Maggie Mountain

26-May-56

By: Frank Sanborn

From the Angeles Chapter Schedule

From the June 1956 issue of Southern Sierran

SIERRA PEAKS SECTION
MT. MAGGIE

--Frank Sanborn

On May 26, 21 persons showed up for the hike to Mt. Maggie. Frank Sanborn leading and Miles Brubacher assisting, the group started out from Shake Public Camp, near Balch Park, on a good trail. They crossed the Tule River's Middle Fork on a redwood log, no bridges. Leaving the "big trees", they lost the trail under deep snowbanks and had to climb a steep ridge to get to frozen, snow-bound Summit Lake (9,400 ft.). Eating lunch on a spot of open ground, most of the group decided to stop; knapsacking over deep snow was very strenuous. They camped below the lake, and hiked out Sunday.

Nine men chose to go on into the remote Maggie Basin. Several climbed 10,050 ft. Sheep Mt. Bill and Marge Henderson went as far as Sheep Mt., taking moving pictures of the area. The nine others camped beside Peck's Creek, surrounded by deep snowbanks but sheltered by the dense forest. On Sunday, they ascended steep, glazed snow slopes to the 10,000 ft. summit of Maggie, a Sierra Peaks Section qualifying peak. Bob Bear, Bob Lovett, Alan Smith, John Robinson, Jim McGoldrick, Vic Metcalfe and Andy Smatko reached the top. Frank Sanborn and Dave Golay, lacking lug soles, stopped 400 ft. below. Vic Metcalfe slipped 200 ft. on the descent, but was not injured.

Dense clouds forced us to use a compass to grope our way down Maggie's south ridge to a trail, which we followed 4,000 ft. (in 5 miles) down to the Tule. They crossed on a log; Frank chose to ford the river. After the crossing, they climbed 1,200 ft. to the cars, completing a rugged, 22 mile loop for the weekend.

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Note: History-minded readers need to remember that the SPS gained final approval for its founding from the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee in October 1955, and The Sierra Echo didn't begin its life until February 1957. Consequently, much of the early SPS information appeared in Angeles Chapter Schedule, Southern Sierran or Sierra Club Bulletin.