Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

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Vaca Russ
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Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by Vaca Russ »

We needed to train for an upcoming challenge. What better training than knocking out a triple crown at elevation? We went for the White Mountains Triple Crown. This is three peaks, Limestone, Sheep and Piute. The height of these peaks is 12,277, 12,497 and 12,564 feet respectively.

We had climbed Barcroft the previous day. We took a picture of Limestone, Sheep and Piute from the summit of Barcroft.
1 Limestone, Sheep and Piute.JPG
The parking area for the climb is right off the road to the Barcroft gate. The Forest Service has placed cones and rocks on the ground to designate the area.
2 Parking Area.JPG
The slope up Limestone is a loose scree climb.
3 Limestone Scree Slope.JPG
Sport quickly found the ammo box holding the summit register.
4 Ammo Box.JPG
We signed the register on Limestone.
5 Register.JPG
We found Laura’s and Bob Burd signature from 24 August of last year.
6 Laura Molnar.JPG
Bob Burd has posted a report about this climb with Laura. They did all three peaks as well. So we made our way to the top of Sheep. We searched and search for the ammo box containing the register. We had no success. I knew there was a register because Bob had posted many pictures of it going back to about 1958. It was really a remarkable piece of history. All we could find was the benchmark.
7 Sheep Benchmark.JPG
The views from Sheep were great.
8 Sheep View.JPG
There was a wind screen built of rocks but no ammo box to be found…
9 Sheep Summit White and Barcroft in Background.JPG
…guess where this is headed. We worked our way down the scree choked slopes of Sheep toward Piute.
10 Sheep Down Hill Scree.JPG
To be continued…
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Last edited by Vaca Russ on Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

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Vaca Russ
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

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The smooth gradual slope of Piute still had patched of snow.
11 Piute.JPG
We reached the top and quickly spotted the ammo box. I was happy to open the box…
12 Me Piute Register.JPG
…but only found one slip of paper. This is the message from Tim Forsell…
12a Tim Forsell.jpg
Edit gap.

Edit gap.

Edit Gap.

:eek: :eek: :nod: :mad: :mad: :eek:
12b Tim Forsell.jpg
I’m guessing he is not from the John Dittli Cripple Creek but the one on the White Mountains. I nominate Tim for president!

Here is a great shot of a beautiful woman with Barcroft and White in the background.
13 Sport Simmit.JPG
From the summit of Piute you can barely see the roof of the privy at the Barcroft gate.
14 Barcroft Gate.JPG
Hey, Snow Nymph, what ever happened to Laura?
15 Moose Box.JPG
Some Dead Head has mistaken this for “Box of Rain”. :)
16 Box of Rain.JPG
17 Sport Box.JPG
We eventually made our way back to the parking area.
20 Parking Lot.JPG
Thank you for reading our peak bagging TR.

-Russ
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"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

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Rockchucker
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by Rockchucker »

I've heard of lots of registers disappearing around here, for the signatures. People can be so lame sometimes!
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maverick
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by maverick »

Thanks VR for the enjoyable TR and wonderful pictures. Makes no sense for
people to be taking these summit registers.
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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rlown
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by rlown »

I'm surprised people don't try and steal the benchmarks.

Nice report, Russ.
Last edited by rlown on Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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KathyW
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by KathyW »

I must be missing something. What was the distressing find?
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Vaca Russ
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by Vaca Russ »

KathyW wrote:I must be missing something. What was the distressing find?
Kathy,

I apologize for not being very clear. Bob Burd and Laura Molnar bagged these same three peaks last year on August 24. Bob wrote up a report:

http://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_reports ... one_1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This report went out on the internet. It included several pictures of historic register entries.
Register.jpg
MacLeod.jpg
P1000495[2].jpg
P1000496[1].jpg
P1000497[1].jpg
P1000498[1].jpg
P1000499[1].jpg
P1000500[1].jpg
P1000501[1].jpg
P1000502[1].jpg
Somebody read his report and thought, "Hey, I've got an idea...Steal these registers!"

There are some people who can reach a certain level of low. [-X I find this distressing. #-o :(

Thanks,

-Russ
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"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

Kahil Gibran.
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austex
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by austex »

Hmmm. Since I 'm not of a criminal mind. Thinking a quick buck? I just did a check of ebay for peak registers... Nothing. If my grandfather showed me one I'd think very poorly of him. *Scratching my head* WHY!? It just doesn't make sense. But then again; there are life's little mysteries out there.This is one of them. Sad indeed.
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I suspect the removal of registers is more of an ideological statement from over-enthusiastic environmentalists who think of themselves as saviors of the wilderness because they do not think ANY permanant fixture or structure should be in a wilderness. Ignore the idea that you probably got there on a road, trail perhaps with signs and other permanent structures.

Other possiblity - just like stealing a stop sign - maybe frame the register and hang it in your bedroom to impress your peers.

Other possibility - pure vandalism. Least likely, I never thought of vandals being energetic enough to climb peaks. Kind of hard to get drunk and still climb 14,000 foot peaks.
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Tom_H
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Re: Distressing Find on the White Mountain Triple Crown

Post by Tom_H »

Really sad. WD could be right about enviro extremists. All of us (here) care about the environment, but WD is right about civilization making it possible to know about it and to get there.

And then there are people who are so messed up that the only way they can have any sense of importance is by doing something to injure or upset somebody else. Sad indeed.
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