Simian Outing Society. The Simians began the year by instructing beginners on the local cliffs of Portland Arch, Indiana. These cliffs have since been closed by the state, and the area has been incorporated into the Indiana system of natural areas. Efforts are being undertaken to have climbing permitted here again. There is no leading at Portland Arch owing to the crumbly nature of the sandstone; so the climbers have little impact here. Several weekend trips to Devils Lake were taken, only to be rained out. Several areas in southern Illinois and Missouri were explored as possible new climbing sites.

Over the Christmas holiday period we headed for Colorado to ski tour around the Longs Peak region, then down to the Sawatch Range for a climb of Mount Princeton. During semester break there was a trip to Jackson Hole with an ascent of Jackson Peak, a ski ascent of Sheep Mountain, and ski touring in Yellowstone. During the spring vacation several Simians tried an ascent of Gannett Peak in Wyoming’s Wind Rivers, but with six solid days of snow, the peak was never seen. Other Simians had better luck with the weather backpacking to Escalante Canyon in southern Utah. During the same period there was a ski-tour ing trip to Wisconsin along the south shore of Lake Superior.

Over the summer Simians were scattered to the four winds with trips to Colorado culminating in an ascent of the Diamond on Longs Peak. Several groups, at different times, returned to the Wind Rivers and with favorable weather succeeded in climbing the long-sought Gannett Peak. Some Simians even tried the watery world with a canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Mark Wilson