Cascade Lore

[ScottP]

What with over a century of climbing history, climbing in the Cascade Mountains has it's share of climbing lore: Legendary bushwacks, wills written on shirt cuffs, Ted Bundy being the first to officially drive across the N Cascades Highway....

Of them all, I'd have to say the first ascent of the Willis Wall, as a solo, by Charlie Bell ranks right up there with the best. What makes it such a classic tale in my mind is the fact that when Bell told of his climb, nobody believed him. When he learned of the extent of this disbelief, he went back and climbed the route again (still solo). Only this time he took a camera. Still nobody believed him. It wasn't until Wickwire and Bertulis inadvertently climbed the route and brought back pictures that matched Bell's was it official that he had been the first up the Willis Wall, and solo to boot.

[Jens]

Our stories get passed by storytelling on long car rides to climbs. Wherever we live, we all put a lot of miles in the car to climb (lillooet, smith, WA pass). Cascade lore gets tweaked a little with each retelling? We've all got our Beckey stories and stuff.

 

I guess the internet is/has really changed our passing of lore from one generation to the next?

[wayne]

What were some other great things Peter Croft did here didnt he do something to the Stuart range . Anyone know if he did anything in the Pickets?