April 1999

George Creek
Reconnaissance

When adventuring in the mountains, the term reconnaissance can save your reputation.  If a trip achieves no identifiable objective, it can simply be referred to as a "reconnaissance" rather than something more specific such as "expedition."

Mark and I went to the George Creek drainage to check out a rock tower that I aspire to climb and maybe to try Mount Williamson.  Access to this area is restricted to spring (April 15 to May 15) or winter (December 15 to January 1). The tower only appeared out of the mists for a moment and and startled me by looking much taller and steeper than I expected.

The approach lived up to it's reputation as a "Classic Sierra Bushwhack" and we seemed to always be on the wrong side of the creek.

The weather was mixed - when it wasn't snowing it was raining.

The crowds were thin - the only people we saw were headed out early on Friday due to poor weather.  We came out a day early due to cold, wet conditions.

Coming out, at the last creek crossing,  I went first and Mark says that when he saw that I was across, he started to follow.  The next moment he looked and wondered why I was laying face-down in the creek.  I had slipped on the last rock and fell head first about four feet into a pile of boulders.  On the way down I had time to see that I was headed for a gap between two rocks, and that my right forearm was positioned such that it would span the gap, and that me (175 lbs.) and my pack (45 lbs.) would surely land on and break my arm.  I saved my arm by smacking forehead first on one of the rocks resulting in a surprisingly small wound and a nice purplish lump.

While driving into town I tried to dream up a more heroic story to explain the scars and was unprepared at the café in Lone Pine when the first thing that the waitress said upon approaching our table was: "So, whad'ya do, fall down?"  Mark says that the stunned look on my face would have ruined any lie that I might have told if I had been able to speak.