Mt. Index, North Peak, First Ascent

[HarryMajors]

For nearly 80 years, the first ascent of the North Peak of Mount Index has been shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. I would like to share with cc.com readers information concerning the first ascent of this peak, some details of which are being revealed here for the first time in nearly 80 years.

 

For years, the accepted paradigm concerning North Index has been: "The first ascent was made some 16 years ago by L. Chute and two others" (1946 Mtnr. p. 44; 1945 AAJ, p. 43). The 1949 guide clarified this slightly: "First ascent 1929 by L. Chute, G. Tepley, and companion" (1949 guide p. 78). Even so late as 1973, when the first edition of CAG-1 appeared, the standard story was still: "Lionel Chute, G. Tepley and (possibly) a companion reached the top in the summer of 1929. Apparently Chute's verbal account was not widely accepted (no printed report can be found) . . . . In 1939 [sic, 1940] Otto Trott and Erick Larson reached the summit and found proof that Chute and party had, indeed, made the first ascent." (CAG-1, 1973 ed., p. 230).

 

In 1975, for the first time in nearly 50 years, new and substantial information concerning Lionel Chute's ascent appeared in "Exploring Washington" (p. 87, item 79). Because this book is not readily accessible, the North Index account is herewith quoted in its entirely. This first complete account of the Lionel Chute ascent is derived from an interview between Lionel Chute and myself, held in 1973 at Chute's home in West Seattle, as well as from written correspondence:

 

"The impressive north peak (5,357 ft.) of MOUNT INDEX (5,979 ft.) was first climbed about 1929 by scoutmaster Lionel H. Chute and scout Victor Kaartinen of Seattle Boy Scout troop 263. The route followed was identical to the standard route used today on the north face. Chute made four attempts to scale this formidable peak over a period of two years.

 

"On the first attempt, with three or four other scouts, they succeeded in reaching the top of the midface snow/brush basin where sheer cliffs turned them back. They managed to leave a white undershirt tied to a pole, at their highest point, which was visible from the town of Index when viewed through binoculars.

 

"On the second attempt Chute veered eastward across the face, but was again turned back.

 

"On the third try, Chute and scout Dan Boone got part way up the gully to the left of the rib on the left side of the north face, but were forced to retreat.

 

"On the fourth (and successful) try, Lionel Chute was accompanied by scout Victor Kaartinen. The full party of five scouts camped at Lake Serene, while the next day Chute and Kaa[r]tinen proceeded to climb the north peak, while Milton King, Howard S. McGee and Vernon Phillips circled the lake to climb the main south peak via the ordinary route.

 

"Chute and Kaartinen climbed via the now standard route on the north face, their only equipment consisting of a 40-foot length of half-inch manila rope.

 

"All went well until the cliffs above the mid-face bowl were reached. Chute managed to reach a narrow ledge about 30 feet up, from which he followed a crack 6 feet higher to a very exposed position. A rock projection gave way as Chute stood on it, but he succeeded in jumping back to safety.

 

"To reach another ledge about 15 feet higher, he had to toss the rope up and loop it over a small rock spike. Disaster was narrowly averted here, for after Chute had climbed hand-over-hand to reach the higher ledge he discovered that two of the three strands were severed. Chute spliced the rope, brought Kaartinen up, and the two soon reached the top of the north face.

 

"Here they piled up a two-foot cairn of rocks, left their names and the date written on a slip of paper in a waterproof match container, and inserted a small scrub tree trunk into the cairn. By this time the three other scouts had reached the summit of the main peak, and the two groups then yelled and waved at each other.

 

"This same route on the north peak was climbed for a second time, during the late summer of 1940 (not 1939), by Otto T. Trott and Erick Larson. At the top of the north face they found the small pole left by the previous party. Essentially the same route was climbed during January 4-7, 1963, by Dan Davis and Pat Callis of Seattle. This remarkable achievement still remains [as of the year 1975] the greatest winter climb yet done in the Northwest." (This 1963 winter ascent was not surpassed until 14 years later, on January 29-30, 1977, when Don Page, Byron Robertson, Mike Marshall, and Larry Cooper made the first winter traverse from the North Peak, across the Middle Peak, to the Main Peak of Mount Index.)

