We are the mountain people. Everything we make is designed by Everything we make is designed by climbers, for climbers. Each piece is climbers, for climbers. Each piece is crafted by peak and crag to give you crafted by peak and crag to give you absolute protection, comfort and mobility absolute protection, comfort and mobility when you really need it. when you really need it.
NEXT ADVENTURE | PORTLAND W W W.RAB.EQUIPMENT
IN THIS ISSUE Executive Director Report, p. 4 Virtual Series, p. 6 Upcoming Events & Activities, p. 7 Volunteer Opportunities, p. 8 Successful Climbs, p. 8 Trending the Mazama Trail, p. 9 Summit Proposal, p. 12 Secret Places, p. 14 Climate Change Alone Didn’t Cause the 2020 Fire Storm, p. 16 Mazama as Change Agents, p. 17 What’s That Tree?, p. 19 Smith Rock Managers, p. 22 Wilderness First Aid, p. 23 2020 Annual Meeting, p. 24 Great American Outdoor Act, p. 25 Mazama Library, p. 27 Trail Trips, p. 28 A Walk in the Wallowas, p. 29 We Climb High, p. 33 Mazama Zoom meetings, p. 35 Mazama Membership Report, p. 36 Mazama Lodge, p. 37 Mazama Classics, p. 37 Executive Council Minutes, p. 38 Cover: Thomas Miller on the summit of Forbidden Peak (Washington) summit. Photo: Jeff Hawkins. Above: New Mazama Molly Swisher on the summit of Mount St. Helens, July 2020.
CONTACT US MAZAMA MOUNTAINEERING CENTER 527 SE 43rd Ave., Portland, Oregon, 97215 Phone: 503-227-2345 | help@mazamas.org Hours: CLOSED to public access
MAZAMA LODGE 30500 West Leg Rd., Government Camp, OR, 97028 Phone: 503-272-9214 Hours: CLOSED to public access
PUBLICATIONS TEAM Editor: Sarah Bradham, Bulletin Editor, (mazama.bulletin@mazamas.org) Members: Jonathan Barrett, Lindsey Garner, Brian Goldman, Darrin Gunkel, Ali Gray, Katie Polanshek, Claire Tenscher (publications@mazamas.org)
MAZAMA STAFF SARAH BRADHAM, Acting Executive Director sarah@mazamas.org
CLAIRE NELSON Education & Culture Manager clairenelson@mazamas.org
MATHEW BROCK Library & Historical Collections Manager mathew@mazamas.org
KELSEY SHAW Member Services Administrator kelseyshaw@mazamas.org
RICK CRAYCRAFT LAURA BURGER Facilities Manager Development Coordinator facillities@mazamas.org lauraburger@mazamas.org For additional contact information, including committees and board email addresses, go to mazamas.org/contactinformation.
MAZAMA (USPS 334-780):
Advertising: mazama.ads@mazamas.org. Subscription: $15 per year. Bulletin material must be emailed to mazama.bulletin@mazamas.org. The Mazama Bulletin is currently published bi-monthly by the Mazamas—527 SE 43rd Ave., Portland, OR 97215. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MAZAMAS, 527 SE 43rd Ave., Portland, OR 97215. The Executive Council meets at 4 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Meetings are open to members. The Mazamas is a 501(c)(3) Oregon nonprofit corporation organized on the summit of Mt. Hood in 1894. The Mazamas is an equal opportunity provider.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 3
Acting Executive Director’s Report
A LOOK BACK AT THE PAST YEAR by Sarah Bradham, Acting Executive Director
O
ur Annual Meeting occurs on the first Monday in October and is when we officially usher in our new year, announce our incoming board members, and take a pause and reflect back on the “year” that was.
Despite our inability to gather in person, we still held our Annual Meeting, going virtual for the first time in our 126-year history. While it is a lot of work every year to pull together an Annual Meeting, there are two things I really love about this event. One, it forces us to take the time to reflect on the year that was—we analyze data, we write reports, and we take stock of our accomplishments and challenges over the past 12 months. And two, we have the opportunity to interact with a full spectrum of Mazama members. This year, while we couldn’t share a meal, handshake, or hug, we could see faces and smiles thanks to video conferencing, and share a few jokes before we got into the heart of the meeting. I can truly say, the last 12 months are one for the record books. We kicked it off with our new Executive Director, and there was a vibe of excitement and change in the air. We were in the process of reframing the work of the Mazamas around our three core areas— Education & Activities, Advocacy, and Community—and we were setting the groundwork for a strong year of programming. Little did we know that we would soon face a global pandemic, followed closely by the departure of our new Executive Director, a change in staffing at the Mazama Lodge, and unprecedented wildfires that filled our skies with smoke, drove people from their homes, and burned thousands of acres that we know and love. To say this past year has been unprecedented, would be an understatement. Yet through all of the challenges, there have been new opportunities and shared experiences. So what did we do in the before-Covid (BC) phase of the year? Well, as it turns out, quite a bit! We operated multiple youth outreach climbs with our partner organizations and hosted Unclimb Nights with Wild Diversity. We continued our work with Oregon Outdoors and Outdoor Alliance, keeping the Mazamas connected to advocacy initiatives, both locally and nationally. We collaborated with The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, and the Colorado Mountain Club on our long-standing project of creating national training standards for volunteer leaders, and piloted several courses. We held our biggest Portland Alpine Fest to date, with climbing legend Lynn Hill capping off a week of clinics, seminars, and evening presentations. We taught core programs, including Nordic, Backcountry Skiing, Families Mountaineering 101, and Intermediate Climbing School. We held an AIARE Avalanche Level I course, we hosted weekly Evening Travel Programs with record crowds, and we ran a successful Used Equipment Sale just one week before the world shutdown due to the coronavirus. Our hike and ramble leaders led members and nonmembers on trails and roads, creating joy and camaraderie while racking up the miles. And our climb leaders had a few successful winter climbs on our local peaks.
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The Mazamas mission is to inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains. Never has our mission been more important than it is now. People are discovering, or rediscovering, their need to spend time outside and in nature, and are looking for ways to explore, gather, and learn—in a safe environment. The Mazamas can meet this need.
And then the world stopped. And along with it, the Mazamas programming came to an abrupt halt. We had to cancel our Basic Climbing Education Program, Advanced Rock, and Canyoneering. Hikes and Rambles came to a standstill. Climbing season was delayed. We closed the Mazama Mountaineering Center and Mazama Lodge. While it might have felt like everything came to a stop, behind the scenes we continued our work. We created a Virtual Series to connect our members and community online, covering topics such as Mt. Hood South Side 101, Anchor Basics, Navigation, and more. While I’m sure most people were interested in the topics, I think many tuned in just to see friendly faces, and get some connection to the outside world. At the Mazamas we most frequently get in our cars and drive to trailheads to start our adventures. With many trailheads closed and travel discouraged, we were forced to figure out how to get our nature fix closer to home. During these months at home, my bike, which previously was mostly a means of transportation, became one of my primary forms of outdoor recreation. Most weekends I would put my pup in his bike seat, and head out for long rides straight from my house. Instead of driving to Forest Park, I walked and ran in my neighborhood— frequently on familiar routes, but occasionally travelling off the beaten path and delighting in “new to me” locations. Or (later in the season after the parks were open) I would take my stand up paddleboard to Sellwood Park and launch on the Willamette, exploring areas that were new to me. What I relearned during this time is that access to the outdoors is absolutely critical to our physical and mental health. Moving our bodies, breathing fresh air, and exploring the natural world, keeps us grounded and connected. This observation was reinforced when our sky filled with smoke due to the raging forest fires south and east of Portland. The air was unhealthy to breath, and outside wanderings and exercise were halted for the 10 days when our air quality index (AQI) was often times off the charts.The fires taught us that while we thought we had been in quarantine for months, we were truly just learning what quarantine meant. The Mazamas mission is to inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains. Never has our mission been more important than it is now. People are discovering, or rediscovering, their need to spend time outside and in nature, and are looking for ways to explore, gather, and learn—in a safe environment. The Mazamas can meet this need. Both our climbing and hiking program began operating in midJuly. We have several programs planned for October and November, including Intermediate Climbing School one day Skill Builders, and a hybrid Wilderness First Aid program hosted by our First Aid team. Our Nordic and Backcountry Skiing programs are holding info nights next month to prep for their 2021 classes. Our Street Rambles are currently on hiatus, but we can’t wait for them to return to get folks out on those closer to home adventures. The Mazamas is able to continue our work and serve our community because of all of you—our members. We hope you will renew your membership now, and consider adding a donation with your renewal, in effort to help us continue to be a vibrant part of the greater mountain community. We are looking forward to getting to see all of you out on the trails, on Zoom, or at the Mazama Mountaineering Center in the near future.
JOIN THE MAZAMAS ARE YOU READY TO BECOME A MAZAMA MEMBER? IF YOU HAVE SUMMITTED A GLACIATED PEAK AT ANY TIME IN YOUR LIFE YOU ARE READY! GO TO MAZAMAS.ORG/ JOIN AND SIGN UP.
EDUCATION ADVOCACY COMMUNITY BUILDING What does it mean to join the Mazamas? As a member you are part of one of the most respected mountaineering and outdoor organizations in the country. Our members are passionate outdoor individuals who are dedicated to our mission of inspiring everyone to love and protect the mountains. The Mazamas and its members work towards our mission through education, advocacy, and community building.
AS A MEMBER YOU WILL: • Meet new friends who share your love of the outdoors. • Contribute towards scholarships to get underserved populations outdoors. • Enjoy discounted rates on Mazama activities and discounts at local outdoor retailers and gyms. • Receive our bi-monthly Mazama Bulletin magazine. • Join the American Alpine Club (AAC) at a reduced rate (once you join you will receive a code to use on the AAC website). • Gain full access to the world-class 5,000-volume Mazama Mountaineering Library. • Receive free rescue insurance anywhere in the world below 6,000 meters and up to $10,000 ($5,000 with Mazama membership; $10,000 with joint AAC membership). • Volunteer! You can join our team and lead trips, classes, and other activities.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 5
MAZAMA VIRTUAL SERIES: LEARN, GATHER, EXPERIENCE
HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY JACK GRAUER!
Join us on Zoom or Facebook Live to participate in our online virtual series. We are adding new presentations regularly—go to mazamas.org/virtualmazamas to get all the details. If you have an idea for a presentation, fill out our presenter form on that same page.
HIKING THE DESERT TRAIL THROUGH DEATH VALLEY PRESENTER: ALAN “SKIP” SMITH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 | 7–8 P.M. | ZOOM The Desert Trail in Death Valley National Park is composed of 8 segments lasting from one to three days. The corridor goes over, through, and by three mountain ranges, one summit, eight canyons, three old mines, a bar, a restaurant, several showers, two sand dunes, seven valleys, two craters, four rock art panels, a race track, rocks that mysteriously move, a grass which has no relatives, the largest spider west of Richmond, Va., and one cute fish. Join Mazama member Alan "Skip" Smith for a tour of the trek, and how to pull it off.
LESSONS LEARNED & ACHIEVEMENTS UNLOCKED IN A PANDEMIC SUMMER PRESENTER: HANNAH & JOE SNYDER THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 | 7–8 P.M. | ZOOM Join Hannah and Joe Snyder for a discussion on safely navigating COVID precautions while hiking and backpacking. Tune in, sit back, and let them take you along on some of their favorite adventures this summer! 6 MAZAMAS
We’d like to wish Mazama Member John “Jack” Grauer a happy and healthy 100th birthday! Jack has been an integral member of our community since he joined the Mazamas in 1947 at the age of 27. He led his first Mazama climb on Mt. Constance in the Olympics in 1954, and in 1956 was elected to both the Climbing Committee and the Executive Council (something that can not happen now). Between 1954 and 1994, when he stopped climbing, Jack led 115 successful summit climbs! In addition to serving five terms on the Executive Council Jack Grauer is also the unofficial Mazama historian and author of Mt. Hood: A Complete History.
UPCOMING EVENTS SAFE OUTSIDE ONLINE TRAINING: PREVENTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT On September 17 the Mazamas piloted its first Safe Outside Online Training: Preventing Sexual Harassment and Assault. Six members joined for an in-depth conversation and workshop on making the Mazamas a safer community for everyone. The training was such a success we will launch several more for this year. Completion of this training awards participants with a Safe Outside badge. Please check the Mazama calendar for the next opportunity to add to your toolkit and become a more aware and empowered advocate for eliminating sexual harassment and assault from the outdoor community.
ROCKTOBER OCTOBER 2–11 | SMITH ROCK STATE PARK Join the Mountain Bureau for the Smith Rock stop on their epic road trip celebrating RockTober! They will be offering specialized, small group clinics taught by experienced instructors and special guests (who all happen to be Portland Alpine Fest and ALA Climb for Clean Air alum).
