November 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter

8/9/2019 November 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter

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MountaineerThe

www.mountaineers.org

November, 2009Volume 103, No. 11

M4 Shoring uprevenues

for recreation

M7 Mulching teamcompletes Phase 1

M2 View from the Top

M4 Conservation Currents

M4 Summit Savvy

M5 Passages

M7 Off the Shelf

DiscoverTheMountaineersIf you are thinking of joining

- or have joined and arent sure

where to start - why not attend

aninformation meeting?

Check theGo Guide branch

sections for times and locations.

Are you ready to jump right

in? Visitwww.mountaineers.

org. No computer?See pg. 18.Need to call?206-521-6000.

PERIODICAL

POSTAGEPAIDAT

SEATTLE,WA

T

heMountaineers

7

700SandPointWayN.E.

S

eattle,WA98115

U p c o m i n gU p c o m i n gContinued on M3

Books galore! At discounts!Could you ask for more over the

holidays? The Mountaineers Book-

store will hold its annual holiday

sale Dec. 2-4 with a special twist: a

Mountaineers members-only pre-

sale on Tuesday night, Dec. 1. See

the ad on M3 for more details.

Jumpstart your GPS skills

A one-evening workshop for people

who are new to GPS will be held

Fri., Nov. 13, at club headquarters.

The seminar includes a hands-on

The monthly publication of The Mountaineers

Sno-ParkfeesriseThe Washington State Parks Co-

mission approved a fee increase

for Sno-Park and Groomed Trail

permits last month. The commis-

sion indicated it is hiking the fees

so that more people are encour-

aged to purchase the season pass.

One-day Sno-Park permits will rise

from $10 to $20 and season per-

mits will rise from $30 to $40.

The Special Groomed Trails permit

will also increase, from $30 to $40.

When purchased at retail vendors,

$1 is added to both fees.

More than 40 years ago, adedicated band of hikers andclimbers, turned conservationists,

spearheaded a grassroots

movement to establish the North

Cascades National Park. Among

this cadre of park advocates

indeed its voicewas the late

Harvey Manning, a Mountaineers

member and author.

Using the pen name, Irate Bird-

watcher, Manning wrote of the

splendor in the North Cascades

and other mountain ranges of

Washington. From the famed

guidebooks published by The

Mountaineers to hundreds of mis-

sives and newsletters advocating

national park status for the region,

Manning served as a lightning rod

for action to grant national park

status to a region that hosts such

marvels as the Pickett Range.

Mannings words and message

have found roost in a lm from

Crest Pictures that will be shown

at Mountaineers headquarters on

Wed., Nov. 4. The Irate Birdwatch-

er is one in a line of video pro-

ductions where lmmaker Robert

Chrestensen attempts to connect

with the viewers wilderness

within, as he puts it.

Chrestensen says he and Crest

Pictures try to promote wilderness

preservation through lms that

foster respect and appreciation

Words of wilderness advocate nd roost in lmFilm:TheIrateBirdwatcher

A free event:

Wed., Nov. 4,

7 pm at The

Mountaineers

headquarters

A cut in the couleeOlympia Mountaineer Adrienne Doman nds aroute in the Northrup Canyon basalt at Banks Lake in north-central Washington.

Jennifer Anderson photo

CharlesHouston

A life devoted toscience, humanity

Volunteers honored.SeeM7.

In true moun-

taineering, the

summit is not

everything; it is

only part.

Charles Houston

By James Hampton

R

enowned doctor and

mountaineer, Charles S.

Houston, never stopped

trying to make a difference in the

world.

A pioneer of high-altitude medicine

and an expedition leader on sev-

eral notable ascents of the worlds

highest mountains, Houston lived

a life of continuous adventure and

achievementin mythic, heroic

proportions, according to another

climber of note and friend of

Houstons, Tom Hornbein.

Pushing the limits of human endur-

ance and the understanding ofphysiology, Houstons record of

adventure and discovery are nearly

Continued on M6

workshop indoors followed by anoutdoor exercise. See pg. 9 of the

Go Guidefor more details.

Climbing speedster to visit

Timmy ONeill, rock climbing speed

demon and humorist, will host a

fundraiser for the Index Lower

Town Wall at a BOEALPS (Boeing

Employees Alpine Society) event to

be held at Mountaineers headquar-

ters on Fri., Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m.

See M8, Branches & Limbs, for

more details.

Trustee election results are

in! See website for results


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November009 TheMountaineer

Ourmostpreciousresourceisyou

The

MountaineerAlso see us on the web atwww.mountaineers.org

The Mountaineers is a nonprotorganization, founded in 1906and dedicated to the responsibleenjoyment and protection of naturalareas.

Board of TrusteesOfcers

President Eric Linxweiler, 08-10President Elect Tab Wilkins, 08-10Past President Bill Deters, 08-09VP Properties Dave Claar, 08-10VP Publishing Don Heck, 08-10Treasurer Mike Dean, 08-10Secretary Steve Sears, 08-10

Trustees at largeKirk Alm, 07-10Rich Draves, 08-11Dale Flynn, 07-10Ed Henderson, 08-11Lynn Hyde, 08-11Don Schaechtel, 06-09

Eva Schnleitner, 06-09Dave Shema, 07-10Mona West, 06-09

Branch TrusteesBellingham, Steven GlennEverett, Rob SimonsenFoothills, Gerry HaugenKitsap, Jimmy JamesOlympia, John FlanaganSeattle, Mike MaudeTacoma, Tom Shimko

Interim Executive DirectorMona West

Managing EditorBrad Stracener

Contributors, proofreaders:Barb Butler, Brian Futch, James Hamp-ton, Jim Harvey, Suzan Reiley, Darla

TishmanPhotographers & I llustrators:Jennifer Anderson, Mickey Eisenberg,Larry Hanson, Oyvind Henningsen,Dane Williams

THE MOUNTAINEER(ISSN 0027-2620) is publishedmonthly by:The Mountaineers7700 Sand Point Way N.E.Seattle, WA 98115206-521-6000; 206-523-6763 fax

Volume 103, No. 11Members receive a subscription as partof their annual dues. Approximately$12.42 of each members annual

membership dues is spent to print andmail this publication. Non-membersubscriptions to The Mountaineerare$32. Periodicals postage paid at Seat-tle, WA.

