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Park Rat
Social climber
CA, UT,CT,FL
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 11, 2009 - 11:41pm PT
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Note: This was my first post concerning Warren Harding.
Looking back at what I wrote, I felt it was time to rewrite my original post. I have added more detail to the original story. I hope it gives you a picture of the man and the time.
For a more complete overview of Warrens career read,
"A Few Notes on the Life Warren Harding". Thanks, Park Rat
THE WARREN HARDING I REMEMBER
I have been reading Super Topo for some time. I have been reluctant to tell my story until now.
I don’t expect any of the old climbers to remember me. I worked in Yosemite for years, but kept a low profile, not easy as a nearly six foot blond female.
I am not a climber, I didn’t understand climbing. I stayed away from Camp4, so why do I read your blog, well I did have one friend who was a climber.
His name was Warren Harding.
I have many sweet memories of him, I got to know him over two years 1970 & 71 and I came away richer for the experience.
I will try to fill in some of the blanks about Warren from a female point of view.
I am getting a head of myself, let's start with my Park back story.
My name is Susie I was a Curry company employee off and on from 1961-1971.
I was twenty seven, just out of grad school and wanted to spend another summer in the park, this is how I came to meet Warren Harding.
I was offered a job serving drinks in the old Mt Room bar in 1970 & then in 1971.
Looking back it was a dream job. We would be the first females allowed to serve drinks in the park, they hired three girls as a trial.
The only catch was to keep the peace at all costs, one fight & our jobs were gone.
I went to work on tip toes, could I a newly minted elementary school teacher, handle a lot of underage employees trying to drink, the Camp4 climbers, plus keep the tourists happy, that would also turn out to include the Hells Angels.
I was way too worried, the job turned out to be a piece of cake. I could wear my own clothes, no uniform, thank you, I got to eat in the coffee shop for free & best of all, had a room alone in the dorm. We also got free drinks at the end of our shift, only we were not big drinkers, we didn’t smoke or use any drugs.
They did a good job picking a clean cut crew. We were not the norm in the park, in the late sixties & seventies it was wide open drug scene, pot smoking was everywhere. It was the era of experimentation with all sorts of drugs, uppers and downer, not to mention LSD. Hippies were camped out everywhere, I remember stepping around them on the patio steps. They were often seen panhandling the tourists and employees.
I first spotted Warren Harding at a table in the bar. He was drawing route maps of his upcoming assault on the south face of Half Dome, on the back of bar napkins. He was surrounded by a group of young climbers.
I asked the bar tenders, who is the scruffy, smelly, old guy?
They in unison answered that he is the great Warren Harding, he climbed El Cap in the fifties I was not impressed. I had heard his name before, but I didn't know him personally.
It might have ended there except Warren had other ideas, he was the one to befriend me, I just reacted to him, like a deer caught in the headlights.
Looking back there were two Warrens the one the young climbers hung on like fleas on a barn cat. He was on stage for them, all laughs, stories, he loved that they liked him.
I was surprised that, in a one on one, he was so very different. He spoke very softly and slowly. He kept his blue eyes locked on you and really listened, he could not have been nicer or more attentive. Not a hint of the tough mountain climber came through as he spoke. This Warren Harding was nothing like the stories I had heard about him, he was far from being wild or crazy. He was in fact someone I would come to greatly admire.
I slowly got brave enough to ask him to tell me some of his stories. He did over two summers tell me a lot of things, not so much about climbing, just bits and pieces of his life.
I could never have guessed in 1970 that I would be one day telling his story. Our conversations were always spontaneous and generally quite innocent. Warren was a born storyteller, he was always engaging. I found myself always glad to spend a few minutes chatting with him even if what he was saying sometimes made no sense to me, it didn't matter. Warren could take any subject and make it sound fascinating.
We both had a long history in the park, we had a deep love for that experience, that was the glue that formed our friendship. I know I was lucky that he picked me to be one of his friends.
Somewhere along the line, I forgot that he was scruffy, and yes smelly, built like an old jockey, I was a head taller, a lot younger, but that didn’t seem to bother Warren.
He would look up at me and say “ In my next life I will be taller.” Chuckle
Warren did not miss a chance to flirt and yes admire every inch of a women. He did so in a non threatening way. Warren was anything but menacing, he was older and by the time I met him he was funny, low key and very easy to talk with.