INTERMEDIATE CLIMBING SCHOOL (ICS) UPCOMING OCTOBER SKILL BUILDERS INTRODUCTION TO CRAGGING SKILL BUILDER FRIDAY, OCT. 23 | SATURDAY 24 | SUNDAY 25
CRAGGIN CLASSIC DIGITAL SERIES OCT. 19–25 | ONLINE Despite the unique circumstances we face, the 2020 Craggin’ Classic isn’t going anywhere—except to the comfort of your couch! Tie in with the AAC and CAMP USA for a special, week-long digital event series unlike any you’ve seen before! Featuring interactive clinics taught by pro climbing athletes, in-depth panel discussions and workshops, films, slideshows, games, and prizes.
MAZAMA COMMITTEE ORIENTATION WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28 | 6–7 P.M. | ONLINE Committee Orientation is back! This year, we will be restarting the time-honored tradition of an annual Committee Orientation (virtual, of course) on Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 p.m. Everyone on a committee is invited, and the more the merrier. Register for the orientation on the Mazamas Website.
CLIMBING TECHNIQUE SKILL BUILDER SATURDAY OCT 31 | SUNDAY NOV 1 Check out these two skill builders being put on by the ICS committee in October! See the Mazama website for more information and to register!
BACKCOUNTRY SKI TOURING 2021 INFO NIGHT THURSDAY, NOV. 19 | 6–7 P.M. | ONLINE At Info Night, the Backcountry Ski Touring team will provide information about the 2020–2021 class and answer any questions that you have about the class. You’ll have a chance to meet and ask questions of the instructors who will be teaching that class. Sign up at: tinyurl.com/backcountryski2021
NORDIC 2021 INFO NIGHT
WILDERNESS FIRST AID (WFA)
TUESDAY, NOV. 3 | 6:30–8 P.M. | ONLINE
MULTIPLE DATES | HYBRID
Join this year’s team of Nordic instructors for an informative presentation on the 2020 course. You’ll have a chance to meet and ask questions of the instructors who will be teaching this class.
This year we are offering a brand new option for first aid—a Wilderness First Aid course that is a hybrid option, with online videos and quizzes, followed by an in person practical session.
Sign up at: tinyurl.com/Nordic2021
Get more details at: mazamas.org/wfa
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 7
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
SUCCESSFUL CLIMBERS
PUBLICATIONS TEAM
Thank you to our climb leaders for taking on the challenge of leading climbs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and getting folks out into the mountains for some much needed fun!
The Bulletin is enjoyable to read, but it is even better to be a part of the team that makes it happen each month! We are looking for editors, writers, and lovers of grammar to join our team. Inquire at publications@mazamas.org.
BASIC CLIMBING EDUCATION PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBERS Interested in being part of the magic that makes the Mazamas largest course run? The Basic Climbing Education Program Committee needs you! Check out the positions available on our Volunteer page, or email bcep@mazamas.org for more information.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE SECRETARY The Education Committee is looking for someone who is interested in assisting the Education Committee’s administration. This includes taking detailed notes during the Education Committee’s monthly meetings, ensuring that all meetings have an event and a Zoom meeting scheduled and that an agenda is sent to all Education Committee members at least three days prior to the upcoming meeting. The Education Committee is composed of representatives of all the Mazama Committees that offer classes. If you are interested in getting involved in the educational work of the Mazamas, this is a great opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of these activities. Please send inquiries to education@mazamas.org.
A special thank you to our outgoing Executive Council Members. Traci Manning, President Keith Campbell
We sincerely appreciate the time you devoted to the Mazamas over the past three years.
August 15: Glacier Peak, Cool Glacier. Long Ong, Leader. Nick Ostini, Assistant. Scott Branscum, Chirs Brox, Darren Ferris, Andres Malazasi, Parjwal Mohan. August 21: Mt. Thielsen, West Ridge. Gary Bishop, Leader. Michael Graham, Assistant. Aardra Athalye, Defne Cakin, Denara Goble, John McElravy, Tessa Rough, Thomas Williams. August 22: Mt. Stuart, Cascadian Couloir. Julie Kentosh, Leader. Rico Micallef, Assistant. Scott Auble, Sándor Lau, Ian McCluskey, Katie Polanshek. August 26: Mt. Washington (Olympics), Standard. Trey Schutrumpf, Leader. Gary Bishop, Assistant. Harry T. Colas, Jessica A. Dalton, Jack Kuo, Kristi Riedel, Lauren Saxton August 29: Mt. Stuart, Cascadian Couloir. Long Ong, Leader. Mark Stave, Assistant. Clinton Carpenter, Joe Kaufman, Lacey Jones, Matt Rollins, Courtney Rust, Terry Sayre. August 29: Middle Sister, Renfrew Glacier/North Ridge. Trey Schutrumpf, Leader. Michael Hortsch, Assistant. Judith Baker, Verna Burden, Thomas Clarke, Jack Kuo, Anupama Kurpad, Walker McAninch-Runzi, Lauren Saxton. October 3: Tamanos Mountain, Owyhigh Trail. Bob Breivogel, Leader. Reuel Kurzet, Assistant. Lindsey Addison, Harry Colas, Jessica Dalton, Jack Kuo, Oksoon Mora, Kristofel C. Simbajon. October 4: Castle, Pinnacle & Plummer Peaks, Standard Route. Bob Breivogel, Leader. Reuel Kurzet, Assistant. Lindsey Addison, Harry Colas, Jessica Dalton, Jack Kuo, Oksoon Mora, Kristofel C. Simbajon. A note to everyone who applied for a climb this summer and was not accepted. Due to the unique qualities of this year’s climb season, the opportunities were dramatically limited. In a typical year, there are more climbs on our schedule and a higher likelihood of being accepted onto a climb. We hope you won’t be discouraged if you were not accepted this year, and we hope to see you on a climb in 2021. *You can find the current Mazama COVID-19 policies in this issue, and they can also be found at mazamas.org/COVID-19
8 MAZAMAS
Tending the Mazama Trail Mazama trail tending volunteers on the Mazama trail. Photo by Susan Brickey.
by Susan Brickey
N
ormally, the Mazama Trail work party is scheduled in late June after most of the snow is gone, but this year COVID-related delays by both the Forest Service and Mazamas postponed it until the heat of August. Still, after much communication, the work went on with additional COVID protocols and special release requirements. While we missed the avalanche lilies, a huge feature of the June work parties, we were delighted with the ripe huckleberries that replaced them as an enticement up the trail.
What is the legacy of the Mazama Trail? Last year, longtime Mazama climb and hike leader Ray Sheldon retold the story for the 125th anniversary of the Mazamas. It all started in 1994 when Mazamas members went in search of an appropriate way to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary. The abandoned Cathedral Ridge Trail was identified, adopted, and rebuilt. This project took four years and involved temporary shelters to house people and gear. When it was finished, the trail was renamed after our organization and a legacy was born. See "Mazama Trail Construction" (DVD) in the Mazama
Library for the full story and for images from the project. The traditional three-day work parties involve camaraderie and fun, with the common goal of clearing the trail and protecting it for another year of adventuring. Since the Dollar Lake Fire in 2011, a large part of the trail maintenance requires taking out trees that have fallen over, impeding the trail. There are two major burn areas on the trail, but in the years since the fire, huckleberries, flowers, and trees returned. One year, 75 trees fell across the trail! This year luckily only 28 needed to be cut. It's a good thing that tree removal is a favorite of work parties!
However, this job is also dangerous, and at least one leader is required to have saw certification training. Thankfully, Mazama leader Rick Pope has that certification, which allows us to host work parties consistently. Safety is key, especially in wilderness areas! Don't be discouraged if you're new the trail tending game, though. First-timers quickly learn to handle the second side of the saws. This year, new participant Andy Klumpp took his first turn on the trip and said he'd be back to help again. We're looking forward to it, Andy! Trail tending offers work for everyone. In addition to the heavy work of removing
continued on next page OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 9
Many thanks to the twelve Mazamas and the Forest Service Volunteer Coordinator, Paul Bach, for stepping up on short notice and assuring the Mazama Trail’s legacy continues!
Trail Tending, continued from previous page trees, the work usually includes benching the trail to keep it wide, cutting back brush (with a benefit this year of munching the huckleberries along the way), and clearing drains to assure water runs off with all of our rains and snowmelt. The Mazama Trail features 14 switchbacks before you reach the Mt. Hood Wilderness boundary. When you reach the boundary, be sure to look back over your shoulder to view the tops of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens. Not to mention, the breathtaking views of Mt. Hood that you are treated to at the trailhead, as well as several places
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along the trail. Nothing like trail work with a view (and snacks, don't forget those huckleberries)! To ensure the health of our leaders and volunteers, 2020's sign up process limited the number of workers each day and required using the online sign-up system (the same as used when signing up for hikes and climbs). Participants in this year's trail tending work party were Paul Bach, our Forest Service representative, Rick Pope, Mazama Lead, Sue Brickey, Asst. Lead, Mary and Dave Mullen, David Carrier, Gary Riggs, Jeff Hawkins, Andy Klumpp, John Maroney, Tom Davidson, John Meckel, and Mike
Mazama leaders, volunteers, and our USFS partner removed 28 trees during this work party! Photos by Susan Brickey.
Kacmar. Thank you to these dedicated and hardworking volunteers! Missed this year's work party and feeling bummed? Fear not! The logs holding the switchbacks in place require replacing and gravel on the scree field needs refreshing, so be sure to watch for more trail tending work parties in the near future!
NO MORE
FORBIDDEN
After six (or was it seven?) attempts, Thomas Miller made it to the summit of Forbidden Peak on August 25, 2020. The weather was perfect, the crowds were light, and the climbing was awesome. A memorable Fifty Classic Climb for a memorable 65th birthday celebration. Thomas Miller on the summit of Forbidden Peak. Photo by Jeff Hawkins.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 11
Julie and Sandor celebrate on the summit of Mt. Stuart. Photo by Scott Auble
SUMMIT PROPOSAL
W
by Sándor Lau
hen I met Julie, I knew I had found someone special. She was on the fast track to climb the 16 major NW peaks. She enjoyed eating freezedried meals and my lamb and asparagus on the grill. She had good credit. The week of our first date, I saved an entire page of my journal to write, “I’m going to marry this girl.”
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Love, too, can be dangerous. Only fools rush in. I knew she was the one, but still we had to get to know each other. Did I mention I was born cautious? She drank IPAs. I drank porters. We’d have to see if we could make it work. We climbed South Sister and Broken Top in the smoke of wildfires. We climbed Mt. Shasta with a 23-hour summit day. We assisted Snake Dogs BCEP team together. She caught me on my first lead fall. I convinced her to get an AT ski setup. We cried together when we lost a BCEP mentor and teammate who did dangerous things as safely as possible. We met the parents. We found the perfect home a mile from the MMC after years of commuting from Eugene, Salem, and Gresham. We both became climb leaders. We started making plans. Then, the world turned upside down, and we put our plans on hold along with 7.5 billion others. We followed the governor’s orders and were surprised by the emotional toll of lockdown. We thought about eating freeze-dried meals for fun. Learned what the inside our house looks like on a Saturday afternoon. The risk of the virus had none of the fun of the risk of the summit. The loss of lockdown reminded us how precious life is, our families are, and our Mazamas family is. What I had written in my journal two and a half years ago was true. If there was ever a time to take our lives off hold and find something positive to move forward with, this was it. Mazamas reopened climbing. I was set on staying six light years apart from everyone. Julie was itching to get one peak closer to her 16 and notch her first lead as a fully-fledged climb leader. The Cascadian Couloir route up Mt. Stuart made a perfect late-season rock scramble. I imagined her reaction as I popped the question on the summit and agreed to do the climb. We assembled the Dream Team. I made a secret spreadsheet assigning the Dream Team video and photo roles for the occasion. Uncle Rico Micallef, our Chief Dirtbag, who stewarded us through BCEP assisting and leadership development and led our first climb together, would get the wide video. Scott Auble, who assisted BCEP with us and was on the smoky South Sister and Broken Top climb, would get the closeup stills. Ian McCluskey, a professional filmmaker who climbed with both of us on our provisional leads, would take the closeup video. Katie Polanshek, who cured me of a deadly (and fictional) edema in Mountaineering First Aid, would take the wide pictures. On a perfect bluebird summit day in August, we faced just enough challenges to keep it interesting. The rocky apex of Mt. Stuart is a tricky place for small groups to stand even without social distancing, but we did our best and got into positions. I put on my dress shirt and tie, hit record on the GoPro, and showed Julie and the Dream Team the journal. I took a knee and produced a ring for the only person I would carry a rock to the top of a mountain for. She said “Yes!” Then popped a question of her own, “Were you guys all in on this?” Her reaction tasted better than any freeze-dried meal when the Dream Team revealed the truth they had kept from their own climb leader. We popped a bottle of bubbly and moved forward with our lives.
