First Californian Climbs the Colorado 14,000 Foot Pks, 1954

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gore galore
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First Californian Climbs the Colorado 14,000 Foot Pks, 1954

Post by gore galore »

FIRST CALIFORNIAN CLIMBS THE COLORADO 14,000 FOOT PEAKS AND THE FORTY-EIGHT STATE 14,000 FOOT PEAKS, CAPTAIN R. S. “SAM” FINK, 1954
by gore galore

Carl Blaurock and Bill Ervin were the first to climb all of the then Colorado 14,000 foot peaks in 1923. Norman Clyde was the first to climb all of the California 14,000 foot peaks in 1927 and Pacific Coast 14,000 foot peaks with his ascent of Mount Rainier in 1929.

Carl Melzer and his nine-year-old son Bob took the progression a step further by climbing the Colorado 14,000 foot peaks in a single season in 1937 and then climbed the California 14,000 foot peaks and Mount Rainier in 1939 becoming the first to climb the 14,000 foot peaks of the forty-eight states.

But who was the first Californian to do the reverse process of climbing the Pacific Coast 14,000 foot peaks and then the Colorado 14,000 foot peaks to complete the forty-eight state 14,000 foot peaks? The answer would come fifteen years later after the Melzers when Sierra Club member Captain R. S. “Sam” Fink of the Santa Ana Fire Department accomplished the feat in 1954.

FIRST CALIFORNIAN
Sam Fink climbed Mount Whitney in 1930 as his first California 14,000 foot peak. In 1940 he completed the ascents of California’s thirteen 14,000 foot peaks. In 1947 he climbed Mount Rainier. Fink added Thunderbolt Peak in 1948 as his 14th California 14,000 footer and last Pacific Coast 14,000 foot peak.

In 1949 Sam Fink climbed thirteen of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks. In 1953 he climbed fourteen more 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado in thirteen days. His total of 14,000 foot peaks in the U. S. A. now numbered fifty-five.

Finally in 1954 Sam Fink during a fifteen-day vacation climbed his remaining fourteen Colorado 14,000 foot peaks to complete climbing all 67 summits of 14,000 feet in the U. S. Sam finished on Crestone Peak, July 17, 1954 where he was presented with a chrome plated piton on his 67th summit. A “Sierra Club Bulletin” note mentioned his completing the job of climbing these peaks in fifteen days vacation by stating, “Fortunately they were all in Colorado.”

R. S. Fink is the 50th finisher on the Colorado Mountain Club’s list of “Men and Women Who Climbed Them All.” He is also the sixth person to climb all the 14,000 foot peaks in the United States.

In 1956 the United States Geological Survey's new measurements added Missouri Mountain and Huron Peak to the list of Colorado mountains 14,000 feet or higher showing 54 mountains instead of 52 as indicated by older surveys. Sam Fink returned to Colorado the summer of that same year and climbed both Missouri and Huron. He says, "both elevations were raised above 14,000' by the last USGS survey, which now makes 54 in Colorado, 14 in California and 1 in Washington."

One might think that Sam Fink’s finish of the Colorado 14,000 foot peaks would lead to many more Californians climbing the Colorado Fourteeners. But this is not the case as there are several reasons in California peak bagging history that account for the lack of this.

California peak bagging is more developed with sacrosanct lists of peaks organized as individual clubs with the trappings of bylaws, officers, memberships, awards, banquets, newsletters and other formalities that distinguish it from Colorado peak bagging. It would be as if the Colorado Fourteeners or Centennials or ranked 13,000 foot peaks had their own formal clubs.

Except for a brief time from 1928 to 1935 when a Sierra Club certificate for climbing five 14,000 foot peaks was offered and renewed interest in these peaks in the 1990's with the publication of a guide book to California’s Fourteeners, the 14,000 foot peaks are not the preeminent climbing list as in Colorado.

CALIFORNIA 14,000 FOOT PEAK BAGGING
California recreational peak bagging as opposed to exploration and surveying could be said to have begun with the Sierra Club’s “High Trips” in the early part of the twentieth century. These trips of several weeks durations were attended at intervals by as many as 100-200 persons for the purpose of hiking trails and climbing peaks. California’s greatest peak bagger, Norman Clyde would be a leader and participant on many of these “High Trips.”

In 1927 following the idea of Neill C. Wilson and the suggestion made by several members of the Sierra Club for the purpose of stimulating high mountain climbing, not necessarily of a difficult nature, Francis P. Farquhar, editor of the “Sierra Club Bulletin” was authorized by the Board of Directors to proceed with the plan of issuing certificates to members of the Club who have climbed at least five fourteen-thousand foot peaks or more in altitude. “It was not to be taken too seriously, but was to be sort of a game - a game within the capacities of a large number, not limited to a ‘championship’ class.”

