Lamont Peak

15-Sep-01

By: Jerry Keating

It was supposed to be a leisurely one-day intro trip with Sunday left open for independent climbs. Thirteen persons were on the roster, and some of them were relative newcomers. Then, the tide turned, the worst development being the deadly attacks September 11 on the World Tade Center and the Pentagon.

By September 15, there were five withdraw-als and one no show. On hand, were seven veteran climbers, all but one with leader ratings. Four climbed Lamont Peak (7429’) Saturday via the conventional use trail that seemed more faint in places than in the past. The three others, all of whom previously had climbed Lamont at least once, went part way to the summit and then relaxed at a good viewing point.

Participants were June Box, Delores Holladay, Barbara Lilley, Gordon MacLeod, Barbara Lilley, and leaders Jerry and Nancy Keating.

Sunday, three members of the group inde-pendently climbed Backus Peak (6651’) in deference to nearly 90-degree mid-day tempera-ture at the cars. A steady breeze made the day bearable for hiking but did little to allay appre-hension about how far terrorists are willing to go to attack America’s s well-being.