Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jun 22, 2007 - 02:24am PT
|
TM, check your mail.
As for the book. Its getting down to the wire. I'm now just tying up loose ends as far as the sequence of events go. To be honest, if I relied on everyone's 30 year old memory, the time line would look like that Jack In The Box ad for chipotle sauce where Jack's mouth looks like a mess of spaghetti. It wouldn't make sense nor would it be linear.
I have a few of the key players left to talk to as well as collect releases on some of the great photos that have been provided. I'm also planning on a trip up to the lake to take photos. That'll happen in a few weeks. I thought I'd wait until the Park was as peak tourist season before I headed out.
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 5, 2007 - 07:00pm PT
|
I would like to get in touch with the following people. I'm trying up loose ends so if anyone can pass on my name/phone number/email addy to them I'd appreciate it.
Mike Elsberry
Ranger Tucker (I don't know his first name)
Greg Lucas
Bill Similany (not sure of the last name spelling)
Anyone that knew Roger Bannister
|
|
Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
|
|
Did my Utica lead pan out?
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 5, 2007 - 08:40pm PT
|
PR, yes your lead did help a lot. I've been in touch with his brother.
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
"Ranger Tucker (I don't know his first name)"
It's Jim Tucker, and he's retired now and lives in Mariposa.
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 5, 2007 - 11:48pm PT
|
Thanks WB...I'll check him out
|
|
Mr. D
Trad climber
West Coast
|
|
Licky...check your e-mail!
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 6, 2007 - 11:00pm PT
|
Thank you Mr. D...much appreciated
|
|
Mt Lovr
Boulder climber
|
|
|
Jul 11, 2007 - 02:12am PT
|
Way to keep researching this thoroughly, Licky. I have totally enjoyed tuning in from time to time and watching as key players or people who know them contact you one by one. This would have undoubtedly been a different (and weaker, possibly inaccurate) book had you simply gone with the information you originally received.
I'm a writer myself and when working on a project, people who have troubling composing a four-paragraph letter frequently ask me "When ya gonna be done writing that book?" and I reply "When it's finished!"
Tokes to you for sticking with it, and I hope you sell enough copies to earn a little bread -- thus, in your own hard-working way, you too will have profited from that 1977 plane crash, which would be totally appropriate and a delicious bit of irony that such a long-gone illegal cargo woudl still be generating at little income.
Best wishes
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 13, 2007 - 02:30pm PT
|
Thanks Mt. its been an interesting plus two years.
Yes, you are correct when you talk about going with the first story. Although what I'm finding that in many cases the stories only differ because two people were viewing an event from different angles. One person picked up or recalls something that another didn't. It doesn't mean that one was blowing smoke (so to speak) and the other wasn't. 30 years is a long time to ask someone to recall details of an event that was just a brief moment in their life.
Stay tuned
|
|
500
Mountain climber
Ruby, Colorado
|
|
I have struggled with communicating with you. I hadn't visited this thread for a long time. It hurts my head. I might be able to help with some background on Jack. We met and learned to climbing together as classmates in a CMC rock course in Aspen. He was the person I was most likely to climb with and we were tight. I was waiting for him to arrive to be my best man and was pretty pissed when he didn't show. I learned, through the grapevine, of his death when a mutual friend returned from the park in 77. I called out there to confirm and got to spend some hours on the phone with an investigator looking into his background. I could have told you he was from Utica and had a mom and brother alive then. Those of us that knew him in Aspen called him Pig. He climbed a little with Lou Dawson, Michael Kennedy, squaty Body Eric, Rich Jack, and others . I'd have to scratch my head to remember all the names. I stayed with him in the park and we did some climbs though he was new there and working alot. Anyway, email if you want. I have a few photos of ares we climbed but I may only have one old newspaper photo of him. I'd have to dig around a bit to find that stuff.
SilverRurp
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 10, 2007 - 02:35pm PT
|
500, I appreciate the effort. Check your email
|
|
millhous
Trad climber
ny,ny
|
|
hey, do we have an ETA on the book?
|
|
Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
|
|
Licky,
Time to pull the trigger on this baby! Some of us are getting old. We're going to start passing on without having read the thing. Plus my eyesite is going. My wife caught me this morning with my reading glasses on and a spare set tucked in my collar. Time to publish.
