the SCREE “Everybody wants to reach the peak, but there is no Mountaineering Club growth on the top of a mountain. It is in the valley of Alaska that we slog through the lush September 2020 grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables Volume 63, Number 9 us to summit life's next peak.” – Andy Andrews Contents Caribou Tower (6350 feet), Clearwater Mountains Augusteamo (Augustine Volcano, 4025 feet), Chigmit Mountains Trident Peak (6050 feet), The Unicorn (5250 feet), and Peak 5850, Kenai Mountains Telemint (6036 feet), Triplemint Spire (6408 feet), Peppermint Spire (5878 feet), Talkeetna Mountains North Suicide Peak (5065 feet), Western Chugach Mountains Bookend Peaks – Gentoo Peak (4196 feet) and Penguin Peak (4334 feet), Western Chugach Mountains Peak of the Month: Peak W-13 (10060 feet), Wrangell Mountains SEPTEMBER MEETING: Wednesday, September 2nd at 6 pm AKDT. Virtual Q&A with Nate Menninger on his film 'The Porter.' See the Announcement section for details on streaming the film online. The Mountaineering Club of Alaska www.mtnclubak.org "To maintain, promote, and perpetuate the association of persons who are interested in promoting, sponsoring, im- proving, stimulating, and contributing to the exercise of skill and safety in the Art and Science of Mountaineering." This issue brought to you by: Editor—Gerrit Verbeek assisted by Dawn Munroe Cover Photo More Accolades for Steve Joe Chmielowski, Carrie Wang and Lee Helzer descending the west side Ed. note: Wayne Todd had some kind words for Steve which bare- of Mt. Augustine. ly missed the deadline for last month's edition. Photo by Wayne Todd Steve had been climbing for many years before I met him twenty years ago. I am very impressed at how hard he will work to climb SEPTEMBER MEETING The September General Meeting will be a peak, regardless of the hardships involved. held online on Wednesday, September 2nd, at 6 pm. Nate Men- His memory is phenomenal. Between that and his passion for ninger will host an online Q&A regarding his experiences working as mountaineering, he has become the historian for Alaskan as- an Everest basecamp porter alongside Sherpas in 2019. He made a cents, most of which he can recount on the spot. Steve is encour- documentary film about his experience, which is currently available aging and thoughtful, freely giving information to help others to MCA members for streaming both online in the MCA Member achieve their climbing goals. area (http://www.mtnclubak.org/index.cfm? He has done an amazing job at editing the Scree for many years fuseaction=membersaccount.login) , or on his website (https:// which we’re all very thankful for. Additionally, he’s edited count- www.theporterfilm.com/film). less articles for me (and consistently ‘encourages’ me to write Details on how to attend the general meeting will be circulated on more). We’ll still appreciate his peak of the month submissions. the MCA's Facebook page and the website calendar as soon as pos- Thank you Steve. sible. —Wayne Todd Trips COVID-19 Announcement September: Ice Fest Cancelled Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all MCA-sponsored trips, training or other activities will require a COVID-19 waiver to be signed by 2021 MCA Calendar each participant at the beginning of the trip, until further notice. Voting for the MCA's 2021 calendar submissions has closed, thanks MCA trip leaders and event organizers will have hard copies of to all who participated! The October General Meeting will showcase the waiver signed by all participants, including the leaders, before the winners for each month. the sponsored activity starts. See page 22. Contents For the MCA Membership Application and Liability Waiver, visit Caribou Tower (6350 feet), Clearwater Mountains ......................5 http://www.mtnclubak.org/index.cfm?useaction=members.form. Augusteamo (Augustine Volcano, 4025 feet), Chigmit Mountains ..................................................................8 Article Submission: Text and photography submissions for the Trident Peak (6050 feet), The Unicorn (5250 feet), and Peak 5850, Scree can be sent as attachments to [email protected]. Articles Kenai Mountains ....................................................................11 should be submitted by the 11th of each month to appear in the Telemint (6036 feet), Triplemint Spire (6408 feet), Peppermint next issue of the Scree. Do not submit material in the body of the Spire (5878 feet), Talkeetna Mountains ................................14 email. Do not submit photos embedded in the text file. Send the North Suicide Peak (5065 feet), Western Chugach Mountains ..16 photo files separately. Send high resolution file photos separately, Bookend Peaks – Gentoo Peak (4196 feet) and Penguin Peak (4334 including captions for each photo. We prefer articles that are under feet), Western Chugach Mountains ......................................18 1,000 words. If you have a blog, website, video, or photo links, send Peak of the Month: Peak