Glen Dawson (mountaineer)
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Glen Dawson (June 3, 1912 – March 22, 2016) was an American rock climber, mountaineer,
antiquarian bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...
, publisher and environmentalist.


Early life

His father,
Ernest Dawson Ernest Dawson (1 December 1882, in San Antonio, Texas – 15 November 1947, in Los Angeles) was an American antiquarian bookseller, small press publisher, mountain climber, and Sierra Club president. Ernest Dawson, born in Texas, moved in 1885 wit ...
(1882–1947), was also a climber, antiquarian bookseller, and
Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...
leader, who served as Sierra Club president from 1934 - 1937. Glen climbed
White Mountain Peak White Mountain Peak (or simply White Mountain), at , is the highest peak in the White Mountains of California, the highest peak in Mono County, and the third highest peak in the state after Mount Whitney and Mount Williamson. It is the four ...
in 1927. In 1928, Glen and his father climbed the
Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
with two Swiss guides.


Climbing career


1929–1930

In 1929, Dawson began serious mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada. With John Nixon and experienced climber Bill Horsfall, he climbed
Mount Abbot Mount Abbot is a mountain in California's Sierra Nevada, in the John Muir Wilderness. It is located between Mount Mills and Mount Dade along the Sierra Crest and straddles the border between Fresno and Inyo counties. The peak was named for Hen ...
, Mount Mills,
Mount Hooper Mount Hooper is a 12,349-foot-elevation (3,764 meter) mountain summit located west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Fresno County of northern California, United States. It is set within the John Muir Wilderness, on land man ...
,
Mount Humphreys Mount Humphreys is a mountain peak in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada on the Fresno County, California, Fresno-Inyo County, California, Inyo county line in the U.S. state of California. It is the 13th highest peak in California (the high ...
, and the (later named)
Clyde Minaret The Minarets are a series of jagged peaks located in the Ritter Range, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada in the state of California. They are easily viewed from Minaret Summit, which is accessible by auto. Collectively, they form an arête, and ar ...
. On July 6, 1930, during the Sierra Club's annual High Trip, he first teamed up with
Jules Eichorn Jules Marquard Eichorn (February 7, 1912 – February 15, 2000) was an American mountaineer, environmentalist, and music teacher. Early years Jules Marquard Eichorn was born in San Francisco on February 7, 1912, to Hilmar and Frieda Eichorn, wh ...
to make the third ascent of Red-and-White Mountain in the Sierra. They continued at a fast pace to climb
Mount Abbot Mount Abbot is a mountain in California's Sierra Nevada, in the John Muir Wilderness. It is located between Mount Mills and Mount Dade along the Sierra Crest and straddles the border between Fresno and Inyo counties. The peak was named for Hen ...
,
Bear Creek Spire Bear Creek Spire is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada in Inyo County, California, in the western United States, and is the 46th highest mountain in California and the 225th highest mountain in the United States. Bear Creek Spire is part of the Jo ...
,
Mount Dade Mount Dade is a mountain located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California, United States. It is situated in the John Muir Wilderness on the boundary between Sierra National Forest and Inyo National Forest, and al ...
, Turret Peak, Mount Darwin, The Hermit, Mount McGee, a
first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
of the (later named)
Mount Mendel Mount Mendel is a peak in Fresno County, California. It is in Kings Canyon National Park in the Evolution Region, of the Sierra Nevada and adjacent to Mount Darwin which is on the Sierra crest. History Theodore S. Solomons and E. C. Bonner of ...
,
Mount Goddard Mount Goddard is a mountain of California's Sierra Nevada, in the north section of Kings Canyon National Park Kings Canyon National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. ...
, Devils Crags, Mount Woodworth,
Middle Palisade Middle Palisade is a 14,018-foot (4,273 meters) peak in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range in the U.S. state of California. It is a fourteener, and lies on the Sierra Crest as part of the Palisades group, a group of prominent Sierra Nevad ...
,
Mount Sill Mount Sill is one of the fourteeners of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada in California. It is located in the Palisades (California Sierra), Palisades, a group of prominent rock peaks with a few small glaciers on their flanks. Mount Sill ...
,
North Palisade North Palisade is the third-highest mountain in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada range of California, and one of the state's small number of peaks over 14,000 feet, known as fourteeners. It is the highest peak of the Palisades (California ...
, Polemonium Peak,
Mount Winchell Mount Winchell, a thirteener, is among the thirty highest peaks of California. It is in the Palisades region of the Sierra Nevada, on the Sierra Crest between Mount Agassiz and Thunderbolt Peak. Geography The Inyo-Kern County line follows W ...
and Mount Agassiz. All of these climbs were completed in 24 days. Sierra Club Secretary Will Colby wrote, "Some youthful enthusiasts, including Glen Dawson, Jules Eichorn and John Olmstead, swarmed over everything that looked formidable in the way of a mountain peak."


