I got asked a question recently about one of the pics in the photo gallery section of this site. So without further ado here is the straight dope on that…
Once upon a time a climbing buddy known in some circles as L.A. Dave and in other circles as Howling Dog would host a gathering in the desert each year. Climbers from far and wide were invited and attended this event. They would slowly gather at the location on a Friday night or Saturday morning ready for the festivities to begin. If I recall correctly this year Barbara Lilley was there. For those of you who don’t know of her please check out the two part story about her over at the Desert Mountaineer. But saying she was prolific is a gross understatement. She had some very significant ascents in her career including big stuff like Denali, Logan, Vancouver, Hubbard and St. Elias. Ascents as early as 1948 and still active as far as I know.
The location of the cookout was such that there was ample spots for car camping, relatively easy drivability, and some climbing close by. There was usually a short climb on the Saturday morning and a longer one on Sunday. But the ‘real event’ was the cookout on Saturday night. In fact this was called the annual Howling Dog Cookout
On this particular occasion (circa 1999) Dave enlisted his two brother-in-laws who just so happened to be restauranteurs and gourmet Chinese chefs from L.A. Later in the afternoon when the folks that had been climbing got back and freshened up a bit, the real party began. These chefs had a couple of big propane fired woks and just started cooking up a storm. A sumptuous multi-course Chinese meal was prepared complete with ice cream and cheesecake for dessert they had been keeping cold under dry ice. Music was blaring and there was a large fire surrounded by a big ring of hungry climbers stuffing their pie-holes, indulging in endless adult beverages, and if I recall correctly there might have even been a few smokey treats.
Now Dave was more than just a crackerjack climber, and consummate host, he was also a great showman, and impresario. After dinner he retreated to his camper and shortly emerged wearing a tuxedo and smoking a big ol’ stogie. He now presented a series of awards to some of the people present. Things like: The most number of summits climbed last year. The most amount of miles driven to climbs. The greatest number of flat tires. The best roll-over. Fun stuff like that. Then properly fueled by the various libations some people offered up their own stories and anecdotes of the past year. My young son who was perhaps only 9 at the time stood up in front of the gathering and gave thanks to Dave for hosting the event. I was kinda surprised and proud.
It was a typical gorgeous warm desert night that seemingly went on for ever. Good food, good drinks, but even better good friends…