Pug

Bill single-handedly defeated the Axis powers! Actually: His involvement in North Africa was limited, mostly herding POW's around. Then he was stationed in England for the big invasion. He hit Normandy at D+8 (eight days after D-Day) and advanced through France. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" gave Bill acid-flashbacks. After the capitulation of Germany, he was shipped via the Panama canal to Okinawa to be part of the Japanese invasion. Bill's commander wanted to be like MacArthur in the Philippines, and be the first GI to set foot on the Japanese mainland. Of course his men all thought he was f'n insane. After 2 A-bombs, and the Missouri, Japanese planes broadcast and dropped leaflets on Okinawa. 30,000 Japanese soldiers came out of the jungle to surrender.

re: trumpetsailor, on noticing the whippet No, Bill no longer skis. In his ancientness and decrepitude he was lost some of his balance, and climbs with two poles, one equipped with a whippet for arrest. When Bill started skiing, during the Great Depression, there were two types of skiing in the Wasatch range, Nordic, which consisted of ski-jumping at the college hill, and Alpine, which was very much what we now call randonee. Elk hide strips were tacked to the bottom of the wooden skis to allow the skiers to "skin-up and ski down. One long alpen-pole was used, often between your legs on downhills. Teenaged Bill ordered a steel-edges kit from a magazine. The kit consisted of a notched woodplane to cut a groove in the edge of the ski, 4 rolls of metal edges, with drilled and countersunk holes every few inches, and small flat-head wood screws. Once installed, Bill had the first metal-edged skis in the Cache valley.

Bill is a WWII combat veteran in the infantry in the North African, European, and Pacific theaters, and a retired 35-year Hanford worker. His last job there was manager of the PFP, Plutonium Finishing Plant. He climbed Hood last week with his 2 sons and one of his granddaughters. Bill set the age record on Rainier in 2004 and has raised-the-bar each year since; although he would rather be noted for something besides being "old and stubborn".

Last Saturday, May 17, 2008 Bill Painter 85 years old, atop Mt. Hood. No friggin' Palmer lift ride either. My climbing hero is my Dad!

85-year-old Bill Painter will be climbing Mt. Hood this weekend (5/16) as a summer season warm-up. If you see him, please wish him well. Bio note: Bill is a WWII combat veteran and a retired Hanford radiation worker. Bill set the summit age record on Rainier at 80 1/2 years old on the 4th of July 2003. He has reset the record each year since. Last season (at 84) he also climbed the Becky route of Liberty Bell Spire, amongst other less notable adventures. Bill is a former Washington State bicycle class champion and still rides 5000 miles a year with the Tri-City Bicycle Club.

Bill summitted on July 3 at about 8 AM. It is 4:30PM, he is at Glacier basin headed for a cold beer...

UPDATE...UPDATE 7/2/2007 12 Noon Bill is at Emmons Flats, feeling much better, and is taking a siesta. Weather is great. He plans to macke his summit push at midnight.

3-time Mt. Rainier age record holder Bill Painter is climbing to Schurman today. He will make his summit attempt tonight if he feels well enough. Unfortunately, he and his grandson who is also on the climb, were puking at he Glacier Basin last night. They think they ate or drank something foul. He called from the Inter-glacier and said they both were feeling better. Bill is 84 years old and a WWII combat veteran. Bill surpassed the old age record, at the youthful age of 81 1/2, on July 4, 2004 and has raised-the-bar each year since. Bill carries all his own gear and climbs unguided with his family and friends.

It sounds like you plan on climbing via a overnight at Lunch Counter. If you stay in the accent path you won't need crampons, and if you are not familiar with their use, may be more dangerous than without. Take storm gear as weather can change quickly. Sun screen and good sunglasses are also essential. Be careful if you sit-gissade down from Piker's Peak (false summit) to Lunch Counter. It is a lot of fun, but ice-axe injuries and broken bones occur every year.

Usually stops at Big Horse. Those stairs are so much fun after a climb and then stiffening up in the car for an hour. Bill served in the army in WWII in the North African, European, and Japanese theaters. After surviving that, he worked at Hanford in eastern Washington for 40 years. He worked in the PUREX (Plutonium Uranium Reduction EXtraction) facility and when he retired was manager of the PFP (Plutonium Finishing Facility). Bill lives with his beautiful dark-eyed bride of 60 years in Richland, Washington. Bill is a avid bicyclist (down to 6,000+ miles/year) and a recreational climber. Bill plans to climb Ingram direct in early June. He should sell vials of his blood.

Plutonium Bill summitted about 5:30AM today and at 7:30AM phoned on his descent. He was already below the Palmer Lift. Said he had a little icy sections in the chute, but it was a fine morning. I don't know if anyone older than 84 years has summitted Mt.Hood, but I suspect there have been others. This isn't Bill's first assent of Hood. Bill wanted needed a "warm-up" to judge his fitness for another Rainier climb in June. I'm sure he will be in Hood River drinking a beer by lunchtime.

Pu239Bill waited a day. Just got a phone call that he is now above the Palmer and enjoying his evening climb.

Bill Painter is planning to climb Hood tonight as a warm-up to Rainier. Bill is 84 years old and set the record as the oldest person to climb Rainier at the age of 81 1/2 in 2004. In 2005 and 2006 he raised the bar to 82 and 83 years old. LAst year's climb up Rainier was via the Kautz route. Pretty good ice-climb for an old guy. If Bill passes you on the way up Hood tonight, please wish him well.