RENEW TODAY! What does being a Mazama member mean? Why is it notable that we have people who have been members for 20, 50, and even 70 years? Why is it special that we have multiple generations of family members who are Mazamas? The Mazamas mission is to inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains, and you, our members, are an essential part of that mission. Being a Mazama member is a statement of support for all the work that the Mazamas does across our entire organization. It means protecting access to the outdoor spaces where we climb and hike. It means preserving the history of exploration and stewardship in the Pacific Northwest and sharing that knowledge and information through our library and historical collections. And it means being a voice, a leader, and an advocate in our community. Please renew your membership today and keep our Mazama community strong today, and for the next generation of Mazamas. Adding a donation to your membership renewal puts funds where they are most needed to support our programs and partnerships. Thank you, Mazamas
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 13
Secret Places Secret Lake Spot. Photo by Claire Tenscher.
by Claire Tenscher
B
ecause of the Covid crisis, I’ve had the opportunity to live and work from my hometown in the mountains of northern California. I can hike from my door; the house backs up on national forest land and wilderness, crossed only by the PCT. Within a short drive dozens of lakes are accessible by hundreds of miles of trails, and there are rafting, mountaineering, and mountain biking areas surrounding the town.
It turns out that I’m not the only one suddenly liberated. While the pandemic and associated economic crisis have put millions of our friends and family out of work, they have also given many people the freedom to enjoy summer like never before. The natural features that drew me home have also lured thousands of tourists to the area and turned this summer into the busiest we can remember. This means that easy or well publicized hikes that were serene before are now crowded. The riverside spots we’d usually go for a quick swim after work are occupied by campers, and litter and trash dumping have become a public health hazard around our drive-in lakes. A friend reports encountering a large group with a drone, stereo system, and an inflatable structure at a hike-in lake in a USFS wilderness area. While I will admit the idea of a floating 14 MAZAMAS
castle at a remote lake does appeal to me, drones and music are both poor etiquette and illegal, as is the trash dumping. Assuming good intent, some people just aren’t aware of their impact on the land or others, and that has made for a worse experience for those of us who place our faith in the 1964 federal Wilderness Act: “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. …retaining its primeval character and influence …which (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable; (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a
primitive and unconfined type of recreation …” Crowded hikes in my region would be considered positively desolate compared to most in the Gorge or on Mt. Hood. Nevertheless, my desire to avoid people has driven me to explore spots that I’ve heard about for years but never visited. I’ve used the Gaia GPS app more this summer than in the past five years. I visited a 25 foot waterfall, a five miles hike from my house, with a swimming hole and no official trail. A 15-minute drive away, a 3,000-vertical-foot, five-mile trail leads to two perfect alpine lakes that I’ve seen on maps for a decade and never visited. They’re now lodged in my heart for their perfect combination of isolation, easy access, and swimability. A friend and I hiked to a cedar of record-setting diameter. We followed a faint, cairned trail there,
It turns out that I’m not the only one suddenly liberated. While the pandemic and associated economic crisis have put millions of our friends and family out of work, they have also given many people the freedom to enjoy summer like never before.”
then created a loop past a historic cabin site, over several ridges, and by some lovely vistas. We encountered no one else, even the trailhead was empty. There’s inherent tension between wanting the outdoors to be more accessible and more diverse, and wanting a solitary wilderness experience. What gives me the right to dictate the ‘correct’ way to enjoy nature? Is the wilderness experience that I desire exclusionary? Are my wilderness ethics driven by cultural background? Because I grew up here, I have access to areas that others do not. Those alpine lakes I discovered are nestled in the steep ridges of a 9,000’ foot peak to one side, and private property on the other. The land has been acquired to build a trail through public property to these lakes, but the easiest access requires knowing the right people. How many of us have tried to get a permit for the Enchantments or to climb St. Helens and missed out? It would be a tragedy if all our wild places were limited like this, but there is only so much use the land can take and still maintain its primeval character. I’ve often found that just beyond the most popular destinations, or between two remote places, trails become suddenly lonesome and overgrown. Encouraging people to look beyond the most publicized places could help alleviate pressure across the trail network. Enjoying less-dramatic vistas, looking for simpler beauty, should be celebrated. As I write this, the idea of secret spots and hidden lakes is moot. All the forests in California are fully closed to recreators because of the supremely dry conditions causing terrible fires
up and down the West Coast. Even if the forests weren’t closed, the smoke would probably keep us indoors. Forest Service gates normally closed only due to snow conditions are shut now. A fire threatens the ancient grove of trees where that record cedar resides. My heart sinks when I think of fires’ effect on the places I love, of the loss of hundred year old trees and forests that will not regrow in my lifetime. There’s also the damage to trails: on a recent hike we had to climb or step over more than 120 trees downed by a fire several years ago. I’m mindful that the green vistas I value are impermanent. Forests are constantly changing, mountains become hills, and
lakes become meadows. The two beautiful lakes near my home demonstrate this perfectly. The lower lake is long and deep, shadowy logs can be seen in the cold, clear water below as you swim. The upper lake is a shallow pool. It turns into a cheerful, tadpole-filled creek as it flows through its former basin, now a broad grassy meadow.
Secret lava spot. Photo by Claire Tenscher.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 15
CLIMATE CHANGE ALONE DIDN’T CAUSE THE
2020 FIRE STORM by Darrin Gunkel
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o the battle lines are drawn: it’s either climate change or bad resource management that ignited the infernos raging in five million acres of Western forests and steppe this summer. At least that’s what a lot of the people want us to believe. Climate change deniers are offering this typically either/or formula. The trick is to avoid letting their denial distract us, or force us into taking one position over another, dividing us into two camps, yet again, tiresomely shouting at each other.
The push for “salvage logging” will be intense in the wake of this conflagration, given the current administration’s open hostility to any sensible environmental policy. The problem with that as a solution to future fires is this: trees burned once don’t burn again. Go figure. Any kind of logging before or after a fire removes bio-mass—stuff that is or was alive—which forest health and recovery depend on. Add to that increased erosion from logging operations, including new and re-opened roads, and you slow or halt forest recovery. Of course, salvage logging will be sold as “good for the forest.” And there will be a huge push to do “thinning” in areas that have not burned. We’ll be told that environmentalist’s caused all these fires by opposing thinning over the past decades, which is utterly ridiculous at face value, and for at least three other reasons: 1) Thinning operations do happen all the time, 2) Environmentalist and forest conservationists generally are concerned with stopping logging in old growth, which is not only resistant to these super-hot, massive burns, but actually needs periodic fires to keep healthy, which leads us to, 3) Environmentalists and forest biologists 16 MAZAMAS
have been begging the Forest Service for decades to start proscribed burns to clear the deadfall fuel build up that stokes fires hot enough to reach tree tops. These crown fires, as they’re called, are the true forest killers, hotter, more difficult to control, and alien to the biology of natural fire progression. Comparing forest fire severity in the section of the Sierra Nevada that straddles
the US-Mexico border confirms this. A century of fire suppression on the US side resulted in massive debris build up and tree-killing fires, whereas on the Mexican side, where natural fires were allowed to run their regular coarse and burn off the build up, crown fires are rare to non-
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MAZAMAS AS CHANGE AGENTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY Editor’s Note: Chris LeDoux and Jesse Applegate are participants in the Intertwine Cohort. This column includes articles from each of them.
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n the last newsletter, we introduced our new column. Here, we’ll both share some ideas, continuing to think about what it means for the Mazamas to be change agents for our community. There was an error in the last article. The two instructors for the Intertwine Change Agent Cohort are Dr. Derron Coles, a learning strategist and Executive Director of The Blueprint Foundation (theblueprintfoundation.org), and Alexis Millet, a Consultant Partner at Capacity Building Partnerships (capacitypartnerships.com) and member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.
by Chris LeDoux Here’s the idea that I would like to share for reflection: Derron shared with us the idea that “unpacking how the system we grew up in has impacted our thoughts, feelings, biases, and behaviors, is the first step in being able to have conversations that are fruitful and that help us connect to each other in experiences that are different from our own.” Wait! What do you mean by unpacking? Often it can be the things we take for granted in our lives. Here’s an example, and it may not be your case, but you probably have something in your life in which you had an opportunity. For example, were you able to go camping as a kid? If you were, would you have been able to do that if your family couldn’t afford a car? Were you able to go because at least one parent or caregiver was able to have the time off to go and do that with you? Unpacking is looking at your life as you lived it and realizing that not everybody else had the same things or the same experiences. Do you mean privilege? Maybe, it could be privilege, part of what is described as internalized superiority. It could also be limitations or disadvantages, part of what is described as internalized oppression. I think it often comes down to resources and policies, and whether these were available or applied equitably. In that way, I think it’s really a more compassionate lens in which to view most things, and to better understand the solutions that are needed. Alexis shared with us how it is essential to examine, understand, and heal our internalized
superiority and oppression to avoid recreating patterns of oppression that we are trying to dismantle. Here are some resources (in no particular order) to understand these ideas more: ■ National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC): Social Identities and Systems of Oppression (tinyurl.com/NMAAHC1) ■ NMAAHC: Whiteness (tinyurl.com/ whitness) ■ Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, tinyurl. com/knapsack1 ■ Dismantling Racism Works (dRworks) web workbook: Internalizations: tinyurl. com/wkbook1 Books such as Ijeoma Oluo’s So you want to talk about race, Austin Channing Brown’s I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, Ibram X. Kendi’s How to be an Antiracist. I’d like to introduce a tool that Derron shared with us that is another way for us to look at culture. The tool is called the culture cycle and looks at culture as a dynamic and iterative system of individuals, interactions, institutions, and ideas. The iterative culture cycle can start at either end, at individuals or with ideas, or really at any point--follow the arrows. For example, starting with individuals, individuals interact with others to form institutions which institute policies, which feed back into cultural norms and ideas about what is good, moral, and who has power and who doesn’t. From the other end, ideas come first and ideas are used to create institutions, which control who
we are able to interact with, which then has an impact on our thoughts, feelings, biases, and behaviors. A change in any of these entities—individuals, interactions, institutions, ideas—has an impact on the others. Do you mean segregation? Sure, segregation was a policy that was born from the idea of white supremacy, was enforced by institutions that placed limits on people’s interactions, which had impacts on individuals. There are examples all around, including school funding and sidewalks, and much more. What about the Mazamas? A question to ponder, to reflect, many answers, no wrong ones, each valid and personal. For me, I’m very interested in expanding access to the healing aspects of the mountains and nature. I look forward to conversations examining the Mazamas and the culture cycle. Together, we can help the Mazamas become a more inclusive organization.
