Welcome to the Mazama Blog
Hey hikers, for those of you on the east side, join Mazamas hike leader Meg Linza on her Wednesday evening Mt. Tabor walks, leaving from the Mazamas Mountaineering Center promptly at 6pm. Bring layers, good walking shoes, water, friends and good cheer! No sign up necessary, cost is $2 for the under 55-ers, $1 for those 55 and better.
What: Mount Tabor Wednesday Rambles
When: Each Wednesday starting 6pm
Where: Mazamas Mountaineering Center, 527 SE 43rd Ave, Portland OR 97215
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| Mazamas Climb Card |
That’s right! April 15 is the earliest day you can apply for a Mazamas climb.
Good news for 2013! Starting this year, you can order your climb cards online. Just follow this link.
Climb cards postmarked before April 15 won’t be considered. The earlier you send out your applications (after the 15th, that is) the better your chances of getting on a climb, so now’s the time to get your hands on some blank climb cards.
In case you’re new to the Mazamas climb application process, or just need a refresher, here’s a small collection of links to help you out.
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| 2012 Spring Thing Trail Work |
Are you a Smith Rock user? Maybe this year it’s time for you to give something back to this local rock climbing jewel by participating in the 2013 Spring Thing, a one-day chance for all friends of Smith Rock to join with park rangers for improvement projects all around the park.
Last year’s Spring Thing volunteers completed the retaining walls at the base of Cinnamon Slab, built new steps to the Dihedrals, constructed 100 new steps on Misery Ridge and did cruicial trail work at Monkey Face, Spiderman’s Buttress, Front Side, Phoenix Buttress and Aggro Gully. Pretty impressive, right?
The 2013 Spring Thing will be held on May 11th. Register at 8am and end your day at 5pm with a dinner, auction, and raffle. “Parking passes, breakfast snacks, water, sunscreen, work gloves, tools and supplies and dinner are provided for all volunteers.”
If you can’t come on the 11th to do the hard labor, you can still help out by donating cash, materials, tools, or items for the auction.
For details please follow this link.
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| The mighty Hörst men |
In February, Smith Rock’s iconic Scarface (5.14a) was climbed by a 13-year-old. First put up in 1988 by Scott Franklin, and the first 5.14 ever established by an American, Scarface is the third 5.14 climbed by Drew Ruana. You can watch a video of Drew sending Scarface here.
In March, 10-year-old Jonathan Hörst climbed a 5.14a in Red River Gorge, KY. Jonathan, son of the famed trainer Eric Hörst, climbed God’s Own Stone. Jonathan is not the first 10-year-old to climb God’s Own Stone, but he may be the first 10-year-old boy. Last year, Brooke Raboutou also climbed this route, as did Jonathan’s older brother Cameron Hörst, who climbed it at the ripe old age of 11.
Earlier this month Kai Lightner, age 13, climbed a series of 5.14 routes in the Red. Follow this link to see a video of Kai sending Southern Smoke.
The Mazamas Blog celebrates the extraordinary climbing and hiking videos being made these days by club members. If you or a Mazama you know have a video you’d like to share, submit a link to the video, along with a short description, to mazamasonline@gmail.com.
Each month, we will feature one video as Video of the Month.
This month’s winner is Andrew Holman’s outstanding piece entitled “Climb and Shoot.”
On October 29 of last year, we reported on a new Forest Service plan to log a two thousand acre section of the ZigZag National Forest. The “Horseshoe Sale” was directly adjacent to a number of highly valued trails and important recreation sites, including the Frenches Dome climbing area.
Forest Service watchdog group BARK recently announced that the Horseshoe Sale has been withdrawn. According to Alex Brown, BARK’s executive director, the sale “was withdrawn faster than any sale in Mt. Hood’s history — a testament to the disconnect between the Forest Service’s timber program and the public’s expectations for our forests.”
You can view the original article by following this link.
According to a recent press release from the Washington State Department of Transportation, the North Cascades Highway is expected to be open around the first of May. The clearing project will begin on March 25 — about the same time it began last year — but unusually low snowpack in the area means the project will be completed more quickly. In 2012 the road was opened May 10.
From the press release:
Snow depths at the summit of Washington Pass measured about 5 feet compared to 7.5 feet last year, while snow was 5.5 feet deep at Rainy Pass compared to 8 feet last year. Snow piles in the Liberty Bell avalanche zone ranged from 25 to almost 40 feet compared to 35 to nearly 60 feet in 2012.
