Tecuya Mountain, Frazier Mountain (LO)

24 June 1989

By: Martin Feather

Leaders: Martin Feather and Alan Coles

A large number of vehicles gathered at the Sylmar carpool point, where Alan pointed out that it might be unwise to leave our cars in the "No Stopping any Time" zones (watch for those). From here we carpooled to Frazier Park, reassembling at the area behind the Fire and Sheriff stations.

Hordes almost too numerous to count (52 - that's way more than my fingers and toes) strolled up the bike and hiking trail that makes its way into Cold Spring Canyon, and onward to meet the dirt road running along the ridge leading to Tecuya - if you go the right way. A scenic approach!

The weather was quite cooperative (it pays to order well in advance), sunny but not overwhelmingly hot - a few days beforehand the heat would have been unpleasant. Frank Goodykoontz had taken a cross-country route and was waiting for us on the top, even though he hadn't thought he'd make it.

There, the group enjoyed lunch, generally clustering in the shade, until eventually we'd had our fill of relaxing. Frank and Asher Waxman volunteered to take those who wanted to go cross-country back down the ridge directly south from Tecuya, while Alan and I retraced the trail and road path.

Thereafter most of us drove over and up to the top of Frazier Mountain, where Alan and I simultaneously Finished The List the second time, and Laura Webb completed her 200th Peak! After the arduous drive it was necessary to rest the vehicles for a while, giving us time to consume a variety of celebratory goodies and to assume dignified poses for the traditional (and populous) List-Finishers photograph, and the (less populous) Second Time List-Finishers photograph. Thanks to all the participants for making this a delightful outing, to Frank and Asher for the additional leading and to Alan for leading on this and many, many other hikes.

This occasion of Second Time List Finishing and 200 Peak attainment is an opportune time to consider the travails of hiking the HPS peaks, so I'd like to float some propositions that are intended to ease the task of future would-be finishers:

Proposition 368:
That the HPS List be "rolled back" to the way it was 10 years ago, and a further 20% of those peaks be removed from The List. This would result in a major saving of time and effort.

Proposition 371:
That all drive-ups be removed from The List. Drive-ups consume unnecessary gas and entail much wear and tear on automobiles, so adoption of this measure would reap enormous benefits.

Proposition 374:
That all non-driveups be removed from The List. Non-driveups require hiking, and thus entail much wear and tear on boots and people, so adoption of this measure would reap enormous benefits.

Proposition 381:
That an upper limit be placed on the allowable expenditure for climbing any single peak - while it is true that Mount Hillyer is a remote and difficult peak, this does not justify the use of a helicopter. Such a limit would slow the escalation in the monetary costs of finishing the List!