Postmaster: send address changesto The Mountaineer, 7700 Sand PointWay N.E., Seattle, WA 98115.Opinions expressed in articles arethose of the authors and do notnecessarily represent the views of TheMountaineers.

Purposes and mission

The clubs mission:

To enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about and

enjoy the lands and waters of the Pacic Northwest.

The clubs charter lists its purposes as follows:

To explore and study the mountains, forests and other water courses of

the Northwest and beyond.

To gather into permanent form the history and traditions of these regions

and explorations.

To preserve by example, teaching and the encouragement of protective

legislation or otherwise the natural beauty of the natural environment.

To make expeditions and provide educational opportunities in fulllment

of the above purposes.

To encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all lovers of outdoor life.

To hold real estate and personal property and to receive, hire, purchase,

occupy, and maintain and manage suitable buildings and quarters for

the furtherance of the purposes of the association, and to hold in trust or

otherwise funds, received by bequest or gift or otherwise, to be devoted to

the purposes of said association.

Whoyagonnacall?Yourmentor,ofcourseAre you a new member wondering about the how-to, where-to and what-to-do

with your club? There are a number of resources available to you, not the least

our websites. Now there is also a real, live person. If you want to know about

expected conditioning for a hike, what not to wear, how to sign up for events or

whatever call or e-mail the mentor of the month. Mona West is this months

mentor. Feel free to contact her at [email protected] with your questions

or comments.

View from the Top

How's 20 percent o your frst

piece o hiking gear sound?

That's how much you save on the price

of guidebooksor any book for that

matterat our bookstore when you join

The Mountaineers. Watch for ourHoliday Book Sale

December 2-4!

By Eric Linxweiler, president

We often think about

natural resources in

terms of acres, trees

and rivers. These are the tangible

items that exist before us, and

with our stewardshipwill exist in

better shape when we hand them

off to another generation of Moun-

taineers. The undeniable reality of

these types of resources is that you

cant make more. Conservation is

critical to their preservation.

But there is

another form

of natural

resource that

we have which

seems to

have unlimited

potential. Whenever it is exhaust-

ed, it seems that more is found.

Whenever a need for it has been

eliminated, a new need presents

itselfand more resources for

that new need are found. It never

seems to run out, and there always

seems to be a new way to tap our

resource pool.

This natural resource is you

Mountaineers members serving

the mission of the club through

endless hours of sweat, smarts

and leadership that so many of us

cant even begin to count. In fact, in

writing this months View from the

Top, I found it almost impossible to

estimate how many hours annually

are poured into The Mountaineers

and our communities by our mem-

bers. However, we did track one

project: volunteer hours devoted to

bers and guests alike to all facets

of The Mountaineers. In the coming

months, youll hear about even

more folks who have earned this

prestigious award and the energy

they have expended for our collec-

tive benet.

As every one of us has been

touched by a Mountaineer who

gave of themselves, it is critical

the remodel of our new headquar-

ters at Magnuson Park. More than

5,000 hours went into its design,

realization and operation. Thats a

drop in the bucket, so to speak, for

what is given every year on trails,

in courses, on climbs and so on.

We recently presented several

years worth of Service Awards to

a few very deserving members. In

this Mountaineer, youll read about

my good friends, Dave Claar and

Patti Polinsky, who welcome mem-

to remember that their dedication

comes with a pricethat you, too,

are obliged to give back to others

in the club. Thats how this pre-

cious resource becomes one with-

out limits. Its how we create a new

generation of Mountaineers that

knows how to carry on the legacy

of service and stewardship.

All the best, and many thanks to all

of you who give so much of your-

selves to The Mountaineers.

As every one of us has been touched by a

Mountaineer who gave of themselves, it is critical

to remember that their dedication comes with a

pricethat you, too, are obliged to give back

to others in the club.

See more

about recent

Service Award

recipients

Dave Claar and

Patti Polinskyon M7


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November009TheMountaineer

for the natural world by giving the

audience a walk-in-my-footsteps

perspective of being in the natural

worldan up-close-and-personal

level of understanding.

This approach to environmental

lmmaking doesnt tell us whats

wrong with the world, Chrestensen

maintains, but opens our eyes to

its beauty and urges us to save it.

He adds, What better way than

through the words and actions of

Harvey Manning, a premier North-

west writer and legendary conser-

vationist?

The Irate Birdwatcher portrays

Mannings wit and charm, his

outspoken and often criticized

views, his intimate experiences and

thoughts, his love of the out-of-

doors (especially the mountains),

and his hopes and dreams for our

beloved wilderness.

The heartfelt dialogue springing

from Mannings words are spoken

by Northwest actor Earl V. Pre-

bezac. The lm, scripted by co-pro-

ducer and director Kathy Chreste-

nsen, is introduced by a short video

of Manning from archived footage,

Continued from M1

Film takes walk-in-my-footsteps approach to saving wildernessoffering the viewer a peek at the

real person.

The script adapts quotes from

Mannings dozens of books to cre-

ate a convincing story that follows

the man through decades as he

unveils the beauty of Washingtons

wildest places, and discovers the

need to stand up and ght for their

very survival.

