MOUNTAIN SAFETY RESEARCH I / J \ Page 10-2 MSR Newsletter - September 1975 NEWSLETTER AND CATALOG MSR Under the present policy at Mount Rainier, 2900 (206) 762-0210 Blisters! 1 Published by MOUNTAIN SAFETY RESEARCH, INC. persons have been denied their camping requests in I So. 96th St. at 8th Ave. So., Seattle, Wash. 98108 USA ISSUE 10 1973 and 1974. Can we assume that enjoyment of the Park for those people was impaired? If so, the denials Larry Penberthy, Editor & Chief Engineer September 1975 were illegal. This is the issue being tested in court. No one reading this article need be reminded that I A lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court, Seattle, blisters can spoil the expected joy of a hike or climb. European Branch: 35 Progress Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England on 7 August 1975, C-75574-S. The NPS has until 7 Worse, they can halt a whole party when one member October to reply. The case will then be assigned to a gets a really severe blister. I can remember a trip judge. The trial may not take place for six to nine 20 years ago when my whole heel became a blister, months. and I barely made it back to the road. We have appealed for funds to support the lawsuit, After that one healed, I used moleskin on the entire Many thanks for your support. You have built a sales You know as well as we do from the national trend since this is an action to preserve the legal rights of heel and up the back two inches, cut at the corners to I ggraph that ihenomenal,s p 70% higher this year than of inflation that prices will go up again before next all citizens, as a community action. We are willing form a heel cup. That helped, but I finally went to a corresponding months last year. summer. You will be doing yourself a favor by to take the lead, but we do need help. full coverage of the bottom of my feet. This stopped getting now (October, November, December, and the blistering and also relieved the 'burning sensation. Contributions, April-August 1975 $1931 January) what you will need for next season. After some years of using that preventive method, Expenses: S a climber told me she used girl-type nylons inside the Payment on legal fees $640 S heavy sock to form a slip surface between the nylon Postage 393 and the heavy sock. So I tried man-type stretch nylon S Printing & mailing 1080 socks under the heavy socks. Presto I could stop S Miscellaneous 79 $2192 S using the moleskin. S Deficit $ 261 I didn't really understand what was happening until S Wilderness Camping Vol 5, No 3, 1975, described S the blister-forming process in an article by Robert Some more money is coming in, but not enough. S Ross. Comes the dawn We will review that article S Any lawsuit in Federal Court will cost about $5000, and then go on to suggest specific trail-tested preven- S even though our lawyer (a climber himself) of the S tive and treatment methods. firm of Preston, Thorgrimson, Ellis, Holman & JFMAM3JASONDJFMAMJJASOND (Wilderness Camping is a worthy magazine. Send 1974 1976 Fletcher is giving us a reduced rate. The NPS, $5. 90 to them at 1597 Union Street, Schenectady, NY, having unlimited legal services, can be expected to 12309, Dept. R, for one year, six issues. fight all the way. From Ross' article, the top layer of skin (the Unfortunately, growth at that rate brings problems, The NPS has gone even further. They have epidermis) is made up of five layers. Four of these and those problems are not what MSR was organized recommended to Congress that 90 076 of Mount Rainier layers are parallel to each other, like a layer cake. for. Our primary purpose was and is to have fun by National Park be locked up legally under Wilderness The fifth layer includes "finger" cells that point out- applying basic engineering and physics to mountain Rules, leaving only 10% for the 1.4 million other wardly through the other layers, pinning them together safety equipment and methods. visitors. to inhibit separation and lateral shifting, performing We started out Consumers Union style, testing and the same way toothpicks do in the layer cake. reporting on what we found on the market, offering Lawsuit against the Park Service The finger cells do not have unlimited strength. free engineering help to certain key manufacturers. When there is too much shearing stress, as when a However, they were too busy selling to consider im- After fivefive serious discussion meetings (in Seattle, The Doctrine of Fairness boot and sock continue to rub an area at high unit provements. The only way we could make our work Longmire, and