Los Angeles Valley College - Crown Yearbook (Valley Glen, CA)

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-1-Hf 1 f, k, .tx 3 . u .4 . - 1 s,' 149, i- Al Tapia retains his grip while foraging up the mountain cliftside, at Stoney Point, Chatsworth. By Vanessa Finan Illustrated by Robert Lachman Paul Neal has been forced to concern himself with one of the most important unwritten laws in the constitution governing the wilderness. If a bear is just about to get your food, you can scare him off - it still belongs to you. But once he has the food, there is no way you can get it back. As president of the newly formed Mountaineering Club, Biology Major Paul Neal, along with the help of fall president and club originator, Al Tapia, saw the year through on the Mountaineering Club's new foundation. Fundamentals of self-preservation in the wilds and camping techniques are discussed and taught at the club meetings, which are held Thursdays at 11 a.m. in Life Science 107. Tapia explained that club sponsor Gerald Bessey strongly influenced the club's organization. Bessey, associate professor of biology, has injected his knowledge of survival in the wilderness into the club's very fiber. Hiking, backpacking, rock climbing and ski touring are the facets of mountain- eering that are practiced in the club. Club members who are active not only with the group, but also on their own time, register indivi- dual likes and dislikes involved in mountaineering. Tapia has just recently changed his major from electronics to outdoor recreation. With a goal set at becoming a park ranger or lecturer and instructor in mountaineering sports, Tapia is experienced in the fields of ski touring, survival instruction and camp- ing, backpacking and rock climbing. The biggest rush Tapia gets from mountaineering is his relationships with people in the wilds. He finds himself to have undergone a metamorphosis that has cocooned into his becoming more self-assured 30 All Campers APE Edible Instructions on howto handle mountain climbing gear is explained by Club President Al Tapia. X 4

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By Elaine Nevelow Illustrated by Robert Lachman Amid the vast expanse of silvery whiteness, the determined man stood alone, poised at the top of the world. As a result of last night's violent snow storm, a thick carpet of new dry powder snow lay gently on the ground, still untouched by man or ski. It was early, the ancient sun had not yet stretched out to span the horizon. There would never be a better time than now to make the jump. The only sounds he heard as he started down the run were the whistling of the wind, and the faint sh-sh-sh of the skiis as they glided swiftly over the velvet plushness of the frosty white snow. It was almost as if he were flying. The man and skiis were bonded together as one, and like a speeding bullet he rushed toward the target-The Cornus. The skiis longingly, desperately reached out to grasp their goal, the next instant and it would be theirs. Coming off the jump he soared upward with skiis and body in perfect parallel alignment, winging his way to another world. A sensitive, and at the same instant, exciting world, vibrant and alive. The world from which he had come was deadened by its harsh gray coldness and the tastlessness of its life. But he had escaped that world, if only momentarily, and ventured into this one-an exhilarating, beautiful, and highly sensitive place. He leaned forward, allowing the skiis to flyback, and stretched out his arms like a bird spreading its wings. The tips of the skiis were pointed toward the stars, and he toward earth. Neither was bound for heaven nor earth, both were in limbo, a place where time stands still. Below him the sun was just coming up over the rugged snow- capped mountains. lt peeked through the trees and bent down to gently caress the silky white virgin snow, which glistened like spun sugar under its adornment. Nothing but the brilliant blue sky surrounded him, and the little puffy white clouds floating in it. The crisp early morning air interwoven into the tantalizing scent of the pine trees and the fresh snow drifted up to him, filling his nostrils with tingling excitement. A sudden surge of exhilaration shot through his body, he could hear his heart pounding and the bloodicoursing through his veins. He was free . . . freer than he could ever have hoped to be. And he was alive . . f really alive . . . for the first time in his entire existence. He was coming out of his somersault now, and back into parallel alignment with his skiis. What had seemed like an eternity was merely seconds, for he was now descending rapidly toward earth. Some stout-hearty skiers wre willing to weather a snow blizzard in order to enjoy the benefits of Alta's excellent slopes. ..,-.. X . f x . b. l 5519, 3,1 if ' I 1 .. ax '39 - ,. .fftik-Qi' ,tt I . .AU H, mr. 5, 'I - L is ' ,..'t.ff.'f'fWe ll .. ,. .lu ,I i .-3' -Sffigv .- . . . ,, tt g M... ' i - - gx,,tf-.. JY f 'FV f-T :Z ,fs-r.'g?4.,,.,R, Wu- 1' i 13511. ' ii' . - fe A ' Lip' --gg: gr ,- - 'tit-.gieifw 4 .wla ,N ,. . 1--ffqfe-'. . f-.. 5 1 ga+i'::SZ'i I - xv -1 -. s. -. -1-xl,2,f'. 1 ' ty- Q--,i -Q. 2 gggg,. r , ' . zsggi wf- t : gate i 51. 1 , J.. it 3431- - 0'-.1 . JTI' f-1-x ' 7 'f ffif . , 1-F g 2 T '55 :lf-'f -'f-,:-', ' ' 'ff .. i i . 1 4 Cindy Baughman comes off the top As the last rays of the sun shine through the trees, some skiers go up on the chair lift to get in on the last run of the day. of a iump, hoping she'Il land skiis first. Q

