Don Gordon, early Cascade climber, passed away

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pix4u

climber
Sonoma, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 7, 2016 - 03:16pm PT
I received word yesterday that my of friend of many years Don Gordon passed away, apparently in late April. He lived alone in an apartment in Capital Hill, Seattle. He lived there when I climbed with him in the late 1950's and early 1960's. He never moved.
He was very interested in Eastern mysticism and was a Reiki master. He had visited us in our home on Sonoma Mountain in the 1980's and 1990's.
Don was part of the party that made the first ascent of the Wishbone Arete on Mt. Robson. He also made many first ascents in the Cascade Mountains, many with Fred Becky. He was with me on the first ascent of the northeast face of Mt. Baring in 1960, then the "last unsolved problem" in the Cascade Mountains. Fred acted in support in a story too long to relate here.
Except for his mother, long gone, he never mentioned any relatives although he must have had some. Perhaps in time I will find out. I'll post a few here taken in the climbing years.
pix4u

climber
Sonoma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2016 - 03:21pm PT
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
Jun 7, 2016 - 03:23pm PT
Beautiful pictures. As a big fan of the Cascades myself, I recognize Don's achievements.

Thanks for sharing.

R.I.P. Don. Off belay.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Outside the Asylum
Jun 7, 2016 - 03:40pm PT
Thanks, Ed. This is very sad news.

Don Gordon - Don Claunch, as he was then called - also participated in the first ascent of South Arete at Squamish, in 1959. It's now called Squamish Buttress, and was the first fairly technical route to the top of the Chief. His team mates were Hank Mather and Fred Beckey.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Jun 7, 2016 - 03:42pm PT
My sincere condolences to you and others close to Don. I always wondered about this
mystery man whose name appeared on those fabulous climbs. Having contemplated
Baring's daunting face I understand the somber visages above but I can not imagine
doing it in 1960!

He sounds the quintessential Capitol Hill denizen based on uniqueness. :-)
Oplopanax

Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
Jun 7, 2016 - 03:47pm PT
Always wondered why his name changed from Don Claunch to Don Gordon. Did he change it himself or was there some other reason? Was Claunch a nickname or his actual name?
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Jun 7, 2016 - 03:52pm PT
Another gone. Never heard of Don until now as I have never been active in the PNW. Condolences to family and friends.

I am old enough to remember prussiks.
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Jun 7, 2016 - 04:03pm PT
Thanks for posting that, Mr. Cooper. I met Don several years ago when I was interested in some energy healing modalities that we both trained in. I visited him in that apartment a few times and talked a lot about his climbing adventures. He was wonderful person and a friend and I will miss him. Don was a big guy with a big heart and he was interested in all sorts of spiritual and religious subjects but was not into one thing nor did he proselytize. My kind of "seeker". He seemed really young at heart and still interested in new things.

It is kind of sad that I had thought of calling him a few times within the last year but never did. Now I can't and I regret it.

See you on the other side, my friend!

edit- Claunch was a nickname.
pix4u

climber
Sonoma, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2016 - 04:14pm PT
Regarding Don Gordon's name change from Don Claunch. It was a personal thing going back to his family and he didn't like to talk about it. I respected that and never inquired further about it.
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Jun 7, 2016 - 04:26pm PT
Don climbed in Yosemite a few times also. He told me a story of doing a climb with George Whitmore on Lower Cathedral. George took a leader fall and broke his arm and Don rescued him. Neither of them had ever done anything like that but it all worked out fine like no big deal. Don also climbed some FAs on peaks out of Yakutat solo. The approaches alone sounded epic but once again, no big deal for Don.

Don couldn't imagine how modern climbers could climb stuff as hard as 5.11. I told him that ratings were a bit different back then and stuff he would rate 5.8 could very well be 5.10 these days. And yes, it's the shoes. He felt good when I told him that if he had Fires he would walk up a modern 5.10+.

Edit--He told me the same thing, Ed and I , like you, left it alone.

I met Nick Clinch a couple years ago and he talked about climbing with Don in Yosemite many years ago and how folks kidded them about the Clinch and Claunch climbing team.


Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Jun 7, 2016 - 04:38pm PT
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1350049/The-Wishbone-At-Last-Mt-Robson-Don-Claunch-CAJ-1956
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Jun 7, 2016 - 05:03pm PT
Mt. Baring - North Face
from
http://www.mountaineers.org/about/history/the-mountaineer-annuals/indexes-annuals-maos/the-mountaineer-1960
MOUNT BARING NORTH FACE
By FRED BECKEY and ED COOPER

Of the many sheer mountain walls in the Cascades, those near an
existing highway are bound to attract the most attention, and when
one remains unclimbed after several attempts, it soon gains a ponderous
reputation.
The north and east faces of Mt. Baring are notoriously impressive
from the Stevens Pass Highway and from Barclay Lake. While it is not
known when the first serious attempt was made to scale Baring from
the faces above the lake, it is doubtful whether a sincerely organized
effort probed any distance up the face until 1951, when Pete Schoening
and Richard Berge made two attempts to place a route up the face. To
their credit is the establishment of the route up the cliffy lower section
and the conquest of the first two of the final steps, a route that has not
materially been improved upon. Heat and lack of time ended their
attempt at the left end of a difficult traverse on the third step, an area
that remained the high point until the face was climbed in 1960.
Another party, composed of Don Claunch, Dave Collins and Paul
Salness spent much effort in packing camp loads about halfway up the
face, but did not reach the final steps. In 1952 Richard Berge, Tom
Miller and Fred Beckey hoped to make the climb in a weekend, and
packed a bivouac load to the top of the first step. Due to the oncoming
of sudden bad weather, the party decided to retreat and found themselves
amid darkness and fog in the cliffy forested area just above the
lake. It was here that Richard Berge slipped to his death off a cliff
beneath a steep forest slope in a most unusual and very unfortunate
tragedy. It was an accident that pointed up the treachery of this mountain;
certainly Baring will always be a monument to his skill, daring
and sportsmanship.
There were no more known attempts on the face for several years
until 1956 when Pete Schoening and Don Claunch made a climb on the
face and finally reached the high point of previous attempts. John
Rupley and Claunch went to the top of the first step in 1957, thwarted
by lack of water and extreme heat. In 1959 Don Claunch, Fred Beckey
and Ed Cooper bivouacked on the first step and again reached the high
point, where a bolt was finally placed in the unusually hard rock. Lack
of time and extreme heat kept the party from continuing attempts that
summer.
FRED BECKEY

This was the situation as of early June, 1960. In view of the problems,
Don Claunch, Fred Beckey and I decided that only siege tactics
could assure a successful ascent. We started by cutting a complete trail
through the brush cliffs of the first 2300 feet, which would make it
easier to carry heavy loads to higher camps. Yellow trail markers were
placed and hundreds of feet of sling rope were hung from the brush in
steeper places. In several particularly bad places, various lengths of full
width nylon climbing ropes were used.
We all spent from four to six days, on weekends and other free days,
preparing the lower part of the route. We were fortunate in securing
the help of Ron Priebe, who helped to carry 60-pound loads to Couloir
Camp, and Ron Niccoli, who helped in the tedious task of hauling
heavy loads by rope to the top of the first step. Eventually, we had
almost a week's supply of food, besides tarps, sleeping bags, stove, gas,
and a large quantity of water bags ( there was still a patch of snow from
which we could melt water) at Dolomite Camp, on top of the first step.
On July 9, Fred, Don and I started up. That night we reached Dolomite
Camp and put one fixed rope on the second step. The next day we
reached the high point of the previous attempts. Fred spent four hours
at this point trying to place bolts. Results were very discouraging. Only
one 1/4-inch bolt, whose hole had partially spalled, was placed. Several
drills were broken. (We had over fifteen with us.) Don spent another
two hours on a hole that Fred had worked on, without appreciable
results.
Late that afternoon after rappeling down the fixed ropes to Dolomite
Camp, we were feeling very low. Perhaps the north face of Baring was
just not climbable by the technique now available. Fred had to return to
work in Seattle but Don and I decided to stay another day.
The next morning, after spending several hours drilling and then
abandoning all hope of making any further progress by bolts, I managed
to place a chrome-molly knife blade piton six inches higher than the
last previous piton. Not much progress -but it gave me confidence to
place a wafer, spoon and angle, none of which I dared put full weight
on. I was now ready to give up the attempt on Don's first suggestion
that we do so. Fortunately, I didn't say anything and neither did he, and
he prussiked up to the knife blade after my descent. To my horror, he
stood on my pitons ( the wafer and stirrup came crashing down onto
the ledge) and miraculously managed to place a good piton. We were
now on our way. After making 20 feet more on pitons we returned to
Dolomite Camp. The next day Don worked his way to a good belay
ledge and I followed, removing the pitons. We fixed a rope.
The next day we prussiked up into the fog to our high point of the
previous day. I led over a short 120 ° roof and a long vertical pitch
which accepted pitons reasonably well . I approached the branch tips of
the scrub firs overhanging the third step and pulled myself up on them.
A 300-foot scramble and the north face of Baring was at our feet.
As have many other former difficult climbs, this climb may soon
become a weekend excursion for the new generation of climbers, but
in our opinion, it was all of what Berge and Schoening had said - "just
barely climbable."
ED COOPER
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
Jun 7, 2016 - 05:41pm PT
What a great pioneer. Sorry to hear of his passing. I ate up a lot of the Beckey stories when I was younger and poured over Cascade guidebooks. Don's name was a common sight. Well done, Mr. Gordon. You've led the last pitch.

