April 12, 2011, Devils Peak, Tahoe National Forest
4/12/11
US elsewhere
7866
9
At 10:00am, I parked my car at a spacious gas station at exit 171 (Kingvale) on HWY 80, at 6200ft, ascended south a few hundred meters, and crossed the railroad line to Reno. I had some help from my ice ax for the uphill embankment. There was plenty of extra snow everywhere and I suspect I could repeat this tour in a month. But maybe I am not giving CA sunshine enough credit when I say that.
My original objective was Snow Mt (8000ft) about 5 miles south of the highway. But Devils Peak (at 7700ft, just 2 miles south of the highway) really caught my eye for its alpine appearance, unusual in this region of the "Low Sierras". After proceeding a couple of miles south of Devil's Peak, it was still hard to see much of Snow Mt. due to the large and sparse conifers in front of me, but also because it does not really look much like a mountain, at least from the north. So having taken pictures of Devil's peak from various vantage points, I started to skin up it from the west. I wanted to proceed as high as I could on snow, to the north of the true summit, which would have taken me near the scary-huge cornice you can see from the photos, but at this point in the afternoon the 40 degree west-facing slope I was on had just enough slush on top to not support the skis/skins. So I put the skis on my back and booted straight up for the last 200 ft or so, leaving my skis and pack at a little saddle just north of the true summit.
To my surprise there appeared to be no easy way to the summit. I worked around to the East side and climbed slowly up the last 20 feet or so, which required a few very easy but exposed 4th class moves in my ski boots. The mountain does have a lot of charming "evil" character that made it quite an enjoyable surprise. I descended 500 to 1000 feet without skins, and another few hundred feet on the final slope down to the highway. Excellent corn snow.
I had nice weather, with a few clouds and winds typically below 10mph. I'm still getting used to my boots again snd working a little scarring out of my right ankle so this trip gave me a great workout, though my total vertical gain was less than 3000ft.
This was all so much fun, by far my best ski day in the Sierras ever. It has been a long time since I got to use a compass. Spring is quite advanced down here but there is still a lot of snow.
Photos:
1) Devils Peak from the North
2) Devils Peak from the SW, showing the slope I skied
3) Devils Peak from its true summit, looking North
My original objective was Snow Mt (8000ft) about 5 miles south of the highway. But Devils Peak (at 7700ft, just 2 miles south of the highway) really caught my eye for its alpine appearance, unusual in this region of the "Low Sierras". After proceeding a couple of miles south of Devil's Peak, it was still hard to see much of Snow Mt. due to the large and sparse conifers in front of me, but also because it does not really look much like a mountain, at least from the north. So having taken pictures of Devil's peak from various vantage points, I started to skin up it from the west. I wanted to proceed as high as I could on snow, to the north of the true summit, which would have taken me near the scary-huge cornice you can see from the photos, but at this point in the afternoon the 40 degree west-facing slope I was on had just enough slush on top to not support the skis/skins. So I put the skis on my back and booted straight up for the last 200 ft or so, leaving my skis and pack at a little saddle just north of the true summit.
To my surprise there appeared to be no easy way to the summit. I worked around to the East side and climbed slowly up the last 20 feet or so, which required a few very easy but exposed 4th class moves in my ski boots. The mountain does have a lot of charming "evil" character that made it quite an enjoyable surprise. I descended 500 to 1000 feet without skins, and another few hundred feet on the final slope down to the highway. Excellent corn snow.
I had nice weather, with a few clouds and winds typically below 10mph. I'm still getting used to my boots again snd working a little scarring out of my right ankle so this trip gave me a great workout, though my total vertical gain was less than 3000ft.
This was all so much fun, by far my best ski day in the Sierras ever. It has been a long time since I got to use a compass. Spring is quite advanced down here but there is still a lot of snow.
Photos:
1) Devils Peak from the North
2) Devils Peak from the SW, showing the slope I skied
3) Devils Peak from its true summit, looking North
Nice TR and photos.