 

Uncertainty has surrounded the exact date of the Chute climb of North Index. At first, the year given for this ascent was "1929." When I asked Lionel (in 1973) if he could recall the exact date of the climb. He replied: "I made the climb in 1929, I think on July 4th." He mentioned that an account had been written up in a newspaper. However, when I checked all of the issues of the Everett Herald, the Seattle Times, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for the summer of 1929, there was no mention of an ascent of North Index.

 

Further ambiguity was introduced in the June 1983 The Mountaineer annual, in a study on the early climbing history of Mount Constance (pp. 52-62; addenda in Sept.1983 Mtnr. p. 2). The authors interviewed Lionel Chute in January 1983, and learned that in June 1923 Chute and Walter Thomson (both were then junior Boy Scout counselors at Camp Parsons on the Olympic Peninsula) made the third or fourth recorded ascent of Mount Constance (Constance was the first mountain that Chute climbed (1923), as well as the last (1946/1947)). Neither individual had any formal training in mountaineering. Lionel Chute was one of those rare individuals born with a natural aptitude for rock climbing.

 

During the 1983 interview, Chute was asked briefly about the North Index climb. His response was that the ascent took place "on July 5, 1930 with Victor Kaartinen" (1983 Mtnr. p. 58). The only known published photograph of Lionel Chute, taken in 1923 on the Mount Constance climbing venture, appears on page 59 of this annual, as the picture on the left (the correct caption is given in Sept. 1983 Mtnr. p. 2).

 

Thus, as of the year 1983, the dates given for the Chute ascent of North Index were at variance: Lionel Chute himself first specified July 4, 1929, and then ten years later modified this to July 5, 1930.

 

The description of the Lionel Chute ascent as published in 1975 in "Exploring Washington" specified that "the two soon reached the top of the north face. Here they piled up a two-foot cairn of rocks." There was a reason for this.

 

At this point, the story becomes more complex, and we turn to the second ascent of North Index. (There had actually been a second attempt on North Index in 1937 by three Seattle climbers, who placed a number of pitons during the ascent (Lionel Chute did not use pitons during his ascent). One of these climbers was seriously injured during a fall high on the north face. An epic rescue effort was performed by local volunteers (mostly loggers) from the town of Index (none of whom was an experienced climber), this constituting the first major mountain rescue operation conducted in the North Cascades.

 

The second ascent of North Index occurred in 1940 by Dr. Otto Titus Trott of Seattle, and Erick Larson of Everett. For many years, Dr. Trott was my family physician, operating out of a small clinic just one block west of Broadway, on Capitol Hill. The name Dr. Trott may not be familiar to many of today's climbers. He made only two historically significant climbs in the North Cascades: the first ascent of the Hanging Glacier on Mount Shuksan (Sept. 3-4, 1939, with Andy Hennig, correct spelling), and the second ascent of North Index (1940, with Erick Larson).

 

Of the two climbs, he regarded the Hanging Glacier as the more important ascent, and with good reason. This was the most difficult and most significant ice climb achieved in the North Cascades prior to the Second World War. It was Dr. Trott who was largely responsible for introducing European ice climbing techniques into the Northwest. He was one of the principal founders of the Mountain Rescue Council (along with Wolf Bauer and Ome Daiber), and he was the principal medical advisor to the Council. These three persons, through the Mountain Rescue Council and through the establishment of The Mountaineers' Climbing Course, have exerted a profound and enduringly beneficial influence on the subsequent history of Northwest climbing.

 

For an excellent biographical sketch of Dr. Trott, see the entry on Lowell Skoog's authoritative website http://alpenglow.org/ski-history/notes/comm/corff-nicholas.html. (Lowell, in an outstanding achievement of historical scholarship, has discovered yet a third, extremely important first ascent by Dr. Trott in the North Cascades --- the first ski ascent of Mt. Shuksan --- which, until Lowell's discovery, I had been entirely unaware of.)

 

 

(Continuation to follow.)

[HarryMajors]

In December 1972, I met with Dr. Trott, and mentioned to him that I was interested in contacting Lionel Chute concerning his ascent of North Index. I had determined Chute's current address --- but because this was so important an individual in North Cascades climbing history, I thought it best to approach Chute through a mutually known intermediary.

