A Joint Statement on Climbing Route Names

August 27, 2020

Photos courtesy of the Mountain Educator Alliance (MEA).

The American Alpine Club, Appalachian Mountain Club, Colorado Mountain Club, Mazamas, and The Mountaineers join with those speaking out and taking action against racist, sexist, and otherwise derogatory route names, and we welcome the conversation about how best to move forward as a community. 

Historically in the U.S. climbing community, the opportunity and privilege of naming a route has been given to the first ascensionist. Naming a route is an earned honor, responsibility, and form of artistic expression. When done well, a route’s name tells a story. It often cleverly captures the experience of establishing or climbing the route or a unique characteristic of the formation. At worst, a route name inscribes onto the rock an individual’s prejudice, insecurity, and violence. These names deface the special places where we climb. Names like “N*****s Wall,” “Case of the F*gs,” and “Slant Eyes” signal that not all people are welcome, creating a hostile environment that we should not accept.

Recent movements across our nation, including Black Lives Matter, SafeOutside, and Me Too, have been a catalyst for many individuals and organizations to recognize the institutionalized and systemic oppression built into the foundation of our society.  

Though not a new problem, we are grateful to Erynne Gilpin, Ashleigh Thompson, and Melissa Utomo, along with Brown Girls Climb, Melanin Base Camp, and Natives Outdoors, for bringing focus back to this problematic practice. As individuals and as a community, we must recognize that words matter. The climbing community as a whole is accountable for the language we use to identify and describe the places where we climb. We must own the toxicity in the practice of naming routes. It’s time for change. 

As signers, our 5 organizations represent 150,000 members nationwide. We commit ourselves to building a more respectful community. That includes working collaboratively with climbers across the country to change names of existing routes, providing anti-racism and anti-harassment training for our members and volunteer leaders, and auditing our own publications and websites to determine a process for expunging offensive route names. These changes represent only a starting point. They are a necessary first step toward making the climbing community more inclusive and our crags and mountains welcoming to all.

In unity,

American Alpine Club

Appalachian Mountain Club

Colorado Mountain Club

Mazamas

The Mountaineers

Mazama Trail Tending in 2020

Delayed But Not Stopped by COVID

August 24, 2020
By Susan Brickey

Many thanks to the twelve Mazamas and the Forest Service Volunteer Coordinator, Paul Bach, for stepping up on short notice and assuring the Mazama Trail’s legacy continues! 

Image: Three men with brightly colored safety helmets wave from the upper leg of a switchback on the Mazama Trail, Mt. Hood. The men are practicing safe physical distancing. Behind them, further up the switchback, is a tip of a small peak, with dead trees and bright green bushes surrounding it. It is a bright, sunny day with blue skies.
Mazama trail tendering volunteers on the Mazama trail. Photo: Susan Brickey. 2020.

Normally, the Mazama Trail work party is scheduled in late June after most of the snow is gone, but this year COVID-related delays by both the Forest Service and Mazamas postponed it until the heat of August.  Still, after much communication, the work went on with additional COVID protocols and special release requirements.  While we missed the Avalanche Lilies, a huge feature of the June work parties, we were delighted with the ripe huckleberries that replaced them as an enticement up the trail.

What is the legacy of the Mazama Trail?  Last year, longtime Mazama climb and hike leader Ray Sheldon retold the story for the 125th anniversary of the Mazamas.  It all started in 1994 when the Mazamas went in search of an appropriate way to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The abandoned Cathedral Ridge Trail was identified, adopted, and rebuilt!  This project took four years and involved temporary shelters to house people and gear.  When it was finished, the trail was renamed after our organization and a legacy was born.  See “Mazama Trail Construction” (DVD) in the Mazama Library for the full story and for images from the project.

The traditional three-day work parties involve camaraderie and fun, with the common goal of clearing the trail and protecting it for another year of adventuring.  Since the Dollar Lake Fire in 2011, a large part of the trail maintenance requires taking out trees that have fallen over, impeding the trail.  There are two major burn areas on the trail but in the years since the fire, huckleberries, flowers, and trees return.  One year, 75 trees fell across the trail!  This year, relatively lucky only 28 needed to be cut.  It’s a good thing that tree removal is a favorite of work parties!  However, this job is also dangerous, and saw certification training is required for the oversight. Thankfully, Mazama leader Rick Pope has that certification, which allows us to host work parties consistently.  Safety is key, especially in wilderness areas!  Don’t be discouraged if you’re new the trail tending game, though. First-timers quickly learn to handle the second side of the saws. This year, new participant Andy Klumpp took his first turn on the trip and said he’d be back to help again. We’re looking forward to it, Andy!

