San Diego Peaks Club, 1990 - 1997 Historical Archive

Paul having a good time at Balboa Park, August 7, 2013.

Paul Freiman (June 1, 1952 to Sept. 29, 2013) and Scooter. Founder of the San Diego Peaks Club. Thanks go to John Strauch for both photos.

San Diego Peaks List, final version, 1997

Embroidered patch devised by Carol Murdock. Presented to guests at the memorial hike for Paul on November 10, 2013.

The following index has all of the newsletters of the San Diego Peaks Club. There were 34 issues with the first in May 1991. The club started with 14 members and grew steadily to 103 members by issue #19. The maximum number of members may have been about 140. The last issue was #34 in April-June, 1997. Each issue is a pdf file from 4 to about 17 Mbytes. You can print the whole issue or individual pages as needed.

Issue #1 - May 1991 The first newsletter announcing the formation of the hiking group. Only two pages with the first list of peaks.

Issue #2 - June 1991 There are 14 members signed up. The peaks list has 105 peaks with 14 emblem peaks. Hiker of the Month is Beth Davis. Trip announcement with map showing route to The Thimble, White, Hob and Goat BM's.

Issue #3 - July-August 1991 There are now 26 members. Hiker of the Month is Jim Sugg. Jim does a 60-mile city walk and recovers from a rattlesnake bite. Bits and Pieces Column - Make Adrian has his truck radiator hoses chewed by marmots on White Mtn. Carl Johnson does trip to Mexico's Copper Canyon.

Issue #4 - Sept.-October 1991 Membership at 34. Hiker of the Month for September is Carl Johnson. For October it is Al Holden. Bits and Pieces Column - Russell Glavis finishes HPS list. Map and hiking route described to El Cajon Mountain.

Issue #5 - Nov.-Dec. 1991 Membership grows to 54. Hiker of the Month for November is John Strauch. John has done over 50 peaks on the list and completed all 176 hikes in "Afoot and Afield in SD County". For December the Hiker of the Month is Terri Astle. Maps and route descriptions to Guatay Mountain, Long Valley Peak, and Chariot Mountain with Roost BM.

Issue #6 - Jan.-Feb. 1992 Membership at 64. Club logo drawn by Betty Sterrett. Hiker of the Month for January is Paul Freiman. He completed the list of 105 peaks in November. For February the Hiker of the Month is Dennis Richards. Lyons Peak and Donohoe delisted due to access problems. Route description and map to Bell Bluff.

Issue #7 - March-April 1992 Membership at 67. Peaks added to the list: Peak 5386, Pinyon Ridge High Point, Diablo BM, Palm BM and Blue Angels Peak. The revised list is shown with 107 peaks. Hiker of the Month for March is Betty Sterrett. For April it is Wes Shelberg. Map for Pinyon Ridge High Point. Alternate route for Long Valley Peak shown. Map for Stage BM. Map and description for McGinty Mountain. Map for Margarita Peak and Lookout and also map for Eagle Peak.

Issue #8 - May-June 1992 Club now has 72 members. Paul turns 40 on June 1st. Hiker of the Month for May is Gail Hanna. For June it is Cindy Outlaw. Notes on access to Bernardo Mountain and Battle Mountain. Article on peakbagging by bicycle. Peakbagger code of conduct shown.

Issue #9 - July-August 1992 77 members now. Hikers of the Month of July are Peggy Crunican and Dave Hardy. For August Hiker of the Month is Donna Hawkins. Al Holden starts Monday hikes with the Sierra Club. Report of Big Picacho day hike by John McCully.

Issue #10 - Sept.-Oct. 1992 Hiker of the Month for September is Ron Jones. For October it is Bob Pinsker and Laurie Jenkins. Notes and maps on Pike and Cody BM's. Report on hike to Collins, Knob BM's, with #2 Palms and Elder and #3 Square Top. Listing of SPDC members as of 8-16-92.

Issue #11 - Nov.-Dec.-Jan. 1993 The club has 76 members. Hiker of the Month of November is Ed Sutor. For December it is Carol Murdock. Hiker of the Month for January is Steve Spiller. Hikers of the Month of February are Les Hill, Ken Olson, and Richard Carey who finished the DPS List on Halloween on Mt. Tipton. The revised SDPC Peak List is shown with 107 peaks.

