Bill Stark, 1912-2006

[mattp]

Bill Stark and his wife Peg may be best known to Cascade climbers through their names of various features in the Enchantments: Lake Viviane, Aasgard Pass, Merlin's Tower, Rune, Talisman and Valkyrie.... These two began exploring the Enchantments in 1959 and fought quite a battle with the Forest Service to have their names adopted when the local District Ranger had named the lakes after girlfriends or given them more "institutional" names like "Inspiration Lake." Fred Beckey's use of their names in his guidebook tipped the scales in their favor.

 

Peg and Bill also founded a back country ski business on McCue Ridge, above Highway 2 near the rest area east of Stevens Pass. Many who post on this site have visited that "resort." Some have gone up there to enjoy the magnificiant touring in high, but gently rolling terrain, while others have gone ice climbing at Lake Julius or hiked in the high meadows.

 

I and several others who lurk at this site learned to telelmark ski from "the old goat."

 

Bill touched many lives. He will be missed. Peg survives and lives in Port Townsend.

[Lowell_Skoog]

Thanks Matt. If you see any tributes published on-line, could you post a link here? I imagine the Wenatchee paper might run something.

[mattp]

Last Friday, the Wenatchee World ran such a piece.

 

web page

 

Some here may enjoy hearing that Bill retired early from Boeing so that they could spend more time in the mountains. He and Peg moved to Leavenworth, and had a house where they invited lots of similarly minded people to come and stay. Most of their visitors were young and some had long hair. I'm not sure they saw it this way, but it was at times derided as a "commune" by their neighbors.

 

Bill was very active in local Leavenworth politics and Peg, too, could be quite vocal on environmental matters. In one interview, Bill proclaimed he had left Boeing because he no longer wanted to be a "wage slave," and the pair of them served "Russian Tea" at their rustic backcountry resort. This was enough to get them branded as "communists."

 

They had a very intense spiritual thing going for the mountains around Leavenworth and they devoted the second half of their lives to this passion. They were (are) good people.

[tjmcd]

This news saddens me despite his living a full long life. My Mom took my brother and me to the "commune". My Mom and Dad divorced when I was five. While I can't say I knew Bill long enough for him to have been a father figure, I can say that he sticks out crystal clearly in my mind. Nobody in my family was very outdoory or athletic and he was both. I learned my life long love of cross-country skiing right there from Bill and Peg. I once went out skiing with Bill and came back so tired that when I fell from the top bunk in my sleep that night I didn't wake up. My Mom put me back. I only learned about the plunge when Peg asked me about the next morning while I was reading about Norwegian trolls and eating 7 grain cereal.

 

I was impressed that he quit his job with Boeing to run the "Family Adventure Camp". Bill taught me also that what inspires you might not be your work and that you need to follow that inspiration where in leads.

 

Thanks Bill.

[olyclimber]

Enchantment Lakes features named by Bill and Peg Stark:

 

Lakes and ponds:

 

Brisingamen

 

Brynhild

 

Crystal

 

Fantasia

 

Freya

 

Leprechaun

 

Naiad

 

Pixie Pond

 

Reginleif

 

Rune

 

Sprite

 

Talisman

 

Valkyrie

 

Viviane

 

Other features:

 

Aasgard Pass

 

Dragontail

 

Druid Plateau

 

Elf Ridge

 

Excalibur Rock

 

Gnome Tarn

 

Merlin’s Tower

 

Tarnhelm Towers

 

The Temple

 

Troll Sink

 

Valhalla Cirque

 

Witches Tower

[Off_White]

Few enough of us will live to 94 with a life so full lived and touching so many other people and such a stamp on a place.

 

Here's to Bill:

[RideT61]

Merlin’s Tower

 

Tarnhelm Towers

 

Where are these? I don't see them in the Beckey Guide.

[ClimbingPanther]

I met a couple of Norwegians coming down Aasgard a few weeks ago and they said many old Norse names have been changed. Is this true / are the Starks' names the new or old ones?

Anyway,

to him for his love of the outdoors, and peace be with his family

Edited September 19, 2006 by ClimbingPanther

[mattp]

Here's a picture of Peg and Bill (center of photo) and their dog Aaron at High Camp:

 

[mattp]

And here, at "Marmot Manor," above "Excalibur Rock," near the shores of "Lake Viviane" in the Enchantments:

 

[bilrus]

http://www.camelotmedia.com/enchantment.html

 

The Stark's film at this site, shows many of the places you asked about. I recall a map that is shown at the end - drawn over the years by the family. Check it out to learn some more ... like Merlin's tower ... its the big black rock ad the end of Lake Viviane. Bill and Peg's camp (Marmet manor) was under Merlin's shadow next to the biggest larch in WA (the world?) ... so Peg told me the last time I had honor of visiting the Starks In camelot.

 

My 20 yr old and I leave Fri for the Sat pot luck and services Sun at Sleeping Lady for Bill. Glad I found this web page ... helping with my processing ibthe loss to all the extended family(s). I climbed when I lived with the Starks in 79-82 ... now I paint in W/C from what I remember of the wild places I us to go. I also work for sustainability in state parks - Bill's friendship lead me to the work I do now.

 

Check out the movie -- and I will take a few hikes this week end too, I do miss der town and the years at the Chelet and the High camp!

Edited September 22, 2006 by bilrus

[Dave_Schuldt]

I've stayed at High Camp twice, cool place.