Forty-plus years ago when I was in school I thought "history" was boring. Now that I'm old and "historical" myself, events that came before my time seem much more relevant. Funny how that is.
For folks like my friends and me who do outdoor stuff, it's kinda cool to know the stories of hikers and climbers who ventured into the local hills before us.
Two friends and I traveled to Yakima Sunday and hiked/snowshoed up Mt. Cleman, a sagebrush- country peak for which I have a daypack full of fond memories, having hiked/climbed it many times in the late 1970's and early 80's with my friend, Louie Ulrich.
Louie was 77 when I met him in 1977. I had just started a job as a photographer for the paper in Yakima, was new to the West, and a novice hiker. I was aware that there were two "old guys" in Yakima, Lex Maxwell and Louis Ulrich, who had been climbing in the Cascades for decades. I wanted to do a photo story about one of these characters and I made contact with Louie. We did a couple of hikes and walkup climbs together, I did my story, and, in the coming years Louie and I became good friends. Even after Leah and I moved to Seattle in 1980 I'd sometimes travel back to Yakima and hike with Louie.
There are climbs that young alpinists do today that Louie and his partners pioneered in the 1930's. If you look through Cascade Mountain climbing guidebooks you'll see that Louie is credited with a number of first ascents.
The two images above are from my archives. Photo #1: Louie and me, about 1978, I think near the Goat Rocks. And photo #2: Louie on Mt. Cleman in 1980. The photographs below are from Sunday's outing.
In my heart Louie was there with us Sunday, making yet another trek up one of his favorite Yakima area mountains.