by Jessie Applegate Along with some of the tools Chris has shared from The Intertwine Cohort, one of them that struck me was this paper on White Supremacy Culture* (based on Dismantling Racism by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun), and particularly how white
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 17
Climate Change, continued from page 16 existent. And of course, that’s just the tip of the fire research iceberg. Prescribed burns are opposed, however, by interests who would rather run forests as industrial facilities where output must be maximized, rather than as assets to be carefully managed. There are a lot of causes of mega fires. Opposing prescribed burns, and demanding clear cuts, and continued logging of old growth, and minimal supervision or restraint on any forest activity, and privatization of forest management, to name a few. All are the “logic” of industrial forestry: awesome for a short term boom, great for cutting “red tape” and “bloated” budgets, but terrible for any sort of sustainable forest economy, not to mention forest health. And all add up to a recipe for fire disaster. Of course, prescribed burns are just one of many under-utilized tools to keep forests healthy. To rephrase the above paragraph: End clear cuts. End old growth logging. Increase supervision and enforce regulation (Sorry, all you libertarian capitalists out there. We’ve tried your way. I write from within a choking smoke cloud as a result.) by hiring the correct number of public servants to oversee what goes on in the forests. Public servants, not minimum wage contractors beholden to a corporation for their livelihood. Lack of supervision is the proximate cause of many of the fires in Oregon. Mt. Hood National forest staff has been cut to 25 percent what it ought to be. I’ll wager my house there was no ranger on patrol to warn people who started the 130-thousand acre Riverside Fire, the one burning 20 miles from my house, to put out their campfire because a windstorm was on its way. In a decade of hiking, camping, and climbing in Mt. Hood National Forest, I’ve met one ranger. One. On top of Mt. Hood, and that was pure chance, since he told me he had to split his time between patrolling Hood and St Helens. Running a forest as an asset to be protected and developed is not a concept
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that’s radical or new or idealistic, or any of those other Regan-Bush Era epithets hurled at people who advocate for sensible forest policy. Gifford Pinchot, founder of the forest service, warned a century ago that wholesale industrial logging for short-term profit would be a disaster for forests. (Pinchot was no prototree hugger: he dismissed complaints from both John Muir and the lumber barons.) Turns out, he was right. As for climate change. Yes. And a thousand time, yes. These fires are also a result of that other capitulation to the industrial resource “rationale” that is killing our biosphere, the fossil fuel industry. There is no doubt the weather and climate are hotter, drier, and more erratic, resulting in longer, deadlier fire seasons. Still, all of the above would hold true without the added burden of altered climate. At this point, fixing the climate mess is indeed paramount, but it’s also long term. Changing how we manage forests can happen tomorrow. And given climate change, it has to happen tomorrow, or we’ll all look back next year or two years or five from now and say, “Remember the good old days when only five million acres would burn in a season?” Your turn. Here are some people to start talking about both climate change and sensible forest management: ■ Vicki Christiansen, Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, vcchristiansen@fs.fed.us ■ Ron Wyden: www.wyden.senate.gov/ contact/email-ron ■ Jeff Merkley: www.merkley.senate.gov/ contact ■ Kate Brown: www.oregon.gov/gov/ Pages/contact.aspx ■ Joe Biden: bidenpresident.com/Contact
Culture, continued from previous page supremacy culture hurts white people too. The paper lists 13 behaviors: 1. Perfectionism 2. Sense of Urgency 3. Defensiveness 4. Quantity Over Quality 5. Worship of the Written Word 6. Paternalism 7. Either-Or Thinking 8. Power Hoarding 9. Fear of Open Conflict 10. Individualism 11. Progress is Bigger, More 12. Objectivity 13. Right to Comfort An updated version online has increased to 15 behaviors expanding “There is Only One Right Way” (every BCEP grad can relate) from Worship of the Written Word and “I am the Only One” from Individualism. Reading through the list it’s pretty easy to see how these behaviors have existed in my own life for a long time whether it’s the workplace, family interactions, the Mazamas, the greater climbing community… Everywhere. Considering these behaviors, and their antidotes, in Mazamas activities can help give us some insight into our organizational culture and offer a dialog for the change we want. Can you think of instances where you felt like you or your input wasn’t valued or was dismissed because of one of these behaviors? Can you think of a time you exhibited one of these behaviors? Given the perspective of white supremacy culture how would you want things to go differently from that interaction? * https://tinyurl.com/intertwineculture
What’s That TREE? by Emily Walbridge, with photographs by Cliff Cantor
H
ave you ever wondered what that giant tree is while on a hike? When I was young growing up in Michigan in the 80s, I loved wandering the woods next to our cabin. It felt like the trees were hugging me with every step, and their whisper would bring me further into the forest. In the background, I could hear the waves of the lake wash ashore and nearby deer running down the trails. I would spend all day in the woods, looking for animal tracks, animal dens (I don’t recommend this), and climbing trees. Each day was filled with hours of nature adventure.
As an adult living in the Pacific Northwest, I am still amazed at what nature provides. Our wide variety of native trees are part of what makes the Pacific Northwest’s landscape so unique and inviting. Take a minute and put yourself back on one of your favorite trails; what do you remember? The views, the trees, the smells? Maybe all of it. I find myself stopping more than once while on a hike and saying, “I can’t believe I live here.” The fields of evergreen that cover the wilderness areas and our favorite hiking trails help protect us and provide a hidden world of life. There is so much we can learn about the area’s history and its future within trees. All you have to do is listen and look. Here are five of my favorite trees to look for on hikes and some quick tips to help identify them.
DOUGLAS-FIR » TRAIL TO TREE: Found on the majority of hikes west of the Cascades. There are some massive old Douglas-firs at the start of the Huckleberry Mountain hike on Mt. Hood or drive to Washington, and you’ll be surrounded by Douglas-firs while on Dog Mountain, Hamilton, or Table Mountain. » FUN FACT: State Tree of Oregon » HISTORY: Douglas-fir had a wide range of uses for Native Americans, including medicinal, and even body freshener. It has also been used for tool handles, wood fuel, tea, Christmas trees, and legend has it even coffee! » HEIGHT: 250 ft. » CONES: 3 inches long with (3) bracts that look like the back feet and tail of a mouse » BARK: Older trees have deeply furrowed bark with a yellow-brownish hue » ELEVATION: Sea level up to 5,000 ft.
Douglas-fir trunk
continued on next page Douglas-fir cone
Douglas-fir crown
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Trees, continued from previous page
WESTERN HEMLOCK » TRAIL TO TREE: Like Douglas-firs, this widespread tree can be found on most hikes west of the Cascades. You can distinguish between Douglas fir and Western hemlock by examining the cones on the ground. A good place to see hemlocks is MIrror Lake on the Tom, Dick, and Harry trail. Western Hemlock » FUN FACT: State Tree of Washington and has a crown droopy top that looks like a wizard’s hat » HISTORY: Think of the Western hemlock as the cousin of the Douglas fir. It’s the second most common tree you’ll see on hikes in the Mt. Hood area and has been used for railroad ties, poles, and even gymnasium floors. Even more shocking, though, loggers used to refer to this tree as a weed tree and didn’t realize its true potential until the early 20th century. » HEIGHT: 125 ft. to 200 ft. » CONES: 3/4 inch to 1 inch long » BARK: Thin » ELEVATION: Sea level up to 6,000 ft. in Oregon and Washington
Western Hemlock trunk
Western Hemlock cones
PONDEROSA PINE
Ponderosa Pine cone
Ponderosa Pine crown
» TRAIL TO TREE: More commonly found east of the Cascades. Black Butte Lookout trail near Sisters, Oregon. offers a surplus of Ponderosa Pine and great views at the top. » FUN FACT: Can grow with as little as 15 inches of rain. » HISTORY: This tree is famous for a wide variety of uses from canoes, medicinal, gum, glue, and a jungle gym for black bears to use as climbing exercises. » HEIGHT: 125 to 180 ft. » CONES: 3 to 5 inches long a quick identifying tip, just remember “Prickly Ponderosa” » BARK: Has a reddish-orange hue and is furrowed » ELEVATION: 1,000 to 6,500 ft.
I hope these tips will help you identify some of these towering giants on your next hike. Good luck, and have
Ponderosa Pine trunk
fun! If you’re interested in learning more tips to guide your tree identification or just general information regarding trees, here is a list of my go-to books.
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LODGEPOLE PINE » TRAIL TO TREE: Crater Lake National Park » FUN FACT: Depends on fire to survive, otherwise stronger competitors take over. It is also related to the shore pine found at sea level near the coast. Most telephone poles are made out of Lodgepole Pine because of its very straight demeanor. » HISTORY: Lodgepole pine was sought after by Native Americans, for which they used the trunks for tee pee poles. This is due to the very straight demeanor for which the lodgepole pine is known. » HEIGHT: 30 to 100 ft. » CONES: 1 to 2 inches long » BARK: Thin » ELEVATION: Sea level up to 11,000 ft.
Lodgepole pine needles
Lodgepole pine trunk Lodgepole pine cone
WESTERN RED CEDAR Western Red Cedar trunk
Western Red Cedar cones Western Red Cedar crown
» TRAIL TO TREE: Mirror Lake, Trillium Lake » FUN FACT: Not a true cedar » HISTORY: This behemoth tree has served many purposes in Northwest history, from canoes for Native Americans, and medicinal purposes and baskets. » HEIGHT: 150 to 200 ft. » CONES: 1/2 inch long; look for the butterfly pattern on the underside » BARK: Reddish-brown color, the trunk is fluted at the base and can be rot resistant » ELEVATION: Sea level to 4,000 ft.
BOOKS • Northwest Trees by Stephen F. Arno & Ramona P. Hammerly (Mazama Library #582.16.A6) • Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest by Mark Turner and Ellen Kuhlmann • Trees To Know in Oregon by Edward C. Jensen (Mazama Library #582.R83) • Manual of Oregon Trees and Shrubs by Edward C. Jensen, Warren R. Randall, Robert F. Keniston, Dale N. Bever (Mazama Library # 582.16 R15) • The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (Mazama Library #582 .W83) • Land on Fire by Gary Ferguson
REFERENCES • Arno, Stephen & Ramona Hammerly. Northwest Trees, Identifying and Understanding the Region’s Native Trees. The Mountaineers Books. 2017.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 21
SMITH ROCK MANAGERS
HIT THE BRAKES ON BOLTING by Jonathan Barrett
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ffective August 31st, 2020, Smith Rock Park managers have put a stop to the previous freedom that climbers and highliners have had when placing bolts in the park. Matt Davey, the park manager, released a letter to the public that reads as follows:
Effective August 31, 2020, installation or removal of any climbing route, highline/ slackline, zip line, or other related hardware intended to be more or less permanent, including but not limited to bolts, rails, rungs, and similar devices, requires explicit written permission from the park manager or the manager’s designee. This requirement is authorized by Oregon Administrative Rule 736-010-0040 (4): A person may not injure, mutilate, deface, damage, harass, or remove any park resource, property, structure or facility of any kind at a park property, except as provided in OAR 736-010-0055 and OAR 736 010-0055 (2) (a): A visitor may only conduct the following activities with the written permission of the director, manager, or designated park employee unless the activity is specifically allowed by other sections of this rule: Dig up, or remove any sand, soil, rock, historical, or fossil materials; Any person who installs or removes the hardware described above without written permission from the park manager commits a Class A violation and is subject to warning, citation, and/or exclusion from Smith Rock and other state parks at the discretion of the park manager. The park was working in conjunction with the climbing community to establish a new climbing management plan which was expected to be complete in 2021. The cause of this moratorium is due largely to an individual by the name of Shawn Snyder who was in the process of adding via ferrata style rebar on the Picnic Lunch Wall. Snyder’s posts on Mountainproject, which have all been deleted now, indicated that his primary goal was to force the park’s hand into stopping the installation of all fixed anchors at Smith Rock. His choice of cheap rebar, which would rust quickly
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and which were placed on the prominent face of the Parking Lot Wall in the form of via ferrata rungs, were made to highlight his actions and force the park into dealing with the issue. Alan Watts, the author of the original guidebook to Smith and one of Smith’s original route developers, said on Mountainproject, “I’m sad that relationships fostered over sixty years between climbers and Oregon State Parks are being Smith Rock. Photo by Kerry Loehr. tested. I’m sad that one person would occurrences. As one might imagine, there attempt to hold all new route development have also been an increasing number of hostage until he gets his way.” His conflicts between all user groups and the comments were not unique. The response overarching vision for the park. Current on Mountainproject was swift and nearly park rules now require explicit written unanimous in its condemnation of his permission from the park manager, actions. Unfortunately, Mountainproject Matt Davey, in order to place permanent also quickly pulled from the site the two hardware. “My expectation is enforcement forum threads addressing this issue. of these existing park rules will not Smith Rock’s popularity has exploded in delay any legitimate route maintenance recent years. Both climbers and hikers alike and improvement, and that any person had been drawn there in record numbers. currently engaged in safety-related work Route development and the installation will contact me as soon as possible to avoid of highlining anchors were also regular an interruption of work,” Davey said.
WILDERNESS FIRST AID: A NEW COLLABORATION FOR A HYBRID LEARNING EXPERIENCE
T
he Mazamas has teamed up with Base Medical to provide a nationally recognized hybrid Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course to guide students in mastering foundational assessment, prevention, and response skills to provide basic first aid in the backcountry. The pilot hybrid course will include self-paced online learning modules with video-based lectures that allow students to review content as needed. The online portion is followed by an eight-hour hands-on skills session at the MMC.
Responding to members requests for more remote learning opportunities, the fall course will include an option for a completely online learning experience, including skills. This will allow us to accommodate all learners and gather feedback for future classes. Initial class size will be 30 students for the hybrid model and an additional 5 students for the fully online format. COVID precautions will be strictly followed during the skills session to ensure a safe learning environment for all participants and will be capped at 10 students per session. If there is a surge in COVID cases, we reserve the right to either postpone or change to remote options. For more information and to register for the class, go to mazamas. org/firstaid. Contact us at firstaid@mazamas.org if you have any questions regarding the class offerings.
COURSE DATES Online portion opens to all enrolled students: October 24 Practical Session Options • Option 1: In-person, 8-hour (8–5 p.m.) at the Mazama Mountaineering Center. Dates: Nov. 4, Nov. 7, or Nov. 8 (limit 10 people per session) • Option 2: Zoom-based, 8-hour (8/9–5 p.m.). Date: Nov. 15 (limit 5 people) Cost: $175 members/$225 non-members
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 23
2020 Mazama Annual Meeting by Mathew Brock, Library & Historical Collections Manager
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n a year of many firsts, the Mazamas added another on Monday, October 5, when they hosted the Annual Meeting online. Over seventy members joined committee representatives, board members, and staff for a year in review.
