History and stories from mountain men

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JimLangford

Mountain climber

Moose, Wy

Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 21, 2012 - 10:56pm PT

“History and stories from mountain men are always welcome here.”-- (Mighty Hiker)

Here is the thread that gave rise to this one.

This story is history; it’s about some Teton mountain men and it’s current.
A couple years ago Jody called me and asked if I knew a Keith Jones. I said, “Yes, he was a seasonal ranger in the Tetons in the late ‘50’s.” “Well, he’s trying to get in touch with you. Here’s his phone number.”

Keith had discovered Jody’s mountain photo website. He lives with his wife, Anore, on the Kaweah River in the Sierra foothills near Three Rivers. They’re caretakers on a small ranch there. We hadn’t seen or heard from each other for over 50 years. About a week later my wife and I met with him at a small café east of Visalia. He looked like an aged Buffalo Bill Cody, pony tail and all. Keith was a man born 150 years too late. He should have participated in the Pierre’s Hole rendezvous of 1829 and 1832. He drove up in an old, rusty Ford pickup, the only vehicle he had ever owned in his life, he said. Keith and Don Williams had manned the Berry Creek patrol cabin, across from the Snake River, for several summers. They even stocked it one fall with beans, flour, bacon and venison and spent the winter there, unknown to the park staff.

Keith had climbed several major routes in the Teton range with Marty Benham. He also introduced me to Paul Petzoldt who was managing a tavern near Lander at the time, and we circumvented the Wind Rivers, probing all the trail heads. Keith, Don and I operated the Jackson Lake elk hunting check station for two seasons and were involved in several search and rescue operations in the wilderness between Teton and Yellowstone. Much to their chagrin both Keith and Don were drafted into the army in ‘58 or ‘59 and I never heard from them again ‘til that phone call from Jody.

As it turned out, Keith spent two years in the army in Alaska as a dental assistant, after which he enrolled at the University of Alaska. Don was stationed in Germany. While in school Keith met Anore and got acquainted with Howard and Erna Kantner. In 1962 they climbed McKinley together by the original Sourdough Route, skiing from the railroad tracks at Park Headquarters to the base camp 100 miles distant with 60 to 100 pound packs. They returned and ferried additional loads. The climb took 45 days. Afterward, they went separate ways. Keith and Anore, accompanied by Don Williams (fresh out of the army), floated down the Kobuk River above the Arctic Circle on a raft and spent the winter in a sod igloo 100 miles from the coast. In the fall of 1964 they all met up again in Fairbanks. In Spain Howard and Erna had received a letter from Keith and Anore, now married, describing a beautiful, wild spot on the Kobuk below Ambler called Onion Portage. By now the Arctic had infiltrated all their bloodstreams and this is where they headed.

25 years later Keith and Howard came out with their wives, leaving behind their sod igloos forever. Don Williams and Mary, his Eskimo wife, still live in Ambler. Don, I talk with now and then by satellite phone. He’s the one the Fish and Game Department depends upon each census year to count the caribou from aerial photographs. It takes about 3 months during the long, cold winter days in Ambler. Howard and Erna live on the side of a volcano above Captain Cook on the island of Hawaii, “where it’s warm,” says Erna. Having never met them before, my wife and I got to visit with them last month on their 3 ½ acre parcel, a virtual jungle of exotic fruit and nut trees which he’s no longer able to keep up with. They don’t have electricity, not that they miss it. Keith, who finished 19th in the 1976 Iditarod, suffered two strokes last year which have left him barely able to walk and talk.

Howard and Erna’s son, Seth, who still lives near where he was born that first winter at Onion Portage in 1965, has written a fascinating account of their lives above the Arctic Circle. I suggest reading Shopping for Porcupine for the rest of the story. Honestly, any claim to fame I may have is based completely on some of the people I have known in the Tetons and their exploits.

A story on Don Williams can be found here.

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Jan 21, 2012 - 11:03pm PT

"Shopping For Porcupine" Gotta be the Supertopo book-of-the-year.

Welcome aboard and thanks for posting the fascinating story.

Todd Eastman

climber

Bellingham, WA

Jan 21, 2012 - 11:15pm PT

Great history!

Our old climbing friends are usually good friends that don't require too much attention.