Check Crest Pictures website,

www.crestpictures.com, for a sneak

preview and news about the lms

planned release on DVD later this

year. There is a link to Irate Bird-

watcher.

Mountaineers Books photo The Mountaineers: A History

Harvey Manning, who edited The Mountaineers rst edition of Mountaineering:

The Freedom of the Hills, takes respite on Mt. Persis in 1951.

SEATTLE

OLYMPIA

TACOMA

December 2, 3, 4 @ 7 pm.

December 5 @ 7 pm, December 6 @ 6 pmTickets: $12 Saturday, $10 Sunday; $20 for both. $2 discount Sunday forMountaineers, Olympia Film Society members and students w/ID

Tickets are available in advance through The Alpine Experience and Olympic

Outtters, both in downtown Olympia, or at the theater each night.

Tickets: $10 Mountaineers, $15 General. Tickets are available through the

Mountaineers ofce, or by calling 206-521-6001.

December 8 @ 7 pmTickets: $10 Mountaineers/UPS staff, faculty and students. $13 GeneralSchneebeck Concert Hall, University of Puget Sound

Tickets: 253-879-3419

BANFF RETURNS TO WASHINGTON!Big thrills. Exotic locales. Wanderlust. The Banff Mountain Film Festival WorldTour promises an experience like no other. Fresh from the October festival

in Banff, Canada, the best mountain-themed lms from around the world

make their way to Seattle, Olympia and Tacoma. Tickets always go fast for thispopular event. Get your tickets today! Secrets of

SHANGRI-LA

Friday, November 13

Doors at 6 pm, show at 7 pm

With renowned mountaineer

Peter Athans

Travel to the high Himalayan kingdomof Mustang with Pete Athans as hisjourney leads him to a surprising fnd - a

treasure trove of ancient Buddhist texts

and images. Learn how he later traveled

back with a multidisciplinary team to

document, study and begin to preserve

this amazing fnd.

Tickets: $10 Mountaineers, $15 General.

Available through the Mountaineers

Bookstore.

The Mountaineers

7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

The LasT PoLar BearAn evening with Steven Kazlowski

Thursday, November 12 at 7 pm

Tickets: $8 Mountaineers, $10 General. Availablethrough the Mountaineers Bookstore.

The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

Polar bears are widely considered to be an indicator species with regards to the

effects of climate change. In his book The Last Polar Bear, photographer StevenKazlowski brings this critical issue to life with his unparalleled imagery. Join us for apresentation of this magnicent animal in its natural - and endangered - habitat.

ountaineers Productions

Everett banquet to include youth beneftLive Love Laugh for Youth (LLLY), a non-prot foundation dedicated to in-

volving youths in outdoor recreation, will hold its second annual silent auc-

tion and banquet on Sat., Nov. 14, at the Medallion Hotel in Smokey Point.

The public and Mountaineers from all branches are welcome to partici-

pate in the Second Annual Everett Branch Awards Banquet and support

increased recreational opportunities for youths. It will be an opportunity to

see what The Mountaineers is all about. For more details, see pg. 3 of this

months Go Guideinside.

HOLIDAY! BOOK! SALE!MEMBERS ONLY NIGHT - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 - 5-9 pm

All books and maps 25% off

All TOPO! software 25% off

Book sets 30% off

Books Seconds 50% off

Clearance Titles up to 85% off

Logo Merchandise 10% off

The end of the year is almost upon us,and that means two things: the BanffFilm Festival and our Holiday BookSale! This year, it pays to be a member- were opening the sale one night early

just for you! Be sure to check out ourMembers Only Night to get the bestdeals before everyone else. Mountain-eers Books will also be bringing in a

mountain of overstock and secondstitles - a bargain if there ever was one.See you at the sale!

December 2, 3, 4Wednesday, Thursday, Friday10 am - 7 pm each day


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Can you identifythe summit in

the foreground here? Send your answer

(by Nov. 10) to: Summit Savvy, The

Mountaineer, 7700 Sand Point Way

N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. If you guess

correctly, youll receive $10 of Moun-

taineers Money, good for Mountaineers

Bookstore merchandise, and well

publish your name in next months

column. (In case of a tie, one winner will

be chosen at random.) Club employees

or persons shown in the photograph are

not eligible. Each month well publish a

new mystery summit and identication

of the previous one.

Send your photographs (or slides)

for possible publication as a mystery

summit (include identication for our

benet). If we use your photo, you

will get $10 of Mountaineers Money

as well.

At the end of each year, all correct

respondents names are placed in a

hat and the winner of that drawing willreceive $50 of Mountaineers Money

good for purchases at The Moun-

taineers Bookstore.

No one correctly guessed last

months mystery summit, Baring

Mountain, as photographed by Greg

Marsh.

SummitSavvy

conservation

CURRENTSEditors note:Our Conservation

Division electrical engineer in resi-

denceJim Adcockhas crunched

some numbers regarding the Earth

Economics study reported in last

monthsMountaineer. Following are his

calculations and deductions based on

the study.

By Jim Adcock

The value of our natural utilities

(e.g., water ltration, sewage treat-

ment, ood prevention, recreation)

in just the 12 ecosystem categories

studied by Earth Economics ranges

somewhere between $243 billion

and $2.1 trillion in the Puget Sound

Basin, populated by about 4.3 mil-

lion people.

By using the studys numbers on

natures valueboth high and

lowone can deduce a per-person

dollar gure for natures worth as

dened by the study. The high-end

calculation is $488,000 per Puget

Sound Basin resident. The low-end

number is $56,500 per person.

Natures depreciation due to globalwarming should also be calculated.