Hey Dave! Glad to see you are getting out skiing and enjoying some spring corn. We may not see that here for awhile. Are you coming up to visit this summer? I may head to Shasta in June and will tag you if I do and see if you are game. Hope you are enjoying California as much as you did Germany. Cheers mate!
Great to hear from you Lisa. I'll definitely be up around Seattle some this year. I hope to be up Shasta before June, but I think a few trips this year are in order there!
Jesus Dave, I just heard the news. What happened, I don’t understand? Why you were here and now you are gone. I am struggling to understand the devastating news of your death.
You have achieved what few will, a Doctorate in Physics. I salute your scholastic achievement in the realm of Physics and your continuous pursuit of perfection; as well your love of the mountains and the pursuit of happiness in all that you set out to do.
You will be missed by those who’s lives you touched however small or large.
I am sorry for the loss your family and friends are now experiencing as I am myself in a selfish way.
I knew you little by comparison to Sky, Amar and others whom you spent years in study and the mountains with. I wish them and your family peace and comfort during this difficult time.
I regret not spending more time with you aside from our Rainier adventure and other city fun.
One is never prepared for a loss such as this. You were far too young to die and so much was ahead of you.
No one knows how long or short our relationships with others will last. We so often take for granted our time with people and move along in life figuring they will be there when we need or when we have the time to spend with them.
I have learned this most profoundly as of late as well many decades ago, but I forgot until the past 8 months, you are now the 4th person in that time frame that I have had the pleasure of knowing and the now the regret of losing. I have now learned the importance to not to say goodbye without saying more.
Be it love, or I appreciate your friendship, or I enjoy hanging out with you. It’s ok to do so all though society may say otherwise.
I don’t believe there is time in life to hold back and it is ok to say how much someone means to you and to give a hug.
No one knows how long we have to spend here with others.
You wonder at times which hurts more, saying something and wishing you had not; or saying nothing at all and wishing you had.
Damn Dr. Pinegar, I am in shock. I cannot believe you died. I cannot believe it. It does not make sense. What the hell happened? I am sorry you had to be alive while you fell to your death. You are alive now and I believe are up there in the clouds mocking our futile attempts at living large and having fun watching us. Cheers to you mate!
Kahil Gibran says for what it’s worth: Speak to us on Friendship; and he answered, saying:
Your friends are your needs answered. He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not; For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
Let your best be for your friend. If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also. For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Speak to of us of Joy and Sorrow a woman said; Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. The selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, Joy is greater than sorrow, and others say, nay, Sorrow is the greater. But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember the other is asleep upon your bed.
You have achieved what few will, a Doctorate in Physics. I salute your scholastic achievement in the realm of Physics and your continuous pursuit of perfection; as well your love of the mountains and the pursuit of happiness in all that you set out to do.
You will be missed by those who’s lives you touched however small or large.
I am sorry for the loss your family and friends are now experiencing as I am myself in a selfish way.
I knew you little by comparison to Sky, Amar and others whom you spent years in study and the mountains with. I wish them and your family peace and comfort during this difficult time.
I regret not spending more time with you aside from our Rainier adventure and other city fun.
One is never prepared for a loss such as this. You were far too young to die and so much was ahead of you.
No one knows how long or short our relationships with others will last. We so often take for granted our time with people and move along in life figuring they will be there when we need or when we have the time to spend with them.
I have learned this most profoundly as of late as well many decades ago, but I forgot until the past 8 months, you are now the 4th person in that time frame that I have had the pleasure of knowing and the now the regret of losing. I have now learned the importance to not to say goodbye without saying more.
Be it love, or I appreciate your friendship, or I enjoy hanging out with you. It’s ok to do so all though society may say otherwise.
I don’t believe there is time in life to hold back and it is ok to say how much someone means to you and to give a hug.
No one knows how long we have to spend here with others.
You wonder at times which hurts more, saying something and wishing you had not; or saying nothing at all and wishing you had.
Damn Dr. Pinegar, I am in shock. I cannot believe you died. I cannot believe it. It does not make sense. What the hell happened? I am sorry you had to be alive while you fell to your death. You are alive now and I believe are up there in the clouds mocking our futile attempts at living large and having fun watching us. Cheers to you mate!