W-13 (10060 feet), us the link. Cover photo selections are based on portraits of human Wrangell Mountains ..............................................................19 endeavor in the outdoors. Please submit at least one vertically- July Board of Directors Meeting Minutes ...................................21 oriented photo for consideration for the cover. Please don’t forget to submit photo captions. Online? Click me! Check Facebook for last-minute trips and activities. Or, schedule one that you want to organize. Scree—September 2020 2 Announcements Hut Needs and Notes ing. Supplies to go in: none. Many thanks to Brad Nelson and Al- Hut Needs and Notes- If you are headed to one of the MCA huts, pha Aviation for May 17, 2020 helo mission. please consult the notes below to see what needs to go to the Rosie's Roost – Maintenance Alert/Needs: 1 gallon stove fuel pre- huts or be fixed. All huts have tools and materials so that anyone sent. Coleman stove working. Many thanks to Stan Olsen, Ross can make basic repairs. Hutmeisters are needed for each hut: If Noffsinger, Peter Holden, Cory Hinds, Bradley Nelson and Sally you have a favorite hut and would like to take the lead on check- Balchin: Rosie’s reskin project successfully completed. (See August ing on the hut and organizing maintenance the MCA would greatly Scree) AND thanks again for supplies delivered. Alert!!- bears appreciate your help! have been feeding on human waste in barrels and were observed Mint Hut- Hutmeister Vicky Lytle – Maintenance Alert/Needs: multiple times during maintenance trip. Securing lids of Human Painting exterior with red oil paint. Clean downstairs ceiling. Lan- Waste barrels imperative!! tern mantles. Fire extinguisher. Many thanks to Richard Rasch for ALL EKLUTNA TRAVERSE HUTS – ET travelers should take trash delivering supplies on a helo mission, July 9 at his own expense compactor bags along. Human waste system WAG bags have been AND thanks again Richard for removing large collection of trash on used inappropriately. WAG bags are for packing out NOT placing July 21 helo mission at his own expense. Many thanks to Scout into onsite human waste barrels. For depositing human waste Troop 144 for maintenance done July 17-24 onsite, use 5 gallon bucket lined with trash compactor bag, place Bomber Hut – Maintenance Alert/Needs: All windows on main tied bag into onsite human waste barrel. floor are boarded up/ need repair/ replacement (bear incident – Scandinavian Peaks Hut – Maintenance Alert/Needs: Kelly Mann See August Scree) Scrape and paint outside wood. Install two win- reports ‘’..was just at the Scandinavian Peaks hut and it looked dows in kitchen area (onsite). Clean with TSP and paint inside great, door was closed…’’ walls of hut. Supplies are on site. Many thanks to Richard Rasch All Huts - The MCA Board of Directors has decided to phase out for delivering supplies on a helo mission, July 9 at his own expense the Coleman cooking stoves in the huts. In the future, as a stove AND thanks again Richard and his team for maintenance done on fails, it will not be replaced. Be prepared- take your own recent trip. Many Thanks to Cole Talbot, Forrest Voss, Savannah stove. Additional supplies available for placement at any hut: WAG Lorenz, Luke Konarzewski for reporting the hut damage after bear bags (approx. 100) for human waste collection/pack out along damage AND to Luke Konarzewski for returning to secure all bro- Eklutna Traverse. One functional Coleman stove. Tools: saw, pli- ken windows. Future considerations: Window replacement with ers, screwdrivers, metal snips, stapler, hammer, paint tray, 2 roller Foyer/ deck are in the planning. brushes, 4 paint rollers, door lock set, crowbar, caulk gun, socket Dnigi Hut – Maintenance Alert/Needs: Evaluate hut structural in- set. tegrity, mold concerns. Many thanks to Richard Rasch for deliver- Considering Options for Our Mint Hut ing supplies on a helo mission, July 9 at his own expense AND By Cory Hinds and Greg Bragiel thanks again Richard and his group for maintenance done on re- cent trip. Future needs: vents- (flies entering)! Bear deterrents in For many years now, MCA leadership has pondered how to man- rough shape. age the impacts of increasingly heavy summer traffic at the Mint Hut. We see large groups, youth groups, church groups, training Holden Hut – Maintenance Alert/Needs: Need a window for entry groups, boy scouts, etc. For example, on July 24, 2020 an estimat- hall or door. Many thanks to Richard Rasch for delivering supplies ed 41 people in 5 or 6 parties were at or headed to the Mint Hut. on a helo mission, July 9 at his own expense AND thanks again Magazine articles like the 2017 feature in Backpacker’s America’s Richard and his group for maintenance done on recent trip. Sug- Best Huts and various internet travel sites fuel the increased gest adding finer mesh over inside vent covers. traffic. Analysis of log books indicates that this overcrowding is Pichler's Perch – Maintenance Alert/Needs: None.