Mazama leaders, volunteers, and our USFS partner removed 28 trees during this work party! Photo: Susan Brickey. 2020.

Trail tending offers work for everyone.  In addition to the heavy work of removing trees, the work usually includes benching the trail to keep it wide, cutting back brush (with a benefit this year of munching the huckleberries along the way), and clearing drains to assure water runs off with all of our rains and snowmelt.  

The Mazama Trail features 14 switchbacks before you reach the Mt. Hood Wilderness boundary.  When you reach the boundary, be sure to look back over your shoulder to view the tops of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens.  Not to mention, the breathtaking views of Mt. Hood that you are treated to at the trailhead, as well as several places along the trail. Nothing like trail work with a view (and snacks, don’t forget those huckleberries)!

Finding some huckleberry snacks along the trail. Photo: Susan Brickey. 2020.

To ensure the health of our leaders and volunteers, 2020’s sign up process limited the number of workers each day and required using the online sign-up system (the same as used when signing up for hikes and climbs). Participants in this year’s trail tending work party were Paul Bach, our Forest Service representative, Rick Pope, Mazama Lead, Sue Brickey, Asst. Lead, Mary and Dave Mullen, David Carrier, Gary Riggs, Jeff Hawkins, Andy Klumpp, John Maroney, Tom Davidson, John Meckel, and Mike Kacmar. Thank you to these dedicated and hardworking volunteers!  

Missed this year’s work party and feeling bummed? Fear not! The logs holding the switchbacks in place require replacing and gravel on the scree field needs refreshing, so be sure to watch for more trail tending work parties in the near future!  

Mazama Face Mask Design Contest

Now that we have all added a new item to our packing checklist, we thought it was time to make some functional, yet beautiful, masks!

So, whether you’ve found some new quarantine-inspired creativity or you’ve been at it for years, we want to see what you’ve got! Enter as many designs as you’d like and once the submission period ends, the Mazama community will have the chance to vote on their favorite designs. 

The design with the most votes will be available for pre-order purchase, at which time we will close the form and make our order. Masks will be sold for $21 each, with quantity-based discounts to ensure you have a mask for every occasion. The purchase price includes shipping and handling. 

Masks will be made from stretch-woven polyester face fabric and cotton blend lining, with an antimicrobial finish. Comfortable, breathable, and built to last, it’s a great option for everyday wear or your next alpine adventure. Plus, they’re local! All masks will be made in Salem, OR by our friends at NW Alpine. Designers can get an idea of the possibilities at nwalpine.com/collections/masks.

Design Specs*

  • Designs should be in the spirit of the Mazama mission to “inspire everyone to love and protect the mountains.” 
  • Designers may submit as many designs as they choose.
  • Files should be submitted as .ai, .tiff, or .png.
  • The outer mask has 2 sides that get seamed together in the middle. See this PDF for a design template.

*The Mazamas reserve the right to deny design submissions based on our quality and community standards. 

The artist whose design is chosen will receive 10 masks in their design!

Submit your original artwork here!

Return of a long lost Mazama summit register

The Mazamas was the recipient of a wholly unexpected and valuable object this week. Some of you may recall that back in 1910 the Mazamas sent Claude E. Rusk to Denali, then known as Mt. McKinley, to find out the validity of Dr. Frederick Cook’s claim of making the first ascent. A brief version of that story is available here. As part of that expedition, Rusk’s party was to place on the summit of McKinley a summit register and container. Long story short, Rusk never made it to the summit and the register and container were lost to time. Until last week, that is.

Out of the blue, we got a phone call from a woman saying that she had something she thought we might be interested in. After several missed calls and left messages, we finally connected with her. As she began to describe what was sitting in front of her it began to dawn on us what she had in front of her was the original summit register and container that was intended for the summit. Not only that, but it also was in pristine shape, still contained the actual register book, and was inscribed! We agreed it was something we wanted and she posted it to us that day.

What arrived in the mail the following day was beyond our imagination. As you can see from the photos above, the summit register, while small, is a thing of beauty. Originally a cigar or cigarette holder, it was modified to hold a small leather notebook. Overall it’s in excellent condition and while hard to read due to oxidation, the small brass plaque on the cover reads, “Mazama Record Box Mt. McKinley 1910.”

Of particular interest are the five pages of inscriptions in the front of the register. The first four pages are either the original introduction to the Pacific Monthly article recounting the trip handwritten by Gertrude Metcalf, or a transcription of that introduction. It’s page five that contained information not found anywhere else. Page five contains a list of everyone who gave money to fund the expedition. We’ve known that the Pacific Monthly magazine helped fund a large portion of the trip in exchange for publication rights. What we didn’t know was that many prominent Mazamas also gave to the effort. Among those giving included Martin Gorman, John Long, and Charles Sholes. In addition, we didn’t know that the US Government contributed free passage on the Revenue Cutter Tahoma for the four members of the Mazama expedition.

