"Amulet Peak," Northwestern Chugach. This beautiful mountain (8290 feet) rises only six miles from mile 94 on the Glenn Highway, but the Matanuska River was a formidable barrier until winter climbing began in this area. In early 1967 none of three attempts on the northeast ridge and east face got higher than 6100 feet. Finally Bill Babcock, my wife Grace and I packed across the frozen river and up the ice of Gravel Creek on March 9, 1968 with three days at our disposal to reach the easier south side. We snowshoed up an unexplored valley to camp behind our peak at 5000 feet. The next morning was clear and cold. We had excellent conditions on the steep snow to the southwest ridge and around the gendarmes on the ridge to the room-sized summit. "Awesome Peak” (8645 feet), five miles southwest, seems a much harder climb, while Mount Sergeant Robinson (10,650 feet) repelled its first attempters, who were stopped in the first week of April by an icefall at 4000 feet on the glacier at the head of Gravel Creek.

J. Vincent Hoeman