 

Lionel was a bit sensitive about his North Index ascent, largely because his climb had for many years been met with disbelief. He had also been censured by Scout leaders for involving the Boy Scouts in so hazardous an enterprise. Instead of being greeted with acclaim for achieving what had been the most difficult climb yet performed in the Northwest, Lionel Chute met with disbelief and censure. Northwest mountaineers, who were in a position to appreciate the magnitude of Chute's achievement, did not believe that the climb had taken place. Boy Scout administrators, on the other hand, did believe that the climb had taken place --- but instead of properly appreciating Chute's achievement, they reprimanded him for what they felt had been a reckless deed.

 

Dr. Trott had known Lionel Chute for over thirty years. In fact, Dr. Trott had spoken with Lionel immediately after the 1940 ascent, and the two had compared accounts of their respective climbs. It was Dr. Trott who had verified the authenticity of Lionel Chute's first ascent; and because of this, Lionel thought very highly of Dr. Trott. The good doctor told me that he would give Lionel a call and recommend that he speak with me; after that, I could then send Lionel a letter of inquiry. As a direct result of this, in January 1973 I received a detailed 2-page letter from Lionel Chute, describing the North Index climb.

 

Some time thereafter, I again contacted Lionel Chute to see if he would consent to a tape-recorded interview. He agreed to meet with me at his West Seattle home, but on a private basis, as he preferred that the meeting not be tape-recorded. I agreed to this, and then arranged for an afternoon on which to visit with him.

 

I met with Lionel, and he described to me the details of his North Index ascent, as have been presented above. At first, Lionel was a bit shy, but when I mentioned to him that my own father had been a Scoutmaster during the 1930s, Lionel immediately warmed up. His years with the Boy Scouts had been the happiest and most important of his life. On the walls of his living room were several photographs depicting various Scout gatherings and activities in the Olympic Mountains. To some extent, Lionel was still living in the past. The Boy Scouts had been the most significant influence on his life; and his ascent of North Index with the Scouts had been his one moment of glory.

 

I was surprised to learn that Lionel had taken photographs during the North Index ascent. He had, in fact, on a shelf in his living room about twelve photo albums taken during various trips and climbs in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. He showed me several photographs that he had taken during the North Index ascent. Although I myself have never climbed North Index, I knew several individuals that had, and I previously had seen photographs that were taken high on that peak.

 

A couple of the photographs Lionel showed me I recognized as having been taken from a great height, looking down toward the lake outlet and the forested lower north ridge of the North Peak. Narrow ledges, great exposure, brush, the central basin or bowl, the wooded ridge far below --- there was no doubt in my mind that Lionel had taken these photographs high on the north face of North Index.

 

(I suggested to Lionel that he might consider eventually donating his photo albums to the University of Washington Library. He replied that he would think about it and let me know. I followed up with a letter several months later; but at that point he had decided to keep the albums for the time being. I kept in touch with Lionel for over a decade, occasionally reminding him about the University Library, but then lost contact with him during the mid-1980s. I recently learned that he passed away in 1992. The present disposition of his photo albums is unknown. As with the Ptarmigan Club scrapbook and Lage Wernstedt's records, Lionel Chute's photograph albums constitute one of the most important historical records of Northwest mountaineering. I suspect that they hold a number of surprises in them, such as a winter ascent of Mount Rainier, a climb up the northeast glacier on Whitehorse, and a number of hitherto unknown first ascents in the Olympics. Hopefully, one of these days Lionel's albums will come to light, and find a safe and permanent home in a library.)

 

One of Lionel Chute's photographs caught my eye: this one particularly intrigued me. It had been taken on top of the North Peak of Mount Index, but not at the true highest summit. The photograph was shot looking toward the main summit ridge of Mount Index --- but at the right edge of the picture there was a portion of a nearby peak, higher than the point from which the photograph was taken. My initial guess was that the photograph had been taken at the first "false summit," and that the nearby higher promontory was the principal summit of the North Peak.

 

(Although the Middle Peak of Index rises to a slightly greater elevation than the North Peak, the nearby higher peak present in the photograph was too close to the viewer (and lacking a deep separating gap) to have been the Middle Peak. There were no photographs that looked like they may have been taken from the true highest summit of North Index.)

 

I inquired, to the effect of "Did you climb any farther than here?" or "Did you go beyond here?" (indicating the point from where the photograph had been taken). His reply was "No. We didn't go beyond here. It kept getting higher and higher. We had to get back down before dark"

 

My tentative conclusion was that Lionel Chute did not reach the highest and principal summit of North Index. He turned back at the first false summit, situated at the top of the north face. Beyond here, the summit ridge levels off a bit, with a dip or two, followed by a second false summit of nearly the same height, beyond which a steep climb up a rocky prominence leads to the principal summit of the North Peak.

