Norman Clyde of the Sierra Nevada

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Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Aug 31, 2007 - 09:43am PT

Doug,
I don't have a copy of The Great Days having read Neptune's copy decades ago, but my take on the Grand Capucin comes from Doug Scott's book, as well as conversations with my onetime partner (our first El Cap route) Georges Bettembourge and the man himself (not to mention his marathon slide presentations which, although unbelievably long, I found to be marvelously beautiful and deeply inspiring).

allapah

climber

Aug 31, 2007 - 07:14pm PT

Clyde spontaneously breaking into a weeping fit upon reaching Starr's body is Clyde confronting his own loneliness and despair

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 1, 2007 - 11:54am PT

Here is a view of the Muir Gorge from another angle. I went looking for an account in Galen Rowell's beautiful illustrated version of The Yosemite by John Muir. Et Voila.

Same exact spot as the Bridge photo.

Muir's account and Galen's notes.
I can't locate the citation but Norman Clyde was in on the first repeat passage of the Muir Gorge mentioned above if I am not mistaken.

xharv

Mountain climber

Palo Alto

Sep 16, 2008 - 03:05pm PT

As many contributors to this forum have noticed, words tough, unapproachable, introvert and isolated were often associated with Norman Clyde. Not so, says Lisa Parker Carson.

Norman Clyde was a frequent visitor of the Parker family while they lived near Bishop in the sixties. To show his appreciation
for a hot meal and family surrounding, Norman would always
bring some fire wood to the Parkers.

Lisa, who was one of five children in the family,
recently sent me her recollections of Norman Clyde. She remembers
climbing over him or bouncing on his robust belly while he
patiently sat in his chair. She even used Norman's bald head
as a canvas for her "artwork", and he would not utter a word
in protest and even seemed to enjoy it. I would probably have had
some doubts about her story had Lisa not also sent me
a couple of pictures from her album that vividly supported
her memories. Meet the Norman Clyde that
you didn't know about:

http://highwire.stanford.edu/~galic/clyde/LisaCarsonStory.html

Enjoy!

Send

Boulder climber

Three Rivers, California

Sep 16, 2008 - 03:38pm PT

So many FA's. Probably the most important mountaineer of the Sierra Nevadas to date.

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Sep 16, 2008 - 04:06pm PT

Steve,

> Marjory Bridge. Anyone know about her or her climbing past the mid-thirties?

Well, she married Francis Farquhar in 1934 and they had 3 kids....

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/francis_farquhar_obituary.html

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2008 - 10:19am PT

Gaffer bump!

Maysho

climber

Truckee, CA

Sep 17, 2008 - 12:21pm PT

Thanks for bumping this great thread, somehow missed it the first time around.

Great to see the photos of the Muir Gorge. In 2002 Project Bandaloop did a 22 day backpack trip/Dance expedition from Twin Lakes to Hetch Hetchy. I was traveling with a book on Muirs adventures and read the account listed above. We took a rest day at the bottom of the canyon and 8 of us walked/swam down the Gorge. It was early August and perfect conditions, beautiful and memorable, I highly recommend it.

Clyde was the man.

Peter

klk

Trad climber

cali

Sep 17, 2008 - 12:28pm PT

The Bancroft Library, Berkeley has the Norman Clyde Papers as well as the Francis Farquar papers.

The Clyde collection includes transcripts of interviews done with him by Eichhorn and others. There are bits of various manuscripts and ephemera. Not a ton of correspondence, but it is still pretty useful, especially if one were to do a new edition of Clyde's writings.

http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf996nb44j

le_bruce

climber

Oakland: what's not to love?

Sep 17, 2008 - 05:25pm PT

Climbed my first Clyde route this weekend. Wonderful thread, thank you.

Question: was Starr's body never removed?

Captain...or Skully

Big Wall climber

up Yonder (the edge of Treason)

Sep 17, 2008 - 07:22pm PT

They don't make 'em like Clyde anymore.....The mold broke. Couldn't contain.......

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 18, 2008 - 12:12am PT

The opening article certainly implies a body recovery but I don't have Clyde's bio to glean further details. Farquhar doesn't specify any recovery either.

Chicken Skinner

Trad climber

Yosemite

Sep 18, 2008 - 12:18am PT

I actually have news articles with pictures stored away about the recovery. I know other details too, but don't think I should share over the internet due to family wishes.

Ken

Double D

climber

Sep 18, 2008 - 12:55am PT

Thanks Steve for a great thread.

And Doug, as always your writing flows like chocolate syrup on ice-cream.

Norman was always one of my heros. His routes were way heads up considering he was wearing cob-nailed boots. Dang!

le_bruce

climber

Oakland: what's not to love?

Sep 18, 2008 - 01:02am PT

Steve Grossman - thanks, I went back and read that more carefully.

Chicken Skinner - 10-4, respect to you for honoring their wishes.

dee ee

Mountain climber

citizen of planet Earth

Sep 18, 2008 - 05:34pm PT

According to the new book (Robert Pavlik, Norman Clyde, Legendary Mountaineer of California's Sierra Nevada) "Jules and Norman interred Pete Starr in a cleft in the rock on the narrow ledge." ..... "Once the body was in place, the pair gathered rocks and walled the fallen climber into his high-altitude tomb, where he still rests today. Many years later Eichorn related to Sierra wilderness photographer Claude Fiddler that Clyde wept while they worked."
Clyde returned with Mr. Starr on a couple of occasions to the grave site to make sure it remained undisturbed.