Issue #12 - Feb.-March-April 1993 Paul and Vicki set May 1st as a wedding date. Hiker of the Month for March is John Strauch (2nd time). Jerry Schad's revised "Afoot and Afield in San Diego County" is now out. Reort on Mexico Volcanoes trip by Richard Carey with Shelley Rogers and Dan Sherman.

Issue #13 - July-Aug. 1993 Paul reports on honeymoon trip, new house, plus new pets. Hiker of the Month for May is Paul's wife Victoria Cavataio-Freiman. For June Hiker of the Month is Robin Tucker. Report on climb of Mt. McKinley by Richard Carey.

Issue #14 - Sept.-Oct. 1993 The club now has 95 members. Hiker of the Month for September is Mark Adrian who recently finished the DPS list. For October it is Jim Hawkins (Jim and Donna summited McKinley in June). Paul adds Mt. Gower to the list. Also added is Sawtooth and Mt. Israel. Battle Mountain will be deleted. John Strauch finishes the SDPC list. Report on hike to Spectre (DPS peak) by Mark Adrian. Report on Mt. McKinley by Jim and Donna Hawkins. The highest point in each of California's 58 counties is listed courtesy of Gary Suttle.

Issue #15 - Nov.-Dec. 1993 Paul uses new Macintosh computer to produce newsletter. There are now 75 members. Hiker of the Month for November is Terri Sutor who completes the HPS list four times. The complete SDPC list is shown which now has 109 peaks with 14 emblem peaks.

Issue #16 - Jan.-Feb. 1994 There are now 88 club members. The Hikers of the Month for January and February are Al Holden and Jim Sugg who both lead many trips each month. Potrero Mountain is being deleted. Three peaks are added: Split Mtn.-west side, Split Mtn.-east side, and Vallecito Mountain high point. Notes on these peaks by Wes Shelburg. Report on trails up Mt. Woodson. A treatise on poison oak.

Issue #17 - Feb.-Mar. 1994 Membership is now at 92. Notes on route to Mt. Gower. Lengthy report on Aconcagua trip. San Diego climbers Mark Adrian and Shelley Rogers summit. Richard Carey, Dave Jurasevich and Fred Bright don't make it due to sickness and altitude problems. Photo of Ralph and Beth Davis' collision with a logging truck.

Feb.-Mar. 1994 Supplement Aconcaga trip report from the Desert Survivors newsletter.

Issue #18 April-May 1994 Membership now at 96. New member Mike Fry is Hiker of the Month for March and Hiker of the Month for April is Gary Suttle and for May it is Richard Hughes. Map showing route to Split Mtn.-east. Map for Mile-High and Rosa Point. Maps and descriptions for climbs of Dawn's Peak, Palm Mesa and San Ysidro Mountain. Description of the Outlaw Trail (also known as the Palms-to-Pines Trail). A list of the SDPC peaks is given which now has 112 peaks.

Issue #19 June-July 1994 Club membership now at 103. Hiker of the Month for June is Vicki Cavataio-Freiman who is editing the newsletter. The July Hiker of the Month is Carol Murdock, the first woman to finish the SDPC list. There is a list of Hiker of the Month recipients and their accomplishments. Paul has a list of seven of his favorite hikes. Carol Murdock and John Strauch also present their favorite peaks.

Issue #20 July-Aug. 1994 The 4th year of the club. Hiker of the Month for August goes to two hikers, Edwin and Donna Gookin. Map and description of Mt. Israel hike. A list of fourteen Peaks Lists is shown.

Issue #21 Sept.-Oct 1994 The name "Hiking Horizons" is added to the newsletter. The Hiker of the Month for September is John McCully. For October it is Gail Hanna. A description and map of the Sunset Trail on Mt. Laguna with details on reaching Manza BM.

Issue #22 Jan.-Feb. 1994 Membership is now at 105. Story of Carl Johnson arrested at grand Canyon National Park. The Hikers of the Month of November are Lorin and Mary Mitts. For December the Hiker of the Month is Carl Johnson. The Hiker of the Month for January will be Terry Flood and for February Dennis Richards. Report on the famous Santa Rosa Traverse trip. Report on Mt. Whitney east face.