 

I did not pursue this topic with Lionel, nor did I mention to him my tentative conclusion. I knew that, prior to Dr. Trott's confirmatory climb of 1940, the Lionel Chute ascent had been met with over a decade of disbelief, and that he was still a bit sensitive about this. I did not feel this would have been the proper time to bring to his attention that his climb of North Index appeared to have been an incomplete one. Lionel had been kind enough to invite me to his home to discuss his ascent of North Index. I was not about to infringe upon his hospitality by openly questioning the completeness of his ascent. This is something I first needed to discuss with Dr. Trott.

 

I again met with Dr. Trott, and he confirmed my conclusion: Lionel Chute did not climb to the highest true summit of North Index. He only reached the first false summit. I then discussed with Dr. Trott the details of his own 1940 ascent of North Index --- and, in particular, as to exactly where he had found the evidence of Chute's previous ascent. Dr. Trott then related to me his account of the 1940 climb, and described where he had found the "tin can" and "stick" left by Lionel Chute.

 

Dr. Trott emphasized very clearly that: (a) the can and stick were found at the first false summit; (b) Lionel Chute had told him that they had not gone any father than the first false summit; and © Dr. Trott and Erick Larson themselves, in 1940, had not climbed any farther than the first false summit. They had found the evidence which confirmed that Lionel Chute had indeed climbed the north face of North Index --- at which point Dr. Trott and Erick Larson turned around and began their return descent.

 

Dr. Trott then graciously offered to write down and send me a detailed description of both his Mount Shuksan (Hanging Glacier) and his North Index climbs.

 

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Trott stopped by my home late one afternoon after office hours, and presented me with a typescript describing his 1939 ascent of the Hanging Glacier on Mount Shuksan, along with his 1940 ascent of North Index. We talked for awhile about the early days of climbing in the Northwest (I learned that Sigurd Hall had been with Dr. Trott during his first attempt on North Index), and then the good doctor took his leave.

 

That evening, I went through the typescript, wherein Dr. Trott describes in marvelous detail his Hanging Glacier and North Index climbs. In his final paragraph on the North Index ascent, Dr. Trott mentions: "the false summit. I believe we reached the northern face summit. Whether the easy stretch to the next summit would be called the actual summit of the north face I do not remember, but if it should be, the difficult stuff is all before you reach that part. We climbed only to the summit of the north face and that's where the stick of Lionel Chute was embedded in the can."

 

This is why, when "Exploring Washington" was published in 1975, I wrote that "the two [Chute and his companion] soon reached the top of the north face. Here they piled up a two-foot cairn of rocks." I did not specify that they reached the summit of the North Peak of Mount Index. I only stated that they "reached the top of the north face." During the past 28 years, only one person --- Dr. Trott himself --- has picked up on this distinction.

 

 

(Conclusion to follow.)

[HarryMajors]

But the exact date of the Lionel Chute ascent still eluded me. To confuse matters further, Ome Daiber had told me that, from what he had learned at the time (through the Scout grapevine), Chute's companion on the successful ascent of North Index had been Gordon Knott, not George Tepley or Victor Kaartinen.

 

It was not until about 1990, while going through past issues of The Everett Daily Herald, searching for material on the history of the Monte Cristo area, that I came across it --- "First peak on Mt. Index is conquered," appearing on page 11 of the issue for August 9, 1927. The article was based upon a letter that Lionel Chute himself had written immediately after the climb.

 

So Lionel Chute had been off by two years. And his companion was not George Tepley (who did climb with him on The Brothers), nor Victor Kaartinen, nor Gordon Knott --- instead, it was "Frank Hill, Eagle scout of troop 263." The two, along with Scout Dan Boone, camped at Lake Serene the previous evening. At 6 a.m. the next morning (August 7, 1927), Chute and Hill set out on their climb of North Index, leaving Boone at camp to keep an eye out for their safe return. The climb was done in "twelve hours," thus theirs was the first climb of North Index without a bivouac. Chute and Hill "arrived on top at 2 o'clock in the afternoon" and then "arrived back at the lake at 6 o'clock." Chute mentions in the article that "It is an exceedingly dangerous climb often only a thin root to prevent a 1,000 foot fall . . . . Pictures were taken along the way and from the top."