Mazama President Traci Manning opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and highlighting some of the organization’s challenges this year. Those included closing the Mazama Mountaineering Center (MMC), canceling the Basic Climber Education Program (BCEP), and losing our new Executive Director. Joe Eberhardt, Mazama Treasurer, then reported that for our 2020 fiscal year, revenue came in at just over 40 percent of what was forecast, or $790,000. The organization had close to $1 million in expenses or roughly 58 percent of what was anticipated. Mazama Secretary Amanda Ryan-Fear reported that Mazama membership remains strong at 3,650 members. In her report, Acting Executive Director Sarah Bradham highlighted some of the Mazamas work engaged in externally, including the successful operation of the Mazama Wild summer camps. The camp served 240 kids this summer with only two days canceled due to potential COVID exposure. The program was a huge win in two ways. Mazama Wild is a significant asset to our community as it provides quality child care for working parents, as well as it was one of our only major sources of earned revenue since March. In another win for the Mazama community, Sarah highlighted the work of Oregon Outdoors in advocating for the passage of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act. Internally the Mazamas made progress to serve our members and community better. This year, some notable achievements include converting our lower level meeting room from office space back into a meeting room, creating
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quarterly meetings for committee chairs, and the return of the annual Committee Orientation. Staff developed a Budgeting 101 class so that committee members could better understand the budgeting process. The Mazamas have been operating under a plan of fiscal conservatism for almost two years. In the last 18 months, the organization has significantly trimmed expenses, so while our revenue was down, our expenses were also down. Lodge Committee chair Bob Stayton gave a brief update on the Mazama Lodge, including the lodge’s closure due to the pandemic and the departure of Charles Barker as the manager. Nominating Committee chair Walter Keutel noted that the committee was proud of their work in recruiting seven qualified candidates to stand for the Executive Council. Laura Burger, Mazama Development Coordinator, gave a brief overview of the donations received during the membership renewal process. Overall, last year members gave $14,500 with their 2020 renewals, and so far have given over $18,000 with 2021 renewals, putting us over halfway to our goal of $30,000 for this campaign this year. Education & Culture Manager Claire Nelson shared some of the Mazama education programs’ successes. While COVID-19 derailed much of the Education Committee’s work, 2020 represented a successful year for the Backcountry Skiing committee. Their class admitted a record high enrollment of 36 students. Eighty students completed the Mountain First Aid (MFA) badge requirements, while another 37 students recertified theirs. The Mazamas piloted two new skill builders this summer, Train the Trainer: Experiential Education, and Safe Outside Online Training: Preventing Sexual Harassment and Assault. Andy Nuttbrock, Chair of the Intermediate Climbing School, lamented the 2021 ICS program’s cancellation, while Nordic Committee chair Andrea Ogston celebrated the success of the Nordic School for 2019/2020. Reena Clements, chair of both the AYM and Trail Trips Committees, noted that together the two committees welcomed 12 new hike leaders before the pandemic shut down group activities. Climbing
Committee chair Guy Wettstein stated that the rollout of new climb prices, while unfortunately timed due to COVID-19, now more accurately represents the actual cost of running each climb. Greg Scott, Chair of the Critical Incident Stress Management Committee, noted a quiet year but stressed that the committee stands ready in the event of a tragedy. Committee presentations wrapped up with Conservation Committee chair John Rettig sharing that his committee hosted presentations on Mt. Hood, the Sandy River Delta, and an update to the popular Melting Mountain series. Mazama Library and Historical Collection Manager Mathew Brock remarked that after a promising start to the fiscal year, library circulation dropped to zero with the MMC’s closure. On a brighter note, the archives took in over thirty donations, including several significant to the Mazamas and the history of mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest. Mathew also talked about the recently completed emergency response plans for the library and the MMC. Claire returned, this time to report on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)Committee’s work and acknowledge our community partnerships. The DEI working group drafted a Mazama Equity Statement and petitioned the board to become a standing committee. The Mazamas continued to partner with Wild Diversity to host Unclimb Night for the Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color community. Rounding out the evening’s event, Walter returned, this time as the chief Teller for the Mazama election. He announced that over 800 members voted in the 2020 election and that Bob Breivogel, Reena Clements, and Lori Coyner would be joining the Executive Council. After noting that the evening attendance was higher than for any annual meeting in recent memory, Sarah thanked everyone for attending.
GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT:
WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION by Brian Goldman
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he recently-passed Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and takes a huge step forward to restoring national parks by helping address a backlog of maintenance needs. The GAOA combines two previous bills and received strong bipartisan support. The first provides full and permanent funding of $900 million each year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the amount it is authorized to receive from offshore oil and gas revenues—not tax dollars. It has been used for more than 50 years to protect places in every state in the nation ranging from national parks to historic battlefields. The second, the Restore Our Parks Act, invests $1.9 billion annually for the next five years in deferred maintenance for lands managed by the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Education.
To learn more about the implications of the GAOA, we interviewed Priscilla Macy, Network Coordinator for the Oregon Outdoors Coalition, a coalition of outdoor recreation businesses, conservation groups, recreation organizations, and individuals who are committed to the preservation of Oregon’s outdoor assets for future generations. Has it been fully determined which entities will receive funding and how much they will receive? Local governments must apply to their state to receive Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funding. There are two types of Stateside Program grant awards: traditional (or formula grants), and competitive grants. Both programs provide states with the opportunity to subaward grants to state agencies, local units of government, and federally recognized Indian tribes. Traditional matching grants to states are made on an annual basis by the Secretary of the Interior according to a formula within the LWCF establishing legislation, as well as by need. By statute, states have no more than three years to obligate appropriated funds, which can be used for outdoor recreation planning, acquisition of lands and waters, developing new recreational and related facilities, or redeveloping existing facilities. A state must prepare a statewide outdoor recreation plan addressing specific needs and opportunities for recreation in
order to be eligible for LWCF grant funding. A plan must be approved by the Secretary of the Interior through the National Park Service. States then award grant funding for projects to eligible entities through a competitive, open selection process. The National Park Service also administers competitive state grants through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program. These grants support land acquisition and outdoor recreation projects, and are provided on an annual basis to communities of 50,000 or more people with priority given to economically disadvantaged communities that lack recreational opportunities. Additionally, the LWCF funds other conservation grants, including the American Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Program, Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, and the Forest Legacy Program. In addition to permanently funding the LWCF, the Great American Outdoors Act notably creates a National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on national parks and other public lands. Half of all federal revenue from oil, gas, coal, or renewable energy on federal lands will be deposited into the Restoration Fund, with funds not exceeding $1.9 billion per fiscal year, for a total of $9.5 billion over a five-year period. The National Park Service presently has a $12 billion backlog in deferred maintenance projects; 70 percent of the Restoration Fund will be devoted to these efforts. The remaining 30 percent
is to address deferred maintenance needs within the Bureau of Land Management (5 percent), Fish & Wildlife Service (5 percent), US Forest Service (15 percent), and the Bureau of Indian Education (5 percent). While the LWCF authorizes $900 million in annual appropriations, it has rarely been funded at the fully authorized level. In fiscal year 2020, Congress allocated $495 million from the Fund, and the President’s fiscal year 2021 budget request proposed only $131 million in appropriations. The enactment of the Great American Outdoors Act would provide each year the fully authorized level of $900 million for LWCF purposes. Ways state and local governments can use the funds: Local governments can use LWCF funds to buy land from willing sellers at market value. This can be land from private owners, businesses, or a land trust, for example:
• Any lands purchased with LWCF state and local assistance funding must be used for recreation purposes in perpetuity; these funds can be for purchasing and developing playgrounds, soccer fields, walking/ biking paths, multi-use athletic courts, and ballparks, among other uses. • In addition, LWCF funding can be used to construct structures and facilities such as restrooms, visitor
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Outdoors Act, continued from previous page centers, seating areas, picnic pavilions, boardwalks, ADA-accessible bleachers, and other features that support outdoor recreation. Crater Lake has a $142 million maintenance backlog and Oregon Caves a $21 million backlog. How much will these entities eventually receive? The legislation will fully fund the maintenance backlog for these areas. Who determines how and where funds are spent? I read that the funds from the LWCF go through the Statewide Comprehensive Recreation Plan, managed by the state parks and recreation department. Each year, states are apportioned money from the LWCF based on their population. Municipalities and government agencies can apply for their state to use some of that funding for conservation projects, as long as they match any grants they are given. States will lean on communities and non-profits to help prioritize “shovel-ready projects.” More details: lwcfcoalition.com/ lwcf-programs. How does a state parks and recreation department have any jurisdiction over federal lands, such as the Mt. Hood Wilderness, Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area? They don’t. The state departments prioritize state jurisdiction projects, and there is a separate process for federally owned/managed areas. Both states and federal agencies try to coordinate as much as possible on priorities, though. The Mazamas is primarily a mountaineering/hiking organization. We’re interested in how the Great American Outdoors Act will improve accessibility to hiking trails and mountains in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Great! There are a lot of ways the funds will do this. Here are a few (not all) examples:
26 MAZAMAS
OREGON
• Oregon plans to use its share of the funding on several projects, including improving drinking water along the north coast, and building a trail system near Spence Mountain in Klamath Falls. WASHINGTON • A memorial of the SR 530 (Oso) slide in Snohomish County. • Playgrounds and parks for baseball, basketball and soccer in Ilwaco, Lakewood, Gig Harbor, Othello, Poulsbo, Mountlake Terrace, Zillah and Seattle. • Community pools in Garfield, Pierce County and on Whidbey Island. • Boating access in Snohomish and Skagit Counties. • Trailheads in College Place, Renton, Covington and King County. IDAHO • Idaho has more than a half billion dollars’ worth of deferred maintenance in its national parks and forests, according to the U.S. Forest Service. • Idaho ranks third in the nation in Forest Service deferred maintenance project costs, with the Idaho Panhandle and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests having $143 million and $140 million, respectively, in deferred maintenance costs. Do you have any information about hiking trails? Will funds be used to improve the degraded trails? Yes. Funds will be allocated by the priorities identified by local jurisdictions, state departments and federal agencies. Will signage improve with this funding? If signage is a part of a project or maintenance deferment that has been identified, yes. Will the deeply potholed Forest Service roads which lead to trailheads be improved? It’s hard to say where non-paved roads fall into, but the deferred maintenance fund covered transportation and nontransportation. Transportation includes bridges, tunnels, paved parking, and paved
roadways for the National Park Service. However, if areas are identified by states for improvement, I would think that roads would be included, especially if they are deferred maintenance issues for federal agencies. Will the Pacific Crest Trail be funded? Yes: Over the past 18 years, almost $46 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been used to acquire and permanently protect just over 33,000 acres along the PCT. About 10 percent of the trail still crosses private property with the footpath protected only by a simple easement. These properties could one day be covered with buildings or power lines. Purchasing them (only from willing sellers) will preserve the wilderness trail experience Congress intended. For example: Last summer, the PCTA, The Trust for Public Land, the U.S. Forest Service, the Michigan-California Timber Co. and the Wyss Foundation partnered to protect 17 miles of the PCT along the Trinity Divide in Northern California. The timber company realized that the best use of its 10,300 acres—which includes the headwaters of four rivers, 10 lakes and mountain views—was for recreation and protecting vital habitat, not timber production. $10 million from the LWCF made the project possible. More info about trails: tinyurl.com/ y22g992w. How soon we will see improvement? Right now, states are all working to identify “shovel ready” projects, and have already prioritized maintenance backlog items. So, it is not too early! Below is a link to a list of proposed projects in the Pacific Northwest (and elsewhere), including maintenance on 40 trail bridges, road repairs, improvements to Multnomah Falls Lodge, Timberline Lodge, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Pacific Northwest Trail and many others: tinyurl. com/y33fe6zd.
Mazama
LIBRARY
Learn more about the Library & Historical Collection at mazamas.org/library.
Established in 1915, the Mazama Library is nationally recognized as holding one of the top mountaineering collections in the country. Located on the ground floor of the Mazama Mountaineering Center, the library is a fantastic resource for members and the general public to find information on hiking, climbing, camping, and exploring the rich history of regional and global mountaineering culture.
NEW RELEASES & ADDITIONS • The Dolomites: Rock climbs and Via Ferrata, 2014, Rushforth. Located in northern Italy, and representing a true mix of Italian and Austrian culture, the Dolomites contain climbing of every shape and size. Single pitch sport crags lie beside kilometer-long traditional routes, with climbs which are steeped in history running parallel to modern bolted lines. The area is particularly renowned for its via ferrata, cabled routes predating the Great War which give superb access to some of the World’s most striking summits. The metal wires, interspersed with breathtaking ladders and unlikely suspension bridges, provide aerial assault courses which combine the thrill of an ascent on rock with the security of a protected mountain scramble. Mazama Library call# 914.5 R98. • Tahoma and its People, 2019, by Antonelis-Lapp. A passionate science educator presents a natural and environmental history of Mount Rainier National Park and the surrounding region. Jeff Antonelis-Lapp explores geologic processes, plant and animal communities, weather and climate influences, and what linked the iconic mountain with the people who traveled to it. He intersperses his own direct observation and study of organisms, as well as personal interactions with other experts. Topics include geology, archaeology, indigenous villages and use of resources, climate and glacier studies, alpine and forest ecology, rivers, watershed dynamics, keystone species, threatened wildlife, geological hazards, and current resource management. Mazama Library call# 917.97 GA8.
