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Park Rat
Social climber
CA, UT,CT,FL
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 4, 2013 - 08:55am PT
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August 4, 2014 will be Wayne Merry's 83nd birthday.
Wayne Merry, was one of the first search and rescue climbing rangers. Founder of the Yosemite Mountaineering School, the Mountain Shop and a pioneer rock climber.
This is a short list of Wayne accomplishments.
Wayne grew up in Fresno, did his undergraduate training in biological conservation at San Jose State. He spent his summers as a seasonal Ranger for Yosemite National Park.
He first met Warren Harding in 1956/57 they would be partners in several climbs in Yosemite during 1957/58.
In 1957/58 the idea of climbing a 3000 foot granite cliff was considered to be beyond difficult, climbing was still in its infancy, equipment was often homemade, climbing boots were nonexistent.
In Wayne's own words, We were rich beyond our wildest dreams, but we didn't know that. It was a time of testing, of experimentation of discovering our limits. It was a golden time.
Warren Harding and several young climbers had struggled during 1957 to establish a route up the nose of El Capitan. They were forced to abandon the climb by winter weather.
In 1958 Harding found that he had lost his initial climbing partners to injuries and other problems. He turned to Wayne for a climbing partner. Wayne said yes to Harding, they were joined by George Whitmore and Rich Caldwell. Rich would also drop out before the summit was reached.
They reached the summit Nov 12, 1958 after a final difficult 12 day push.
Wayne Merry wrote an article called the Longest Climb in which he gives a vivid description of their final ascent of the summit of El Capitan.
Wayne's life was to change as a result of El Capitan summit.
Wayne would propose to his girlfriend Cindy after topping out on El Capitan. They were married in 1959 and will celebrate their 53th wedding anniversary this year.
In 1959 he would become a full-time YNP Ranger. Wayne would use his expertise as a climber to become one of the first mountain rescue specialist Rangers in Yosemite.
He was to be a bridge between the climbers of camp4 and the park rangers. Wayne found that being a Ranger was the easy part, keeping Warren Harding out of trouble with the Rangers was another story.
Wayne would spend 4 years as YNP Ranger. In 1963 Wayne was transferred to Olympic and in 1965 to Denali National Park where he would be a mountain rescue specialist Ranger, later he became Chief Ranger.
In the early 1969 Wayne decided to retire from the Park service.
He would return to Yosemite to found the Yosemite Mountaineering School in 1969, and was its first director.
He started the Mountain Shop the next year in 1970.
In addition to starting the Mountain Shop and school. Wayne was instrumental in starting a cross-country ski school in 1970. The first on the West Coast.
He asked Ned Gillette to be his chief instructor, Ned was on the Olympic Nordic combined team. He also employed the Norwegian cross-country skiers from the University California at Berkeley as weekend ski instructors.
Wayne and Cindy moved to the small town of Altin, Canada in 1974.
Wayne used his training in search and rescue to develop a SAR plan for the Altin area of Canada. Later Wayne wrote both first aid and SAR training manuals for the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
Wayne has taught the SAR course to a countless numbers of people. The result is a safer wilderness experience for all concerned.
Wayne has been teaching SAR ground and water rescue courses for almost 40 years in Canada. Wayne who is a young 82 recently confided that this will be his last year teaching a SAR water rescue course.
Really Wayne you think it's time to retire?
It's hard to believe that this hardy senior citizen will ever be able to remain on the sidelines. I'm sure he has more to contribute to his community in the future.
Beyond his longevity and service, Wayne is a genuinely warm and gracious human being. He is well regarded by virtually everyone who meets him. Wayne's friendly outgoing personality has not been lost or dented by age.
Wayne's long career as a ranger and his lifetime of work in SAR both in the United States and Canada may be concluding, however his legacy of good works will continue.
Wayne has made a large contribution to the mountaineering community, he will forever be linked to El Capitan and as one of the pioneers of the golden days of big wall climbing in Yosemite.
He is truly a legend in his own time.
Happy birthday and thank you, Wayne Merry,
Susie
Acknowledgments
Thank you Peter Haan for your editing.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Thanks Park Rat for compiling this bio. Quite an impressive life! Wayne is a very talented man who has touched many people with his work and his warmth.....happy birthday!!!
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PhilG
Trad climber
The Circuit, Tonasket WA
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Agree with Jim, Parkrat.
Thanks for bringing another good thread to the forum.
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rurprider
Trad climber
Mt. Rubidoux
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Wayne presented an awesome program on the FA of the Nose of El Capitan, with the late Warren Harding, at the Squamish Climber's Festival in August. Thank you, Wayne, and Happy Birthday. He also shed some light on how he and the other members of the team sent mail, like Wayne's letters to Cindy, via cans dropped to friends in the Meadow that there picked up forwarded by friends.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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I always get mixed up between Merry and Pippen.
