Tom Waller reminisces on a Mt Baker (serac?) avalanche 30 years past which took the life of his climbing partner and their guide. The friend's pack, rope and snow fluke were recovered recently.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2014/10/02/avalanche-victim-backpack-returned/16571587/

I was struck that some of the gear found in the pack was the same as what I was using back then.

My headlamp and camera from about 30+ years ago:


I wonder if it's still possible to process that 35mm roll of film shown in the video...

If it's been stored in a cool dark place.........

dadndave wrote:If it's been stored in a cool dark place.........

It doesn't get much cooler and darker than the inside of a pack buried in a glacier.

I recently found a 20+ year old roll of exposed and unprocessed Kodachrome 25. I put it inside a zip lock bag and threw it into our deep freeze. After doing some research online, I found that it seems to be very difficult- if not impossible to find a way to get this film processed. The film and the chemicals required for processing have been discontinued by Kodak several years ago.

I'll always wonder what is on that roll of film.

You can have Kodachrome processed as black and white film to get a B+W negative. No guarantees, but there are labs that will do this. Google "kodachrome processing as black and white" or similar for more information. This is because Kodachrome was based on B+W silver film with the color dyes added during processing, unlike the color film processes introduced later (Ektachrome, color negative).

In humble honor of my late best friend Steven John Raschick, 13 November 1964 to 3 August 1986, RIP...

To All, but primarily to those who thoughtfully posted comments, the "interested parties" namely desainme, boyblue, dadndave, and coldfoot.

1) desainme, yes it probably was a "would-be" serac, if indeed it had not been the actual edge or face of the ice cliff that was just waiting for a little more gravity... It would have certainly become a stately tower of ice in the glacier if it was located elsewhere.

2) boyblue, AWESOME picture of your gear, the REI lights are exact, however my friend Steve's Pentax is an MX model, but very nearly the same gear! Boy you have kept that stuff in great shape over the years. When my friend's items were returned to me (my friend Steve's family still have not contacted me, so I remain the current keeper of his things-if I do not hear from them within the month I will interr them at the cemetery where his body lay)

3) boyblue and dadndave, great questions, EXACTLY what I was wondering when the roll of Kodak was on that table during the King 5 Interview. Between watching my bike, my nice Harley parked safely outside the KING 5 building, and thinking of that roll of film, those were the two main things on my mind while I was being filmed that afternoon! The film was actually still in there at the time of the interview. I took the roll in to be developed the next day, October 2.

4) coldfoot, RIGHT ON, you nailed it, answering the question of processing. Through a rather curious line of phone conversations starting by Googling and finding a place in the MidWest, of all places, I was referred to a place on Capitol Hill, Seattle, which further led me directly to Panda Processing, a film lab in Seattle at the base of Queen Anne Hill. "Third time's a charm, eh!" As you said coldfoot, they could only develop the 24-exposure roll of Kodak color film as black and white very delicately by a "hand-processing" technique. They hire a contractor for this specialized work and it took well over a month before the film was developed...so the final answer to the...

Mystery Question: "Were there images on that roll?"

Answer: Yes! There were several images, one of which means the world to me because its a shot of me, for me only really, and for me to share with really close friends or family. Sorry I will not share that one online anywhere! But stay tuned, a local Seattle magazine has been interviewing me over the last few months (I can't "reveal my source", well I could but I'm not right now!) I just had Interview #3 last Wednesday, the 14th. Actually every image means the world to me, each one VERY UNIQUE, and I have also written a little poem for each.

I will post a link to the article when it is out. I'm guessing sometime this Spring, as they have another round of information from me that they are processing to incorporate in their story, and they are giving this one plenty of time to prepare. Heck, its been 28 years and the Ice remembers...there's no rush!

So, I will post when it is time...

God Bless You All, and I pray the best for everyone in this New Year!

Tom Waller or "Walleye"
Survivor of Koma Kulshan Screamin' 3 August 1986
chiefwalleye@hotmail.com or chiefwalleye@gmail.com

PS: desainme, a big THANK YOU for getting the blog thread started!!!

Kodak said if they ever recover Irvine/Mallory's camera on Everest, they'll be able to develop the film. Guess it depends on how high profile ($$$) the booty is!

Tom,

I very much sympathize with you for the loss of your friend and I am touched by your reverence for him. I, too, lost my climbing partner, Dave, due to non-mountain related circumstances. He was a very talented photographer who made a small living from his images of mountains, flora, fauna, and people. I have a few of his photographs and they are some of my most prized possessions.

I look forward to seeing the article that you refer to in your post.

-Gordon

PS: Since my post, I've found more unprocessed rolls of Kodachrome in various locations around the house. I really need to get off my you-know-what and follow coldfoot's advice. I'm dying to know what's on those rolls of film.

Gordon, and All
Seattle Met published the article on the story I mention above..

Here is the link: http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-prof ... march-2015

Gordon you will get anexcellent glimpse at 30--year old REI gear that stood the tst of time frozen in mountain ice! My friend Steve was so proud of all his new REI gadgetry!

Also, and most sobering are the Scriptures that came out of the Ice with the camera..all out of the book of Matthew. The most prophetic being:

He [Jesus] replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."- Matthew 17:20

There are are several errors and inaccuracies which I will not go over, except for those who have climbed Baker they already know the crater and steam vents are not on the summit as the article states. However it is still thoughtfully and creatively written. And wonderfully pictorialized and displayed.

Enjoy.

Tom Waller

Tom, thanks for sharing the link to the story and embracing this tragedy in a manner that pays homage to your buddies.

The story is quite moving and I hope that it helps provide you with some additional closure and the confidence to accept that you are not just a survivor of the tragedy, but a witness to the strength of character, love of the outdoors, and lessons in humanity that Steve shared with you.

David

FOR THOSE INTERESTED: See photo gallery of all the recovered items @

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/andrew-waits-avalanche/