Books on
MT. RAINIER • Mount Rainier, a record of exploration, Edmond Meany, 917.97 M48 • The Challenge of Rainier, Dee Molenaar, 917.97 M71 • Mount Rainier: a climbing guide, Mike Gauthier, 917.97 G23
DID YOU KNOW? • Mount Lyell (13,114 feet) is the highest mountain in Yosemite National Park. • Glacier National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Yellowstone National Park all straddle the Continental Divide. • Wrangell–St. Elias National Park is the largest in the park system and contains several peaks over 16,000 feet. • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park contains two active volcanoes and hiking trails that go from sea level to 13,000 feet.
Mazama Library
REOPENING
Starting in October the Mazama Library will begin offering curbside pick up for library books placed on hold. The library will also begin offering in-person research opportunities by appointment. Watch the weekly eNews and the Mazama website for more up to date information. Contact Mathew Brock, Mazama Library and Historical Collections Manager at mathew@mazamas.org with any questions.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 27
TRAIL TRIPS
JOIN US! MAZAMA TRAIL TRIPS ARE OPEN TO EVERYONE
We are operating our hikes under strict COVID-19 policies in order to mitigate the potential for transmission of the coronavirus. Please review the policies in this publication or find them online at mazamas.org/ coronaviruspolicies. The Mazamas offers our Trail Trips (hiking) program to serve just about every ability level. We have leaders who like to take their time meandering along flat trails for a short duration, while others want to hike at a fast clip up the side of a mountain. You get to choose what is best for you! All Mazamas hikes are open to members and non-members. We welcome non-members or those with limited experience on our hikes. Our leaders are some of the most experienced hikers in the Northwest, and they can show you some spots that you might never get to on your own! Hikes are $2 for members/$4 for non-members. Sign up online.
COVID-19 POLICY HIGHLIGHTS Carpooling is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED by anyone who doesn’t share a household. Masks are required for all participants when 6 feet of distance cannot be maintained. Do not stop in gateway communities.
ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR HIKES IS REQUIRED HK B1 Sept. 29. Classics: Laurel Hill. Flora Huber, flobell17@comcast.net, 503-658-5710. Join us for a hike along the Laurel Hill Chute Trail: tinyurl.com/ y53bv7on. Please sign up online. Hikes are limited to a max of 10 people due to COVID-19 policies, so signing up online ahead of time allows us to better manage our teams. 6 mi., 230 ft. Meet at Sandy Safeway at 9 a.m. We will caravan to the trailhead from there. HK B2 Oct. 3. Cape Horn. Emily Walbridge, emilywalbridge@gmail.com, 971-263-5573. This 7.5 mile hike is one of my favorite autumn hikes to enjoy. It can get busy during the weekends but hopefully with an early start we’ll beat the crowds. We’ll start by leaving the Class A: Easy to moderate; less than 8 miles and under 1,500 ft. elevation gain Class B: Moderate to difficult; less than 15 miles with 1,500–3,000 ft. elevation gain OR 8–15 miles with less than 1,500 feet of elevation gain Class C and Cw: Difficult to strenuous: 15+ miles in distance or 3,000+ ft. elevation gain. Class D: Very difficult, strenuous trips in challenging conditions. No specific distance or elevation gain. Special equipment, conditioning, and experience may be required. Contacting leader for details before the day of the trip is mandatory. “Wilderness—Limit 12” indicates the hike enters a Forest Service-designated Wilderness Area; group size limited to 12. Numeral after class indicates pace. All pace
28 MAZAMAS
parking lot and heading down to the bottom of the trail at the gorge, then hiking back up. I love doing this one in reverse to get some elevation gain. 7.4 mi., 1,230 ft., Drive: 55. Meet at Cape Horn Trailhead at 8 a.m.
around at the canyon washout. Leashed well-behaved dogs are welcome, but you don’t need a dog to attend. 7.4 miles 300 ft. There is no cell phone service in Cougar. Don McCoy donald1020@aol. com 503-709-9306. Meet at at 8:30 a.m.
HK A1.5 Oct. 6. Yale Reservoir Logging Road Trail Dog Friendly Hike. Don E. McCoy, donald1020@aol.com, 503-2467416. We will meet at the Cougar Rest Area where there is a bathroom. The Rest Area is approximately 50 miles from Portland. From the Rest Area, we will drive to the Trailhead which is 3.5 miles away and at the North end of Yale Reservoir. The trail is the former International Paper logging road on the east side of the reservoir. We will turn
HK A1 Oct. 28. Ridgefield NWR. James E Selby, selbyjb@comcast.net, 828-5085094. We will drive through the River S Unit to see waterfowl returning South as well as other birds there. Then we go to the Carty Unit and do some hiking, will see birds here as well but main purpose is hiking. Length of hike depends on where we can hike but no more than 4 miles. 4 mi., 100 ft., Drive: 18. Meet at at start at River S at 8:30 a.m.
information is uphill speed range; e.g... 1.5 = 1.5–2 mph: a slow to moderate pace; 2 = 2.0–2.5 mph: a moderate speed common on weekend hikes; 2.5 = 2.5–3.0 mph: a moderate to fast pace and is a conditioner. Hike fees/Snowshoe/Nordic Costs: $2 for members, $4 nonmembers; Backpack Costs: Vary depending on trip. Meeting Places: Clackamas Towne Center Park & Ride (9225 SE Sunnyside Road, Clackamas): Gateway–SE corner of P and R Garage near 99th and Pacific (I-84 Exit 7); L and C–Lewis and Clark State Park (1-84 Exit 18); Oswego TC–Boones Ferry Rd at Monroe Parkway; Salmon Creek P and R–Vancouver P and R at 134 St (1-5 Exit 7 or 1-205 Exit 36); Parkrose/Sumner Transit Center–Sandy Blvd. and 98th Ave. (1-205 Exit 23A); Durham–P
and R at Boones Ferry and Bridgeport (1-5 Exit 290); MMC–Mazama Mountaineering Center, 527 SE 43rd at Stark; Pendleton– Pendleton Woolen Mills in Washougal; REI–Pearl, NW 14th and Johnson; Target185– Target P/L Sunset Hwy at 185th. Dr.–round-trip driving mileage.–Hike elevation gain. TH Pass–USFS parking pass needed for trailhead; SnoPark–Snow park pass. FLTC–3510 SE 164th Ave. in Vancouver. 99th TC–9700 NE 7th Ave. in Vancouver. Trail Trips Hike Rules: Hikers are encouraged to carpool and share costs. The maximum suggested total rate each is a donation of ten cents per mile for up to three people per vehicle. Dogs are not allowed except for hikes designated as “dog-walks.” Alcohol and firearms are not allowed. Participants
should wear appropriate hiking shoes, and carry lunch, water, rain gear (umbrella, parka, or poncho), and the 10 essentials (whistle, extra food and clothing, sun protection, map, compass, flashlight, first aid kit, pocket knife, waterproof matches, fire starter). Participants should be in a physical condition appropriate for the difficulty of the hike. Leaders may decline anyone not properly equipped or judged incapable of completing the hike in a reasonable time frame. Hikers voluntarily leaving the group are considered nonparticipants. In case of accident, illness, or incapacity, hikers must pay their medical and/or evacuation expenses whether they authorize them or not. Hikes leave the meeting place at the time listed. Adverse conditions, weather, and combined circumstances can affect difficulty.
A Walk in the Wallowas by Claire Tenscher
T
wo weeks before the devastating fires gripped Oregon, I took a three-night backpacking trip in the Wallowas. With smoke levels the way they are now, I’m thankful that I got a wonderful end-ofsummer trip.
Departing the Idaho Panhandle on a beautiful Friday morning, I headed south towards Joseph. The road swings through the forests into golden fields of ripe wheat and down across the deep canyons of the Snake River. Many of these roads are part of the Nez Perce historic trail, recounting the battles and broken treaties that led to the Nez Perce being forced out of their lands. The tribe has a presence in the Wallowas, including a fascinating hydropower station on the wilderness boundary; a sign nearby poignantly reminds hikers that everywhere a human foot can tread, it is likely one already has. The first view of the Wallowa Mountains stuns, as does the namesake lake shortly after. Two gilded moraines encircle the sapphire lake. The forested hills rise rapidly into mountains, still dotted with snow in late August. I chose to start from the Little Alps Trailhead, at
the end of Highway 82. Incidentally, no Northwest Forest Pass is required here, and there is a nice day use area with restrooms. It seemed busy to me, but to a fellow hiker, used to crowds on the Pacfic Crest and John Muir Trail, this was quiet. About 90 percent of the 75 parking slips were filled at 3 p.m. on a Friday. When I departed on Monday only about 30 percent were filled. Maps show a loop beginning up one fork of the Wallowa River and returning down another. My goal for the first night was Ice Lake; it seemed like a reasonable distance, but I hadn’t done much research beyond downloading the area’s GPS info. My late afternoon start meant I had the hike largely to myself. The trail surface is covered in a deep dust from heavy equine use. For the first two and a half miles it rises gradually through dense, healthy forest, following the West Fork. At the Ice Lake Junction, the trail splits and crosses
Ice Lake with alpenglow as the sun sets behind The Matterhorn, the author camped on the rise just across the outlet stream from where this photo was taken. Photo by Claire Tenscher.
this wide stream on a lovely log bridge with a handrail. The trail then climbs a dramatic 2,000 feet, but that’s spread over five miles, thanks to a serious commitment to switchbacks. Several groups of what I assumed must be day hikers descended past me with tiny school backpacks, making me conscious of my large load. Ice Falls is visible from a distance and with a little maneuvering several close views are possible. A white cataract spills through dark green trees. The waterfall mostly clings to a rock face, but in several sections throws itself bodily into thin air. As I reached the upper falls, the sun dropped below the mountains and several lovely campsites tempted me. The air cooled but I pressed on, hoping that there would still be light above. The trail suddenly topped the ridge and Ice Lake became visible. Tents dotted the shore. Reddish-pink rays of light still graced half the water. I jumped in while the rocks
continued on next page OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 29
Wallowas, continued from previous page still retained the day’s warmth and ate a cold sandwich for dinner. Ready to relax, I set up my bivy sack near the main trail and a couple of other campsites. Some kind neighbors shared that there were private sites on a hidden peninsula if that was preferable, but in the end, I was glad for the company and chatted into the evening with a solo hiker from Portland. We talked about cross-country hikes and beautiful views from the top of the Matterhorn and the rumored difficulty of Polaris Pass, along my planned route. The moon rose bright and nearly full, making sleep difficult and dulling the stars until the wee hours. The next morning I woke early and made the decision to summit the Matterhorn before continuing on. This hike was essentially the only path I encountered in the Eagle Cap Wilderness without switchbacks. It climbs a punishing 2,000 feet in slightly over a mile. At times difficult to follow and rocky, the hiker who carries on is rewarded by extensive views. The hike begins in a hillside of vibrant wildflowers hugging a tumbling stream. 30 MAZAMAS
As you gain elevation, steep shale hillsides draw attention, then a glacier topped with a sharp blue pool appears. Ice Lake is always visible, revealing itself as the trail gains elevation. Finally at the summit, a 360-degree view features the jagged peaks surrounding Eagle Cap, and several lakes thousands of feet below whose names are unknown to me. I had the summit to myself, a benefit of being the first person up, but saw about a dozen people slowly climbing the ridges below me. On the way down, I nearly lost the trail in a maze of ungoverned cairns and goat paths. The descent back to the West Fork was punishing, especially knowing I’d have to regain much of the elevation to reach my evening camp. I developed serious blisters as the day wore on but was unwilling to stop, lest I stall completely. Finally, running low on water, I pulled over, soaked my feet, and applied my favorite blister remedy: lanolin on an oval pad of wool, attached to the feet with athletic tape. The stream where I rested bordered a joyful meadow with
clumps of mid-sized evergreens; several groups made this their basecamp because the trail splits and forms a loop. I had my heart set on an evening swim in the Lake Basin so I pressed on. The trail fords several deep streams and had I not taped my feet I would have removed my shoes to cross. Instead, I took the more risky log crossings that were available. As I was trying to convince my feet that we were nearly there, two cheerful women equipped with fishing rods came into sight. Some instinct told me they would give good advice on where a tired hiker could find a comfortable campsite. ‘Choose Horseshoe, it has the best backdrop’ and ‘you’re nearly there’ was all the convincing I needed. They recommended an empty campsite where the trail hits the lake. They also warned me that Frazier Lake, a potential camp spot for the following night, was underwhelming, and reiterated what I’d heard several times by now: Polaris Pass looked like a monster. Horseshoe Lake is clear blue, with a rocky tree-lined shore, and a classic peak anchoring the view. When I arrived there was still enough sunlight to swim the length of the lake, warm granite to dry my
Glacier Lake sits on a small plateau, the trail to Frazier Lake kisses the shore then continues down the valley to the left. Photo by Claire Tenscher.