A committee was formed in 1928 of Farquhar, Joseph N. LeConte and Walter L. Huber to issue the certificates. Peaks in other parts of the world were acceptable for qualification. It was felt that the number of five peaks selected was within the range of a considerable number of Sierra Club members. The plan was met with enthusiasm as several members who had only climbed three or four peaks of 14,000 foot altitude, “have expressed their intention to qualify at the earliest opportunity.”

In 1928 a list of 22 persons earned their certificates. Among them were Norman Clyde, Neill C. Wilson and Farquhar, LeConte and Huber all legends in Sierra Nevada mountaineering. The certificates were said to be attractive in design. I have been able to see a photocopy of one of these “14,000-Foot Climbers of the Sierra Club” certificates issued to Glen Dawson in 1930.

Along with the certificate program another real stimulus for California 14,000 foot peak bagging was the construction of a good horse trail to the summit of Mount Whitney and the paving of the auto road from Los Angeles to Lone Pine in the Owens Valley, a distance of some 225 miles, in 1931.

Over Labor Day of 1931 the Southern California Chapter made good use of these roads and trails when fifty-two persons reached the top of Mount Whitney and several others climbed Mount Russell and Mount Williamson. The outing report noted “the newly opened trails and roads make possible week-end climbs from Los Angeles to seven of the thirteen peaks in California above fourteen thousand feet, namely, Whitney, Muir, Langley, Williamson, Barnard, Russell, and Tyndall.”

The Southern California Chapter made another expedition over the Labor Day vacation of 1932 when about 40 persons climbed Whitney, half that number climbed Muir and a smaller group made ascents of Williamson, Tyndall and Barnard. The Chapter notes indicate that it “is taking an increased interest in mountain-climbing which may be attributed in part to the 14,000-foot certificates.”

Numerous members would complete their five peaks on the Sierra Club “High Trips.” During the 1932 outing a four-person party climbed five 14,000-foot peaks in one week. Others like Howard Sloan by climbing with partners earned his certificate with “my fifth 14,000-foot peak in five days” in 1931.

By 1935 seventy-seven persons had received certificates as “14,000-Foot Climbers of the Sierra Club.” Many were luminaries of the Club and in Sierra Nevada mountaineering. Among these were R. S. Fink and the notable David R. Brower.

The most peaks mentioned for qualification were Whitney 64 times, North Palisade 38, Shasta 37, Williamson 35, and Rainier 25 leading in popularity.

But after 1936 there is apparently no further mention of the Sierra Club certificate program. I can only speculate that the effects of the Great Depression and the World War II years of gas rationing began to take its toll on mountaineering.

One Sierra historian has written that “during the ‘40s and early 50s there was comparatively scant Club mountaineering in the Sierra, although there continued to be National ‘knapsack’ trips into it plus an occasional Rock Climbing Section outing to Yosemite, Whitney or the Sierra Palisades.”

In 1957 the Sierra Peaks Section discussed the awarding of a special pin for climbing all the 14,000 foot peaks in California. “Working toward a goal is basic to man’s nature in whatever field he endeavors. An emblem for the 14,000 foot peaks should stimulate interest in another set of mountains . . . ” But the discussion was shelved with no further action.

Today there is no entity that keeps track of those who have climbed the California Fourteeners as does the Colorado Mountain Club for the Colorado Fourteeners. I have my own research list of the California and Pacific Coast completers from Norman Clyde through the immediate post World War II years when the task becomes more difficult if impossible.

The development of modern California peak bagging would come in the post war years with the formation of the Desert Peaks Section in 1945, Hundred Peaks Section in 1946 and the Sierra Peaks Section in 1955 of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club and their attendant peak lists which in turn gave rise to the prodigious California peak baggers of the later twentieth and into the twenty-first century years.

CAPTAIN R. S. “SAM” FINK
Sam Fink bridged the era of the Sierra Club’s 14,000 foot certificates to the modern day sections of the Club with their peak lists. He climbed his first mountain at age 22 in 1926 and did not stop hiking until he was 90. He earned his “14,000-Foot Climbers of the Sierra Club” certificate by climbing Whitney in 1930 and Muir, Tyndall, Williamson, Barnard and Russell in 1933.

Mr. Fink climbed to the summits of 3,800 mountains. Although more of a peak bagger than a rock climber, he joined the Sierra Club’s Rock Climbing Section in 1936 for a period of about five years making several trips to Tahquitz Rock.

