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List Finishers

Let's hear it for Winnette Butler. She became the 22nd person to finish the list and the first person to finish in 2008.

Congratulations to Dave Comerzan for being the first person to finish the Lower Peaks list twice.

Congratulations to Ingeborg Prochazka for being the second person to finish the Lower Peaks list twice.

Congratulations to Ron Schrantz and Chris Wu for finishing the list on June 6th on Silver Peak/Catalina Island.

ARCHIVED NEWS

Congratulations to Lloyd Johnson who finished the list 8/23/06 on Silver Peak/Catalina Island. According to the National Park Service(4/5/06), as of March 21st, the campground is open on Santa Cruz Island. The local phone number for the Channel Islands National Park is (805)658-5730. At our annual general meeting in February, it was announced that Frankish was officially delisted. Hastings Peak was added. And a notice was read regarding the suspension of El Montanon on Santa Cruz by the National Park Service. Please check with the National Park Service after March 20th. On a sad note we would like to mention the passing of Bob Wheatley. Bob, one of the founders of the Lower Peaks Committee, passed away February 6, 2006. He was 89 years old. In 1986, Bob and Gordon Lindberg, Jack Adsit, Jack Trager and Andy Beall thought that there are many peaks lower than 5000' in elevation in Southern California worthwhile to climb and they formed the Lower Peaks Committee within the Los Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club. At first, there were only 40 peaks on the Lower Peaks List, but the number of peaks increased steadily. Bob suggested 15 of those 40 peaks. Now we have 76 peaks and the list is still growing. Bob liked all the peaks, but one of his favorite peaks was Santa Paula Peak. He must have climbed it 10 times. For years he was active in the committee, as Chair or Vice Chair, and he worked tirelessly for the recognition for his Lower Peaks. He was also a prolific leader, respected and valued by his hikers. He was famous for his "Torrey Pines by Train and Boot" hike as well as his "Superboot" bus trip, crossing the San Jacinto Mountains from Palm Springs to Idyllwild. With his gracious and friendly attitude he touched many hikers' lives. He will not be forgotten.

Ron Zappen,Ingeborg Prochazka, Dave Comerzan and Janet Howell finished the list March 13, 2006.

George Wysup and Michael Gosnell finished the list February 2005.

April 14, 2004

Barbara Guerin has finished the Lower Peaks List! She is the twelth person to finish the list. It happened on Jupiter Mountain.

February 18, 2004

Luella Fickle has finished the Lower Peaks List! She is the eleventh person to finish the list. It happened on a hike with the Los Padres Chapter to Cathedral Peak.

February 18, 2004

Let's climb the Lower Peaks before it gets too hot! We had to suspend several peaks, but there are plenty of peaks left for hiking! Because of last year's devastating fires the San Bernardino and the Cleveland National Forest closed all burnt areas to hiking. What does Suspension mean? The committee may suspend a peak from the Peak List for an unspecified time, and may reinstate it at any time. Suspension, while in effect, will cause a peak to be ignored for list completion. Whenever the National Forests opens an area for hiking we will take the peak out of suspension and place it on the List again. We will publish this in the Lower Peaks News. The following peaks have been suspended: Harrison Mountain, McKinley Mountain, Arrowhead Peak, Eagle Mountain All peaks are located in burnt areas. Black Jack and Mt. Orizaba Both peaks have communication towers on the summit and 'no access' signs are posted. The following peaks are not suspended. They are located in burnt or partially burnt areas; however, they may be hiked: Iron Mountain and Woodson Mountain Rocky Peak Potato Mountain, Stoddard Peak, Frankish Peak, Castro Peak has been removed from the List because of access problems. Cancellations/Rescheduling: Since Harrison Mtn is closed to Hiking due to fire closure, we'll go instead to Brown Mountain: Mar 6 Sat Lower Peaks O: Brown Mountain (4486'): 9 mi rt, 900' gain/1,600' gain on return, slow to moderate pace. Try this upside-down hike starting at Eaton Saddle. Meet 8:00 am Diamond Bar rideshare or 9:00 AM in La Canada... Bring water, sturdy footwear, lunch. Rain cancels. Ldrs: Gabriele Rau, Barbara Guerin Since Eagle Peak is closed to Hiking due to fire closure, we'll go instead to Thomas Mtn via the Ramona Trail. This is NOT a Lower Peak, just a nice hike. May 1 Sat Lower Peaks, HPS O: Thomas Mtn (6825): 11 m RT, 2,100'gain, slow to moderate pace. Meet 7:00 AM at North Orange County. We take the Ramona Trail, through high chaparral and cool Jeffrey Pine forest to Ramona Camp, followed by 2 m on the road to the summit of Thomas Mtn. Bring water, lunch, lug soles, Rain cancels. Leaders: Gabriele Rau, Luella Fickle Glendora Peak is open after a long closure. It is overgrown. During snow and heavy rains Glendora Ridge Road will close. Call Angeles National Forest in Arcadia (626) 574-5200. If the gate is closed, you can either hike or mountain bike the additional 4 miles and 2,100' gain to the TH (see Guide).

Minutes of the Lower Peaks Public Meeting Wednesday February 18, at 7:00 PM at Knowlwood, Fullerton

We discussed the peak additions for 2004: Eagle Peak and Cerro Alto. Unfortunately, we had to suspend Eagle Peak because of last year's fires. For the record, we decided to add this peak before the fire broke out. Cerro Alto was added, it is located very far north, and it will be our most northern peak. Castro Peak was deleted because of access problems. We had to suspend several peaks. Because of last year's fires the San Bernardino and the Cleveland National Forest closed all burnt areas to hiking. What does Suspension mean? The committee may suspend a peak from the Peak List for an unspecified time, and may reinstate it at any time. Suspension, while in effect, will cause a peak to be ignored for list completion. Whenever the National Forests opens an area for hiking the peak will be taken out of suspension and placed on the List again. We will publish this in the Lower Peaks News. The following peaks have been suspended: Harrison Mountain, McKinley Mountain, Arrowhead Peak, Eagle Mountain All peaks are located in burnt areas. Black Jack and Mt. Orizaba Both peaks have of communication towers on their summits and 'no access' signs are posted. Charlotte Gulsby reported that she called the Catalina Conservancy and got conflicting information. While some Rangers told her that these peaks are closed to all hikers, others expressed to her that one could possibly hike the peaks. Since permits are required for these hikes we do not know what the Ranger in charge will decide. We will try to find out more about these peaks. We exchanged information about which peaks have burnt and could still be hiked. Generally, the Angeles national Forest allows hiking in burnt areas. Pleasants Peak is not suspended any more; it can be hiked via Silverado Canyon (a long hike). More and more people now drive the Main Divide Truck Trail and hike several peaks in the Santa Ana Mountains close to the Truck Trail in short steep climbs. There are now 77 Peaks on our List, but six are suspended. The Peak Guides are now available on CD Rom or Diskette (Zip File), each $6.00, the hardcopies are $15.00. All can be purchased through Gordon Lindberg (see Schedule for address). All Guides have been updated as of January 2004. Please keep in mind that road access to the Trailheads changes frequently because of housing construction in many areas. Gabriele Rau CH Present: Charlotte Gulsby Outings, Wayne Norman Advisor, Erich Fickle, Luella Fickle, Terry Flood, Lucy Woodward