clothes, and flat spots for my stove. From the water I could see what looked like Aneroid Mountain, far across the valley I hiked up, a completely different geology with its loose small rocks. Pouring over my maps, I analyzed the route decision I needed to make: either a mellow day making a lollipop loop along the West Fork, or an extreme day heading over Polaris. With no final decision I settled into my bag as the darkness fell. The next morning dawned frosty and cold. I decided to make my route choice at the junction, taped my feet, and set off. The Lake Basin is forested with some marshy lily-clad ponds and several large lakes. Douglas and Moccasin Lakes are similar in character to Horseshoe and both have beautiful backdrops of their own. There are campsites throughout to suit every style. A side trail towards Razz Lake tempted, but ultimately failed to lure me. The trail winds around Eagle Cap, lined with late season snow and glaciers, and every angle is a different stunning view. At this elevation, spring flowers long done blooming in Portland were in full raiment:
paintbrush, mints, a thousand varieties of purple flowers. I took a short detour for the view across Mirror Lake before beginning the ascent over Glacier Pass. Glacier Pass is a steady climb, following a stream for about half the distance before switch-backing up a small rocky valley. From the pass the eponymous lake is visible below, several rocky islands splashed across it and snow kissing the uphill shore. A smaller lake hides above it in the shadow of Eagle Cap. A cold wind blew steadily as I ate lunch, and discouraged me from a hoped-for swim. Instead I hustled out of the basin, following a merry stream as it descended to Frazier Lake. The trail was rocky and lost elevation quickly. Frazier Lake is marshy with scrubby vegetation and is surrounded by a rough canyon that blocks the view. It was just 2 p.m. when I came across the trail junction. On one side: a short hike to Six Mile Meadow, on the other: several thousand feet of climbing. Two women, with two chihuahuas and a very large furry dog, stood there looking shell shocked.
They were exhausted from their descent of Polaris Pass and a difficult night spent on the mountain; they said the trail seemed to be sliding off the hill beneath their feet. They did tell me that the far side was a much mellower trail and there would be other hikers camped at Aneroid Lake. I still had energy and liked the idea of seeing new country so I started up the pass. Further up I encountered three men descending who told me the trail was fine and cheerily encouraged me. I also ran into my camp-mate from the first night at Ice Lake. Knowing I hiked the Matterhorn, he thought I’d be fine on the upper sections of the pass. It was one of those wonderful chance encounters in nature. He was the last person I would see before hitting Aneroid Lake. Polaris was not physically difficult for me, the two dozen switchbacks kept the trail mellow. But the upper section is deteriorating. There’s no vegetation, several of the turns have eroded to loose dust, and careful foot placement is required to keep
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Wallowas, continued from page 31
Ice Falls from the Ice Lake Trail. Photo by Claire Tenscher.
the shale from sliding. For the last quarter mile I fell into a deep fear, panic gripping me each time I had to cross a narrow section of trail. Maybe the combination of a long day and the setting sun put me ill at ease and set my imagination loose, or maybe it is truly dangerous. After quickly topping the pass, I spent most of the descent anxious about what might have gone wrong. I had miles to go after Polaris to reach the comfort of other people. The backside of Aneroid is drier and has fewer stands of trees, and no water until just before the lake. A small second pass, called Tenderfoot, leads into a broad vista of high alpine scrub and the plain beyond the town of Joseph. My mental exhaustion couldn’t prevent me from taking a short detour to look down on the petite Jewett lake. Arriving at Aneroid Lake as the sun set, I camped next to a chatty pair of hikers on the first evening of their trip. Steep hillsides around Aneroid limit views there, too and bring an early nightfall. I took my customary swim before eating as much as I could fit in my stomach. It was a 21.3-mile day with 4,500 feet gained and 4,100 descended. I was physically fine but mentally tired, and it took me a very long time to fall asleep. I believe it’s common for backpackers to follow this loop, but if I did it again, I would skip the East fork entirely and spend an extra day doing side trips in the Lake Basin. I liked the views from the Matterhorn better than Polaris, and the Aneroid side wasn’t as much to my taste as the Lake Basin. Rain threatened when I woke in the early morning, so I quickly packed and headed out. It’s an easy descent, again dusty from heavy horse use. I passed a few folks headed up for day hikes. Arriving back at the parking lot around 9 a.m., I changed into flip flops and shorts and headed into Joseph for a quick breakfast before heading home.
32 MAZAMAS
WE CLIMB HIGH
VOLUME 2 IS ALMOST HERE!
We Climb High Volume 2
A chronology of the Mazamas 1965–2015
I
n 1965, to mark our organization’s 75th Anniversary, the Mazamas published John Scott’s We Climb High: A Chronology of the Mazamas 1894-1964. Scott spent over a year of his own time, reading, writing, and editing the 100-page work.
Today, the record of the next 50 Mazama years is nearing completion! Thirty Mazama members and staff have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours combing nearly a century worth of Mazama Bulletins, Annuals, and other documents to produce We Climb High Volume 2: A chronology of the Mazamas 1965–2015. Chapters are ordered by year, and include other special topics, such as Claire Tenscher’s study of women in Mazama climb history. We’re including excerpts from that chapter, and Rick Craycraft’s entry on 1980 in this month’s Bulletin, to whet your appetite for this historic volume.
FROM “1980” BY RICK CRAYCRAFT ...Early on the morning of May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, which had been stirring for several months, awoke from a 123-year slumber and let loose an unexpectedly large volcanic blast that spread devastation for miles. Fifty-seven people (although that figure is in some dispute) were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and perished, including our then Mazama Bulletin editor Jean Parker and her husband, Bill. The Pacific Northwest was suddenly in the national and international news. This seismic event also left a crater in the Mazama climb schedule. Between the loss of access to Mount St. Helens and the attendant restrictions on Mt. Adams, about 15 percent of the year’s planned climbs were wiped out. Climb leaders scrambled to find other peaks to ascend. The Annual, understandably, was dominated by recollections of Mount St. Helens. First was an account of the first Mazama ascent in 1898, which put 31 climbers on top of the now non-existent summit, including the ubiquitous Charles Sholes. Following were articles about the history of the Spirit Lake Camp/Camp Meehan, which had introduced young people to the wilderness for decades, a thorough scientific account of the event by Dr. Paul Hammond, and a look behind the scenes at rescues needed in the wake of the blast. Most compelling, however, was a first-hand account by Marianna Kearney of a harrowing drive out of the blast zone, with the understated title of “One Sunday in May”. Besides a handdrawn sketch of their escape route, this article featured iconic sequential photos by Ty Kearney of the initial explosion.
FROM “WOMEN IN THE MAZAMAS” BY CLAIRE TENSCHER ...In the course of writing this, I was lucky enough to speak with the first woman to lead the Mazama Climbing Committee, Allison Belcher. She has a stellar record of leadership, including pioneering ascents throughout the northwest and being the creator of a mountaineering safety program for Reed College. After her climbing life ended she spent decades giving voice to people who could not speak for themselves including foster children and Oregonians with disabilities, through social work and political action. With all of this accomplishment and demonstrated physical and leadership strength, she still repeated to me that she knew she wasn’t as strong as the strongest men but that she made up for it with other strengths and was plenty capable. Another common feature of female authored climbing literature is justification of our right to lead and participate in the harder levels of sport. Allison tells of a particularly heartbreaking climbing trip where she was turned back at the trailhead after a multi- hour drive, purely for being a woman. Her frustration was palpable five decades later. Climbing is not fundamentally about the physically strongest candidate reaching the top of a peak. Endurance, teamwork, and grit are likely better measures of success at altitude than strength alone. Allison did not become the first female leader of the Climbing Committee easily. She fought for the position against tremendous opposition with no attempt made to hide that she was considered unsuitable because she was a woman. This overt sexism is largely gone in the Mazamas today. Thanks to pioneers like Allison it is not something I recall encountering in my lifetime.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 33
MAZAMAS FOUNDATION DISSOLUTION:
UPDATE & THANK YOU
by Sarah Bradham, Acting Executive Director
O
n August 18, 2020, the Mazamas Foundation board voted to dissolve. This was the culmination of months of conversation, first on the Mazamas Foundation board, then with the Mazamas Executive Director and Executive Board. Prior to this decision, there were several articles published in the Bulletin and a town hall meeting held via Zoom on July 28, that was publicized and open to all Mazama members who had questions regarding the potential dissolution. Refer to the May/June 2020 Mazama Bulletin for additional information. The official dissolution required multiple steps, many of them quite complex, such as filing paperwork with the state, closing accounts, writing agreements for future allocation of funds, transferring monetary assets, transferring the deed of the MMC, and securing more insurance coverage. As of September 30, 2020 the majority of the Foundation dissolution work was complete, and we will use this date as the effective dissolution date of the Mazamas Foundation. We would like to thank the outgoing Mazamas Foundation for their work over the past year, with a special thank you to Mazamas Foundation President Terry Donahe, Treasurer John Plombon, and Vice President Jerry Eline who managed the bulk of the dissolution work, along with Bronson Potter (who managed the sale of the Smith Rock Property), Secretary Jeff Hawkins, Jon Jurevic, Sándor Lau, Keith Thomajan, and Marty Scott. Two of our Mazamas Foundation members will continue to put their financial acumen to good use at the Mazamas. John Plombon has joined the Board Investment Committee and Marty Scott has agreed to join the Board Finance Committee. We sincerely appreciate the time and talent that this entire team brought to the Mazamas Foundation, and are thankful for their ongoing commitment to the success of the Mazamas.
34 MAZAMAS
SUMMARY OF ELECTION RESULTS FROM ANNUAL MEETING AND OFFICER ELECTION SESSION NUMBER OF VOTES CAST
852
MEMBER ELECTION OF DIRECTORS Charles Barker Tom Baughman Charles Blanke, M.D. Bob Breivogel* Reena Clements* Lori Coyner* Scott Stevenson
378 274 268 402 411 445 188
MEMBER ELECTION OF NOMINATION COMMITEE Ardel Frick* John Rettig* Kaitlin Rupert*
671 670 706
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ELECTION OF OFFICERS FY20/21 (all offices uncontested)
President: JOE EBERHARDT Vice President: AIMEE FILIMOEHALA Secretary: RICK AMODEO Treasurer: AMANDA RYAN-FEAR
2020/2021 EXECUTIVE BOARD: Judith Baker (2018–2021) Joe Eberhardt (2018–2021) Aimee Filimoehala (2020-2021) Rick Amodeo (2019–2022) Amanda Ryan-Fear (2019–2022) Jesse Applegate (2019–2022) Bob Breivogel (2020–2023) Reena Clements (2020–2023) Lori Coyner (2020–2023) *indicates elected candidate
LET US KEEP YOU CONNECTED — MAZAMA ZOOM MEETINGS!
D
uring these viral times, has it been a challenge to stay connected with members of your Mazama community? Let us help!
Rex Breunsbach, Trail Trips Committee member, has stayed close to his fellow hikers using Zoom. We asked him specifics about his meetings that generally occur about every three weeks on a Wednesday morning.
Why did you decide to hold these Zoom meetings? I missed my Wednesday Mazama hikes and the people who attended. I knew people were hiking in small groups but did not know where or how.
What do you talk about? Where have you been backpacking/hiking? What trails are open? What are the trail conditions? How well are you and other hikers maintaining social distancing and using masks?
How many people are attending your meetings? We usually have about 10–15 people check in. Meetings last about 30 minutes. I’ve even had people check in from the coast using their mobile phones.
Any technical problems? It takes awhile to learn how to use Zoom, but it’s free.
How have the meetings been received? Response has been great! People ask when the next meeting is.
Do you have any advice for offering Zoom meetings for other Mazama communities? Make and maintain a mailing list. Send out your invitations a couple days before the meeting (Use BCC). Encourage all participants to talk about what they have been
doing. Get in touch and just start the conversation. Anything else you want to say? I have not maintained a fixed schedule as sometimes there are travel conflicts but we try to meet at least every three weeks. If you are interested in setting up a Mazama Zoom meeting that is longer than the 40 minutes ( free accounts are limited to 40 minutes), email us at help@mazamas.org and we can likely get the meeting setup for you!