1931 season

On July 12, 1931,
Francis P. Farquhar Francis Peloubet Farquhar (December 31, 1887 – November 21, 1974) was an American mountaineer, environmentalist and author. In his professional life, he was a Certified Public Accountant. Early life Farquhar was born in Newton, Massachusett ...
led a Sierra Club climbing school on Unicorn Peak near Yosemite National Park's
Tuolumne Meadows Tuolumne Meadows () is a gentle, granitic dome, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is . Its approximate elevation is . The ter ...
. Dawson and Eichorn completed the first traverse of Unicorn Peak that day, and continued on to make the second ascent of Cockscomb Peak. They then joined up with young climber Walter (Bubs) Brem, hiked to Sawtooth Ridge and made a first ascent of Finger Peaks, a new route on the northwest face of
Matterhorn Peak Matterhorn Peak is located in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in California, at the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park. At elevation, it is the tallest peak in the craggy Alps-like Sawtooth Ridge and the northernmost peak in ...
, and the first ascent of (later named) The Dragtooth. Returning to Tuolumne Meadows, Dawson and Eichorn climbed Cathedral Peak on July 24, and made the first ascent of its prominent west pinnacle, later named Eichorn Pinnacle. Joined by Brem, the trio then made the first ascent of Echo Ridge, later renamed
Matthes Crest Matthes Crest is an approximately mile-long fin of rock with two summits separated by a deep notch. It is a part of the Cathedral Range, which is a mountain range in the south-central portion of Yosemite National Park. The range is part of the ...
. The trio then moved south to the Minarets Range, and in a 14-hour effort, climbed Michael Minaret, Clyde Minaret, and the first ascent of Third Minaret (later renamed Eichorn Minaret). These are the three highest peaks in the Minarets. Sierra Club leader Farquhar had invited Harvard philosophy professor and
Appalachian Mountain Club Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest outdoor group in the United States. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Ma ...
member Robert L. M. Underhill to come to the
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
to teach the latest techniques of roped climbing. Underhill had learned these techniques in the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, and had used them earlier that summer in the Tetons and the
Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...
. After the basic course was completed, the more advanced students, including Dawson, Eichorn,
Norman Clyde Norman Clyde (April 8, 1885 – December 23, 1972) was a mountaineer, mountain guide, freelance writer, nature photographer, and self-trained naturalist. He is well known for achieving over 130 first ascents, many in California's Sierra Nevada an ...
, Lewis Clark, and Bestor Robinson, traveled south to the Palisades, the most rugged and alpine part of the Sierra Nevada. There, on August 13, 1931, the party completed the first ascent of the last unclimbed 14,000+ foot peak in California, which remained unnamed due to its remote location above the
Palisade Glaciers The Palisade Glacier is a glacier located on the northeast side of the Palisades (California Sierra), Palisades within the John Muir Wilderness in the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of California. The glacier descends from the flanks o ...
. After a challenging ascent to the summit, the climbers were caught in an intense lightning storm, and Eichorn barely escaped electrocution when "a thunderbolt whizzed right by my ear". The mountain was named
Thunderbolt Peak Thunderbolt Peak is a peak in the Palisades group of peaks in the Sierra Nevada in the U.S. state of California. It rises to and could be considered the thirteenth-highest peak in the state, but since the peak has less than of prominence it is ...
to commemorate that close call. Underhill called Dawson and Eichorn "young natural-born rock climbers of the first water." Three days later on August 16, Dawson, Eichorn, Clyde, and Underhill completed the first ascent of the
East Face East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from ...
of
Mount Whitney Mount Whitney (Paiute: Tumanguya; ''Too-man-i-goo-yah'') is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States and the Sierra Nevada, with an elevation of . It is in East–Central California, on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tu ...
, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. The route was extremely exposed, especially the famous Fresh Air Traverse. Dawson was just 19 years old.
Steve Roper Steve Roper is a noted climber and historian of the Sierra Nevada in the United States. He along with Allen Steck are the founding editors of the Sierra Club journal ''Ascent''. Roper is the winner of the Sierra Club's Francis P. Farquhar Mou ...
called this route "one of the classic routes of the Sierra, partly because of its spectacular location and partly because it was the first really big wall to be climbed in the range." Porcella & Burns wrote that "the climb heralded a new standard of technical competence in Californian
rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
. . ." In Dawson's opinion, this was his most famous climb. At age 19, Dawson was already among the most accomplished mountaineers in California. Many years later, Dawson modestly wrote, "I am notable only as an historical curiosity or perhaps as a living fossil. My career as a rock climber spanned the years 1927 to about 1938. During my lifetime I have been an antiquarian bookseller and publisher but that one event of August 16, 1931 is my footnote in climbing history" Croft, Peter; Benti, Wynne; Contributors: Clyde, Norman; Dawson, Glen; Wheelock, Walt; Foreword by Glen Dawson, pages 7-9
Climbing Mt. Whitney
(Spotted Dog Press, Bishop, CA, 2008)
That fall, Dawson began his freshman year at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
as a
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
major.