Thanks

Russ Walling

Gym climber

Poofter's Froth, Wyoming

Jan 21, 2012 - 11:17pm PT

Good stuff! Thanks!

jogill

climber

Colorado

Jan 22, 2012 - 12:50am PT

Jim, do you remember the "barefoot contessa" who climbed the Grand in bare feet? I spoke with her a few years ago - I think she is a judge in Arizona. Her father or uncle was the guy who used to bring the Indian jewelry to the climbers campground every summer after trading with tribes in the Monument Valley area. He would get up early and drive to String Lake for a dip, then eat a breakfast of watermelon (to the best of my recollection! which isn't saying much)

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Jan 22, 2012 - 12:52am PT

Thanks!

We can certainly link this one to:

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1383032/Smoke-Blanchard

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/440068/Norman-Clyde-of-the-Sierra-Nevada

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

sorry, just posting out loud.

Jan 22, 2012 - 12:56am PT

well done Jody on getting him out. :)

Mr. Langford, what's this about a rescue?

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber

Livermore, CA

Jan 22, 2012 - 01:19am PT

what a wonderful story! thanks for taking the time to relate it to us.. amazing to ponder!

steelmnkey

climber

Vision man...ya gotta have vision...

Jan 22, 2012 - 11:05am PT

Sounds like some amazing lives lived well!
Thanks for sharing that.

JimLangford

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 22, 2012 - 11:42am PT

At a time when the Alaska natives were trading their igloos for wood frame houses, firing up diesel generators and living off government subsidies, Keith, Howard, Don and their wives were adapting to the centuries old Eskimo way of life. Something their native friends couldn’t understand. The fuel shortage at Nome recently wouldn’t have been a problem for them. Even Don Williams, now the chief elder at Ambler, was in the news recently. He was calling for help because the town’s two generators were broken down. Bad weather, I understand, prevented qualified mechanics being flown in. The villagers were getting cold. What in the world did they do, may we ask, before they had electricity to plug into?

kunlun_shan

Mountain climber

SF, CA

Jan 22, 2012 - 12:02pm PT

Wow! Very interesting stories - would love to hear some more!

I just ordered Seth's book.

JimLangford

Mountain climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 22, 2012 - 04:32pm PT

John, I vaguely remember hearing about a barefoot climb of the Grand, but it must have been after I moved on. And the climber’s campground was still in its controversial infant stages (the CCC incinerator, Chouinard, Weeks, et al.) then.

I do recall one morning at the Jennie Lake R.S. a guy coming in with a slight accent wanting suggestions about climbing the Grand. He was just traveling through on the way to Salt Lake City to catch a flight and wanted to get a quick “hike” in that day. He was familiar with climbing terminology and seemed rather confident, but had only regular loafers on. I was skeptical about his footgear, though, and finally agreed to loan him the only shoes I had handy: a pair of sweat-soaked, Converse All Star basketball shoes. He returned them that afternoon and expressed appreciation for making his day! He had found his way to the Lower Saddle and soloed the Owen-Spaulding, getting some directions from a guided party on the way. He said those canvas shoes worked fine. I found out later that he was a member of the Swiss team on Everest that Spring.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jan 22, 2012 - 04:34pm PT

Cool stories of mountain men and women!
Thanks for sharing.

Nohea

Trad climber

Living Outside the Statist Quo

Jan 22, 2012 - 08:04pm PT

agreed to loan him the only shoes I had handy

What a guy!

Thank you for sharing Sir, fantastic experiences indeed.

Aloha,
Will

perswig

climber

Jan 22, 2012 - 09:03pm PT

Thank you for joining us and sharing your memories.
Dale

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Jan 22, 2012 - 09:28pm PT

hey there say, jim langford... oh my... how very special to hear you come and share all this...

god bless... thanks so very much...
i really love to hear all the old time stuff...

so much MORE than just stuff, it is... :)
hope you stay a bit and share more...

:)

edit:
say, jim, i don't know these folks, but say,
erna had kind eyes... they sure look nice together... :)

Beautiful_Corn

Trad climber

Brooklyn Park, MD

Jan 23, 2012 - 11:34am PT

I love Howard's shirt:

"I'm a girl talking, power walking, circuit pumping, station jumping Mighty Curves Member!"

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Jan 23, 2012 - 11:39am PT

Welcome to the taco Mr. Langford. Good stories; keep 'em coming.

Got to know your son a bit over the past few years. Ya know, if he can improve his marksmanship a bit he just might have a potential career in law enforcement.