Zander
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2007 - 04:14pm PT
|
The book would already be at the publisher if it weren't for all the new information coming forward. Friends of the two pilots are coming up with new photos. There is an organization that is helping me do research on the history of the plane while it saw duty in WW II including photos of the crews. Then there is the matter of getting up to the Park to go through the records and take photos of the lake and the trail that Jack Dorn fell from.
I'd say that 90% of the research is complete. The conversion from notes to readable text in a way that you'd want to turn the page has been a bit tedious, but I'm making headway.
To be honest, this project was only going to take a couple of months. As each Christmas would approach I figured I'd have it ready for the holiday sales. I had no idea that it would lead me where it has and it keeps on keeping on.
So hang in there. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and its not the train.
|
|
TradIsGood
Happy and Healthy climber
the Gunks end of the country
|
|
|
Sep 10, 2007 - 04:31pm PT
|
The last 10% always takes 90% of the time.
Is the story about an airplane, or a drug run that ended in under water, or the lives of the people that were affected by the last run?
If it is one of the latter two, then its WWII history is a side-show.
|
|
Licky
Mountain climber
California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 10, 2007 - 04:48pm PT
|
To answer your question...all of the above. For those in the climbing community the story about the plane in the lake and the dope is probably of major interest. But those that knew the pilots are interested in how they got into the business and the events surrounding their death. Two weeks ago I attended my 40th high school reunion in Seattle. Most that attened it knew Jon Glisky, some very well. I must have told the story a dozen times to small groups all day and night long. None had any idea about what happended after he died.
Then there are those that knew about this plane because they are into what are referred to as Lockheed Big Twins. They lost track of this plane back in the mid70s as it had been misidentified by the Feds during the investigation. As it was, there were only 17 made and this was number 17. One is still flying around the country.
Then through out all of this is the debunking of the myth and rumors. I've been led on some pretty wild goose chases by people that knew they had no idea what went on, but decided over the years to develop their own spin on the event. Some were just not there and some that were only had part of the story and ended up filling in the gaps with what sounded right or what they were told by someone else.
But most of all, I wanted to find something good that came out of this event. There had to be people who's lives were actually made better. I found them and its their stories that have helped temper the black side of this story.
|
|
RDL
Social climber
Silicon Valley
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2007 - 09:40pm PT
|
Hey,
My name is Ron, I lived in Yosemite in 1976 and 1977, worked at the Ahwahnee Hotel. I am one of the so called "hikers" actually on showshoes, who found the airplane, or the wing as it turned out along the trail to Lower Merced Pass Lake and our ultimate destination, Ottoway Lake, in the Clark range. We never made Lower Merced Pass Lake, pity, I often wonder what would have happened if had and figured out what happened. When we returned to the valley after camping on Ottoway Lake I reported to the Rangers that we had found a wing in the high country and gave them the numbers from the wing. Well all hell broke lose and in the next few days the entire Valley knew the story of the plane crash.
In April 1977 I returned with seemingly the entire Valley and returned with a backpack full of pot. Which I quickly dried and sold to a friend in San Jose. The next year I went back to college and used the airplane money to make the move to San Diego and pay for my first two years of college. Something good did come from the "Loadstar Lightning"
Rich Schloss is a good guy and has interviewed me and we have spoken on the phone a few times since. He is trying to piece the story together from several angles. I personally don't think there is any need to be fearful, statute of limitations having long expired. If you really know something first hand, NOT HEARSAY, (there are all kinds of Valley myths), then I would encourage you to come forward and let's get the whole story out. I have learned so much from him and cleared up some of the myths I still believed about the event.
I HAVE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOWSHOE TRIP TO OTTOWAY LAKE WHEN WE FOUND HE WING AND THE POT SALVAGE IN APRIL ON-LINE at:
http://public.fotki.com/RonLykins/travel/airplane_1977/
The first 7 or so are at the lake in April (chopping pot out of the ice) the others are the snowshoe trip when we found the wing, shots of thw wing included.
I look forward to reading Ricks book when it is realeased.
Ron Lykins
|
|
hossjulia
Trad climber
Eastside
|
|
|
Nov 18, 2007 - 01:09pm PT
|
WOW! What a great post. Thanks for the pictures.
Just out of curiosity, do you remember what kind of film you used? The color saturation is still so good! (Or did you have to play with it digitally?)
|
|
Indianclimber
climber
Las Vegas
|
|
|
Nov 18, 2007 - 01:16pm PT
|
Amazing pictures ,thank you
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!