May 25
Per the late Pete Yamagata, regarding the history of the Western States Climbers List, which includes Caribou Mountain.
"There is a history to the Peak and Gorge lists. The first was formulated in about 1968 by Gene Markley. Poorly done, it didn't even include Mt. Whitney and Half Dome. With bad data, it was revised in about 1970 when, and often criticized by Dan Dobbins, the lead peak bagger at that time. Notably, Mt. Rose (NV) is listed as a CA peak. When they asked me to revise it in about 1983, I asked for comments. Three comments came in that the list was "perfect." So, I left it like that was, with Mt. Rose listed as a CA peak. Obviously a completely screwy bunch of peak baggers, no one really cared too much, and please, to all, don't take this too seriously. I left it to the chair, Jackie Stroud, at the last moment whether to include Russian Peak. She said, "No." She completely screwed up the section, voting by her friends to be in charge, with five incidents under her rule. We published the booklet, but I gave them all to Leo Krastins to deliver them to the Peak and Gorge meeting as I was too busy to attend, it being a 20 mile drive each way for me. I never heard whether they got them. I somehow imagine that he threw them all away! I never saw whether the booklet was even distributed. Based on the previous Peak and Gorge lists, I made corrections, and included the worthy peaks. At 283 peaks, I started to work on them, but never with any good partners. As the Peak and Gorge dissolved, it was stolen as the WSC list, which I worked to have removed as I was told, somewhat of a liability hazard. Compared to the older lists, the data was corrected, and made up or imaginary peaks were removed. As the WSC webpages, John Sarna, presumably by him in charge, I don't see how any confirmation is done, as they all do not ever check registers. I completed the OGUL list 3X, but I am not credited. Knowing the MLC SC, probably many phony claims are proclaimed, as it is their present way that the true HPs of say Round Top and Castle Peak aren't recognized as the true summits. From the beginning, lists weren't much of my way. I suggested a mathematical point system, based on gain, distance, difficulty, prominence, so any good peak could be counted. They were set on a list, as by the L.A. peak sections, of which they copied. Only in their spirit of lists did I consent to revise their list, and my own Climbing-Knapsack Section never had any list. I had long recommended the L.A. peak section lists. Most nobody worked on them up north, since they had an anti-L.A. bias. Harry Erl, the hand-picked chair to succeed Markley, declared no peaks south of I-15. And no L.A. peaks. So, it was his designate that Antonio, Gorgornio, and Jacinto weren't to be counted. Or any much of HPS peaks, since that was "L.A." They also declared Coast Range as unworthy. I had to put in Snow Mtn., the Yolla Bollys, and the Trinities. And then the DPS peaks. Just screwball, arbitrary, and unreal criteria for choosing what peaks were to be counted. Not even a vote. The iron fist of Markley ruled the section, and some revolted, like me. Good that prominence and other lists came into being. These people just sought to imitate the L.A. sections. They eventually failed, and no longer run trips or anything but their Net presence, which just requires a web host. Only give thanks to me that non-existent peaks have been removed. Give also thanks to me that Caribou is on their list. I actually looked at a map to figure worthy peaks, as the founder Markley just looked at his AAA map, incorrect. I was the only one to get topo maps by the USGS. The leadership was incredibly incompetent. In 1975, we nearly went all the way to Las Vegas to bag Charleston, which we didn't summit because the plans were so poor. By then I began to discern their prefs for cathouses. Why they even had NV peaks. Easy now to see they are not interested in bagging peaks, as with my efforts to keep it going. No ladies after the drives, as they openly admit to. Well, "guys will be guys," by them. Disease, slavery, trafficking, that's the real legacy of the Peak and Gorge."
6am start at Big Flat Campground.
