Mount Adams, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington, USA by Lee Rentz

(by chadtorkelsen)

Looking back on 2023 - maybe it wasn't my best year, but also not the worst. And when I see what goes on in many parts of the world, I really should count my blessings. Here's hoping 2024 treats you all well.

Mount Adams, Gifford Pinchot NF, Washington, USA

By Daniel Gomez

Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Adams, from flights I took in February 2020 and July 2012

King’s Ravine from Durand Ridge on Mount Adams in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

#KingsRavine is a prominent glacially-carved feature located on the eastern side of Mount Adams in the #WhiteMountains of #NewHampshire, USA. This rugged and steep ravine is known for its challenging terrain and is a popular destination for hikers and mountaineers.

The ravine is named after the American Revolutionary War soldier Colonel Nathaniel King, who was an early explorer of the area. It is characterized by its steep cliffs, waterfalls, and a challenging #hikingtrail known as the “King Ravine Trail” that provides access to the alpine zone of #MountAdams.

That Was No Lady Whose Pooch Poached The Prize At Cincinnati’s First Dog Show

The oddly specific award, presented at Cincinnati’s first major dog show, was buried in a long list of prizes bestowed upon the finest canines in the Queen City:

“The finest and handsomest dog of any kind, and owned and entered by a lady, a gold-mounted collar; awarded Miss Jeanne Bassett; spaniel John Wilson.”

Therein lies a tale (or tail).

It was 1877. New York attracted a great deal of national attention with the inaugural Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Boston announced it would soon stage a similar event. In Cincinnati, George M. Arnold, an actor, and Robert Miles, proprietor of the Grand Opera House on Vine Street, decided that New York had nothing on our fair city and announced a major dog show to take place on Mount Adams in late June.

Arnold and Miles procured a large vacant lot next-door to the Highland House at the top of the Mount Adams Incline. Many years before, the property held a fireworks factory and in the future the Rookwood Pottery would locate there. On this plot, Miles erected an immense circus tent, 150 feet in diameter, sheltering 250 kennels.

Dogs were packed in everywhere. They came in all sizes, from a “Siberian Bloodhound” (a type of mastiff) weighing 192 pounds, to Toodles, a “black and tan,” who tipped the scales at just over 24 ounces. Cincinnatians kept different breeds back then. Newfoundlands were popular, as were spaniels, poodles, Irish setters and pointers. Other breeds seem exotic today, such as coach dogs, fox dogs (believed to be fox-dog hybrids – an impossibility), Greenham dogs and Russian shepherds.

The show got off to a wet start. Although Thursday, June 21, started out fine, a storm “of no ordinary importance” blew through and soaked the pavilion, scattering the crowd and soaking the grounds. After retying the tent ropes and hauling in a couple of truckloads of straw, the show went on, attracting so many customers at a quarter apiece that an extra day was tacked on to accommodate demand.

Other cities took envious notice. The Indianapolis Journal opined that Cincinnati staged the canine exposition to direct attention away from accusations by the Temperance newspapers that local brewers were selling adulterated suds. The St. Louis Times observed that Cincinnati was on a roll, with the dog show opening simultaneously with the display of a live beluga whale at Mount Auburn’s Lookout House, a revived professional baseball team and the ribbon cutting for the new Cincinnati-Southern Railroad.

At the conclusion of the show, the newspapers printed lengthy lists of prize winners and a couple of controversies. Dognapers stole some of the prize dogs from their be-ribboned kennels and a few pooches escaped. A lawsuit or two alleged that judges had illegally awarded prizes to undeserving mutts and the owners of a few honored dogs claimed they never received their prizes. Still, the show was declared a roaring success, a feather in Cincinnati’s cap, until, that is, the Cincinnati Gazette [26 June 1877] spilled the beans:

“At the dog show held last week, the prize for the ‘handsomest and finest dog of any kind, owned and entered by a lady,’ a gold-mounted collar, was awarded to the keeper of a house of ill-fame. The dog was named after a circus-rider who, a few days ago, shot a man with the intention of killing him.”

All of this was true. The lady in question was Jeanne Bassett, who maintained a brothel at 130 Longworth Street, the very heart of Cincinnati’s red-light district. Miss Bassett was no stranger to the newspapers. In fact, her recent feud with a neighboring madam, Kate Riley, had gotten so out-of-control that the police “pulled” both houses and fined the landladies and inmates for disturbing the peace.

Madam Bassett’s award-winning spaniel was named John Wilson and may have been a gift from the gentleman with that name. Mr. Wilson was, as the Gazette intimated, a sometime equestrian for the John Robinson Circus, based in Cincinnati. As his namesake dog was wowing the judges on Mount Adams, Wilson himself was incarcerated, unable to raise bail after shooting a security guard at Wood’s Theater. As is often the case with hot-headed gunplay, alcohol was involved. In the middle of a pub crawl, Wilson and a friend, gambler Bob Cathcart, popped into Wood’s Theater at the southeast corner of Sixth and Vine. There, private policeman Charles Thompson told Cathcart to ditch his cigar. Wilson took offense and shot Thompson as they argued. Wilson fled but sent a messenger to Miss Bassett’s house. The young courier was intercepted by the police and led officers to Wilson’s hideout. Miss Bassett apparently raised money to guarantee Wilson’s bond.