The surprise came in the amount given by two individuals. Former Mazama Presidents Rodney Glisan and Henry Pittock (through the Oregonian) gave a combined $1150 to the effort. These two donations equal over half of the money raised and are the equivalent of over $28,000 today.

We are grateful to the donor and her family for not only holding on to this valuable object for so many years but also for making sure it found its way back to the Mazamas.

Day 94: Boundry Line

“Mon 7/14 Waterton Lake Alberta, Canada. … I crossed the Boundary Line at 2 pm, and I took a couple pictures there of myself, then I kept on along the lake down to Waterton Lake town where I got a map from the rangers. And here I am camping tonight.”

Parsons approximate route from Mexico to Canada, April – July, 1924

In 94 days Pete Parsons, a Swedish immigrant who spoke, and wrote, English as a second language, trekked 1,500 miles as the crow flies from the US Mexico border to the boundary with Canada. In reality, the distance he traveled was considerably longer given he was setting his own trail. While it’s true he got a ride here and there, for the most part, he walked from Mexico to Canada, up the Continental Divide, without a formal trail and decades before anyone else. Was he the first? We may never know. Perhaps a band of Native Americans, during their seasonal migrations made the same trek, or a fir trader came south following the ridgelines. Was he one of the earliest Westerns to make the trip, undoubtedly.

Parsons journey doesn’t end at the Canadian Border. He continues on across Canada for while before dropping back into the United States at ???. From there he makes his way south, through Washington, Oregon, before ending his walk in Altavista, California in ????. In Oregon, he climbs Mt Jefferson, where you might recall he signs the summit register. His notation in the register, seen close to a hundred years later, set author and long trail hiker Barney Mann on his eight-year effort to learn more about Pete Parsons. We are thankful that he undertook that effort and we are grateful to the family of Otto Witt for donating Parsons journals, photographs, and other records to the Mazama Library and Historical Collections.

We thank you all for joining us and sharing Pete Parsons journey.

Day 92: Many Glaciers

“Looking W from Swiftcurrent Pass”

“It was pretty windy all last night but I was snug y cozy after I got into my bag y slept well. This morning I saw a beautiful sunrise, then I hiked down the trail towards Many Glaciers. The trail [something] a rather steep y rough slope y cliffs on this side. After I came down in the valley I saw some quite large bear tracks in the trail which I think was made by a grizzly because of the long claw marks.

“Many Glaciers hotel”

After a while I started to meet lots of people on foot y I went down to the hotel to look for mail but was disappointed in not getting any. Then I bought some clothes also tried to get a pair of tennis shoes but could not so I sent a card to Glacier Park station trying to get a pair from there. The hotel here is very large, 5 story log structure with a very artistic lobby.”

Day 88: On the Going to the Sun trail

“Camp at upper St. Mary’s Lake 7/9/24 GP Mont.”

“I was up with the sun this morning y after taking a couple pictures near camp. I headed up the valley for Logan Pass. There is a excellent trail going over that is intended to be changed into a road as soon as possible. I lingered a while at the hanging garden, S.E. of the Pass … I also made a side trip over to see ‘hidden lake,’ when I came back to the pass several hiker had arrived so we all eat lunch y in the meantime a couple parties on horseback arrived. From there I took the trail N along the Garden Wall to Granite Park Camp. From the trail I could look up McDonald Creek, also down y see the lake, a small glacier on N side of Mt Albertine. I stopped a few minutes for a chat at the Chalet y was invited to partake of some sandwiches and cookies. From there I climbed up on top of Swiftcurrent Pass where I am camping tonight. I could easily have made it down to a more sheltered spot but I wanted to camp right on the Continental Divide once, this is abt 7175 ft. alt. It is blowing pretty hard from the W. but I am pretty well sheltered behind a dense thicket of small pine trees. Here is lots of snowing nearby y a small glacier about 1/2 mile away.

“Looking West from Logan Pass 7/9/1924”

Day 86: Triple Divide Peak

“There was a couple other campers came over to my camp for a chat last night, they also gave me a couple nice trout for breakfast. Then I headed up along the N.F. of 2 medicine creek. The lower part of the E. slope has all been burnt off a few years ago, but near the head of the creek I found green timber, mostly spruce. Here was a beautiful little lake with trout rising for flies all over it but it was too early for me to fish then. From there the trail up a very steep slope to the head of cut Bank Creek, from the top I looked down over a cliff several 100 ft deep into another lake of the very deepest blue it had a number of ice cakes floating in it.

