A Makeshift Memorial for Dallas Kloke at the Summit of Mount Erie
--The body of a former Oak Harbor school teacher was recovered by a search-and-rescue helicopter team last Thursday near Mount Larrabee in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Dallas Kloke, a 71-year-old Anacortes resident, was discovered at an elevation of about 6,600 feet on the Paleiades peaks, according to Deputy George Ratazczak, search-and-rescue coordinator for the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. The recovery took place at about 9 a.m. that day and went smoothly, he said. Kloke was a life-long climber with hundreds of first ascents in the Cascades. However, he was always most noted for his tireless route development on Mount Erie near Anacortes. To read more, click here. To see a memorial thread at cascadeclimbers.com, click here.
--The disappearance of a hiker on Sauk Mountain in the North Cascades has left Skagit County Search and Rescue personnel questioning whether she's still up there. "The most likely scenario is she wandered off and got lost," sheriff's Chief Deputy Will Reichardt said on Tuesday. But officials are considering other possibilities as they look for Patricia Kreiger. "There is some evidence to indicate that maybe she walked out," Reichardt said. "We're not closed-minded to the possibility there is foul play." To read more, click here.
--One day soon, hikers on the Glacier Basin Trail will cross an unnamed creek about halfway up the path with hardly a second thought about the short wooden bridge under their boots. Such is the case with most of Carl Fabiani’s projects. You might not know his name, but if you’ve hiked in Mount Rainier National Park in the last 45 years, you know his work. Whether chopping through downed trees or bureaucratic red tape, Fabiani has been building and repairing trails in the park since he graduated from Buckley’s White River High School in 1965. To read more, click here.
Sierra:
--There's not much information, but it appears that there was a knife fight at the Mobile Mart in Lee Vining on October 3rd. There were five people involved in the fight and two were injured. The police have suspects in custody. The Mobile is a central eating establishment that almost all climbers in the Sierra visit regularly. To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
--Prolific first ascentionist Tony Lusk died of a massive heart attack on Sunday. Lusk was a well-known climber in the Southern Arizona community and was responsible for more than four hundred routes throughout throughout the area including crags like The Ruins, the Outcroppings, the Boneyard, Ridgeline, Sky Valley, the Tomestone, the Outback, and the Steep. To read more, click here.
--A real estate broker survived six-days without food or water in Joshua Tree National Park by sitting still and writing messages to his family on his hat, telling them what kind of funeral he wanted, who they could trust and how much he loved them, his wife said. Edward Rosenthal, 64, was on a day hike when he made a wrong turn trying to get back to his car on September 24th, Nicole Kaplan told The Associated Press by telephone after her husband was rescued by a San Bernardino County sheriff's helicopter crew. To read more, click here.
--A hiker this week became stranded in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area over night. After the sun went down he contacted authorities by cell phone instead of continuing. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--Black Diamond has an extremely interesting report on the dangers of fixed draws at sport climbing areas. It appears that carabiners become badly grooved over time and can cut the rope! To read the report, click here.
--The preceding video is one of the coolest things that you'll ever see. Extreme climber Drew Bristol made his way down into an active volcano in the South Pacific boiling lava while being filmed by vulcanologist Geoff Mackley. To read more, click here.
--Some months ago, we reported on the development of a Swedish crag that was dominated by somewhat tasteless route names. Nazi names were splashed across route topos in the local guidebook. It appears that the chairman of the Swedish Climbing Committee has banned "offensive" names at all local crags. This move has been questioned by climbers all over the world. Who determines what names are offensive? How can such a thing be monitored? To read more, click here.
--From now until December 15th, Mugs Stump Award applications are being accepted. The Mugs Stump Grant is was designed to honor the late Mugs Stump by providing the means to small teams who wish to complete a significant first ascent in good style. To read more, click here.
--Throughout the summer a number of different parties visited peaks in the Djangart Valley and Torugart-Too mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Neither of these areas see much action, but climbers made a small dent on the many unclimbed peaks in the area. To read more, click here.
