Alpine Fashion Foozler ...

Alpine Fashion Foozler ...

NO, this is not a scene out of "ZOOLANDER." This is ME, standing on the summit of Mt. Rainier in mid-August 1984. Hey, what's the SNICKERING about? GORTEX was TOO expensive back then!!! PHOTO taken by Randy Sackett -(SCAN from KODACHROME) Evidence that Rainier was once higher and of greater bulk is shown by steeply dipping lava flows in Sunset Amphitheater and South Tahoma Headwall that slant upward - probably toward a VENT that lay 500-1000 feet above the present summit. The shape of Mt. Rainier's summit area, with Liberty Cap and Point Success on the summit rim as REMNANTS on the side of a more higher and more symmetical cone, adds to the evidence of a former higher summit. Rainier is a striking example of the complex interplay of eruption and eroision typical of all Cascade Range volcanos. Mudflows caused by violent explosions 6600 to 5700 years ago vastly diminished Rainier's (former) bulk, changing its appearance and causing great devastation in flanking valleys. - Fred Beckey from CASCADE ALPINE GUIDE: Columbia River to Stevens Pass (Second Edition - 1986)
lcarreau
on Oct 29, 2007 5:24 pm
Image Type(s): Alpine Climbing
Image ID: 351809

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Dean

Dean - Oct 29, 2007 6:55 pm - Voted 10/10

Nice

Love the outfit. Who could afford Gortex then. Was it even out? Every thing I had was heavy, very heavy. Nice wooden ice axe too. I had one of the first MSR thunderbird ice axes, the orange one. Bought it direct from Larry Penberthy at his home near Boeing field. Larry was the guy that started MSR.

lcarreau

lcarreau - Oct 29, 2007 7:23 pm - Hasn't voted

My grandfather

WORKED at Boeing field. My grandmother, bless her heart ... LIVED to be 95 - she lived her ENTIRE LIFE in western Washington!!!

Oh well ... we can't ALL be perfect. I got my "maroon-handled" ice axe at a place that had JUST opened up in Federal Way, WA. It was called:
.... .... REI! Thanks for the memories!!!(Great.)

Bob Bolton

Bob Bolton - Jan 7, 2008 7:46 pm - Voted 10/10

Another 14er?

I'm guessing the peak behind you is Liberty Cap - am I right? Even in Washington which uses a prominence cutoff of 400 feet, Liberty Cap is considered a 14er, with 472 feet of prominence. Compare to Sunshine Peak, Colorado's lowest 14er, which has 501 feet of prominence according to Roach. And Colorado rather loosely uses a 300-foot prominence threshold for listing its 14ers. Anyway, if I ever climb Rainier again I want to have enough time for Liberty Cap while I'm up there!

lcarreau

lcarreau - Jan 7, 2008 11:33 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Another 14er?

Thanks for giving me some insight on the
"prominence" rating system. Yes, it's
Liberty Cap! It's all part of Mt. Rainier,
which at one time was 16,000 feet high.
I asked about Liberty Cap, and the guides
said it was too much of a risk in mid-August. Of
course, we know that the climbing routes
(on glaciers) change from year to year.
I don't know about Colorado, as I've never
been there. When I climb a mountain, I
"focus in" on what the mountain means to
me, and don't normally COMPARE it with other
peaks; especially ones I have never seen.
Liberty Cap is an awesome & sought-after
objective for most Rainier climbers. Just
look at the brave souls who attempt to
reach it via Liberty Ridge! Thanks, Bob!!! (Very insightful question, and
I'm sure my brief answer was not sufficient.)

Marcsoltan

Marcsoltan - Oct 4, 2008 2:04 am - Voted 10/10

Nice shot of you on Rainier.

Most of all I like your harness/swamie(sp?) belt. In the old times we used swamies. Harnesses with leg loops had not been invented yet. And before that we used the end of the rope to tie around the rib cage, not the waist. I am so glad you did not have an accident involving a crevasse. Even if the belayer catches the fall, that swamie was bound to knock the wind out of you.

Great photo to be treasured.
cheers, Marc

lcarreau

lcarreau - Oct 4, 2008 10:33 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Nice shot of you on Rainier.

Thanks, Marc! Yes, it was way back in 1984.
Only the "well-to-do" could afford Gortex
parkas at that time. Cell phones were still
in the "infant" stage. Thanks for your kind
words; it was a real treat to climb Rainier.

Larry

yatsek

yatsek - Apr 22, 2009 3:02 am - Voted 10/10

Wow!

The SP purist's (you know I'm not one:)) favorite colors!!! Now I just can't believe you could leave WA. Anyway, a great shot, my once blue friend turned passionate red!!!
Cheers
Jacek

lcarreau

lcarreau - Apr 22, 2009 12:29 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Wow!

Yes, but WHAT are you doing in front of your
computer, when the hills are alive with the
sound of ... MUSIC ???

yatsek

yatsek - Apr 22, 2009 12:34 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: Wow!

Getting depressed and creating SP stuff :)

lcarreau

lcarreau - Apr 22, 2009 3:38 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Wow!

That's BETTER than getting stuff and
creating SP depression !! : )

yatsek

yatsek - Apr 22, 2009 5:34 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: Wow!

As to depressions I think they might be necessary, on SP as well, since as my favorite (American) writer puts it:
"Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life: bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky"

lcarreau

lcarreau - Apr 22, 2009 6:30 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Wow!

I've never witnessed an "empty sky."

In AZ, the skies are filled with old buzzards
during the day, and very young bats at night.

: > ))

yatsek

yatsek - Apr 23, 2009 3:34 am - Voted 10/10

Re: Wow!

But each of the buzzards cuts thru its own section of the empty sky :)

lcarreau

lcarreau - Apr 23, 2009 10:27 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Wow!

Just contemplating whether the glass is half
EMPTY or half FULL. Who really knows ??? ??

yatsek

yatsek - Apr 23, 2009 11:19 am - Voted 10/10

Re: Wow!

Everybody but you, Larry: it's always half-FULL on your side of the Atlantic, and always half-EMPTY in Poland.

lcarreau

lcarreau - Apr 23, 2009 9:46 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Wow!

If your glass is half empty, would you desire
some more of (whatever) you have in your glass?

My glass has been half-empty a few times, and
I had to fill it up with pleasant memories of
mountains and dreams.

I suppose the choice would be the FREEDOM to
make your own choice, right ???

yatsek

yatsek - Apr 24, 2009 3:02 am - Voted 10/10

Re: Wow!

RIGHT!!!

lcarreau

lcarreau - Apr 22, 2009 3:56 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: This is fun!

A "foozler" is a 'bungle' or blunder in the "dog eat dog" world of high fashion.

Perhaps in the music world, it could be THIS.

Sarah Simon

Sarah Simon - Apr 8, 2010 10:21 pm - Voted 10/10

Larry, please take this the right way, but...

...this photo makes me laugh out loud!

Thanks for sharing!

Sarah

lcarreau

lcarreau - Apr 9, 2010 12:21 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Larry, please take this the right way, but...

Admit it! You are just like me.

"Laughter is the ONLY medicine (WE) can afford !!!

: )) )

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