Alta Peak

30-Jun-56

By: Patricia Meixner

From the Angeles Chapter Schedule (1956)

From the SPS column in the July 1956 issue of Southern Sierran

SPS NEWS

ALTA PEAK-June 30-July 1: Chuck Miller, Leader; Frank Bressel, Asst. Leader.

On Sat. June 30, (1956) 37 people left Wolverton Meadow in Sequoia Nat'l Park for a leisurely 7 mile hike through beautifully forested areas, meadows and by streams to camp at Alta Meadow. The view of the snow capped Great Western Divide was glorious. The afternoon was spent either sunbathing or taking short hikes in the area. That evening all enjoyed the singing around the campfire.

Sun. morning after a leisurely start at 9 am, most of the group was on top of Alta Peak (11,211 ft.) by 11:00 am. The last three quarters of a mile was crossed on snow. It was a beautifully clear day and peaks from Ritter and Banner in the north to Florence Peak in the south were visible. Everyone was back at the cars by 3 pm.

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Note: Although the SPS formally was founded in October 1955, officially scheduled trips did not start until 1956. The Sierra Echo had not yet been born, so SPS trip reports normally appeared in Southern Sierran. Of particular interest in the Alta Peak report is the large size of the party, which was fully legal in the early days.