date pages: <<  <  3  4  5  6  7  8  >  >>
< 46 of 432 >
Mitch Miller > This is Patty Rambert on a hike I did with her to Nopah Peak, January 2004. She was trying to teach this slow learner the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) navigation system. In spite of the long, arduous day, the hike was a delight thanks to Patty. From my perspective she always maintained a cheerful attitude and a professional wilderness guide aptitude. My weekend outting September 30-October 1, 2006, was in part a tribute to her. The Lamarck Lakes trail was her last. She perished on the east face of Mt. Mendel, May 31, 2006. Her ice axe was not found. If you are unfamiliar with the story you can read it at http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/atoz/article_1170528.php.
Mitch Miller > Pond between Upper and Lower Lamarck Lakes.
Mitch Miller > "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." &#8212; T. S. Eliot.
Mitch Miller > 13,464' false (but higher) Mount Lamarck.
Mitch Miller > The unnamed lakes at 11,540' and 11,546' west of Mt. Lamarck, and south of Mt. Goethe, at upper right. The forested area at upper left is Evolution Valley, and the lake at left is in Darwin Canyon.
Mitch Miller > "When I entered this sublime wilderness the day was nearly done, the trees with rosy, glowing countenances seemed to be hushed and thoughtful, as if waiting in conscious religious dependence on the sun, and one naturally walked softly and awe stricken among them. I wandered...as if in some vast hall pervaded by the deepest sanctities and solemnities that sway human souls. At sundown the trees seemed to cease their worship and breathe free." - John Muir
Mitch Miller > This is a 70 cm Ushba Mountain Works ice axe. Ice axes are used to perform self arrests. Quoting from Wikipedia, "Self-arrest is a mountaineering related maneuver in which a climber that has fallen and is sliding down a snow or ice slope arrests (stops) the slide by himself without recourse to a rope or other belay system. "Self-arrest can be performed by using an ice axe or by using the climber's hands, feet, knees and elbows. Self-arrest with an ice axe is a difficult maneuver, but without it the probability of effectively arresting a fall is greatly diminished." I required no ice axe for my outting 9/30-10/1/06, although many people will be seen carrying them on this particular route to the north and east couloirs and faces of the high peaks near the Sierra crest. An ice axe may also be viewed as a climber's best friend, or at least one of them.
Mitch Miller > Camp now in view again. All the way back to camp I chided myself for not getting their names or the message board name. I made up my mind to notify several people to scan climbers' message boards regularly. But better still, I ate an early lunch slowly, took my time packing, then saw the three young men descending with their packs. I walked over and told them I lived in the same county as Patty's husband; they live in the Bay Area. I had climbed with Patty. With little discussion it quickly became clear the ice axe had found a new driver to take it home. "Sasquatch" @ summitpost.org without hestitation removed his backpack and unstrapped the ice axe and handed it to me.
Mitch Miller > Finally starting my descent, I shot a photo of the many routes; no trails. I'm sure most climbers would agree this type of terrain is, well, fun. What I didn't see when I shot the photo were two people just above center right, near the top edge of the dried pond, that I would soon meet. Lower down I heard a shout and turned to see at least one of three people wave. Tired, cold and hungry my first thought was to wave and continue towards camp, but I chose to be sociable and divert to them for a visit. I was envious; they wore no packs. Travelling light. They asked about Mt. Lamarck. I, who never pulled out the map that morning, had missed the official summit but didn't know it. I said there was no register. They said they'd found no register on Mendel, Saturday. I mentioned a friend had died there last spring. One said "oh yeah, uh..." and I finished the sentence "...Patty Rambert. She is a part of why I'm here". He said "how eerie, we found an ice axe there yesterday while climbing the east face". Another party member said he was going to post a message on..., and I didn't catch the message board name for the wind, the windblock hat and feeling a little stunned. They continued their climb and I my descent.
This is Patty Rambert on a hike I did with her to Nopah Peak, January 2004. She was trying to teach this slow learner the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) navigation system. In spite of the long, arduous day, the hike was a delight thanks to Patty. From my perspective she always maintained a cheerful attitude and a professional wilderness guide aptitude.

My weekend outting September 30-October 1, 2006, was in part a tribute to her. The Lamarck Lakes trail was her last. She perished on the east face of Mt. Mendel, May 31, 2006. Her ice axe was not found. If you are unfamiliar with the story you can read it at http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/atoz/article_1170528.php.
Mitch Miller > This is Patty Rambert on a hike I did with her to Nopah Peak, January 2004. She was trying to teach this slow learner the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) navigation system. In spite of the long, arduous day, the hike was a delight thanks to Patty. From my perspective she always maintained a cheerful attitude and a professional wilderness guide aptitude. My weekend outting September 30-October 1, 2006, was in part a tribute to her. The Lamarck Lakes trail was her last. She perished on the east face of Mt. Mendel, May 31, 2006. Her ice axe was not found. If you are unfamiliar with the story you can read it at http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/atoz/article_1170528.php.
This is Patty Rambert on a hike I did with her to Nopah Peak, January 2004. She was trying to teach this slow learner the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) navigation system. In spite of the long, arduous day, the hike was a delight thanks to Patty. From my perspective she always maintained a cheerful attitude and a professional wilderness guide aptitude.

My weekend outting September 30-October 1, 2006, was in part a tribute to her. The Lamarck Lakes trail was her last. She perished on the east face of Mt. Mendel, May 31, 2006. Her ice axe was not found. If you are unfamiliar with the story you can read it at http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/atoz/article_1170528.php.
Photo by: Mitch Miller · See photo in original gallery.
date pages: <<  <  3  4  5  6  7  8  >  >>
< 46 of 432 >

Comments

|

New comment:

Name: Email: Link:


To foil spammers, enter this code: copy this text in this box: Code unreadable?

Add Comment Cancel