Sam Fink went on to legendary status with the Hundred Peaks Section. He was a founding member and the first peak list completer in 1950 of that section. In the early 1950's (late 1960's?) he spent three years clearing a new trail along the crest of the Desert Divide in the San Jacinto Mountains shortening the time through the pass by five hours from the previous time of 14 hours. The new trail was named in his honor as the Sam Fink Trail. In 1999 the Hundred Peaks Section informally named a remote peak of 7,339' in the San Jacinto Mountains as “Sam Fink Peak.”

He climbed throughout the West receiving the Sierra Club’s prestigious Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award in 1981. He continued to climb with the Hundred Peaks Section as late as 1992 at the age of 88. The Section’s highest award given in recognition of distinguished overall service is named for Sam Fink.

Captain R. S. “Sam” Fink died in 1998 at age 94 in Santa Ana, California. He is listed as one of the Great Leaders of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club on their website. A tribute reads in part of him as “The perennial ‘Grand Old Man of the Mountains’ of the Hundred Peaks Section, Sam Fink quietly led several generations of peak-baggers in stalking ‘the list’.”

And among Sam Fink’s lists was the first Californian to climb the Colorado 14,000 foot peaks and the forty-eight state 14,000 foot peaks in 1954.
Last edited by gore galore on Fri Dec 25, 2015 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: First Californian Climbs the Colorado 14,000 Foot Pks, 1

Post by Mtnman200 »

Fascinating history. I'm impressed by your research and appreciate the time you put into it.
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Re: First Californian Climbs the Colorado 14,000 Foot Pks, 1

Post by 14erFred »

Yet another fascinating and edifying contribution from gore galore to a modern-day climbing history of the 14,000-foot peaks of the United States--thanks for posting this intriguing information! Your skills as an alpine historical sleuth are unmatched. Your post mentions that Sam Fink "climbed to the summits of 3,800 mountains." On what source is this figure based? And does it reflect 3,800 different mountains, or a total of 3,800 summits with some mountains climbed repeatedly? Thanks again for sharing your work with us! :)
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Re: First Californian Climbs the Colorado 14,000 Foot Pks, 1

Post by oldschool »

Thank you so much for this wonderful history. For me, knowing the who's and the when's of previous people that share the same passions that I do allows me to be a piece of the endless cloth that wraps us climbers up. In my day the likes of Royal and Yvon,and Warren were special and to be respected and admired.Then it became John Bachar and Peter Croft. So much history, so many beautiful stories.
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Re: First Californian Climbs the Colorado 14,000 Foot Pks, 1

Post by Teresa Gergen »

Thanks, gore galore. Although I knew most of the CA names you mention, I hadn't heard of Sam Fink. What can you tell us about Andy Smatko, Bill Schuller, Gordon McLeod, Barbara Lilly?
gore galore
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Re: First Californian Climbs the Colorado 14,000 Foot Pks, 1

Post by gore galore »

Some answers to the questions and comments posed by 14erFred, old school and Teresa Gergen.

14erFred - Sam Fink's number of 3,800 summits climbed comes from an obituary in the "Orange County Register" newspaper. As a member of the HPS he undoubtedly repeated individual summits on the list. This is common among HPS, DPS, SPS members. He did climb Mount Whitney seven times.

Teresa - Regarding the climbing of 14,000 foot peaks, Andy Smatko completed the 48 state 14,000 foot peaks in 1968 as the 14th finisher. Barbara Lilley and Gordon MacLeod completed them in 1982.

I could write separate posts on these people but briefly Dr. Andrew Smatko (deceased) was known as the "Dean of Sierra Climbers." He climbed his first peak in 1950. Of his 4,000 summits climbed, 1,800 were in the Sierra of which 300 were first ascents. "He left no Sierra peak above 11,000 feet unscaled."

Gordon MacLeod now 90 years old climbed Yosemite's Half Dome in 1937. He was more of a fisherman and outdoorsman and didn't climb another peak until Mount Whitney in 1959 where he met Barbara Lilley on the summit. Gordon MacCleod and Barbara Lilley have been climbing companions from about the 1960's with some 5,300 summits climbed each.

Barbara Lilley began climbing in 1948 and has been called "one of the U. S. pioneering women climbers of the first rank," an "explorer excelling in every aspect of mountaineering." In regards to old school mentioning Royal Robbins, Barbara Lilley was the first woman to climb Yosemite's Lost Arrow Spire with Robbins and Don Wilson in 1952. "Her enviable, almost staggering record" of mountaineering accomplishments was noted by the Sierra Club in awarding her the Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award in 2003.

I know less about Bill Schuler excepting that among his 3,400 summits climbed, 1,100 were in the Sierra Nevada including a number of first ascents in the Sierra with Andy Smatko as documented in Smatko and Voge, "Mountaineer's Guide to the High Sierra," 1972, a somewhat controversial guide of that time.
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