Issue #23 Feb.-April 1995 Club membership is at 113 members. Description of new Oakzanita Trail. Hiker of the Month for March is Mary Mitts. For April it is Mary McLain. Description of hike to Palm BM. Map for San Ysidro Mtn. traverse route. Report on climbing Old Woman Statue by Richard Hughes. Article on Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Report on Grand Canyon Run where Carl Johnson was arrested.

Issue #24 May-June 1995 Membership now at 119. Hiker of the Month for May is John Strauch. For June it is Mark Adrian. Report on Borrego Palm Canyon Traverse. Reports also on Pinyon Ridge Traverse and Cactus Springs Trail Traverse. Report on Santa Rosa Mtns.-Barton Canyon Circumnavigation. Article from "Desert Magazine" June, 1944 by Marshall South.

Issue #25 July-Aug. 1995 Hiker of the Month for July is Chris Landa. For August adventurers of the month are Paul Freiman and Voytek Najgrodski. For September Hiker of the Month will be Al Holden. Report on hikes in Organ Pipe by Mark Adrian. Report on Picacho del Diablo by Carl Johnson. Hiking with a GPS by Bob Pinsker to The Thimble, Goat, White and Ted BM's. The revised SDPC list is shown which now has 112 peaks.

Issue #26 Sept.-Oct. 1995 The adventurer of the month for September is Malcolm Fitzurka. For October it is Richard and Patsy Hughes. Canadian Rockies trip report by Richard Hughes. Reports on a San Jacinto backpack and a San Gorgonio backpack. Skiing in the White Mountains by Sue Pease. A roster of members is shown.

Issue #27 Dec.-Jan. 1996 Hiker of the Month for November is Jerry Schad. For December it is Tim Downey. Report on hiking the Outlaw Trail by John McCully. Large fold-out map of this route is shown. Lower Willows to Indianhead Ridge hike report by Paul Freiman. Jacumba Wilderness area (Myers Valley, Valley of the Moon) report by Mark Adrian.

Issue #28 Feb.-March 1996 Hiker of the Month of February is Paul Freiman who just became President of the San Diego Orienteering Club. For March it is Carol Murdock. Five peaks are added to the list: Pyles Peak, Kwaay Paay, Perpendicular Bluff, Palm Mesa and The Sirens. This brings the list up to 117 peaks.

Issue #29 April-May 1996 The club now has 133 members. Hiker of the Month for April is Jerry Higgins. For May it is Mark Adrian. Report on hike to Goat BM by Al Holden. Santa Rosa Traverse (Salton Sea to Rockhouse) report by Paul Freiman. Afoot and Afield with GPS by Richard Carey.

Issue #30 June-July 1996 Paul is laid off his job at UCSD Medical Center. The club now has 140 members. Report about illegals crossing the border by Lucy Rosenau. SDPC list finish on Combs Peak by Mark Adrian. Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim report by Sue Holloway. Big Picacho dayhike by Gary Craig. A complete list of Benchmarks in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is shown (146 in all).

Issue #31 Sept.-Oct. 1996 Hiker of the Month for August is Suzanne Pletcher who recently did all of the Colorado 14ers. For September it is Jerry Higgins who finished the SDPC list. For October it is Sue Holloway. The latest SDPC list is printed which now has 117 peaks with 17 emblem peaks. Report on a Patagonia trip by Betty Hobert.

Issue #32 Nov.-Dec. 1996 November's Hikers of the Month are Virginia Calimlin and Sue Holloway. For December Hiker of the Month is Jan Crist. Tecate Peak is delisted due to access problems. The benchmark list for Anza-Borrego Park is reprinted with two additions: Yam and Rich. A list of hikers receiving the Mini-Macho, Mini-Machette, Macho and Mega-Macho awards is shown. Report on San Gorgonio Ridge "Grand Tour" by Erik Siering.

Issue #33 Jan.-March 1997 An notice that the club may end on June 1st. Hiker of the Month for January is Carol Murdock. For February it is Jim Sugg who completed leading 500 hikes for Walkabout. For March Hiker of the Month is Terri Astle. Paul reports on hiking to Sand BM starting from near Anza. Note by John Strauch on hikes to Guard, Agua and Store BM's and on to Peaks 3082 and 3089. Report on Aconcagua by Sue Holloway. The final SDPC list is printed which has 116 peaks.

Issue #34 April-June 1997 The club shuts down and this is the last issue. Letters from various members about the club.