1932 season

After four days of climbing, on June 15, 1932, Dawson, along with Clyde, Brem, Bestor Robinson and Dick Jones, reached the summit of El Picacho del Diablo, the highest peak in
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
. They had thought that this was the first ascent, but they discovered a
cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
on the summit. They later learned that mapmaker Donald McLain had made the first ascent in 1911. Returning to the Sierra Nevada, Dawson, Eichorn and Clyde joined the Sierra Club High Trip with 199 participants plus 25 mules with wranglers and horses. Dawson led a group to the summit of what was later named Mount Farquhar. Along with Thomas Rawles and Hans Helmut Leschke, he climbed the most difficult (#8) of the
Kearsarge Pinnacles Kearsarge Pinnacles is a linear series of 12 pillars and crags on a northwest–southeast trending ridge located one mile west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the southeast corner of Fresno County, in northern California. It i ...
. A party of 16, including Dawson, Clyde, Farquhar and Eichorn then climbed Junction Peak. Dawson, Eichorn, Brem and Leschke then climbed a new route on Mount Russell, by way of the south face, west chute. Dawson then climbed the
Red Kaweah Red Kaweah is a mountain in California's Sequoia National Park on the Kaweah Peaks Ridge. It is north of Mount Kaweah and south of Black Kaweah Black Kaweah is a mountain of the Kaweah Peaks Ridge of the California's Sierra Nevada, in ...
and the
Black Kaweah Black Kaweah is a mountain of the Kaweah Peaks Ridge of the California's Sierra Nevada, in Sequoia National Park. The peak has a local magnetic disturbance that has caused compasses in the vicinity to vary by up to eight degrees. Fulgurite ...
. Over the Labor Day weekend of 1932, Dawson and Dick Jones climbed Mount McAdie. Dawson served as Mountaineering Notes Editor for the Sierra Club Bulletin for 1932.


1933 season

On February 22, 1933 Dawson made the first ski ascent of
Telegraph Peak Telegraph Peak may refer to: *Telegraph Peak (California) Telegraph Peak, is a peak of the San Gabriel Mountains, in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and San Bernardino County, California. With an elevation of , it is highest point i ...
in the
San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...
. In 1933, Dawson, Eichorn and Dick Jones made the first ascent of what was later named Dawson Minaret in the Minarets. On the Sierra Club's annual High Trip, Dawson, along with Neil Ruge and Alfred Weiler, made a first ascent of the highest peak in The Pinnacles, two miles (3 km) west of Hutchison Meadow. With his sister Fern Dawson, he climbed Pilot Knob. With Bahlah Ballantine and Neil Ruge, he made a first ascent of unnamed Peak 13,332 near Mount Darwin. On July 25, 1933, he again surveyed the forbidding
Devils Crags A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in many and various cultures and religious traditions. Devil or Devils may also refer to: * Satan * Devil in Christianity * Demon * Folk devil Art, entertainment, and media Film and t ...
. In the days that followed, Dawson and other Sierra Club members made several successful ascents of the various summits. Later, he made a possible first ascent of Rambaud Peak, bringing his younger brother, Muir Dawson, along on the climb. With Eichorn, he pioneered a new route to Middle Palisade, climbing the (later named)
Norman Clyde Peak Norman Clyde Peak, standing tall, is in natural company among the high peaks of the Palisades region of the Sierra Nevada in California. It raises on the main ridge of the Palisades', between Middle Palisade and Palisade Crest. Norman Clyde Gla ...
along the way.." Along with several other climbers, Dawson participated in the search for missing solo climber
Walter A. Starr, Jr. Walter A. "Pete" Starr Jr. (1903–1933) was an American lawyer and mountain climber. A graduate of Stanford University, Starr was a respected lawyer in San Francisco, but he is better known for his abilities as a mountain climber and an explorer ...
in the Minarets in August, 1933, but was unsuccessful. This search was the last time that Dawson climbed on the same rope with Jules Eichorn. Norman Clyde later found Starr's body. Dawson wrote the foreword to the definitive book about this episode. Dawson was among the founders of the Rock Climbing Section of the Southern California Chapter of the Sierra Club which began on November 5, 1933 with practice climbing at Eagle Rock. In December, 1933, the group completed challenging climbs on Castle Dome 20 miles north of Yuma, Arizona on the California side of the Colorado River. They also climbed
Picacho Peak Picacho Peak State Park is a state park surrounding Picacho Peak in Picacho, Arizona. The park is located between Casa Grande and Tucson near Interstate 10 in Pinal County. Its centerpiece spire is visible from downtown Tucson, a distance of . ...
in Arizona.