With global warming, we are de-

stroying this environment over, say,

the course of 50 years. Given that,

the depreciation or loss of value to

each resident is $9,767 on the high

end and $1,130 on the low end.

The bulk of CO2 emissionsthe

major culprit in global warm-

ingcomes from electrical power

production, to the tune of 12,876

kilowatts per year per household in

Washington state. A household av-

erages 2.5 persons, thus an overall

production rate of 5,150 kilowatts

per citizen.

A recently released Sixth Power

Plan estimates the cost to green

our electrical power supply at a

penny per kilowatt, or $51.50 per

person per year. This translates to

an environmental damage vs. cost

ratio of $9,767:$51.50 or 190:1. In

essence, this amounts to a 190:1

return on investment for greening

our electrical power system.

However, not all CO2 emissions in

our state come from power plants;

although, the one coal-red plant

in Centralia emits as much CO2

as nearly all of the automobiles in

the state. It should also be noted

that any melioration of emissions in

our state could be nullied if other

regions or countries do not simulta-

neously make their power systems

greener.

Jim Adcock is a volunteer and

member of The Mountaineers Con-

servation Executive Committee.

Natures value? Perhaps $500,000per person in Puget Sound Basin

Carry the banner for nature via issues courseNature is the rst classroom most

of our greatest scientists and in-

ventors attendedtheir teachers

being of feather, hoof and n.

Nature taught us to y, to combat

some of our most devastating

diseases, to see where our eyes

are otherwise rendered blind,

and showed us what feeds not

only the masses but, just as

importantly, the soul.

There are tangible values we can

ascribe to Mother Nature (see the

article above) and there are the

intangibles (see Muir, Thoreau,

Abbey, Leopold, Whitman, Suzuki

and the like).

The Mountaineers is offering the

rst classroom to attend if you

wish to affect the preservation of

nature and its eloquent teachers.

In January, the 16th Annual

Northwest Environmental

Issues Course will commence

with its series of speakers and

workshops designed to make

its students effective voices for

preservation of the wild.

Watch The Mountaineers website

and the next Mountaineerfor

more about the course.

A congressional bill known asthe CLEAR Act aims to makeit clear that a fund designated to

help pay for outdoor recreation and

conservation may no longer be di-

verted to other areas of the federalbudget.

In the 1950s, growing evidence

suggested a strong correlation

between public health and the

availability of recreational opportu-

nities. To address this, the Outdoor

Recreation Resources Review

Commission (ORRRC) was tasked

by Congress with creating a report

on outdoor recreation.

Released in 1961, the ORRRC

report listed comprehensive recom-

mendations emphasizing that, in

order to be successful in address-

ing the recreational needs of a

growing population, federal, state

and local agencies would all need

to buy in on the idea that funding

outdoor recreation was an impor-

tant priority to the health and well-

being of our nation. It noted that to

assure the physical, cultural, and

spiritual benets of outdoor recre-

ation, the nation should establish

a national recreation policy to pre-

serve, develop and make acces-

sible to all Americans the resources

needed for individual enjoyment.

In 1964, Congress enacted the

Land and Water Conservation

Fund (LWCF) with strong bipartisan

support. At the federal level, LWCF

establishes a funding source for

the acquisition of national parks,

national forests, Bureau of Land

Management lands, national wild-

life refuges and other federal lands

for conservation and recreation.

At the state and local government

level, it offers matching grants for

recreation planning, acquisition and

development. The state program

seeks not only to fund a national

network of recreation areas and

facilities supported at the state and

local levels of government, but also

to encourage private sector invest-

ment in recreational resources

through contributions and matching

grants.

Help ensure permanentfunding for 45-year-old lawBy Leesa WrightMountaineers Public Policy Associate

Continued on M5

Fortunately, the LWCF

is solidly unambigu-

ous. Congress clearly

delineated the perma-

nent addition of rec-

reation sites and fa-

cilities to our nations

public lands inventory.

Frequently, when poorly articu-

lated laws of the past are revisited,

they are viewed under the lens of

current circumstances. The tenor

and spirit of the law is then called

into questiona regimen of our

democracy. Fortunately, the LWCF

is solidly unambiguous. Congress

clearly delineated the permanent

addition of recreation sites and

facilities to our nations public lands

inventory. Section 6(f)(3) of the act

mandates that any recreational

area created with grant funds will

forever be designated for public

outdoor recreation use, or be

replaced by lands of equal market

and recreational value.

Congress scripted the LWCF to re-

ceive a minor portionup to $900


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Fontoffriends,kinscourrange

to fnd Mountaineer who diedMountaineer T.J. Langley was never unprepared or incognizant of sur-

rounding hazards. This is the prevailing consensus from everyone who

knew him.

His friends, relatives and climbing mates also concur that he was an initia-

tor, someone who initiated others to get red up to do something they may

not have thought they could or would do. His own initiative was in no short

supply when he set out on Oct. 4 to come three peaks nearer his quest

of bagging the states 100 highest peaks. Five days later, the 42-year-old

climbers body was found near Mt. Luahna in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Area, but only after a throng of friends and relatives dropped everything

they were doing to assist search teams in hopes they would nd Langley

alive, in need of their rescue.

His cousin and occasional climbing partner, Willy Spaulding, knew when

he encountered the three-peak traverse that Langley was coursing that it

wasn't just a sprained ankle or something like that which led to his failure

to return home that Tuesday as planned.

It certainly wasn't above T.J.s level, Spaulding stated, but the conditions

were slippier than usual this time of year and you could see how hazardousone slip could be. It appeared to those who found Langleys body that he

had fallen about 1,000 feet from near the summit of Luahna.

