California—two miles northwest of Ladder Lake in the Black Divide, Bishop Area: Charles Bays Locker (21) took three younger boys, Gary (13) and Karl (15) Hufbauer and Donald Albright (17) on a high trip into the Bishop Area. Bays was a member of the Sierra Club and had done a fair amount of climbing and hiking in high country in the previous few years. The party had five days of preparatory climbing including the time required to walk into the area. On July 16, 1952 they climbed a previously unclimbed peak of 12,360 feet and had lunch on the summit. They then descended a ridge about an eighth of a mile when they came across a chute. Three of the party Gary, Karl and Bays descended into it and decided it was an impractical route because of a five foot drop between two ledges. Bays boosted Gary up onto the ridge and then started up himself. Karl was below on the second ledge and Don was above. Don wanted to throw Bays a rope to help him up but Bays thought a huge rock he planned to use for a hand hold would hold his weight. When Bays took hold of the rock, it came out of its socket and carried him down the chute.

He fell free about 50 feet and then slid about 120 feet in a landslide of rocks. Karl and Don at once started around the ridge to descend to Bays while Gary went back across to King’s River for help. When Karl and Don reached Bays he was dead. He had been badly battered about the head. Two days later the body was evacuated by pack train.

Source: Members of the party.

Analysis: The assessment of the security of handholds and the stability of large boulders is extremely difficult. Note the previous and following accidents which occurred to persons of considerable experience.