All of this was still fresh in the public’s mind as the dog show was organized. It would be beyond belief that Bob Miles, the theater impresario, and George Arnold, the actor, were unfamiliar with Jeanne Bassett and her Longworth Street house. They surely would have heard about the shooting at Wood’s Theater. How they allowed Miss Bassett to register her spaniel, much less take top honors, is a bit of a mystery.

The scandal of Miss Bassett’s success, however, cast a pall over the entire enterprise and it was some years before anyone dared to stage another dog show in Cincinnati.

TAKHLAKH LAKE

MOUNT ADAMS

JULY 18, 2023

Less Is More Prominent

We shared a recent post that laid out the prominences in the mountain west...that is the majority of the high peaks seen on or near the Pacific Crest Trail. As I read the post I was surprised the second highest peak in Washington state, and the first major prominence one walks near as they head north toward Canada, Mount Adams, is low on the list. Its bigger brother/sister, Mount Rainier tops the prominence list. Mount Rainier checks in at 14,411 feet but in terms of prominence shrinks to 13,246 feet. Remember, prominence is the vertical distance between a mountain’s summit and its key col, which is the lowest point on the highest ridge or saddle connecting the mountain to adjacent mountains. 'Lowly' Mount Adams measures 12,276 feet or 8,116 feet in terms of prominence or nine out of ten on the list of top ten prominences.

That is all fine and good and really, who am I to dispute geographic height? I am a short person so I am well aware of height differentials. In the case of Mount Adams, for me there is a profound distinction. The first ever section I walked on the PCT was from the Columbia River north. Looking south we saw the beautiful spire of Mount Hood. Distinct in its own way. I can remember commenting that it reminded me of the peak you see at the beginning of a movie from Paramount Pictures.

Within a day or so we found ourselves walking along the snowy flanks of Mount Adams. Wow! Adams is a large white snow cone of a mountain. As we rounded it we could look up to its icy heights. Growing up in Kansas, being this close to such a prominence was awe inspiring. Actually it was probably a bit more like shock and awe inspiring.

Since that time Mount Adams has had a special place in my memory and my heart. Unlike its volcanic siblings further north in Washington and those further south in Oregon and beyond, it is not as noticeable to many people. Many of the other Cascade volcanoes are visible from places like Seattle or Portland or at the least along the I-5 corridor. Adams peeks out (no pun intended) at Portland on a clear day but otherwise is too far east up the Columbia to be readily recognized. I think this adds to its mystique for me.

Two weeks ago I found myself back near Mount Adams attempting to climb to its summit. Those original feelings of awe and attraction swept over me. The PCT brought me close but this experience would literally take me the next level. To gain the summit is not a technical climb. No ropes or harnesses but crampons are helpful. Even with all my thrilling feelings the journey up was still quite a grunt. Nevertheless those old original 'first meeting' feelings powered me upward.

I guess the best way for me to describe my feelings for this mountain is I have a crush on it. There. I said it. Like any crush the feeling is not always reciprocal. Adams likely didn't even know I was there but I did. Every step was an acknowledgement of my admiration. Reaching the top there was that big shot, Mount Rainier waving back. Nearby was the decapitated poor old Mount Saint Helens. In the far distance Glacier Peak and Mount Baker. shining in their icy exuberance. The length of the remaining northbound PCT stretches north past them. Mount Adams' prominence may be lowly in the record books but to me, he/she/them holds a much higher position. I would take Mount Adams anywhere if they would have me.

The mountains of my life: in and around Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon. 11 July 2021.

Mount Adams, Pacific Crest Trail, Washington, USA by Lee Rentz

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Trekking 830 feet in to the Interior of the Earth: Carlsbad Mystery

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara Sept.5.2009. It was the 5th day of September year 2009. It was the day on which I descended 850 feet deep down in to the interior of the earth for the first time in life. Among my companions were my wife, son-in law and Nishanthi, the six year little girl, in a group of about thirty people of different ages, ranging from year old to, late seventies, who had come from…

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Psa that I'm going to be in the pacific northwest for the next week and a half so this is about to be a pacific northwest fan account

Anyways here are the highlights from my trip out: Minneapolis from above, Mount Adams as my plane got in to Portland, and the Rose Transit Center in Portland Oregon

#FineArtFriday: Mount Adams by Albert Bierstadt (revisited)

I live just north of Mount Adams. When you drive down past Mt. St. Helens, you often catch glimpses of this majestic volcano, but it is not usually on the tourist routes. Several of our native tribes call this mountain Klickitat, and some call it Pahto. Although Adams has not erupted in more than 1,000 years, it is not considered extinct. I find it interesting that while it is the second-highest…

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