All kidding aside, bravo for this piece.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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If Wayne weren't from Fresno, he'd be Jake with me.
He's such a mellow fellow
He's not just some sudden craze
He's shown us how to do it
In many many ways
And not just the climbing but the living.
If you've met Wayne recently, the impressive thing about him is his robustness. That's the word. Just like the coffee term. Robust.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Had the great pleasure of meeting Wayne for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Mari and I had planned to meet Tami for a beer after climbing at Squamish Saturday afternoon, but the beer turned into dinner with a few other folks who were there for the festival, and it was my good fortune to wind up sitting beside Wayne for a couple of hours.
Happy Birthday!
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Thanks to Park Rat for a great appreciative thread. And "Gratulerer med dagen!" to the man himself.
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10b4me
Ice climber
Wishes-He-Was-In-Arizona
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Happy Birthday Wayne. I got to meet you back in 2008.
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Tricouni
Mountain climber
Vancouver
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I was happy to meet you at Squamish last month and spend some time chatting with you. Hope to see you in Atlin next year, and our basement suite is ready and waiting for you if you are down this way.
Best wishes on your birthday.
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WBraun
climber
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Rumor has it you're gonna free solo the "Nose in a Day" soon, Wayne.
I know you're busy resoling those hob nail boots for this event.
You'll show those young whippersnappers how it's done again.
Heh heh heee .....
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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I got a chance to talk to Mr Merry at the nose reunion. Friendly, warm, and sharp as a tack.
What a wonderful person.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Happy birthday. Cool name.
Don Gordon says hi.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Well ain't this a peach!
Spent some of the best years of my life guiding for Yosemite Mountaineering School so hats off to you Mr. Merry for getting that ball rolling!
Three cheers and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Excellent write up Park Rat.
Thanks to you and Mr. Haan for this wonderful dedication.
Who took the portrait at the top of the thread?
It reflects Wayne's inner workings and shows him to be a fine human being.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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A Very Happy BigDay Wayne and Many Happy Returns!
At 82 you are an inspiration...always have been.
Three Cheers up in Atlin!
I hope that you take it all in today and have a Very Merry One.
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Park Rat
Social climber
CA, UT,CT,FL
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 4, 2013 - 05:05pm PT
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I thought it was time to celebrate some of the good guys of the olden days.
I occasionally email Wayne, I have found him to be more than willing to help me with my research on Warren Harding.
It occurred to me that perhaps Wayne should be the focus of the thread.
I hope I have done some justice to him. In looking for a timeline I found there was a lot of material written about summoning of El Capitan but very little about Wayne's career after that point.
I'm sure I missed a lot of material but perhaps this brief bio will encourage others to add their stories.
Too often we talk about people when they are no longer around to hear our thoughts.
Thank you Wayne for helping me with your timeline. I definitely needed some guidance.
I guess you can't believe everything you read on the Internet. Chuckle
Cheers,
Susie
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Happy Birthday, Wayne! I was lucky enough to have watched you, Warren and George on your ascent of the Nose from El Cap meadow when I was five. An event that inspired me then, and continues to! Thanks for that, and all of your SAR innovation and teaching.
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Thanks, all, for the kind words. Good BD so far - don't feel a day over 90.
Cindy & I have been married 53 years, not 44. Don't know how she stands it.
And great to meet all you folks at Squamish and absorb some of that energy.
Great place, neat people.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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After so many years, it was great to see Wayne again at Oakdale last fall! I felt so happy to renew my acquaintance with such a warm, friendly, generous guy and to re-ignite my respect for him both as a climber and as a lovely human being.
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Park Rat
Social climber
CA, UT,CT,FL
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 4, 2013 - 10:20pm PT
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I am exchanging emails with Wayne. Consequently I have amended and added to his timeline.
Especially the 1969/70 when he returned Yosemite and founded the mountaineering guides school, the mountain shop as well as a cross-country school.
He has added a further description of the difficulties of starting the Yosemite mountaineering school.
Wayne said that, "He had to battle with the conservative Yosemite Park and Curry Co. overhead to allow facial hair on guides, and to convince them that natty uniforms were not going to be welcomed by potential guides.
Also that the prices on climbing gear in the new shop had to be competitive with the Ski Hut in Berkeley, as otherwise the climbers - who hated YPC anyway - wouldn't buy anything.
Also that the guides should get 50% of the funds they generated. Seems like it was one big battle for the first year, but it worked.
Once people realized that guides were responsible people and actually generated MONEY, climbers also started to get respect. That was a big turning point.
When the NPS had to call on the guides to do technical rescues, that sealed it.
Warren Harding even tried guiding for a very brief time, but he wasn't able to identify with the klutzes we often had and bailed out pretty quick.
I didn't blame him."
Thank you Wayne for painting a more accurate picture of the difficulties you encountered.
The things we take for granted now were often very difficult to get off the ground, especially when you have to deal with both the Park service and the Yosemite Park and Curry company.
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