Kahil Gibran says for what it’s worth: Speak to us on Friendship; and he answered, saying:
Your friends are your needs answered. He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving. For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not; For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
Let your best be for your friend. If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also. For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Speak to of us of Joy and Sorrow a woman said; Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. The selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, Joy is greater than sorrow, and others say, nay, Sorrow is the greater. But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember the other is asleep upon your bed.
:(. Thank you for passing along the news, Lisa.
I'm still thinking this through, but these things spring immediately to mind: David has for years been a major contributor to the effort to measure precisely the difference in mass between tritium and helium-3, a measurement with important ramifications for our understanding of neutrinos. The other is this trip report. This one too. He's always done things his own way.
I was in his old lab a few weeks ago (he'd left for Europe years ago); printed-out photographs of peaks near and far still adorned doors, walls, and cabinets.
A little googling turns up accident reports.
I hope Sky won't mind if I link to this photo from Chickamin in '08.
I'm still thinking this through, but these things spring immediately to mind: David has for years been a major contributor to the effort to measure precisely the difference in mass between tritium and helium-3, a measurement with important ramifications for our understanding of neutrinos. The other is this trip report. This one too. He's always done things his own way.
I was in his old lab a few weeks ago (he'd left for Europe years ago); printed-out photographs of peaks near and far still adorned doors, walls, and cabinets.
A little googling turns up accident reports.
I hope Sky won't mind if I link to this photo from Chickamin in '08.
Oh man... what the hell? I didn't know David at all, but I'd just started to in the past couple of weeks, through email. So sad... So sorry for the loss of friends and family. Thanks for sharing that, Lisa.
That's a great pic, Charlie. I was on that trip to Chikamin; it was his parting ski tour from Seattle. I wish I could dig up pics of him skinning in the valley in his 1-piece black Lycra suit, it was hilarious. He certainly had a unique way of making people laugh.
RIP Dave. Hopefully you find whiter pastures beyond the journey down here.
RIP Dave. Hopefully you find whiter pastures beyond the journey down here.
Your first TR on TAY last week... and now you're gone, Dave... hard to believe.
Here's the text of the news story that has the most details:
I knew Dave Pinegar since about 2000, when he joined the UW physics department as a new grad student, working in the lab next door. One of my regular drinking buddies over many years working in the physics department, and eventually a close friend. One of the most unusual and creative thinkers I've known, he always had some wild and crazy idea brewing, whether it be for his newest invention that he was working on, his latest and greatest investment idea, or some unusual plan for a ski traverse or obscure peak ascent in the Cascades. Never a dull moment.
I last saw him last summer, when he stopped by Seattle on his way back from two years of postdoctoral work in Germany and was heading home to California. He camped out on my deck for a week, and despite a marginal weather forecast all week, we managed to squeeze in a big ski trip:
June 25-26, 2010, Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Finger
An amazing trip, complete with a stunning full moon rise at sunset, followed by a partial lunar eclipse a few hours later, and capped by Dave's long-awaited (after several attempts) first Rainier summit and ski descent the next afternoon. I'm glad we got to ski Rainier together, Dave.
[img width=600 height=800">http://www.skimountaineer.com/TR/Images2010/RainierDaveSkinningWilson-25Jun2010.jpg" />
Dave Pinegar skinning up the edge of Wilson Glacier just before sunset on our last trip together.
I just spoke with Dave only a few days ago, when he called me last weekend. He was always good about keeping in touch (unlike me), calling me regularly to touch base and bounce ideas around, even calling from Germany using Skype on his computer at 1.7 cents a minute. This time, he was all packed up and about to leave for a two-week open-ended road trip, starting with rock climbing in Joshua Tree. He was urging me to drive down and meet him in the Sierra for some skiing next week, after the rock portion of his trip. I guess that won't happen now, and I'll be driving down to California for his memorial next weekend instead. So sad.
And Lisa, thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings. We're all hurting once again.