1934–35 season

On the
4th of July Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music) In music a fourth is an interval spanning four staff po ...
weekend of 1934, Dawson along with Ted Waller completed the second ascent of the East Face of Mount Whitney, which he had first climbed in 1931. On July 11, 1934, Dawson, Jack Riegelhuth and Neil Ruge completed the first ascent of the Sierra Nevada peak later named
Mount Ansel Adams Mount Ansel Adams is a peak in the Sierra Nevada of California. At an elevation of 11,766 ft (3586 m). the summit is in Yosemite National Park near the park's eastern boundary. It lies northeast of Foerster Peak and west-southwest of Electra P ...
. He also made the second ascent of Eichorn Pinnacle on that trip. In the Sawtooth Ridge area, he completed the first east to west traverse of The Three Teeth. With Riegelhuth and
Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advoca ...
, he made the first ascent of Blacksmith Peak, and then led a traverse from South Whorl to Whorl Peak. Heading north with Tony Charlton of the
New Zealand Alpine Club The New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest alpine clubs in the world. The NZAC is the national climbing organisation in New Zealand and is a member of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme. It ...
, they climbed
Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of , it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades ...
, and in Oregon, Mount Thielsen, Three-Fingered Jack and Mount Washington. Continuing to Washington, they climbed
Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...
. They proceeded to the Canadian Rockies, where they climbed
Mount Hungabee Mount Hungabee, officially Hungabee Mountain, is a mountain located on the boundaries of Banff National Park and Yoho National Park on the Continental Divide at the head of Paradise Valley, in Canada. The peak was named in 1894 by Samuel Allen a ...
and Mount Temple in
Banff National Park Banff National Park is Canada's oldest National Parks of Canada, national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rockies, Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, wi ...
. On November 7, 1934, Dawson was part of the founding of the Ski Mountaineers of California. UCLA professor Walt Mosauer was the first president of the group, which later became the Ski Mountaineers Section of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club..." In February, 1935 Dawson, Mosauer and several others attempted a number of winter ascents in the Bridgeport and Mammoth areas of the Sierra Nevada, but were turned back by storms. They finally succeeded in a ski ascent of
Mammoth Mountain Mammoth Mountain is a lava dome complex partially located within the town of Mammoth Lakes, California, in the Inyo National Forest of Madera and Mono Counties. It is home to a large ski area primarily on the Mono County side. Mammoth Mount ...
. This was many years before the downhill ski resort was established there.


1935 – 1936 World Climbing Tour

In June 1935, after graduating from UCLA, Dawson set off on a long journey. Heading east by Greyhound bus, he visited
Carlsbad Caverns Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natura ...
and the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, whi ...
. From Boston, he sailed on an Italian freighter to
Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
and then climbed in the
Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form par ...
, including an ascent of the south wall of the Marmolata. In the Wetterstein of southern Bavaria, he climbed the Kubanek-Spiondler route on the south face of the Musterstein. He also climbed the Schusselkarspitze-Sudwand, probably the first ascent by an American. In all, he completed about 30 different climbs in the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
in a six-week period. He continued to North
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, where he climbed the Tennis Shoe route on the Idwal. He then traveled to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, where bad weather prevented a planned climb of
Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus ( rus, links=no, Эльбрус, r=Elbrus, p=ɪlʲˈbrus; kbd, Ӏуащхьэмахуэ, 'uaşhəmaxuə; krc, Минги тау, Mingi Taw) is the highest and most prominent peak in Russia and Europe. It is situated in the we ...
. He crossed Siberia by train and arrived in Japan. There he completed several challenging climbs in the Mount Yari and Hodaka regions, and traversed
Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...
. Upon his return to the United States in 1936 after 14 months of overseas travel, he wrote, "After having climbed in a dozen different countries I can agree with
John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, a ...
and
Clarence King Clarence Rivers King (January 6, 1842 – December 24, 1901) was an American geologist, mountaineer and author. He was the first director of the United States Geological Survey from 1879 to 1881. Nominated by Republican President Rutherford B. Hay ...
that our own High Sierra is the finest and most friendly of all."


