawned many environmental activists, Yvon Chouinard and David Brower being among the more prominent. Brower implied that mountain outings are "the best source of the conservation warrior." Muir argued that travelers come back from the wilderness ready to fight for its preservation. The Bardini Foun-dation is dedicated to creating future warriors for the wilderness.

Bardini & the Environment

Workshop Colors

Bardini Tee-Shirts

Bardini Foundation PO Box 1422

Bishop CA 93515-1422

The Backside of Beyond Volume XX February 2019 Number 1

The annual newsletter of the

Bardini Foundation, Inc. (760) 873-8036 www.bardini.org

(760) 872- 4413 don@bardini.org

Publisher/Editor

Don Lauria

Board of Directors Bob Behrendt - Don Lauria

Tim Villanueva Advisory Board

Robert Dery, MD - John Ellsworth

John Moynier - Walter Pachucki - J. Kent Steele, LLD

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10-oz. white porcelain mug with the Bardini logo

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fully adjustable, in a variety of colors

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