Here's the text of the news story that has the most details:
Climber falls to his death
Man with physics degree had climbed in Alps
By Courtney Vaughn
Hi-Desert Star
Published: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 3:16 AM CDT
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK— A 33-year-old rock climber died here Monday afternoon. David Pinegar, of Loomis, was rappelling from Saddle Rock shortly after 1 p.m. Monday when he fell 110 feet to his death, according to Joe Zarki, park spokesman. Zarki said Pinegar was climbing with a partner and had just finished helping his friend descend when he fell.
Officials at the park got a call from emergency dispatch that a climber had fallen around 1:30 p.m. “Saddle Rock is a really prominent rock formation on the north face of Ryan Mountain,” Zarki said Tuesday. “He and a partner were working on a route called Walk on the Wild Side.” Zarki characterized the climbing route as popular and said Saddle Rock has the highest vertical pitch of any rock formation in the park. “Walk on the Wild Side is about a quarter mile from the Hall of Horrors parking area,” Zarki added.
Pinegar and his climbing companion were using ropes and gear. His younger sister, Juli Pinegar, said he was a climber with more than 10 years of experience who also had spent time in the Alps.
Family: Pinegar was thoughtful, a role model
Pinegar’s family members said he returned from Germany about eight months ago after completing post-doctorate work there. He attended Del Oro High School, the University of California at Berkeley and University of Washington, where he received his PhD in physics in 2007.
“We were hoping he’d find a cure for cancer,” Dan Reed, Pinegar’s uncle, said Tuesday. Reed called his nephew a role model to his younger family members and recalled Pinegar’s love for outdoor activities. “He recently took up motorcycle riding and he did 780 miles his first ride, from Seattle to Sacramento, no windshield, right in the middle of winter,” Reed said.
Pinegar’s sister said her brother left his hometown of Loomis, northeast of San Fransisco, Saturday to embark on a two-week trip, including a stop in Joshua Tree for rock climbing. “He told us Friday at dinner he wanted to go on an adventure. We weren’t expecting him home for two weeks” she said. “He definitely loved adventure. He really tried to live his life to the fullest, that was just his spirit.”
I knew Dave Pinegar since about 2000, when he joined the UW physics department as a new grad student, working in the lab next door. One of my regular drinking buddies over many years working in the physics department, and eventually a close friend. One of the most unusual and creative thinkers I've known, he always had some wild and crazy idea brewing, whether it be for his newest invention that he was working on, his latest and greatest investment idea, or some unusual plan for a ski traverse or obscure peak ascent in the Cascades. Never a dull moment.
I last saw him last summer, when he stopped by Seattle on his way back from two years of postdoctoral work in Germany and was heading home to California. He camped out on my deck for a week, and despite a marginal weather forecast all week, we managed to squeeze in a big ski trip:
June 25-26, 2010, Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Finger
An amazing trip, complete with a stunning full moon rise at sunset, followed by a partial lunar eclipse a few hours later, and capped by Dave's long-awaited (after several attempts) first Rainier summit and ski descent the next afternoon. I'm glad we got to ski Rainier together, Dave.
[img width=600 height=800">http://www.skimountaineer.com/TR/Images2010/RainierDaveSkinningWilson-25Jun2010.jpg" />
Dave Pinegar skinning up the edge of Wilson Glacier just before sunset on our last trip together.
I just spoke with Dave only a few days ago, when he called me last weekend. He was always good about keeping in touch (unlike me), calling me regularly to touch base and bounce ideas around, even calling from Germany using Skype on his computer at 1.7 cents a minute. This time, he was all packed up and about to leave for a two-week open-ended road trip, starting with rock climbing in Joshua Tree. He was urging me to drive down and meet him in the Sierra for some skiing next week, after the rock portion of his trip. I guess that won't happen now, and I'll be driving down to California for his memorial next weekend instead. So sad.
And Lisa, thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings. We're all hurting once again.
I'm very sorry to hear of David's death. I didn't know him well, but I went to school at UW with him and always felt we had similar personalities. I admired his unconventional way of thinking.
Micah
Micah
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