The trail went down past this lake but I saw another old trail going to the top of the main divide only abt 1/4 mile so I went over there y had a look down the W side y it sure was worth while, high, bare, snowy peaks in all directions, from there I slide down part of the way to the trail on Cut Bank which I followed down. I was going to eat lunch at the upper lake, but the skeeters was awful thick! I guess up here they are just waking up. I passed 3 more little lakes y saw some rather large spruce trees, abt 3 1/2 ft ct. When going over to look down on the west side there was one place where I found a lot of blocks of Diorite. It surprised me at the time, but I had seen Diorite in Yosemite so I knew it right away. I also noticed a dark band, perhaps 50 to 60 ft wide running along the face of the cliff on the W side.

Well, I followed the creek down to the fork in the trail, then headed up … to Triple Divide Peak.

Unfortunately, two pages of Parsons from this day are badly worn and very hard to decipher, as you can see below.

Day 83: Along the Blackfoot

“Friday the 4th. The men at the camp wanted me to sleep in their big dark tent last night with it all closed up but it got to stuffy so I too [sic.] my bed y went outside y fought mosquitos the rest of the night.* Because those [?] have been very bad the last 2 days y nights. This morning I had breakfast y they also insisted on me taking a lunch along. Instead of following the river down to [?] as I first intended, I headed up Morrison Creek from 3 Forks R.S. where I obtained a roll of film from the ranger’s wife. I followed this creek up for 9-10 miles to a fork in the trail where there was a telephone on a tree y a fire chaser camp. Here I first intended to take the left hand trail over to [?] creek but after going along this a little it swung almost S.W. so I came back y tok the other one which was a new one y going N. this I followed for abt 2 miles then that swung clear around E. y then S up a large creek so I came back to the tel. y camped and tomorrow I will give the first trail a trial again. Perhaps it is only temporary that it goes so much S.W. If I don’t follow it I will cut across abt N.E. it came a thunder shower while I eat lunch at Crescent Creek so I fixed up some mosquito netting form y bed y tonight while cooking supper I had another thunder shower. I was walking barefoot for several miles this p.m. the trail soft as velvet underfoot from half decayed tree old y needles y moss. It has been a little cloudy most of the day so it had not been so very warm.** There was a heavy smoke over the mountains to the W. last night.

*Parsons encountered a trail crew working a stretch of the trail he was hiking the day before. They invited me to stay for dinner and the night with them.

**Parsons often hiked barefoot, in part because he liked the feeling the ground beneath his feet and also to save wear and tear on his boots.

Day 78: Crossing the divide

“L.N. Continental Divide 6/30”

“That old Porky came back close to camp again after dark y he was deeding on something y grunting until he woke me up.* Well this morning I followed the trail up to the divide, there I climbed a high point near by to look over the country. The creek across the pass flowed W y then S.W. so it was out of the question unless I followed down for a ways y then headed up another creek to N but to the N I could see a big valley which I was sure must be the S. F. of the Blackfoot. To make sure I went down to the pass after my pack then climbed up over a very rough spur of a peak y dropped down on top of the divide which I followed N for a couple miles. This was right at timberline y beautiful country. There was snow in places but it was solid y good going, there was lots of flowers: Buttercups, Ememenies [sic], some small very blue forget-me-nots, heather, white y purple y 3-4 others. It was difficult to tell the main divide as there was high peaks in all directions one range going north y S.E of the valley y another, the range I was on, going W.

“L.E. in the Rockies 6/30/24”

Well I went down in that valley y had to fight brush, windfall y steep slopes for about 3 hours then a trail came down from an eastern tributary y followed down. Soon after I got a surprise where I found a sign which said Sun River Game Preserve.

So with all my careful planning I still was on the wrong river. It didn’t make very much difference as it also went N, but I thought I should be able to pick out my route even if I had only a poor map. I kept on going down until 4.30 when I found a nice location for a camp on a willow covered gravelbar. I had a bath y sunbath at noon y tonight I have been running around here stark nude for a couple hours.

“About 50 miles from anywhere”

I saw elk this p.m. I will follow along the creek down to the N.F. then up that one y across the divide again to Middle fork of Blackfoot which is a boundary of Glacier Park. That is not only the direct route to the park but also to supplies. I covered about 35-40 miles the last 2 days. This is one day again where I did not see anybody.

*The night before a porcupine (“Mr. Porky”) followed Parson down the trail and visited his camp.