Washington, D. C.) and many letters pressure, they fail. The layers split, fill with lymph effective was to manufacture and market the better transmitted at first through Senator Jackson's office (fluid), and a blister has been formed. products ourselves. and then direct, spread over three years, it has We at MSR favor wilderness, but point out that For example, we found many weak wooden-shafted become clear that the present administration in the 1, 100, 000 acres of Washington State have already HOW TO PREVENT BLISTERS ice axes on the market. We improved by changing to National Park Service is dead set on closing down the been placed legally under Wilderness Rules, 300, 000 aluminum shafts. To introduce the improvement parks as much as they dare. more acres (Alpine Lakes) will undoubtedly be going 1. Break in the boots to your feet. Soak them in quickly, we sold our aluminum-shafted ice axes at Gary Everhardt, the new director, is quoted in CSM under Wilderness Rules, and therefore Mount Rainier water (room temperature) for two hours, then wear $13. 75, about half what they cost us. 3 September 1975: ". preservation will be the first should be retained as a Park for the use of all the them while they dry, changing socks several times. Those happy days of subsidizing the new develop- priority. people, not just an elitist group. At the same time, "train" the folds in the leather ments are over because the numbers are getting too In other words, he feels parks are not for people over the base of the toes so that the fold is upward- Mt. Adams Wilderness Area 32, 356 acres large. MSR has to pay its own way. As increases in and that he is above the Laws of Congress 1899 and outward, not downward. Goat Rocks Wilderness Area 82,680 acres the cost of building rent, materials, tooling, workers, 1916. These laws established Mount Rainier National It will be necessary to omit using some of the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area 464,258 acres interest on inventory capital, and 'governmental Park "for the benefit and appreciation of the people' lacing holes at the bottom. The first cross-lace Pasayten Wilderness Area 505,524 acres charges" hit us, we have no choice but to pass them and instructed the Park Service to promote the use of should be diagonal and just back of the diagonal line Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area on if we are to be here to serve you in the future. the parks for the present generation, provided only over the base of the toes. This instruction refers to (Before Congress) 300,000 acres We can keep up our present rate of production and that the parks not be impaired for enjoyment by future boots having a sewed-in gusset of soft leather which TOTAL 1,384,818 acres even increase somewhat. WE HAVE ADEQUATE generations. prevents water from running into the boot. PRODUCTION CAPACITY OCTOBER THROUGH Everhardt is not only impairing enjoyment of the 2. Remember where the blisters formed on the last - versus - JANUARY. BUT WE SEE NO WAY TO HANDLE THE parks by the present 'future generation" but shows he trip, and apply adhesive tape at the start of the next EXPECTED SURGE (ABOVE THE NORMAL MONTHLY intends to impair enjoyment by future "future genera- Mount Rainier National Park 237, 000 acres trip, not three miles later. When a "hot spot" is RATE) NEXT SUMMER. WE SINCERELY URGE YOU tions" as long as he is in control. The only way left apparent to you, it is already too late. If the previous TO ORDER NOW. to preserve the parks for the people is in court. The NPS would strip this down to only 23, 700 acres blister had been large or severe, use moleskin instead for the general visitor. The wilderness advocates of tape. The covering will spread the load and reduce Copyright 1975 Mountain Safety Research, Inc. already have more than their fair share. local shear stress between layers of skin. PRINTED IN U.S.A. Page 10-4 MSR Newsletter - September 1975 Page 10-3 MSR Newsletter - September 1975 3. If a minor hot spot (red and tender) has already 24-005 One-Man Tent 3 lb. 13oz $145.00 formed, placing adhesive tape directly over the injury CATALOG SECTION Pace 9-21 24-006 One-Man Tent, with poles only is a dubious matter, because the tape will adhere to 3 lb, loz $129. 00 the separated layer of skin and be pulled off when the 20-016 Mountain Light Regular 3 lb, 8oz $58. 00 24-007 Rain Roof Only 8oz $ 16. 75 tape is removed. It is better to adhere a small piece Items pictured and described in ISSUE 9, 20-017 Mountain Light Long 4 lb, Zoz $61.00 20-103 Therm-A-Rest Mattress 1 lb, 8oz $25.