I didn’t have to be is girlfriend to see what his women liked about him. He made you think he cared, better than that I believe he did care.
The picture of Warren looking up at El Cap with total attention, that is just the way he looked at ladies.
Warren looked at ladies the way some look at art, with complete rapture.
Now to his drinking, yes, he drank a lot, I never saw him dead drunk, never had to cut him off . I now realize that he did have a serious drinking problem, but I did not witness this personally in 1970.
Working in the Mt Room you would think I would have seen him at his worst, with so many of the park employees, & climbers were stoned, and generally wasted. I never considered Warrens behavior as especially bad. You had to have been there to understand how crazy it was back then. I now suspect he saved his heavy drinking for Camp4.
Sometime in the summer of 1970 the park showed a long movie about Warren. I want to say at least forty five minutes. The movie told a lot about Warrens climbing over the years and featured the hairy night rescue of Galen Rowell and Warren off the South face of Half Dome in the Fall of 1968.
Everyone was there to see it, except Warren, I was surprised that he was not there. After seeing the movie I started realized that he was indeed a unique person, I started to understand a little more of his story. It was still hard for me to picture the gentle person I knew as the same legendary tough mountain climber.
One day I decided it was time to do some hiking & camping in the high country. I had hiking boots & a day pack nothing else.
Warren to the rescue, he said “Don’t buy anything” I have all the stuff you will need, I will supply you and a friend with everything, the best back packs, sleeping bags, etc. I protested that he didn’t need to do this for me, Warren cut me off saying he got stuff free, and why should I have to buy things I only needed a few times. I couldn't imagine that a climber was offering me his own sleeping bag and backpack. I couldn't have been more surprised by his generous offer.
This is how Warren Harding, became my personal outfitter.
He also gave detailed instructions about camping. I remember him suggesting hot chocolate as good choice for a drink on a cold morning.
He did everything but carry the pack and set up the camp, this went on for the next two years.
I never did pay him back for his kindness. Warren was not looking for any payback, he just enjoyed helping people when he could.
I am sure Warren was as tough as nails as a climber, rough & ready, comes to mind.
I really never saw a mean or nasty side to Warren. He was kind and always generous to me and my friends, definitely never mean.
One of my favorite memories of Warren occurred while I was at work in the old Mountain room bar.
I am standing innocently by the front door when, Warren comes striding in to the bar. The next thing I know Warren Harding is on his knees, in front of me, his arms are wrapped firmly around my rather long legs. He has me in a huge bear hug. I remember looking down and seeing his face staring up at my breasts, as if they were his favorite mountains. Chuckle
He calls out at the top of his voice “Woman I need a Drink”. I immediately turned every shade of red and yelling “Warren stop that.”
He is not letting go of me, I am trapped. As I wailed Warren stop that, the entire bar breaks out in gales of laughter, maybe the biggest laugh ever in the Mt Room.
He couldn’t have planned it better it he had tried.
I had no choice but to go with it, I started to laugh & plead “please Warren, let go of me & get up off the floor“. After what seemed an age to me, he finally lets go of me, he casually stands up drifts over to the table and acts as if nothing unusual has happened.
All these years later I remember my embarrassment and how much Warren enjoyed that moment. It was a classic Warren Harding stunt.
Did he repeat this act, of course it was too much fun not to be repeated. I never yelled again, I was now completely in on the joke.
I remember him for being outrageously funny, someone who loved the park as I did and as a wonderful if not sometimes nutty friend.
There were many sides to this gruff, tough guy, for me he was generous as well as humorous. I believe he was a person who would given you his last dollar. That is a trait that only someone with a very big heart could have, Warren Harding was such a person.
I hope I haven't ruined his legendary tough, bigger than life guy image.
There really was more to Warrens story than his mountain climbing or the many ladies and his heavy partying.
Warren Harding was a rock star before the term was ever used. He lived his life on his terms and in his own unique way which is why, I believe he will be remembered as long as man talk about mountains and climbing.
Semper Farcissimus,
Susie
The Harding Stare, Mt or ladies all the same.