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 35
MAZAMA MEMBERSHIP AUGUST Membership Report NEW MEMBERS: 13 Dahnya Albertson—Old Snowy Mountain Oliver Chapin—Mt. St Helens Erin Courtney—Mt. Adams Thayne Washburn Covert—Mt. Adams Carla Eisner—Mt. St Helens Kathy Foster—Old Snowy Mountain Richard High—South Sister Ben Hoover—Mt. Shasta Heather Murray—Mt. St Helens Jeff Ortman— South Sister Anna Rischitelli—Mt. Adams Joseph Snyder—North Sister Vania Wang—Little Annapurna (WA)
REINSTATEMENTS: 4
Jennifer Sims (1999), Jay Devoe (2012), Nick Heller (2016), & Erica Stock (2018)
DECEASED: 1
Janet Crites (1982)
MEMBERSHIP ON AUGUST 31: 3,179 (2020); 3,557 (2019)
SEPTEMBER Membership Report NEW MEMBERS: 12 Gennadiy Bakis—Mt. St Helens Patrick Blessinger—Mt. Whitney Elizabeth Brammer—Gannett Peak (WY) Aspen Carlson—South Sister Vince Kim—South Sister Jeffrey L.—Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) Elisabeth Lux—South Sister Julian Mills—Old Snowy Mountain Grace Scrivo—South Sister Molly Swisher—Mt. St Helens Chen Yan—South Sister Michael Young—Mt. St Helens
REINSTATEMENTS: 3
Susan Fodell (2016), Thomas Guthrie (2008), & Amber Mira (2018)
DECEASED: 0 MEMBERSHIP ON SEPTEMBER 30: 3,194 (2020); 3,603 (2019)
36 MAZAMAS
Above: New member Ben Hoover on the summit of Mt. Shasta in June 2020. Left: New member Dahyna Albertson on the summit of Old Snowy.
MAZAMA LODGE
A
fter 10 years, Charles Barker has moved on from his post as the Mazama Lodge Manager. During this period of time Charles expanded the usage of the Lodge to not only include Mazama events and classes, but weddings, ski camps, and special events. He has treated the membership and our greater community to a rotating cast of wonderful lodge caretakers, delicious food, incredibly hospitality, and an always warm and welcoming atmosphere. We extend a hearty thank you to Charles for his service to Mazama Lodge and his ever present love of the lodge and the Mazamas. With the ongoing pandemic, we are currently unable to operate the lodge in its usual manner. At this time of year we would typically be greeting ICS students, and readying ourselves for weekends filled with Mazamas looking to play in the snow and enjoy an evening at our home on the mountain. With large bunk rooms, communal bathrooms, and many shared spaces, operating with large groups is simply not an option. We are currently looking at ways to keep the lodge operating in some capacity throughout the winter and spring, and are looking at the option of short-term, weekend rentals by small groups. The end goal is to reopen the lodge next summer, once we are hopefully through this pandemic, for Mazama classes, events, and weekend trips. However, Mazama Lodge is in transition mode and we need a new operating plan to ensure we reopen with a viable business model. If you are interested in joining the Lodge Committee and being a part of this reimagining process, please email lodgecommittee@mazamas.org.
MAZAMA CLASSICS For members with 25 years of membership, or for those who prefer to travel at a more leisurely pace.
I
n December, despite the continued closure of the MMC, the Classics Committee will still send out membership anniversary pins to those that have renewed their membership for 2021. Our policy is to send 25 year pins to those members that will celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2021, so we’re forward looking in that regard. Similarly, 50 year pins will be sent out to members that have renewed their membership for 2021 (the last time you have to pay dues). 60 year pins and 70 year pins will be sent to members that met that milestone in 2020.
We started mailing these new pins in 2020, but know that we missed some members that already passed their anniversary date. So, if you are a member with 61 to 69 years of membership or a member with over 70 years and have not received a pin, please contact us so we can get you your pin. Email us at classics@mazamas.org. Tell us the year you joined and include an address for mailing.
We lead a wide variety of year-round activities including hikes, picnics, and cultural excursions. Share years of happy Mazama memories with our group. All ages are welcome to join the fun. CONTACTING THE CLASSICS Contact the Classics Chair Flora Huber at 503-658-5710, flobell17@ comcast.net, or classics@mazamas.org.
SUPPORT THE CLASSICS Classics needs a volunteer to put more content in our column on a quarterly basis. We want to document past Classics events and make sure that our postings to the web are current and complete. More generally, there is always work to be done on the committee. Our meetings are the fourth Monday of every other month at 11 a.m. at the MMC. Email classics@mazamas.org and tell us how you can help.
CLASSICS HIKES There is one upcoming Classics hikes on the calendar. See the full hike schedule on the next page for more details. You can signup online. Tuesday, September 29. Laurel Hill. Flora Huber, flobell17@comcast.net. The hike is 2.4 miles round trip, with 400 ft. elevation gain. Please meet at Sandy Safeway. We will leave at 9 a.m.
CLASSICS COMMITTEE MEETING Keep an eye on the Mazama Calendar for our next meeting. It will be in September and held on Zoom. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 37
EXECUTIVE BOARD MINUTES (Executive Council) DATE: JULY 21, 2020 ON ZOOM By: Amanda Ryan-Fear, Secretary ATTENDING: Traci Manning, President; Joe Eberhardt, Treasurer; Amanda RyanFear, Secretary; Keith Campbell; Judith Baker; Jesse Applegate; Rick Amodeo; Aimee Filimoehala. Staff members: Mitsu Iwasaki, Executive Director; Sarah Bradham, Director of Operations. WELCOME & CALL TO ORDER
■ The meeting was called to order at 4 p.m. by President Traci Manning. Traci noted a quorum was present. REVIEW & APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Traci Manning asked for approval of June meeting minutes. Minutes were approved by consensus of the board. NOMINATING COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Traci Manning (via email from Walter Keutel) ■ Charles Barker petitioned to be added to the October ballot and has submitted over 75 signatures of verified members. He will be added to the list of Executive Council candidates for the 2020 Mazama election ■ There are currently three candidates for the three open positions on the Nominating Committee. They are: Ardel Frick, John Rettig (outgoing current member of the Nominating Committee) and Kaitlin Rupert. ■ The Nominating Committee is still trying to recruit additional Mazama members for the Nominating Committee election. If our ongoing search is successful, we will amend the list of Nominating Committee candidates. ■ The Nominating Committee would strongly support a Bylaw change that allows a random order of the candidates on ballots. The current alphabetic order requirement could provide an unfair advantage to candidates with last names starting with a letter earlier in the alphabet. This should be avoided for all future elections and should be on the ballot in October 2020 even if no other bylaw changes are ready for a vote. 38 MAZAMAS
TREASURER’S REPORT (JOE EBERHARDT)
■ Overview of the June financials, Additional notes are as follows: ■ Confirmation of REI grant to offset some of the cost of Oregon Outdoors advocacy and policy work ■ Charter for EC Investment Committee ■ Motion passed to accept EC Investment Committee Charter FINANCIAL POLICIES ■ Reserve funds— ■ Operating fund - 3 to 6 months of typical operating costs ■ Decision by EC to have goal of 6 months in reserves ■ Mitsu recommended setting this in a separate account ■ Traci proposed financial policy is aligned with this ■ Endowment, or permanently restricted fund—corpus of money is never touched, only the interest is used (in the way that was designated by the donor) ■ Temporary restricted fund—when we meet the requirement of the gift then the corpus can be spent down, spent on purposes designated by the donor ■ Expedition grants—$145k ■ Conservation grants—$86k ■ Plan to pay down these debts over time ■ Introduction of financial policies to committee chairs ■ Rescue fund ■ Unanimous vote by board to adopt financial policies ■ Banking authorization proposal—add Laura and remove Mitsu. ■ Unanimous vote by board to accept proposal BYLAWS UPDATE, AIMEE FILIMOEHALA Board members have been socializing the bylaw changes with committees ■ Concern—if we take glaciated peak out what in bylaws indicates that we are an alpine organization ■ Add language to values statement that specifies that we are an alpine organization
■ The core activities and education we produce all point to us being a mountaineering/climbing organization ■ We’re currently out of alignment with peer organizations, currently glaciated peak requirement is holding us back from growing in tandem with these organizations ■ Idea of tiered membership—still exclusive, creates a “less than” environment Communication plan ■ What are bylaws? TIMING OF ELECTION ■ Discussion on holding special election in spring NEXT STEPS ■ Have communications in bulletin from supporters ■ Communicate with climb committee ■ Create subcommittee including nonEC advocates ■ Create FAQ PRIORITIES FOR ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TRACI MANNIN 1. Propose and pass budget 2. COVID response 3. Lodge transition 4. Traci and Sarah will revise EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT, MITSU IWASAKI Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic ■ Some programs in the field are happening (mainly climbs) ■ Train the Trainers program pilot delivered ■ Likely will have negative impact on membership numbers ■ May over 588 engagements on virtual series online BUDGET FOR FY21 ■ Ideal COVID scenario budget ■ Ideal hibernation budget ■ Midway between a and b
We are seeking a volunteer with writing skills who is interested in taking minutes at the Mazama Council meeting and writing a narrative report of the meeting for the Bulletin. If this sounds like something you would like to take on, email help@mazamas.org.
WHAT IS BEING DONE DIFFERENTLY TO HELP OFFSET COST OF DOING BUSINESS IN ORDER TO BETTER BALANCE BUDGET
■ Charge for load on MMC ■ Charge for indirect expenses associated with courses and committees ■ Inter-committee transfers
DATE: AUGUST 19, 2020 ON ZOOM By: Amanda Ryan-Fear, Secretary ATTENDING: Traci Manning, President; Joe Eberhardt, Treasurer; Amanda Ryan-Fear, Secretary; Judith Baker, Jesse Applegate, Rick Amodeo, Aimee Filimoehala. Staff: Sarah Bradham, Laura Burger (5:30–6 p.m.) WELCOME & CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4 p.m. by President Traci Manning. Traci noted a quorum was present. REVIEW & APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Traci Manning asked for approval of July meeting minutes. Minutes were approved by consensus of the board. FOUNDATION DISSOLUTION UPDATE, TRACI MANNING
■ Meeting of Board of Directors of Foundation August 17, 2020. Resolved to dissolve foundation and distribute funds directly to Mazamas. Passed unanimously. ■ Resolved that the Mazamas Executive Council acknowledges the dissolution of the Mazamas Foundation and accepts the transfer of its assets to the Mazamas. Passed unanimously ■ Next steps: creation of EC investment committee TREASURER’S REPORT, JOE EBERHARDT Overview of the July financials, Additional notes are as follows: ■ Expenses are well within budget ■ Proposed allocation of foundation assets ■ Fund 50 percent of restricted grants ($120,000)
UPDATE ON FOUNDATION POTENTIAL DISSOLUTION, RICK AMODEO
■ Led by Rick Amodeo ■ Tuesday, July 28, 7 p.m. Foundation Town Hall ■ Foundation needs to publicize on next agenda that they will discuss dissolution of foundation
■ 8k repayment of the EIDL grant ■ 6 month operating reserve ($580,000 based on ‘normal’ year operations) ■ Need to outline conditions ■ Joe will have for next board meeting DRAFT 2020–2021 BUDGET, SARAH BRADHAM 2019-20 budget built for what this year would be without COVID but other assumptions of how we are currently operating shows that fiscally responsible operations have been setting us up well Expenses associated with dissolution of Foundation ■ Mazamas now assume $22,500 in taxes on MMC upon foundation dissolution ■ $8,500 increase in insurance DISCUSSION OF IMPORTANCE OF MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN
■ Mazamas rally at difficult times ■ Budget reduction opportunities ■ Oregon Outdoors ■ MEA ■ Printing publications 2020–2021 MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN, LAURA BURGER, DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Ask people to renew early—open through October 31 ■ All honorary and lifetime members have been renewed ■ November 1 all non-renewed members are dropped, $10 re-instatement fee ■ Gear giveaway for people who renew by September 15 Postcard will be sent next week ■ Incentivizing donations of $150 or greater. ■ Last year renewal rate of 67 percent
■ August 17 Foundation meeting— decision will be re: dissolution ■ Formal resolution that will carry to EC Council meeting was adjourned at 6:05 p.m.
■ Each EC member commits to calling 20 members by the end of the month BYLAWS UPDATE ■ Spring special election (possibly February, or later, committee will review) ■ Committee meets next week ■ Need to backwards plan communication timeline based on ideal election time ■ Overall committee NEW EC MEMBER ORIENTATION, TRACI MANNING
■ October - night of annual meeting all current and new EC members must attend ■ Only agenda item that evening is election of officers ■ Agenda items ■ Bylaws ■ Board member duties ■ To dos ■ Reach out to candidates in midSeptember to coordinate one or two nights that they can attend orientation ■ Pull together materials EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT, SARAH BRADHAM
■ Committee education on how to budget ■ Draft DEI talking points - Sarah and Amanda ■ PAF ■ scaled back virtual PAF, bring in speakers, do raffles, reaching out to sponsors ■ Lower expenses Council meeting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 39
MazamasÂŽ 527 SE 43rd Ave. Portland OR 97215 www.mazamas.org
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Larry Beck and Jamie McGilvray keeping one mountain-length distance from each other. Photo by Ralph Daub.
