Big Jim Sighting

[mr._happy]

just returned from a conference in colorado; the conference lasted five days/nights, and for some of those nights there were evening keynote speakers, including gordon wiltsie, dave breashears, and yes, Big Jim Whittaker.

so on the day of the night that Big Jim is scheduled to speak, i'm on the hotel elevator going down to the lobby, when the elevator stops on the fifth floor. being a young red-blooded american male, i secretly hope to myself that it's a hot young red-blooded american female ski-bunny or bunnies about to get on the elevator with yours truly. (the conference happened to be at steamboat springs, btw) imagine my surprise and heartfelt pleasure when the elevator doors opened and my gaze settled on the sight before me.

nay, 'twas no bunny, bunnies, nor betties standing there, but yea, it was Big Jim Whittaker Himself, in all His Big Jim-ness! His enormous shadow fell into the elevator and shaded everything in its vastness. my jaw dropped; my heart stopped; i almost wet my pants. i could do nothing but stare, slack-jawed, as that awesome specimen of a man Big Jim took one earth-shaking step and strode onto the elevator. the car shuddered under the weight of His Big Jim-ness. i looked up at that great craggy head of His and wondered what the view was like up there. the first american to stand atop everest was wearing a grey wool sweater and grey slacks, and moccasins on those gigantic feet. i tried to croak out a greeting, but managed only a whimper which, at His great height, He surely failed to notice. we rode to the lobby in silence--He in all his greatness, and i in my meager corner of the the elevator. the doors opened and He strode off.

my brush with greatness.

[pope]

Now that's a fantastic story. I've been going through Big Lou withdrawals lately and this is just what I needed. Mr. Happy, you the man. There's just something about seeing one of the Whittaker twins in a wool sweater. I'm not gay on Big Jim...or Big Lou for that matter, but I've got to say that these guys look impressive in a wool sweater, especially one of those "guide's sweaters" like you see Lou wearing on the cover of "Memoirs". Anybody know where I might be able to get a guide's sweater, the kind like Big Jim and Big Lou wear?

[mr._happy]

quote:

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Originally posted by pope:

Mr. Happy, you the man. There's just something about seeing one of the Whittaker twins in a wool sweater.

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thanks, but i'm not the man, Big Jim is the Man! it was a TURTLENECK sweater, too!

not to rub it in, but i also scored an autographed copy of His book later that evening.

[Doug]

I was talking with a friend this weekend. We were talking about getting mountaineering books autographed. He went to see Big Jim at Nordstrom or somewhere like that and he asked Big Jim to autograph not only his autobiography, but also his twin Bros' as well. Jeff explained that if he ever got a chance to come across Big Lou that he would ask him to do the same. (As a side note, I suggested that if we really wanted to run across Big Lou that he should either a) hang out at Whittaker's Bunk House or b) follow Dwayner & pope around since they appear to be stalking the poor guy).

Anyway, back to the story, What Big Jim wrote in Big Lou's autobiography: Great Novel, wasn't it.