A Few Notes On The Life OF Warren Harding
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1369330/A-Few-Notes-on-the-Life-of-Warren-Harding
Mt Room, Warren Harding, Story Behind "Downward Bound"
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1011787&msg=1012036#msg1012036
Warren Harding and The Lost Arrow
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1071324/Warren_Harding_and_The_Lost_Arrow
More Warren Stories.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1010478&msg=1011287#msg1011287
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Nov 11, 2009 - 11:57pm PT
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Thank you 'Susie Fisk' - a pleasure to read
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Cracko
Trad climber
Quartz Hill, California
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:04am PT
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Thank you Suzie. That is an interesting perspective. There are many "characters" in the history of climbing that I would love to sit down and have a conversation with, and Warren Harding is on the top of the list !!
Cracko
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Ray Olson
Trad climber
Imperial Beach, California
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:11am PT
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wonderful story,
thanks for taking the
time to share.
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:15am PT
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Hey, Great story. How about a picture of you back in the day?
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Sport climber
Will know soon
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:20am PT
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Super great read ! I envy you your fun and your memories. Glad you finally shared them here. Wow ! lynnie
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:22am PT
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Thanks for sharing, I appreciate it. Its a good idea to get these thoughts and feelings down on paper - while they are people and events to you, to many of us younger kids this is history, and a very good history. An interesting perspective, one I never had heard. It all adds to building an idea of his character.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:23am PT
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Thank you so much for these wonderful remembrances! I do hope you will write many more.
I knew Warren in the early to mid '60's and I was married then. Also, whenever I saw him he was always with Beryl so I never saw his flirtatious side. It's nice to hear a woman's impressions however, since everything he did was either aggrandized or vilified it seemed, by the men who knew him.
I always felt a lot was projected onto Warren because he was not from the Berkeley intellectual crowd nor pretending to be. Perhaps some of the impressions of him were class based, though this was certainly below the conscious radar of the people judging him. Mainly though, I think he was perceived very differently by women than men. To women he appeared dark and mysterious, to many men it seems, threatening or even menacing.
I too always observed a very intelligent and funny person who was very attentive and respectful of individual people, though merciless on institutions and hypocrisy. In as much as some climbers were also considered institutions, he was merciless in his lampoons of them too, but only after being provoked first I believe. I think you definitely saw the real Warren and the Warren of notoriety was his response to the tons of criticism heaped on him later on.
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Double D
climber
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:26am PT
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Susie, great story and portrayal of Warren. He was a very funny and intelligent guy the times I got to hang with him.
"the one the young climbers hung on like fleas on a barn cat"
LOL!
Thanks for sharing around the cyber-campfire.
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Fuzzywuzzy
climber
suspendedhappynation
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:27am PT
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Great stuff - thank you very much!!
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
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Nov 12, 2009 - 12:49am PT
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Wow, what great stories. Thanks for sharing... and don't be shy, speak up. We'd all love to hear.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Nov 12, 2009 - 01:38am PT
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Thank you very much for that view into a legend's life!
Climbers history has been shed!
Mucci
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Nov 12, 2009 - 03:13am PT
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Thanks for sharing. Under his gruff exterior Warren was a sensitive, fun loving, generous soul.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Nov 12, 2009 - 03:13am PT
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wow cool, this should be in the trip reports section!
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fareastclimber
Big Wall climber
Hong Kong, but live in Wales...
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Nov 12, 2009 - 04:41am PT
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Really well written and insightful, thanks!
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Nov 12, 2009 - 08:30am PT
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That was great. Thanks for taking the time to write and share.
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Blinky
Trad climber
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Nov 12, 2009 - 08:47am PT
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That's one of the best posts I've read on this site. Thank you Susie.
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Norton
Social climber
the Wastelands
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Nov 12, 2009 - 09:20am PT
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WOW!
I loved your story, out of the blue the top post when I logged in!
Oh yes, yes, yes, tell us more stories about you and Warren!
Tell them all, we love it!
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wildone
climber
GHOST TOWN
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Nov 12, 2009 - 09:30am PT
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That was great Suzie. A good read for all of us.
Out of all of those who came before, there are only a couple that I wish I could spend a day out in the high sierra with, on some alpine granite. Warren tops the list.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Nov 12, 2009 - 10:02am PT
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Thanks Susie for the fun and enlightening portrayal of Warren. ST rocks again!
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