BAd
Tricouni

Mountain climber
Vancouver
Jun 7, 2016 - 05:52pm PT
Ed, thank you for posting this, and I'm sorry for your loss.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Outside the Asylum
Jun 7, 2016 - 07:17pm PT
Here is Fred's description of the first ascent of what is now called Squamish Buttress, from the 1960 American Alpine Journal, with Don (Claunch) Gordon and Hank Mather.

Also the only known mention of "Goose Rock". Fred implicitly refers to the first ascent ot South Gully in 1957, by Hank Mather and Jim Archer. The first recorded route at Squamish. On that climb, Hank learned of the connection from the gully into the forest above the Apron, now used in reverse by the Ultimate Everything. That allowed them to avoid bivouacking. Hank must also have generally scoped out possibilities in 1957. Fred apparently had the idea of doing a bottom to top climb, with Don rounding out the team.
(Sorry, rush job - you get to read about other things, too.)

Despite the discussion of geography, Fred doesn't call the route South Arete - the first mention of that was in the 1963/64 guidebook.
karen stentz

climber
carnation, wa
Oct 20, 2016 - 10:52pm PT
I was looking to see if my mothers cousin was still in Seattle.I hadn't seen Don Claunch in many years, 1992.He came to visit me in Kirkland.He came with his mothers slide projector and a couple hrs of slides.I had not seen him in about 20-25yrs. I adored his mother,(Mary).Am very sorry to here of his passing, and feel I really missed out by not searching a little harder for him.As a kid I remember stories about his climbing adventures.I will pass this info to my mother,of whom would be the last of that generation in our family.Comforting to know that he had you folks. Sincerely Karen Stentz. (carnation WA)
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
Oct 20, 2016 - 10:57pm PT
Nice post Karen.
It's always cool when we draw non climber family members to our memorial threads.
Studly

Trad climber
WA
Oct 21, 2016 - 09:50am PT
Followed in Don's footsteps for the past 45 years but never met him. Wish I had. Another day, another time Don!
11worth

Trad climber
Leavenworth & Greenwater WA
Oct 21, 2016 - 11:40am PT
Ed,
Sorry for the loss of your friend. As a Northwest climber I have always heard of him and his famous first ascents, many with you. RIP fellow climber.

Jim
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Oct 21, 2016 - 04:07pm PT
hey there say, pix4u... i am very late seeing this...

my condolences to his family and loved ones...

thank you to all that shared stories, so that others will
know who he was, and all that he did for his share, in climbing
the rocks...
Messages 1 - 20 of total 24 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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