Recently an energetic friend of mine named Jeff Starosta whom I'd met a couple of years ago on the road with his future wife, Sarah, asked me to help him for a Saturday of volunteer work for a youth outdoor educational program called Sierra Adventures. Jeff is employed with the local BLM which was sponsoring the day's activities which included rock climbing, mountain biking and even an African drum workshop. Dexter Leland, the program's coordinator and BLM employee is a phenomenal drummer. Jeff and I were to set up top ropes on some of the easier sport routes down in what are called The Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine which is about 45 miles south of Bishop.

Mt. Whitney and the Whitney Portal have put this town on every peak bagger's travel itinerary. The hills with the unusual name of Alabama (yes, there is a story behind the name which traces back to a dispute during the Civil War) are viewed along the road up to Whitney Portal. routes have existed here for decades. A long section of the old Alan Bartlett - Guide to the High Sierra, was devoted to these "hills". They're actually jumbles of spires, pillars and small domes reminiscent of Joshua Tree but smaller. The rock is similar to Josh but of a poorer quality for the most part except for the north faces which have a case hardened, almost glassy surface texture. What looks blank from even a short distance reveals edges, knobs, incuts and flakes galore upon closer inspection.

The crags are on BLM land. There are many free campsites tucked among the countless and intriguing canyons that beckon at every turn of the spider web of dirt roads that seem to finger into every one of these alleys. Bring your bike. Our short bike ride with the kids (bikes provided by the BLM) was fun. One common sight here is the ever present film crew shooting an ad or a movie. Over 200 movies have been filmed here. Gungha Din being one of the most famous. Harley Davidson had their gleaming iron posed among the tan stone glowing in the late afternoon light on this occasion. My numb bum yearned for a perch on
that Fat Boy.

Unfortunately the land has received abusive useage not only at the hands of the film industry but from local youth who party here as well as the well meaning campers and visitors. The BLM prefers that climbers camp at the free Tuttle Creek Campground which is a short distance from the climbing. Take Horseshoe Meadows Road which is the next left off of Whitney Portal Road after Movie Road which is a right that leads to much of the climbing. The campground is a couple of miles down this road on the right. The campground is kept open throughout the winter to alleviate the impact upon wilderness sites. There is a 28 day limit.

Not too long ago, according to a BLM ranger that I met, Mike Strassman was contemplating opening a guide service in Lone Pine. Besides the obvious mountaineering possibilities to take clients on in the magnificent mountains outside of Lone Pine he also wanted to provide a sport climbing scene and a convenient training ground. We were taking advantage of one of these training locales with the BLM group. Reportedly there are well over 200 routes here now. Old bolts have been replaced. Old routes have been retrobolted. Convenient lower off anchors have, for the most part, been installed. Jeff and I led four routes of high quality in the 5.8 to 5.9 range. The rock seemed solid. The flakes had been broken down to useable but more stable condition. The only scare that sent chills up my sciatic nerve was when I felt and heard unpleasant crunching under foot. As handholds the flake/edges were bomber but tread lightly with the sticky rubber. Fat Boys Beware! Beneath the assault of two dozen inexperienced teens not a head was bonked. Everyone was provided helmets by the BLM. I suggest your belayer, at least, has one.

We were climbing on formations on the west or left side of Movie Road, 1.7 miles from where it leaves Whitney Portal Rd. At the 1.7 mile mark Movie Road bends sharply right after a triangular junction. Go left at this junction. Follow the "principle" dirt road to a campsite beneath a fire blackened, overhanging boulder. The two crags are to the left. Taking a left fork off of this road will lead to another campsite and at least a dozen more routes on some of the best Alabama Hills granite I've seen yet. Bring a powerful pair of binoculars for route spotting. The bolts are camouflaged gray on gray rock. If a formation looks as though it should have a route on it, it probably does. Mike Strassman has a Guide to the Alabama Hills at the publishers now.

You can glean a snippet of info on a small area that I recently returned to by going here

www.lonepinechamber.org/recreation/alabamadome.html

This covers only a half dozen routes on a dome off of Horseshoe Meadows Road on the way to Tuttle Creek CG. Herein lies "the best route on the crag and possibly one of the best routes in the Hills", boasts the topo beta. The honored route is a 10a called Gone With the Wind. A three star arete. I couldn't contain myself. I had to get right on it as cold as it was in the shade. As soon as that crunching reached my ears my fingers began the Vulcan death grip routine. The moves were cool. The closely spaced bolting bolstered my nerve but how can you enjoy the experience? Once on top we toproped the harder routes nearby. "Great moves but I'm glad I wasn't leading that one" became our repeated route synopsis. The rock I'd viewed off of Movie Road appeared bullet proof by comparison. I intend to conduct further investigations my reader's edification. The jury is still out on the Alabama Hills. Are they worth the expense of yet another guidebook? Stay tuned.

Ciao