Don79

Thanx Wayne for the compliment on the Mazama article. It was fun to put it together with Jeff! When Jeff finishes his follow-up work, he and Radek should do it again next year. About building a road up into the Dome, I have figured out something about that. The entire rather rounded-looking Gorge wall was originally called "St. Peter's Dome," the name later being changed to the "Dome" we all climb. I think the proposal to build the tunnel was into the main cliff, not "our" Dome. That would make access to another tourist's overlook atop the Gorge wall. Don

Great job, Radek!!! Love your descriptions and great photos! Sounds like you did roughly our 1947 route through the 96-foot mess, and Wayne is right, every climb is a new route. Glad Jeff went along. He really got into the history for our Mazama article! Anyway, I knew you could do it. I had faith in you and your wonderful wife! Did your dog mark the summit? Don Baars

Hey guys, I have a copy of our 1st ascent register note from 1950 on Steins Pillar. Scribbled on it is the 2nd ascent by Fred Becky, Eric Bjornstad, Steve Marts, and Dave Beckstead, dated Aug-26-63. That's 13 years after the 1st ascent. So I guess Becky,et al. did beat Layton Kor to the second ascent, if he climbed it at all. Becky, Bjornstad, Dan Davis and Dick Springgate climbed it again in 1964 - the 3rd ascent? They made it in 12 hours.

The second ascent of St. Peters Dome was made by myself (Don Baars), Floyd Richardson and Jim Hoskins in 1947. There was a summit register then, and we did not remove it - where could it have gone? Anyway, I really appreciate your summit list! Has anyone climbed it since your 1994 solo?

There was a register on St. Peters when we made the second ascent in 1947! Don't know what happened to it since. The second ascent was by the FA "Leuthold route" by myself (Don Baars), Floyd Richardson and Jim Hoskins. We used cotton rope, homemade pitons and a few homemade biners. It took several days camped at Little St. Peters to to get in solid pitrons in the 96-foot face, then went smoothly.

The comments on the "Ace Hardware Specials" by The Anti-Twight and "old shell drive bolt holes" by corvallisclimb were put in by us on our first ascent. We were broke as hell and college students who pretty much made our own hardware in my dad's auto repair shop. We made biners and pitons from Model-A brake rods and bent the lag bolts for clipping bought from a hardware storein Oregon City with a welding torch. The expansion bolts came from the same store, and were the kind used in those days to hang signs from concrete store fronts. We drilled the holes with 5/8 inch star drills and piton hammer made from a ballpeen hammer. Our rope was 400-foot lengths of cotton, as we were too poor to buy hemp and nylon was unheard of in 1950. We pulled most of the bolts so future climbers would not bitch about them, but I guess we left some near the top in haste. So if you don't like what you find there now, put in your own. Don Baars Don Baars

Where were you guys when we put in 110 holes with a 5/8 inch star drill and piton hammer on Steins Pillar in 1950? Is this all "ethical"? Don Baars