A Goat beneath the Snow Creek Wall near Leavenworth
Photo by Jason Martin
--Robert Boardman set out on a hike Saturday with his wife in the Olympic National Park. The Port Angeles man never completed his trail. Boardman, 63, died after trying to shoo away a mountain goat at the top of Klahhane Ridge, about four miles north of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, National Park Service officials said. He is believed to be the first person to have died in an incident involving an animal in the park, spokeswoman Barb Maynes said. Rangers found and killed the animal, which was to be taken to Monroe for a necropsy, she said. To read more, click here.
--In late September, well-known local climber Dallas Kloke was killed in a tragic accident in the Cascades. Dallas was responsible for many dozens, if not hundreds, of first ascents. However, the place that he had the largest impact was on Mount Erie, a small climbing area near Anacortes. There is now a movement to create a memorial to the climber. To read more, click here.
Former President Bill Clinton
Photo by Alasdair Turner
--It has been an interesting political week at the American Alpine Institute. AAI guide and photographer, Alasdair Turner has become a "go to" guy for political photography. This week, Alasdair was enlisted to photograph former President Bill Clinton when he came to Seattle to campaign for Senator Patty Murry. Earlier this year, Alasdair was selected as a photographer when President Obama visited. Outside of Alasdair's burgeoning career as a political photographer, the Institute office staff also had an interesting encounter. We had the opportunity to meet U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen when he visited our home office in Bellingham on Tuesday as side-trip in between campaign stops. The staff and Larsen discussed the need and methodologies to augment budgets for the National Park Service and US Forest Service in order to deal with backlogs in road and trail maintenance. As past president of the Outdoor Industry Association, AAI director Dunham Gooding has worked on those budgeting issues with members of Congress for many years.
Sierra:
--Yosemite National Park is currently developing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to study rehabilitation on approximately 40 miles of the Tioga Road, the highest trans-sierra highway that crosses the northern part of the park. The primary goal of this project is to improve visitor safety along the Tioga Road while still preserving the natural and cultural resources throughout the Tioga Road corridor. Yosemite National Park invites the public to a site visit for the Tioga Road Rehabilitation Project on Friday, October 29, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The previously scheduled site visits were cancelled due to inclement weather at the higher elevations in the park. This public site visit is an opportunity for interested parties to learn more about this planning effort. Park planners will be at the meeting to discuss the project and hear comments and concerns regarding the planning effort and proposed rehabilitation actions. To read more, click here.
--In August of 2008, California Fish and Game Wardens received an anonymous report via CalTip about suspected poaching activity in the Virginia Canyon area of Yosemite National Park. Based on this tip, the National Park Service (NPS) and the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) opened a joint investigation. As the investigation progressed, Chad Gierlich, his 14-year old son, his brother Chris Gierlich, and Kyle Narasky were identified as suspects. After catching two suspects in the act, they were sentenced. On Tuesday, October 19th, 2010, Chad and Chris Gierlich were sentenced in Federal Court. Chris received sentencing including five years of supervised probation, 250 hours of community service, and 45 days of house arrest. Additionally, Chris is prohibited from hunting within the United States for five years, is not allowed to be in the presence of anyone hunting, and is not allowed to possess a bow and arrow.Chad Gierlich’s sentence in federal court included five years of supervised probation and a $52,368 fine. Additionally, Chad is prohibited from hunting within the United States for five years, prohibited from being in the presence of other hunters, and is not allowed to possess a bow and arrow. He is not allowed in Yosemite for the duration of his probation.To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
AAI Guide Kevin Hogan demonstrating his skill with a Trekking Pole
Photo by Jason Martin
--It appears that AAI Guides Scott Massey and Kevin Hogan were responsible for making the first ascent of a new multi-pitch line in Red Rock this week. More details to come!
--The quiet Poway Crags outside of San Diego has been re-opened to climbing after a 7 year closure—a big win for climbers in the area. Poway Crags, offering quality routes up to 200 feet, was originally closed in 2003 due to a major wildfire. Signs were posted restricting the area for habitat restoration. Climbers respected the closure and the area fell quiet. Years later, after nature had healed itself, ACSD made contact with the City of Poway to gain official reinstatement of climbing access to the area. To read more, click here.
--It's always important to remember that being passed and passing others is part of climbing. The best way to deal with this from either end is to be pleasant and to work together to keep everyone moving. It appears that this was not the case in an incident last week in Red Rock. Check out the report, here.
Himalaya:
--Family and friends of Alexey Gorbatenkov and Svetlana Gutsalo are seeking any information from people in the Khumbu region who may have seen the pair over the course of the last month. They did not catch their return flight after their trip and are currently missing. Gorbatenkov and Gutsalo set off to attempt Tengkang Poche (21,325'), in late September. On the 27th they reported they were okay and beginning their attempt on Tengkang Poche's north face. To read more, click here.
--Alpinist.com has a nice breakdown of a series of new routes that were climbed this season in Pakistan, China and Afghanistan. To read about the routes, please click here.
Notes from All Over:
--A Colorado climber who fell 1,000 feet to his death has been identified, officials say. James Charles Patrick was climbing on Rocky Mountain National Park's Taylor Glacier with two others on Saturday morning when he slipped and slid off an icy cliff, taking the group's rope with him as he fell and leaving them stranded. To read more, click here.
--The Western Colorado Climber’s Coalition (WCCC) closed on the 13 acre Mother’s Buttress parcel in Unaweep Canyon, securing climbing access that was threatened by private property restrictions. The effort was made possible with the help of a $10,000 grant from the Access Fund, a $5,000 grant from REI, and donated services by Telluride surveyor Dave Foley, Grand Junction engineer Marc Kenney and Telluride attorney Steve Johnson, Western Colorado Regional Coordinator for the Access Fund, not to mention the dedication of the WCCC. To read more, click here.
