Edited by Moss Hardman
January 2012
Issue 1, Volume 20
-Post member ascends glorious climb at Pinnacles National Monument— see
article about this year's spring break trip on page two.
THIS MONTH’S SPEAKER:
World class climber Chris Breeder will be presenting to the Post about his various
amazing experiences climbing in the Andes, as well as a local development in the
Cascade Range!
(More on page 4)
THIS MONTH’S MEETING:
Will be at the usual location, Lincoln HS, room 122 at 7:00 PM, on January 14th.
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Articles:
Join us on this year's spring break trip!
Is it time for you to spend a spring break with your friends, away from the
Oregon cold and rain, away from school pressures, away from worrying about
college? You know it is!
This year the Post will be heading down to Pinnacles National Monument in
Central California. We'll camp under the stars, cook meals as a big joyful
group, climb lots of weird shaped pinnacles of rock, explore caves. tunnels and
secret trails and have just the greatest, happiest time. The climbs vary from 5.1
to 5.13, but we will focus on the 5.5-5.11 range. Bolts are used for protection at
Pinnacles, and there is a real sense of accomplishment at getting to the top of
a real rock tower.
The trip is open to everyone. No previous experience is required- we will have
a basic rock school on our first day in the park. Transportation will be by large
vans. The group will depart from Portland on Saturday March 23rd in the
morning, and return to Portland on Sunday March 31st about 4pm. The cost of
the trip will be $250 and includes all trip costs except lunch on the first day
(bring a sack lunch).
Pick up an interest form at the meeting on January 14, and mail it back to us.
- Above: Post 58 at pinnacles-
Explorer Post Completes 300th summit
When the Explorer Post took its first tentative steps in December of 1993, we
had no idea if any kids would show up at the first meeting or be interested in
mountain climbing at all.
Since that time the Post has navigated a long, winding and rewarding path.
We've had just about a thousand members, over 500 trips, and successfully
summited 300 mountains!
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Gear Review: Black
Diamond Headlamp
-Moss Hardman
“The tiny 1-oz. Black Diamond Ion
Headlamp is simply unbelievable.
It's super lightweight, has a pivoting
head, and provides 15 hours on the
low setting. Stash an Ion in your
climbing pack and you'll have light
for that last night pitch on your oneday ascent of Zion's Touchstone
Wall or for hiking the final mile back
to your car after a 3-Fourteener
day. I always carry one in my
climbing pack--you never know
when you will need illumination.
Prices from $12.49.”
Source:
http://climbing.about.com/b/2012/12
/05/3-more-great-gifts-forclimbers.htm
Snowshoe Trip
-Moss Hardman
Every February, the post hosts a
snowshoeing trip to the Mazama
lodge near Mt. Hood. It's a great
trip, one night, a lot of snowball
fights and a snow cave building
competition later, we all return to
Portland a more bonded and well
rounded group if people. The trip is
mandatory for all new members and
strongly suggested for all other Post
members, we'd like to see the
whole Explorer Post out for this
one. We will meet in the old
Mazama parking lot in NW Portland
before setting off in respective cars
up to the lodge. The following day,
we return to the same spot. Don’t
forget to mark your calendars for
the Snowshoe Trip on the 17th and
18th of February, 2013, it’ll be a
Sunday and the following Monday,
President’s Day. Some key items to
remember: Snowshoes, snow
boots, a warm coat and waterproof
gear, gloves and a hat.
This month’s speaker: Chris Breeder
-Jack Schrott
Chris Breeder will be presenting to the post at the next general meeting. He has
been active in local development in the cascades, and done various ascents in
South America, in and around the Andes. We are honored to have him make this
presentation! It will be inspiring to hear from somebody like Chris who has really
taken his climbing to a world-class level! Don't miss this awesome presentation!
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Climbing Makes its
Pitch to the Olympics
(Continued from page 2, 300th
summit)
-Jacob Bendicksen
That's right- this past summer the
Post passed a major milestone
when a group on the Canada trip
made it to the top of Typee
Mountain in the Selkirk Range on
August 9, 2012. This was our 300th
summit. Typee is a heavily
glaciated peak at the very southern
end of the Selkirk Range- part of
the Battle Range Most of the
mountains in the immediate vicinity
are named after characters from
Herman Melville's books.