You can learn more details about this year’s snow study, as well as a few statistics from previous winters, by visiting the press release at this link.
[From: June 2012 Mazama Bulletin]
By Ray Sheldon
It seems that nothing is new in the Mazamas. We usually find out that an idea is already a part our history. So I’ll open this story on “Classic Climbs” by saying, the first I heard of an age-oriented climb designation was when Hal Nichols led an “Old Timers” climb of Middle Sister on July 6, 1996. His over-55 leadership continued and in 1997 he led a group up Broken Top. Stan Enevoldsen was the assistant on both of those climbs.
I started leading the 55 and older group on climbs in 1998 with a climb of Mount St. Helens on June 11 with Joan Mosser as the assistant. In 2000, Stan started assisting and is still going strong.
The title “Old Timers” didn’t really describe the mental and physical level of the climbing parties. Hal had called them “Elips,” which is Chinook for senior or elder. That was certainly a more respectable title. Still, in an effort to put even more class into the group, I changed the name to “Classic Climbers” but retained the 55 years and older restriction. The idea has always been to climb at a leisurely pace without any feelings of holding the party back. Over the years, climbs were scheduled on Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mount St. Helens, South Sister, Thielsen, and many of the minor peaks in the northwest. One memorable climb was on Mt. Hood when we arranged a snow cat to take the climbers up to the top of the Palmer snowfield, climb the mountain, and then have dinner and overnight accommodations at Silcox Hut. This turned out to be such a great time that we decided to schedule it again over the years. On one of the Mt. Hood climbs a picture was taken of four of us on the summit and the average age was 74 years old! Who says old goats can’t have fun.
Every year at signup time, I would get requests from younger climbers asking if they could go on the (C) climbs. I would tell them that age isn’t as important as attitude. If they felt comfortable with the slower pace, they were certainly welcome. Besides, it gave us a ready made source of Sherpas! And we could tell our war stories to a whole new audience. It finally dawned on me that the climb designation should emphasize the pace and not the age. The Climbing Committee (CC) agreed and changed the code to read: C: Classic. For “Classic Climbers” (those of any age desiring a slower-paced climb)”
And with that, the CC asked climb leaders to consider leading a Classic Climb in an effort to supply climbs for that group of climbers. Back in 1998, only seven people signed up for Hal’s climb. This year, the five Classic Climbs filled up immediately. A second climb of one peak was scheduled. There were 20 climb cards sent in for climbs out of Mowich Lake at Mt. Rainier. On the other hand, Matt Carter’s Classic Climb of Cowhorn has just one signup.
If slower-paced climbs are going to be a part of the climb schedule, more interest and participation will be needed. If the idea of a leisurely climb appeals to you, contact your favorite leader and ask to have them schedule a climb. You might have to go out and recruit a party but it can be a classic experience.
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| White River Glacier |
In 2012, supported by funding from a Mazamas research grant, PSU geologist Hassan Basagic visited numerous mountains in the Pacific Northwest in order to duplicate glacier photographs originally recorded early in the 20th century. He is now compiling those images for his Glacier Repeat Photography Database, a website which “seeks to summarize the existing glacier repeat photographic record throughout the American West.”
Mr. Basagic’s first set of images are taken from the glaciers of Mount Hood.
Walking in the footsteps of renowned American geophysicist H.F. Reid and W.A. Langille, Basagic repositioned his camera precisely in the “photographic stations” used by these scientists over 110 years ago. The result is a juxtaposition of images representing a century of glacier retreat with unique clarity and precision.
“Read more” below for a collection of Mr. Basagic’s images and commentary. Click images to enlarge. All photos courtesy Hassan Basagic.
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White River Glacier. These images were taken not far from the Timberline Lodge. Close inspection reveals the addition of a chairlift. The White River Glacier has lost the most area on Mount Hood, decreasing by 60% since the original photo was taken. Coalman Glacier can also be observed in the photo pairs.
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Newton Clark Glacier. Located on the east side of Mount Hood. In 1901 the glacier terminated at a dramatic cliff. In 2012 the ice has nearly vacated the photo frame.
The Mazamas Library is currently making space in its archives for expanding its outstanding collection of mountaineering, hiking, climbing and adventure books. We are clearing out some unneeded volumes, many of which contain outstanding photography and historical value. If you are interested in collecting books of this type, please follow this link to the Ebay sale page.