 

Lionel Chute had been mistaken, not only about the date of the North Index ascent, but even as to the name of his companion. But then, this was an event that had occurred 46 years previously, and which had involved four different attempts; so a lapse in memory is understandable.

 

The first Grade III climb in the North Cascades --- indeed, one of the most difficult rock climbs anywhere in North America at the time. At the time, Lionel Chute was 24 years old, and with no formal mountaineering training. It speaks highly for his courage, his climbing expertise, and his dedication (and that of his companions) that he persevered through four attempts on North Index, over a period of two years, and finally succeeded in conquering the difficult north face --- with no specialized climbing boots, no pitons for protection, a companion with minimal climbing experience, and only a 40-foot length of nearly severed rope.

 

Interestingly enough, it was Chute's early climbing experience in the eastern Olympic Mountains that likely enabled him to climb the North Peak of Mount Index. There exists no granitic bedrock in the Olympics. The rugged mountains of the eastern Olympics are eroded from the Crescent Formation, largely a series of submarine volcanic basalts. These form the bedrock of such peaks as Mount Constance and The Brothers, on which Lionel Chute first learned to climb. As such, Lionel was well prepared for the climbing problems he might encounter on the volcanic rock of North Index. Had Lionel's prior climbing experience been exclusively on granitic rock, the problems he faced on North Index would likely have been significantly more formidable.

 

So, for the North Peak of Mount Index, the early successful climbing history is:

 

Aug. 7, 1927 --- First successful ascent of the north face, to the first false summit of North Index, by Lionel H. Chute and Frank Hill.

 

1940 --- Second successful ascent of the north face, to the first false summit of North Index, by Dr. Otto T. Trott and Erick Larson.

 

July 1, 1945 --- Third successful ascent of the north face, and the first complete ascent of North Index, by Fred and Helmy Beckey.

 

Fred and Helmy Beckey thus have another first ascent of a major peak in the North Cascades to their credit. Until now, the 1945 party have been unaware as to the incomplete nature of the 1927 and 1940 ascents.

 

The revision of first ascents by pre-dating is not that uncommon in the North Cascades, particularly in areas where the USGS and Lage Wernstedt mapped, or where early miners and prospectors explored. Silver Star and Mt. Pilchuck are examples where a first ascent has had to be pre-dated.

 

However, at present there are only two instances where a first ascent has been revised by post-dating, both of which involve situations where a previous incomplete ascent has had to yield precedence to a later complete first ascent: Mount Rainier, where Emmons and Wilson in October 1870 made the first complete ascent to Columbia Crest (Stevens and Van Trump in August 1870 did not reach the summit of Columbia Crest, but that is another story); and the North Peak of Mount Index.

 

 

But there still remained one question --- why did Dr. Trott and Erick Larson not continue on, to climb the principal and highest summit of North Index? They had the time, as they had already bivouaced at a point about two-thirds up the north face. Moreover, compared to the difficulties encountered on the north face (getting into and out of the mid-face bowl/basin), climbing the true summit is relatively easy. It lay well within the skill of Dr. Trott, who had "a notable climbing career throughout the Dolomites and other parts of the Tyrolian Alps, the Oetztaler, St. Gotthard, and Kaiser groups; altogether over 100 ascents in difficulties from 'difficult' to 'extremely difficult--lower limit' (European Classification)" (1952 Mtnr. p. 23).

 

When I was preparing the account of Lionel Chute's first ascent for publication in "Exploring Washington," I sent advance copies of the climb description to both Lionel and Dr. Trott for review. Both approved of the account. I spoke with Lionel Chute on the phone; but since Dr. Trott's office was within walking distance of my home, I decided to visit with him in person.

 

After Dr. Trott read the copy, he replied: "That is correct. Lionel and I climbed to the top of the north face, but not to the highest summit."

 

I then asked (discreetly, and with circumspection) if, in 1940, the highest summit appeared as if it might have offered any technical difficulties.

 

The good doctor then replied, "No. We could have climbed it, but we decided not to. That was not our purpose. Our purpose was to confirm Lionel's ascent, not take it away from him."

 

Dr. Trott was an honest and honorable man. In all the annals of Northwest mountaineering history, rarely has there been a statement as noble-minded as this.