Langley had climbed in South America, China and Alaska. He had taken

the Crag Climbing Course with The Mountaineers and become known na-

tionwide for his survival from a grizzly bear mauling in Yellowstone National

Park about 10 years ago. He had celebrated the 10-year anniversary of

that near-death event with friends only days before leaving for his three-

peak climb.

He was a very cautious climber, never reckless, said Spaulding, who

learned many of his climbing skills from his cousin. I remember that he

turned back on (Mt.) Challenger twice because of conditions.

Spaulding and at least six other friends of Langleys joined the entourageof search and rescue volunteers who scoured the three mountains in

search of Langley or his body. When the Chelan County helicopter dropped

off some of the searchers to meet up with an advance team, consisting of

two of Langley's friends, it was discovered that the copter dropped them

off behind the advance team. The (two friends) were at their destination in

half the time expected by the county, noted Spaulding, himself a paramed-

ic who wanted to make his skills available should they have been needed.

One of the two friends, Tim Halder, traveled the substantially exposed ter-

rain on his own to retrieve Langleys backpack, a keepsake for Langleys

father.

About 200 friends, relatives and acquaintances of Langley attended a me-

morial at The Mountaineers headquarters last month. Some were associ-

ated with Langley through his acting career. A graduate of the University ofWashington drama program, Langley was a member of Seattles Repertory

Actors Theatre, a nonprot stage group that primarily features multiethnic

and nontraditional casts.

Langley structured his life in such a way that he could live his spiritual

connection with the mountains, said Spauldings wife, Alexandrea. And, it

didn't just end with his connection: He introduced a lot of his relatives and

their kids to hiking, she noted. He had a deep respect and regard for na-

ture, according to the Spauldings, who added that working on stage and as

an apartment manager allowed him to live his life in a deliberate manner,

allowing time for not only himself but those around him and those he loved.

After graduating from the UW, Langley set out for an around-the-world trek

that earned him the nickname of Johnny Quest (the boy cartoon adven-

turer) by one of his stage associates. His friends recounted that his life was

one always in motion, literally, from his early years and beyond. Running

track and cross-country in high school, he embarked on his rst global

adventure as an exchange student in Australia during those years.

When not striding, Langley was pedaling. He was more than an ardent

bicycler, according to his cousin. He raced bicycles and propounded the

environmental ethic of using bicycles whenever possible to commute and

perform errands.

The Langley family expresses its deepest appreciation to everyone for their

heroic efforts in searching for T.J. Langleyincluding his friends and vol-

unteer search and rescue teams from Chelan, Skagit, King and Snohomish

counties.

the iratebirdwatcher

Harvey Manning, a Northwest writer and legend-ary conservationist, used his words and actionsto open peoples eyes to natures beauty and tourge them to save it. The Irate Birdwatcher is a flminspired by the written works of Manning, with afocus on wilderness preservation. Manning was thevoice of a dedicated band of hikers and climberswho sought to create North Cascades NationalPark and other wilderness areas.

Join us to celebrate the vision and dedication of atrue legend - Harvey Manning.

Wednesday, November 47 pm

This is a FREE event. All are welcome!

The Mountaineers Building

7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

ountaineers Productions

million per yearof federal oil and gas leasing revenue from the OuterContinental Shelf (OCS).Yes, nearly $1 billion does, in fact, constitute only

a minor portion of the total annual revenue collected from leases on the

OCS. It was forward thinking to allot a portion of revenue generated from

an activity detrimental to the environmentlike oil and gas drillingto the

protection of our natural resources.

Unfortunately over the years, appropriations to the LWCF have only aver-

aged around 11 percent, or $100 million, of the available funds per year. In

some years, OCS revenue was diverted to the general fund and the LWCF

received zero dollars. In fact, only twice in its history has the LWCF been

funded at the full funding level.

HR 3534: CLEAR Act of 2009

Nearly 45 years after the LWCF was signed into law, a bill has been pro-

posed that will, in part, address the underfunding of the LWCF. The Consol-idated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act seeks to ensure

full and permanent funding for recreation under the LWCF.

In the Title IV section of the CLEAR Act, permanent funding of the LWCF

is designated at the full $900 million for each scal year. This would occur

automatically without the need to go through the appropriation process

each scal year. This means that even in tough times, the priority for recre-

ation would not be weakened. The CLEAR Act also stipulates that the full

$900 million funding be divided evenly between direct federal funding and

matching grants to the states.

The CLEAR bill is currently in the House Committee on Natural Resources.

In Washington State, we are lucky to have a champion for outdoor rec-

reation and the environmentU.S. Rep. Jay Insleesitting on this com-

mittee. If you would like to give recreation funding a buffer during tougheconomic times by supporting full and permanent funding of the Land and

Water Conservation Fund Act, contact Rep. Inslee and request that he sup-

port the CLEAR Act:

U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee; e-mail: http://www.house.gov/inslee/html/contact_jay.

shtml; Shoreline Ofce, 206-361-0233 (ph), 206-361-3959 (fax); Poulsbo

Ofce, 360-598-2342 (ph), 360-598-3650 (fax); D.C. Ofce, 202-225-6311

(ph); 202-226-1606 (fax).

PassagesPeterM.McLellan, a 60-year member of The Mountaineers, died July18, 2009. McLellan graduated from the basic and intermediate courses in

climbing after joining The Mountaineers in 1948.

A graduate of the University of Washington who retired from the Seattle Po-

lice Department in 1994 as senior management systems analyst, McLellan

valued the friendships he made with The Mountaineers and his time in the

mountains.

Published in professional journals 32 times, he belonged to the Mill Creek

Association and was active in water aerobics.

