[pct-l] After Action Report - Glen Dawson Visit

[Hiker97 at aol.com]

Yes, once again your PCT hero, Switchback,  has cheated death.  This time 
on a visit/lunch with Sierra pioneer, Glen  Dawson, at his Pasadena  
retirement home.  Meadow Ed and I braved the  traffic and rain soaked SoCal to have 
lunch with this historic mountaineer and  contemporary of John Muir.  Glen 
was born in 1912 and John Muir died in  1914.  His deceased younger brother 
was named Muir Dawson.   Glen was given an honorary Life Membership in the 
Sierra Club in  1921.  The certificate was signed by Sierra Club president  
William Colby.  Mr. Colby was secretary to John Muir when he was the  first 
president of the Sierra Club.  Glen was on the Norman Clyde  expedition for 
the first accent of Mt. Whitney's east face in the early  1930's.  Norman 
Clyde made more first accents in the Sierras than any other  person.  Several 
year's ago Glen was given an honorary  doctorate.
 
His retirement home is a place Ed and I  want to live at if I have to move 
into a something like that.  What a nice  place.  There are 23 different ice 
cream flavors you can have at lunch and  supper for dessert, plus lots of 
other things.  All the food was first  rate.  Just the way Ed and I like it, 
plus we were the kids there.   The trouble was that a lot of the folks there 
seem to be doing better than  us.  Glen is very alert and likes to recall 
the post pioneer days in the  Sierras.  This was his generation.  He made an 
accent with others of  the last unclimbed 14,000 foot mountain in CA, plus 
other first  accents.
 
For Meadow Ed, I had Glen sign a large two  picture sheet of Mt. Whitney's 
east face and the historic black/white  picture of the first accent group at 
the top after their historic climb.   Mine from last year's visit is framed 
and hanging in my den at home.   What a neat thing to have.  After  lunch I 
took Ed down to the Long Beach dock for the trip over to Santa  Catalina 
Island.  He was going there for Christmas.  A very  enjoyable holiday visit 
with Glen and Ed.
 
Faithfully recorded and accurately  reported, your obedient servant --
 
Switchback the Trail Pirate