Celebrating 50 Years of Climbing

Short Introduction

2012 marked my 50th year of climbing mountains.

This album might seem a bit narcissistic, but it has been fun going through old photos and watching the changes that have taken place over the last 50 years – clothing, hair – especially hair…..What hasn't changed is my love of the mountains.

I became interested in climbing when I read James Ramsey Ullman’s BANNER IN THE SKY in 1960 while in Middle School and later watched the movie made from the book THIRD MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN

My buddies and I started doing some scrambling around the local cliffs and finally climbed a small peak in 1962. The peak is an unnamed point just NW of Mud Lake in the Mission Range of W Montana. It is known locally by some as “No Business Peak” because an old timer is quoted as saying that “Ain't nobody got no business up there.”

In 1963, we climbed our first larger peak - McDonald Peak and in 1964 our first Class 4 peak – Calowachan at the time still named Mount Harding.

We were lucky to have survived our local cliff climbing since we had no idea of how to use a rope to belay – we would go to the top of the cliff and dangle the rope down the way we wanted to climb then climb next to it with the plan to grab it should we fall. Fortunately no one fell.

In 1965 my parents took their summer vacation in the Tetons so that I could attend the Exum climbing school. I took the beginning and intermediate classes and followed up with a guided climb of the Exum Ridge on the Grand. (I did get to meet Glenn Exum while there.) This was the only guided climb that I have done. In 1970, I returned to the Tetons and climbed the route again with friends.

In 1966, it was off to college in Bozeman, MT where I met many good climbers and cavers and like to think that I honed my skills to a descent level.

I have now been at it for 50 years and would like to continue for another 50.

Here are some photos – one from about every 5 years or so.

Photos

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

Images

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