1937 season

In 1937, Dawson and Dick Jones led a first ascent of The Mechanic's Route on
Tahquitz Rock Tahquitz Peak (pronounced , sometimes ) is a granite, rock formation located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range in Riverside County, Southern California, United States, above the mountain town of Idyllwild. Tahquitz ha ...
, one of the first YDS 5.8 routes in the country and a daring feat due to the shortage of protection and the primitive gear of the time. The route was the original standard used to define 5.8 in the YDS. Tahquitz was then a new location for top Southern California rock climbers, since it is far closer to the
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
area than
Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surroun ...
. On September 5, 1937, Dawson, along with his brother Muir Dawson, Dick Jones, Bob Brinton and Howard Koster put up a new route on Mount Whitney, to the right of his 1931 East face route. This route, called the East Buttress route is rated YDS III 5.7, and is nicknamed the "Peewee Route".


Later life

Dawson served as a Director of the Sierra Club from 1937 to 1951. His club service was interrupted from 1944 to 1947 because of military service. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Dawson served as a rock climbing and skiing instructor in the
Tenth Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to rec ...
at
Camp Hale Camp Hale was a U.S. Army training facility in the western United States, constructed in 1942 for what became the 10th Mountain Division. Located in central Colorado between Red Cliff and Leadville in the Eagle River valley, it was named for ...
, Colorado and in Italy. He earned a
Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...
in combat in Northern Italy. Dawson had a long career succeeding his father Ernest as proprietor of Dawson's Book Shop in Los Angeles, an antiquarian bookstore in business since 1905. His brother Muir also participated in the business. He has also published 370 collectible books, including miniatures. The business is still in operation and is now run by Michael, the third generation. In 1990, Dawson was among a group of rare book experts who worked as consultants to the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
on the case of Stephen Blumberg, a convicted thief who compulsively stole rare books. He helped determine the ownership of the books, which Blumberg had stolen from at least 327 libraries. He testified as an expert witness for the U. S. Government at Blumberg's trial, attesting for example that 271 items taken from the Connecticut State Library were worth $225,280. In 1973, Dawson was the winner of the Sierra Club's
Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award The Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award is given by the Sierra Club, and is named after club leader, historian and mountaineer Francis P. Farquhar. According to the Sierra Club, this award "honors an individual's contribution to mountaineering ...
, and in 2011, won the organization's Walter A. Starr Award for support of the club by a former director.
Sierra Club Awards - List by Award Dawson stayed active in the mountaineering community, and willingly participated as a historical resource. In 2008, as the last surviving member of the climbing party that made the first ascent on Whitney's East Face in 1931, Glen wrote the foreword to the book, ''Climbing Mt. Whitney.'' In 2009, at the age of 97, he gave two public lectures on the occasion of the opening of an exhibit on the life of mountaineer Norman Clyde at the Eastern California Museum in
Independence, California Independence is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California. Independence is located south-southeast of Bishop, at an elevation of 3930 feet (1198 m). It is the county seat of Inyo County, California. The population of this census-de ...
. On September 18, 2009, Dawson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from
Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...
for his accomplishments as a rare book expert, publisher and mountaineer. He was a resident of
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...
and turned 100 in June 2012. At the time of his death, aged 103, Dawson had the longest tenure as a Sierra Club member, having been a club member for over 94 years.


See also

*
List of centenarians (miscellaneous) The following is a list of centenarians known for reasons other than their longevity The word " longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for " life expectancy" in demography. However, the term ''longevity'' is sometimes meant to refer only t ...


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No Scene Twice Seen: Glen Dawson, June 3, 1912-March 22, 2016, ''Alpinist'' magazinePhotos: The extraordinary life of Glen Dawson - Sierra Club Angeles Chapter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Glen 1912 births 2016 deaths Sierra Club directors American mountain climbers American rock climbers American centenarians American booksellers Men centenarians University of California, Los Angeles alumni Sierra Club awardees