Continued from M4

Act would maximize existing revenue


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M6


incomparable. Those who climbed

with him valued his leadership

on expeditions and the way he

fostered cohesive teams working

together to achieve magnicent

goals.

Houston, who died at his home in

Burlington, Vermont, on Sept. 27,

was known for boundless curios-

ity, evidenced by the range of his

undertakings. In his basement in

Aspen, Colorado, he constructed

pedition from the south side (1950);

the routes that he mapped were

later used to summit both peaks.

His brotherhood-of-the-rope phi-

losophythe idea that the bonds

that keep climbers together went

beyond the physical attachment of

the cordspoke to the relationship

of mutual support and reliance on

one another for safety as demon-

strated heroically in 1953 during his

second attempt of K2. As journal-

ist Bill Moyer put it, A philosophy

ing after and concerned about our

health, making the rounds of (our)

storm-bound tents at 25,000 ft. to

check for any evidence of frostbite

or other problems.

H

ouston made groundbreaking

discoveries in high-altitude

illnesses and published the classic

book on the subject, Going Higher:

Oxygen, Man and Mountains, now

in its fth edition from Mountain-

eers Books. He began his research

in the Navy while studying ways to

help pilots y higher, and safer. He

proved that the process of acclima-

tization increases the altitude level

that a climber can reach.

Later, his studies in Aspen and the

Canadian Rockies produced impor-

tant discoveries, including land-

mark ndings about high altitude

pulmonary edema and high altitude

retinal hemorrhage.

Houston was awarded the King

Albert Medal of Merit to honor his

singular achievements in the

mountain world.

Houston was enormously generous

with his time and access to his per-

sonal effects, according to biogra-

pher McDonald. She noted that he

was initially skeptical of having his

biography written, but in the endthey became friends.

I can easily remember the rst

time I met Charlie in person. I had

invited him to be a special guest

at the Banff Mountain Festival and

there he was, in the ofce, charm-

ing all 18 of the mostly female

team. His charm endeared him

without doubt, but it was the depth

of his character that inspired us

all, said McDonald.

She added, It was that strength

of character, and what I felt was

a shared sense of values, that

gave me the courage to approach

him about writing his life story. He

surprised me with a yes, and then

continued to astonish me with his

forthcoming honesty and humility.

I have met a lot of climbing lumi-

naries but Ive yet to meet one who

had a more balanced view of his

place in the world. It was only near

the end of our work together that

Charlie nally admitted to a feeling

of contentment and peace with his

lifes work, and with himself.

Losing his sight as he grew

older, Houston never lost sense

of his place in the world or his

sense of humor. Every week at his

home in Burlington he would spend

time mentoring young people, who

deeply valued his relationship. His

diverse group of friends appreciat-

ed their regular conversations with

him for he was a great listener and

had a special view of the world.

He was outspoken on his politi-

cal views, and even late in life he

continued to show political courage

by writing and speaking his con-

cerns about healthcare and greed

in America.

Moleenar witnessed rsthand

Houstons humor and kindness at

an American Alpine Club event to

present Houston with an honorary

degree from the University of Colo-

rado. During (an interview) on the

stage of the AAC auditorium, he

really enjoyed making fun of him-

self in his (legally blind) condition.

He brought the house down with

laughter.

Molenaar added that despite the

condition of his eyesight, His

phone calls with (my wife) Colleen

and me were always cheerful and

upbeat, and always ended with,

Blessing on you both.

In the end, Houston has given

back, as he wanted, with a life

valued by those who knew him and

inspired by those who know his

legend.He is survived by two sons, a

daughter, six grandchildren and

two great-greatchildren. His wife,

Dorcas Teimeyer, died in 1999.

They had been married since 1940.

James Hampton is a freelance

writer and Mountaineers member.

Continued from M1

early designs for articial hearts

(1956-59), and as a professor at

the University of Vermont (1966-

1978), he created many innovative

programs for medical students. He

was the country director for the

Peace Corps in India (1962-1965)

and organized a Peace Corps doc-

tors program.

Beyond his many accomplish-ments in medicine and moun-taineering, he is remembered by

those whose lives he touched

for his charisma, generosity and

uncompromising morals. At times

described as stubborn and brutally

honest, he exemplied the truest

spirit of what he called the brother-

hood of the rope, which became

the title of his biography published

by Mountaineers Books and written

by Bernadette McDonald.

It is a great loss. He was a classic

mountaineer who embodied the

ethics of what it is to be a moun-

taineer, stated Helen Cherullo,

publisher of Mountaineers Books.

His love of mountaineering devel-

oped while on trips to the Alps withhis family. In college he joined a

group of like-minded students who

came to be known as the Harvard

Five. They achieved many rst

ascents in Alaska, highlighted by a

summit of 17,300-ft. Mt. Foraker. In

1934, Houston co-led the Anglo-

American expedition to the summit

of Indias 25,660-ft. Nanda Devi,

the highest mountain climbed at

that time. Later, he led two legend-

ary expeditions to K2 (1938, 1953)

and an Everest reconnaissance ex-

earned the hard way, on steep

slopes and rocky ridges, with death

shivering next to you . . . a sense

that we are all in this together and

need one another.

The tragic but legendary 1953

incidentnearly costing the lives

of the entire teamexemplied

his philosophy and became one

of the most remarkable rescues

in the annals of climbing. While

trying to carry an ailing teammate,

Art Gilkey, off the upper part of

the mountain, a member of the

rope team slipped and the entire

party nearly plummeted over a cliff.

Miraculously, ve members of the

group were saved by a single ice-

ax belay from the late Mountaineer

Pete Schoening. Injured, dehy-

drated and exhausted, the team

managed to climb off the mountain,

although Gilkey died during the

ordeal from what was believed to be

an avalanche while dangling in his

litter on the rope. World-renowned

alpinist Reinhold Messner noted,

They failed in the most beautiful

way you can imagine.

