West Lone Pine Peak, Red Baron Tower. At the head of Tuttle Creek the western continuation of Lone Pine Peak curls in an extension of the high erosion surface to a really separate summit, which has been called “Peak 13,016,” but which could equally well be termed West Lone Pine Peak because of the high connection. When viewing the peak from the highway near Lone Pine, the sharp east buttress is very apparent and enticing. After packing to the foot of the serious climbing, Barry Hagen and I, on May 19, climbed the buttress to the top of a high major culmination, which we dubbed “Red Baron Tower.” The rock was quite good. After some preliminary scrambling, the buttress presented two continuous and exposed aid pitches, then considerable interesting free climbing along the narrow crest to the tower’s peak. The wisdom of continuing to the upper portion of the buttress for a few more pitches was not apparent, in view of the problems involved in descending the knife-edge to the notch, and in returning, for we had planned the descent along the climbing route. NCCS III.

Fred Beckey