[pct-l] Video from Lunch with Glen Dawson

[Hiker97 at aol.com]

Thanks to all of you for coming to the  lunch.  It was unbelievable.  He is 
so alert and his 97 year old  memory put us youngsters to shame.  He easily 
dropped bombshells on us  about the past and his participation.  You never 
saw four guys so intent in  listening to someone talk.
 
He was on the search for Walter Starr, Jr.  and he climbed the last 
unclimbed Sierra 14,000 footer, etc., etc., etc.   We were blown away listening to 
him just talk about his outdoor  experiences.  He knew William Colby, John 
Muir's secretary (Sierra  Club).  His dad knew John Muir - died 1914.  Glen 
was born in  1912.
 
My wife (the long suffering Mrs. Switchback) had  done a double picture of 
Mt. Whitney's east  face and below it the picture of the party he was with 
in 1931 (with  Norman Clyde) on top after their first east face accent climb. 
 He  signed a plate for each of us to take home.  He kept one for  himself 
too.  He took us up to his apartment at the retirement home  and showed us 
his climbing journals, books, etc.  Recently, he  was awarded an honorary 
Ph.D. for his pioneering  mountaineering.
 
I left the lunch in a trance.  Living  history I had just experienced and 
am still trying to comprehend it  all.  What a fine gentleman and host he 
was.  A first class  experience.  I could tell he was very glad we had visited 
him and our  appreciation Sierra history.
 
Cheers, Switchback the Trail Pirate   

 
 
In a message dated 12/26/2009 8:50:43 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
brick at brickrobbins.com writes:

Strider,  Carl, Switchback and I had a once in a lifetime chance to
have lunch with a  living legend today: Glen Dawson. If you don't know
who he is, there is a  link below. I really loved looking at the
portrait that Ansel Adams took of  him that hangs in his living room.

Thanks Switchback for setting this  up

Here is a video I took today of Glen talking about his  participation
in the First Ascent of the East Face of Mt  Whitney
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlnmSsj-0rw

More about  Glen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Dawson