Mt. Thielsen

June 5-6, 1976

Left Diamond Lake about 6:00 a.m. in very uncertain weather. Pinnacle at 11:00. Some icy rocks added interest to the summit scramble. Enjoyed bright sun shine with snow falling on us from who-knows-where.

Let everyone’s eyes bug out over the north face, then began descent. The importance of a safety back-up on rappells was well-demonstrated by Jay Anderson. His carabiner brake failed 60 feet up and he was flung clear of the rappell rope. He was stopped, unhurt, by a second belay rope. Our hard-hats also paid for themselves, deflecting many ice chips and small rocks.

Left pinnacle at 4:00 p.m. What we were doing all that time I’ll never figure out. Some mushy glissading and blind wandering in the woods brought us to the car at 7:30. Surely a record slow climb of this peak by such a small party—and we had the entire mountain to ourselves. One heckuva long day by the time we reached home at midnight. Climbers: Jay Anderson, Tom Rhodes, Jim Waisanan (membership pending), Bert Ewing, leader.

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