 

 

(Appreciation: John Roper, Lowell Skoog, and Paul Klenke were kind enough to review this essay in advance. Matt Perkins graciously came to my assistance when, at one point, I found myself unable to proceed any further in this matter. Paul, in particular, offered suggestions that significantly enhanced the readability of the text. Their kind assistance is gratefully acknowledged. However, I myself am solely and entirely responsible for any errors of fact, interpretation, or omission. I think John will agree with me that the younger generation of North Cascades climbers has several highly promising and worthy scholars in their midst. It is reassuring to us older scholars to know that the future of North Cascades climbing history is in very capable hands.)

 

(A more detailed account of North Index, including an analysis of the early routes, along with further information on the 1937 accident/rescue and subsequent ascents, will appear in a forthcoming history of climbing in the North Cascades. Because it will still be many years before this history is actually completed and published, I feel it to be in the interest of the Northwest mountaineering community to release some of this information in advance, as has been done here.)

[tomtom]

Wouldn't Fred have also noticed that the cairn was on the false summit as well?

[Bug]

Thank you for this excellent account of Mt Index climbing history. I look forward to reading your book. What became of Frank Hill? Did you attempt to find him?

[mattp]

Thanks, Harry! In my view, Mount Index is a gem. Who among us hasn't driven up highway 2, looked up from that coffee stand just east of the Index Cafe and gaped in awe? Your historical information brings it that much more alive.

[mvs]

That was a real treat to read, thanks for sharing these revelations...

[Cpt.Caveman]

Sucks to break a leg and find out that indeed the mountain had been climbed already.

 

[sobo]

I'll second mvs's comment... A real treat! Normally, when I see a post that long on this board, I just skip it. That read, however, was worth every moment.

 

I've climbed the NF of NP of Index three times, and I just can't hardly imagine what that must have been like, given the equipment they had (or didn't have! ).

 

True hardmen.

[Stefan]

Very good read on North Cascade history. Very good.

[JayB]

Harry -

 

Thanks so much for sharing that account on this board. What a pleasure to read!

 

I'm especially amazed by Dr. Trott's conduct. This is the first case that I'm aware of in which a fellow climber declined the opportunity to claim a first ascent of this magnitude and a garner all of the accolades that such a feat would warrant. That he appears to have been attuned to the significance that the ascent had for Lionel Chute and decided to let things stand as they were on that basis is in some ways a rarer and more impressive deed than the ascent itself.

 

However, even now that the full story is known I think that Lionel's accomplishment will long be remembered and respected by anyone who even looks at that mountain - let alone climbs it.

 

This would make a wonderful addition to the as-yet-unborn Cascades Alpine Journal if that ever gets going.

[Lowell_Skoog]

Great stuff, Harry. I especially appreciate the long and tortuous journey you had to make to dig up this history. The fact that you reviewed several newspapers for the entire summer of 1929 and then stumbled on the 1927 Mt Index article by accident is fabulous. What a treasure hunt!

 

----

 

BTW - Readers who want to follow the link to my website in Harry's first article in this thread may need to remove the final period '.' in the URL.

Edited January 8, 2004 by Lowell_Skoog

[Bug]

BTW - Readers who want to follow the link to my website in Harry's first article in this thread may need to remove the final period '.' in the URL.

Shameless.

Lowell, do you know what became of Frank Hill?

[Doug]

For those of you who never had the opportunity to meet Dr. Otto Trott, you missed meeting one of the all-time nice people that God ever put on this earth.

 

I first met him at an anniversary party for my in-laws. My father-in-law and Otto had climbed & skiied together many moons ago. After he gave a testamonial at the party, I told my wife "I'd pay money to see this guy in Vegas"! He was that funny!

[Lowell_Skoog]

Lowell, do you know what became of Frank Hill?

 

No, I had not heard of Frank Hill before reading Harry's posting.

[catbirdseat]

Otto was my neighbor. He told me a couple of stories. One was about a rescue he was involved with on Mt. Stuart when a climber named Dave Grant and his partner were struck by lightning. Dave survived, but the partner was killed. Dave had a burn where the lightnight bolt travelled down the wet rope and struck him.

 

Otto also had a story about climbing with a young inexperienced fellow as his partner on a ridge in near Innsbruck, Austria in 1939. He was already an accomplished veteran at that time. They encountered a lightning storm and were forced to rappel down an unknown rock face through clouds and murk to safety. How when he joined his young partner on the ground, the guy pointed his finger to the sky and yelled something like, "ah ha! You didn't get us this time, you storm gods!"