Since that time the Post has made
a few other summits and we are
now at 303- well on our way to 400.
Last season was also the most
successful in Post history- we made
it to the top of 23 peaks - a record
likely to stand for a long time!
On December 19th, representatives
of the International Federation of
Sport Climbing (IFSC) met in
Switzerland with the International
Olympic Committee Program
Commission (IOCPC) about getting
lead climbing into the 2020 Summer
Olympics. However, there are some
obstacles to get over before it’s a
done deal.
First off, lead climbing is competing
against six other sports to get into
the Games: karate,
baseball/softball, roller sports,
squash, wushu, and wakeboarding.
Even if it clears that hurdle, there is
still the fact that there are a finite
number of Olympic sports. This
means that the IOCPC would have
to decide which sport, if any, to cut
to make room for lead climbing. If
they decide that all of the current
sports are more important than lead
climbing (though kayak racing
seems to be an easy target, in my
opinion), then we will have to wait
and make another bid, most likely
for the 2028 or 2032 Olympics.
Though there are some big hurdles
to clear, many are optimistic about
seeing lead climbing in 2020.
-Above: Post 58 at Pinnacles-
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In this month’s edition:
- Cover Photo
- Special Thanks!
- Upcoming Events
- Birthdays!!
- Service/Fundraising
Opportunities
- Post 58 Stickers and
Calendars
- Snowshoe Trip
- Climbing in the Olympics!
- Photos!
- Gear Review
- Post’s 300th climb!
- Spring Break Trip
- Vintage Post Photos
Special thanks to the
following for
submitting articles:
-
Jacob Bendicksen
Jack Schrott
Don’t forget to be at this months
Post Meeting: Monday, January
14th, Lincoln HS, room 122 (79pm)
Upcoming Events
Post Meeting- January 14th
Steering Committee Meeting- January 14th
Snowshoe Trip- February 17th and 18th
Birthdays This Month:
Gordon Hickey - January 11th
Chris Riemann – January 11th
Ellen Ireen – January 13th
Martin Agrimis – January 20th
Note:
In light of the upcoming trip: affordable snowshoe rentals can be had
at the Oregon Mountain Community, for in the range of 10$ for the weekend.
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Have you gotten your
service or
fundraising credits
yet this year?
Getting service and fundraising
requirements may seem difficult,
but not having them done rules you
out from any fun climbing there is to
be done. DON’T LET SOMETHING
THIS SMALL STAND IN YOUR
WAY, the trip of a lifetime could be
just waiting to happen, make sure
you witness it by getting your
service and fundraising duties out of
the way. Speaking of which, there
will be opportunities to get both of
those out of the way this month!
Fundraising and Service
Opportunities this month:
- Service: This month, there will be
no official service, so we hope you
participated in one of the lovely and
very productive services recently!
There will however be a sock and
hat drive, to benefit homeless youth
living in Portland. Please bring any
gloves, hats, and socks to the
January post meeting, adult sizes,
suitable for youth ages 15-24. This
is to directly benefit Janus Youth
Programs, a local organization that
helps homeless youth. Despite the
lack of a formal service project that
will earn you credits, you are still
encouraged to get out and do
something beneficial for the
community.
Been on a cool trip
lately? Heard
something
interesting you’d like
to share with the
Post?
Be sure to submit articles or
pictures to the newsletter. If you
have something you’d like to see
printed, shoot me an email at
hardmanm@catlin.edu, and we can
work something out.
Stickers!!
Walker Andrews has produced
some very stylish Post 58 stickers;
they might look quite good on your
bumper/bike/binder/computer/favorit
e mug/forehead. They can be had
at the Post meeting for a dollar
each!
Calendars!!
So, there’s these Post Calendars,
and they kind of have and
expiration date, we need to get
them sold. The great thing about
them though, they feature a picture
of every single post member,
thanks to some brilliant designing
by Keegan McCarthy. They’re 20$
each, which is really a great price
for a calendar, they would make a
terrific and thoughtful holiday
Present. IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO
PURCHASE A CALENDAR FOR A
LOVED ONE AS A LATE GIFT!!
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