Dee Moleenar, a Mountaineerand another of the climberson the 1953 expedition, recalled,

Charlie was a great leader and

very democratic in leaving impor-

tant decisions to a team consen-

sus. Houston had the team draw

straws to determine who would

push on to K2s summit.

He was always in good humor

and very considerate about the

others, stated Molenaar, and as

team physician, was always look-

Houston engaging in Himalayan culturecirca 1940s.

MountaineersBooksphoto

Artifcial heart design, Peace Corps among Houstons contributions


7/8

M


ThelatestfromyourMountaineersLibraryOff the shelf

Would you like to hike Grand Canyon National Park, bike the Himalayas, climbEl Potrero Chico in Mexico or do something more local, like climbing in Port-land?

If the answer is yes, then check out our list of new books in the circulating col-

lection:

Digital Photography Outdoors; Discovering the Wonders of the Wonderland Trail:

Encircling Mount Rainier; Dont Get Sunburned; Eiskalt: Wasserfallklettern in der

Schweiz; Emerald City: An Environmental History of Seattle; Exit 32: North Bend

Rock; The Face: Six Great Climbing Adventures; 50 Hikes in Alaskas Kenai Penin-

sula; First Fifty Years of the British Mountaineers Council; Fixing Your Feet: Preven-

tion and Treatments for Athletes; Forget Me Not: A Memoir; Fred Beckey Stories: A

Tribute to a Climbing Legend.

Freshwater Mussels of the Pacic Northwest; Fun Climbs: Red Rocks; German and

Belgian Rock Climbs; Getting Green Done: Hard Truths from the Front Lines of the

Sustainability Revolution; Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue; Grand Canyon and

the American Southwest; Great Atlas Traverse: Morocco (Vols. 1-2); High Country

Stone: Rock Climbing in the Gunnison and Crested Butte Area; High Ambition: A

Biography of Reinhold Messner; High Over Boulder; Hikers Guide to Idaho; Hikers

Guide to the Superstition Wilderness; Hiking Grand Canyon National Park; Hiking

Idaho; Himalaya by Bike; Island Alpine: A Guide to the Mountains of Strathcona

Park and Vancouver Island; Island Turns & Tours: Backcountry Skiing and Snow-

boarding, Strathcona Park and Vancouver Island.

K2 and Northern Baltoro Mustagh; Kayak Routes of the Pacic Northwest Coast

(from Northern Oregon to British Columbias North Coast); Kilimanjaro & East Af-

rica: A Climbing and Trekking Guide; Klettersteig: Scrambles in the Northern Lime-

stone Alps; Lake Tahoe Bouldering; Last River: The Tragic Race for Shangri-la;

Lighten Up: A Complete Handbook for Light & Ultralight Backpacking; Lightweight

Backpacking and Camping; Live Generously; More Scrambles in the Canadian

Rockies; Mount Whitney: The Complete Trailhead to Summit Guide; Mountaineer-

ing First Aid: A Guide to Accident Response and First Aid Care; Natural Areas of the

San Juan Islands; No Shortcuts to the Top; One Hundred Years of Rock Climbing

in the Lake District; Pacic Northwest Trail Guide: The Ofcial Guidebook for Long

Distance & Day Hikers; Paddling Alaska: A Guide to the States Classic Paddling

Trips; Passes of Colorado: An Encyclopedia of Watershed Divides; Pickets and

Dead Men: Seasons on Rainier; Portland Rock Climbs; Potrero Selects: Select

Climbs of El Potrero Chico; Resurrection: Glen Canyon and a New Vision for the

American West.

To view open hours at the library, log on to www.mountaineeers.org and click on

Library in the top banner of the front page.

By Kathleen McCluskey, librarian

Volunteer duo span The Mountaineers globe of activity

Have rakes, will mulch! A volunteer crew of Mountaineersposes for the camera after completing the rst phase of a landscape restorationproject near club headquarters that began in February. The project included

1,000 hours of chewingby goats from Rent-a-Ruminantthat eliminated 1.25

acres of blackberries on the slope just south of headquarters. It also included

800 hours of volunteer labor (18 work parties), 2,600 burlap bags from

Starbucks, 2,500 staples courtesy of the Seattle Branch Naturalists Committee,

800 stakes provided by the City of Seattle, and two acres of cardboard donated

by the University of Washington. The planting of native vegetation on the

plot will begin in the fall of 2010. Pictured above are (front row, l to r) Sandy

Bowman, L.B. Miller, Kari Olson, Gini Tripp, Deb and John Wick; (second

row, l to r) Dave Shema, Leonard Russell, Don Schaechtel, Vito Dumo, Jeanne

Eisenberg and Glenn Eades. Those not pictured who also devoted almost

countless hours of their time to the project include John Ohlson, Mary Baily,

Gene Yore and Betty Rollefson.

Mickey Eisenberg photo

Patti and Dave: Refueling on a Norway outing.

When asked what Patti Polinsky and Dave Claar contribute to The

Mountaineers, words like focus and tireless roll from the lips ofothers who have worked alongside them on club projects and programs.

They have been devotees to club programs since the 1960s. As one former

property division chair puts it, They live and breathe The Mountaineers.

This dedicated duo have helped support and drive club programs over four

decades, with their signature contribution being the Meany Winter Sports

Program. Their free hours have always been Mountaineers hours, whether

it is polishing the oor at Meany Lodge, teaching a ski class, leading a club

outing through the vibrant reds, golds and browns of a Northeastern au-

tumn, or idling their urge to roam just long enough to sit in a chair and mull

agenda items during ofcial club meetings.