 

He used to love to tell how he showed The Mountaineers how to use German front pointing technique. Prior to his arrival in 1939, they were all still using 10-point crampons and French technique, exclusively.

[Jens]

Wow, that was the best post of the last 12 months.

Hopefully Lionel's pictures will someday make it to the University of Washington.

_________

If my memory serves me, I noticed a bit of an optical illusion from the false summit area. It looks as it could be forever to the true summit area---but it isn't as far once you do it.

____

What a noble deed by Dr.Trott

[Lowell_Skoog]

Otto was my neighbor. He told me a couple of stories. One was about a rescue he was involved with on Mt. Stuart when a climber named Dave Grant and his partner were struck by lightning. Dave survived, but the partner was killed. Dave had a burn where the lightnight bolt travelled down the wet rope and struck him.

 

I think Paul Brikoff was the victim in this accident. I believe the survivor's name was Bob Grant. They were both quite young, in their early twenties. This was in 1952.

 

He used to love to tell how he showed The Mountaineers how to use German front pointing technique. Prior to his arrival in 1939, they were all still using 10-point crampons and French technique, exclusively.

 

I believe Chris Jones mentions this story in "Climbing in North America." You may be interested to learn that this bit of historic trans-Atlantic instruction was preserved on film. Dwight Watson introduced Otto Trott to a group of young Mountaineers including Fred and Helmy Beckey and Sigurd Hall during a climb of Mt Shuksan in August 1939. Watson filmed them climbing the Fisher Chimney route. This film has been preserved by the Mountaineers History Committee and a VHS copy can be checked out from the club library.

 

Here are brief notes on the film from my website (http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/notes/movie/dw-movies.html#shuksan-climb):

 

"Mt Shuksan Climb", 1939, 16mm Color, 15 minutes. Watson's finest film, titled "Thrills of a Mountain Climb" on the film itself. Otto Trott, Andy Hennig, Sigurd Hall, Fred and Helmy Beckey, John James and Joe McGowan climb Mount Shuksan by the Happy Fisher route in August 1939. The film opens with scenic views around the Mt Baker ski area, then the approach hike to Lake Ann. The climbers are shown scrambling up the Fisher Chimneys with afternoon lighting. Fred Beckey and Sigurd Hall strap on their crampons and Otto Trott demonstrates flat-footing on Winnie's Slide. (In Challenge of the North Cascades, Beckey wrote that he learned to use crampons on this climb.) There are extended sequences of the climbers negotiating crevasses on Hell's Highway and finally climbing the summit pyramid where they unfurl an American flag.

 

I believe Otto taught the boys how to flatfoot on this trip. Prior to his instruction, they chopped steps whenever the going got icy.

[Lowell_Skoog]

There's another long standing paradigm about Mt Index that should be re-evaluated. In CAG-1 (2nd Ed., 1987, p. 209) Fred Beckey writes that the East Face of the North Peak was first climbed on July 1, 1951 by Fred Beckey, Richard Berge, Jim Henry and Pete Schoening. (Note: I don't have the newest edition of this book. Does the latest edition still say this?)

 

In Jim Whittaker's autobiography, "A Life on the Edge," he describes a climb of the East Face of Mt Index with his twin brother Lou in July 1949, when they were both twenty years old (pp. 33-36). Jim writes, "The breathtaking east face is close to the highway and soars more than 3,000 feet above Lake Serene, which lies, blue and cold, at its base at an elevation of 2,800 feet." The book contains a vivid account of the difficulties, which through the twins' enthusiasm and inexperience, almost cost them their lives. In "Memoirs of a Mountain Guide," Lou Whittaker describes the same climb (pp. 43-45) but does not say which face they were on.

 

Maybe the Whittaker twins climbed the original North Face route rather than the East Face. Or maybe that they scaled the East Face two years before the Beckey party did. Someone should talk to them, with a photograph of the peak in hand, and find out the truth.

 

In the Appendix of "Challenge of the North Cascades" (p. 267), Fred Beckey wrote of the East Face of Index, "Why doesn't someone repeat this climb?" It would be ironic if, in fact, somebody climbed it two years before he did.

[klenke]

On the right in this photo is the East Face of the North Peak.

[Alpine_Tom]

There's another long standing paradigm about Mt Index that should be re-evaluated. In CAG-1 (2nd Ed., 1987, p. 209) Fred Beckey writes that the East Face of the North Peak was first climbed on July 1, 1951 by Fred Beckey, Richard Berge, Jim Henry and Pete Schoening. (Note: I don't have the newest edition of this book. Does the latest edition still say this?)

 

The third edition says the same thing. Don't any Whittakers lurk here?

[Bug]

Nice composite. I have taken a similar composite with the same results. I want that shot with a wide angle lens.

[Off_White]

The third edition says the same thing. Don't any Whittakers lurk here?

 

Not since Dwayner's departure diminished their fan base.

[HarryMajors]

tomtom ---

 

With respect to Lionel's cairn --- There are only two recorded accounts of the cairn that Lionel Chute left at the false summit of North Index on Aug. 7, 1927:

 

In his letter to me of Jan. 12, 1973, Lionel mentioned that --- "We found some scrub trees on top [of the false summit]. We built a two-foot rock cairn, stood a tree in it on which we tied a small flag. We put a waterproof matchbox with names and date in the cairn."

 

In the 10-page narrative which Dr. Otto Trott gave me in 1973, describing his 1940 ascent of North Index (as well as his 1939 Hanging Glacier ascent on Mt. Shuksan), Lionel's cairn is described somewhat differently --- "It was possible to proceed upwards towards the peak by holding to the north side of the western ridge until we came to the [false] summit, where we found an old stick placed into a can. This fact alone proved beyond any doubt that Lionel Chute and G. Tepl[e]y definitely had been there in 1929. . . . We climbed only to the summit of the north face [the false summit] and that's where the stick of Lionel Chute was embedded in the can."

 

There is some discrepancy here in the description of what actually was present at the site of the cairn. However, in speaking with pioneer climbers, who were attempting to recall events that had taken place from 30 to 50 years earlier, I found that such lapses of memory were not that uncommon. The amazing thing is that, after so many years and so many ascents, some of these climbers were able to recall as much as they did.

 

Dr. Trott further states that --- "Later on, I had personal discussions with Mr. Chute, and his description of the climb corroborated ours to such an extent that there is no doubt about it that he has been the one who made the first ascent. . . . This is the extent of my recollections of this climb, which I view as a confirmation of the achievement of Chute and Tepley."

 

This, at present, marks the last recorded reference in recorded history to Lionel Chute's cairn at the false summit of North Index. A review of my files and the published literature on Mt. Index reveals no further mention of the cairn.

 

The third party to successfully climb the North Face of North Index (and the first to make the first complete ascent of the North Peak), that of Fred and Helmy Beckey on July 1, 1945, makes no reference to any cairn --- "we followed a ridge over several false summits to the top" (1946 Mtnr. p. 44); "over several false summits to the top" (1946 AAJ p. 43).

 

Lionel read Fred's account, appearing in the Dec. 1946 Mountaineer annual, and remarked to me --- "Beckey didn't report finding our cairn, so I guess the snows must have destroyed it."

 

The two-foot high cairn, or vestiges thereof, may actually still be there. It may, in fact, already have been seen by some climbers, who were unaware of its significance. At that point during the ascent, most climbers are intent on reaching the true highest summit, and disinclined to linger at or scrutinize the false summit. Unless one was actually conscious of its importance in the first-ascent history of North Index, the presence of a small pile of rubble at the false summit would not likely appear as something worthy of notice.

 

If the tree/stick had survived in place, from 1927 to 1940, it is possible that remnants of the rock cairn may have lasted even longer. The first false summit is not really subject to significant disturbance by avalanche activity from above. Moreover, once the winter snows had begun, whatever snowpack that might have built up at the relatively level false summit would have served to protect the cairn (this may have helped protect the stick/tree during 1927-1940).

 

Although the most likely location for the 1927 cairn would be at the top of the first false summit, a thorough search would include the area from the top of the North Face across both the first and second false summits.

[HarryMajors]

Bug ---

 

About the year 1990, when I first came across his name, I did make a brief effort to locate Frank Hill ; but I was unable to track him down. Assuming that, as a Boy Scout, Frank was close to 15 years old in 1927 (born about 1912), this would put his age at about 92 today.

 

It is possible that he may still be alive today, in which case he would have a story of epic proportions to tell us. However, I just did a check of the on-line Social Security Death Index, and find that there is a "Frank Hill" listed for Washington State, who was born on Dec. 29, 1911, and who died in July 1978.