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
8/9/2019 November 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter
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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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M
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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November009 TheMountaineer
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
8/9/2019 November 2009 Mountaineers Newsletter
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November009TheMountaineer
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.
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Act would maximize existing revenue
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November009 TheMountaineer
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
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November009TheMountaineer
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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November009 TheMountaineer
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.