Polinsky joined The Mountaineers in 1965. My parents were not campers

and I wanted to learn how to camp overnight without dying, she stated.

She and Claar had crossed trails on a few Mountaineers trips before begin-

ning their closer relationship in 1970 when she tried to leap across a crack

on Mt. Baker. Going up we could just step over it but it was a really warm

day and the snow was becoming soft fast, recalled Dave, who was one

of the rope leaders. She tried to jump across it going down but fell short

and was left dangling, said Claar, who joined the club in 1968. As the

basic climbing students stood agape, Claar said, I played Sir Galahad and

rescued her.

The ski lessons at Meany were, lock, stock and barrel, the duos pet proj-

ect beginning in the early 90s, according to Donna Osseward, who, over

the decades, has remained busy herself at the clubs Mt. Baker Lodge and

as past properties division chair.

There are volunteers who devote their hours to an activity or two and there

are volunteers who dedicate their time to the business of the club. Dave

and Patti devote their time to both. In essence they are in the background

of the clubs entire spectrum: the ofcialdom and the activities. And they

like it that way.

Dave has served as properties division chair twice in his tenure with the

club and, like Patti, has also served on the board of trustees. Similar to

Pattis endeavors, his activity with the club has ranged from hiking to skiingto climbing and bicycling. But it is skiing that captures both his and Pattis

passions. The lessons they run at Meany, located at Stampede Pass just

off of I-90, cover a broad range of curricula: cross-country, Nordic, randon-

ee, backcountry, snowboarding and downhill, to name a handful.

Pattis imprint on the ski program does not just stop at teaching courses as

a certied ski instructor. She spearheaded the design and construction of

the Swiss-style tow huts at Meany, according to former Meany chair Mike

Lonergan, who has known her since she had a single-braided pigtail.

Lonergan, who lives in Othello on the east side of the Cascades but still

shows up for Meany work parties, said Pattis focus on projects and her

ability to see them through have been instrumental to Meanys develop-

ment as a recreational center for thousands of Mountaineers.

Outside of Mountaineers activities, Dave has served as non-motorized rep-

resentative to the Washington Snowmobile Commission while Patti, whose

indoor career is medical research, once directed the Childrens Medical

Center summer camp.

Both lead a cadre of Mountaineers on the clubs annual fall outing to the

Northeast in partnership with the Appalachian Mountain Club. They have

also led many ski trips to Europe over the past two decades as part of The

Mountaineers International Outings Committee.


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M


Branches& limbs

Photo: R. Shuping

Washington: Cedar Springs - October 19-21, 2007$295 includes all organic meals, classes, double room

Costa Rica - November 23 Dec 1, 2007 - Roy H & Christine Borys

$1,195 Shared room, Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, groundtransport (Or: $1,895 includes RT air from Seattle)

Mexico: Yelapa - January 18-26, 2008 - Roy H & Linda Lapping$1,195 shared: Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, Mexico groundtransport (Or: $1,695 includes RT air from Seattle)

Guatemala: Lake Atitlan - Feb 14-25, 2008 - Roy H & Kara Keating$1,295 shared: 11 nights Hotel, Most Meals, Classes, Ground transport($1,895 includes RT air from Seattle)

Yoga Hiking Culture Swimming Sunshine

Roy is a Mountaineer member, hike leader, yoga and meditation teacher, minister, andreexologist. Classes & Workshops in the Everett area. Weddings ofciated too!

Yoga Retreats

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Roy Holman

Contact for more info: Roy Holman 425-303-8150,

www.holmanhealthconnections.com Yoga For Every Body

Mexico: Yelapa - Jan. 16-24, 2009$1,195 Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes, groundtransport (Or: $1,795 includes RT air from Seattle)

Guatemala: Lake Atitlan Feb. 26-March 9, 2009$1,295 11 nights hotel, most meals, classes, ground transport($1,995 includes RT air from Seattle)

Costa Rica - Nov. 28-Dec. 7, 2008$1,195 Shared room, Includes 9 nightshotel, most meals, classes, ground transport

(Or: $1,995 includes RT air from Seattle)

Yoga Retreats

Yoga Hiking Culture Swimming Sunshine

Roy Holman

Washington: Methow Valley Retreat, May 14-16, 2010$325 Includes two nights shared lodging, organic meals, classes,hikes, and other activities

Mexico: Yelapa - Jan 22-30, 2010$1,195 Includes 8 nights hotel, most meals, classes,ground transport (Or: $1,695 includes RT air fromSeattle)

Guatemala: Lake Atitlan Feb. 18-28, 2010$1,395 11 nights hotel, most meals, classes, ground transport ($2,150includes RT air from Seattle) SIGN UP BY NOV. 15 AND TAKE $50 OFF!

Washington: North Cascades Retreat, July 23-25, 2010($285 room or $185 camping)

Roy is a Mountaineers member, hike leader, yoga and meditation teacher, and

refexologist. Classes & workshops in the Everett area.

ONeilltohosteventTimmy ONeill, rock climbing speed

demon and humorist, will host a

fundraiser for the Index Lower

Town Wall at a BOEALPS (Boeing

Employees Alpine Society) event to

be held at Mountaineers headquar-

ters on Fri., Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m.

ONeill will discuss amazing and in-spiring climbs throughout the world

with his wheelchair-athlete brother,

Sean.

Tickets are $10 at the door. There

will be a rafe for outdoor gear and

a hosted bar (ID required).

All the evenings proceeds will go

toward the purchase of the Index

wall by the Washington Climb-

ers Coalition. More details may

be found at www.boealps.org and

www.washingtonclimbers.org.

Documents

November 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter