MervGriffin Posted September 20, 2004 Posted September 20, 2004 Driving up to Rain-Dawg on Saturday, I stopped by the Mountainfest thing they had going on in Ashford. Gear sale, food and beer, meet and greet some Everest dudes if that's your thing, fake ice-climbing wall for the kiddies...loads of fun, but then I felt an awesome presence overwhelm me. As a cold yet somehow welcoming shudder passed through me body, I turned around to see not 30 feet away, His Lou-ness, in all his alpine splendor. Yuckin' it up, shakin' hands and signin' autographs...as I turned to run to my car where I could roll up the windows and squeel like a teenaged Beatles fan, I thought I was seeing double...no, I wasn't seeing double...nearby was Big Lou's brother, Jim (FACME), who looks just like him, but hasn't climbed Rainier as many times. Too nervous and shy to approach the Dopellgangerin, I ran off and drove up The Mountain, the aura of Lou extending well into the Park boundaries. I recall that a few years ago, encounters with Big Lou inspired a good bit of poetry, as one might expect. Here's a happy sample: J. Kassidy wrote: "Big Lou leaves big tracks, from skis and God knows what else. What are his options?" Peter Puget displayed his well-hidden artistic side: "My view of the Gods An ideal for my living I am cleansed by Lou" Pope offered this for us to ponder: "Big Lou be big boy, a big hero big boy Lou: he's proportional." jblakely's contribution: "trouser volcano village girl climb high Mt. Lou run villagers run!" And Dwayner shared the love with this: "Lou... Half man/half sasquatch denizen of Tacoma's great white monster. Human burro of the overloaded Jan-Sport. Sir Lou....half glacier/half moraine, master of Rainier's glassy tormented slopes, yet awed, nay, humbled by its grandeur... pressure-breathing giant of the Ingraham, you had me at "rest-step". A thousand blonde monotone guides fail in imitation. Lou.....you complete me." His Lou-ness. Quote
Off_White Posted September 20, 2004 Posted September 20, 2004 I've met Lou too, but I was much less impressed than you. I thought he was full of poo and none too attached to the troo th Quote
dmuja Posted September 20, 2004 Posted September 20, 2004 At last years fest, I heard em tellin a couple dirty jokes. Likeable guy despite those stupid "Tram to Muir" ideas and such that seem to occasionally come out of the Whittacker camp. Quote
Fairweather Posted September 22, 2004 Posted September 22, 2004 Big Lou Haiku: Big Lou is stand-up built a life most would envy what is up with Jim? Big Jim climbs for Dems mountains and activism! what's his avatar? Quote
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