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and an ability to transfer this into his daily trans- actions in the city. Tapia said, You find a meadow and the whole thing belongs to you - you don't hear the wind, you don't hear insects, you don't hear people. Club member Philip Deutschle experienced back- packing for the first time with the Boy Scouts of America. Recalling his adventure during his first solo journey backpacking, Deutschle nearly had a mountain lion as a bed partner, Making camp after nightfall, he was unaware of what was beyond the beam of his flashlight. In the morning he awoke to find that he was trespassing on a local mountain lion's territory. Luckily, he was not evicted. Deutschle's biggest fear, oddly enough, is not the elements of territorial wildlife, but the crazy people that are frolicking up in the mountains. When journeying away from his camp, he is com- pelled to camouflage his gear, lest some confused campers pass through and confiscate it for them- selves. Neal is a solitary camper. l guess l'm sort of the adventuresome type. I don't like to have to depend on anyone. He concedes that solo excursions eliminate the hassle of competition which occurs frequently when companions disagree on routes, campsite selections, or scheduled traveling time. When you're by yourself, you're the leader and the tail end of the party. This enthusiastic backpacker would rather spend the night at the top of a secluded mountain pass than park with the multitude at the foot of the pass. He believes that that little extra effort at the end of the day doubles itself in rewards when it permits him to view a valley painted with a sunrise from a mountain's heights. lt's about this time Dennis 0'Leary begins to think maybe he should take up tennis or a sport that's more down-to-earth. -.15-sa -i - .yt . rl! ,limi Z1 - , , :Jai ,, ,fi 1 r i ,LN 1 , .sin if. ll 9 '-af .E .' .Q ,B . .' I f r , 7 J l -'cx,a',? t .4 He: lv: Working his way out ol a right squeeze, Al Tapia masterfully performs a somewhat dangerous descent between ragged mountain cliffs. A veteran of the john Muir Trail, Neal refers to it as being a zoo or a freeway. He does admit that it was a profitable experience, but sees it as a one-shot deal. Neal genuinely wants all people to take up the art of backpacking, as long as they don't do it at the same time he does. Neal would not exactly qualify as a dedicated disciple of doctrines of Euell Gibbons. Yet, he still is in agreement that All plants are edible, those that taste terrible, those that don't have any nutritional value, those that taste good, and those that will kill Il If-e ,ff 'C you. When describing one of Gibbons' prescribed beverages, pine needle tea, Neal verified that lt tasted exactly how it sounds. After a full day's climbing Philip Deutschle scales down a mountain cliff to step onto solid ground. Ng .. , lll .' 3'!1.4