Wilderness Strangers

My pal and fellow former U.S. Forest Service wilderness ranger Helmut Vallindaklopf, also known as Kelly Tjaden (above, top), had dinner with none other than Fred Beckey, mountaineer extraordinaire. That's me on the right with the boffo straw hat I picked up in Ensenada in Baja, California.

Kelly moved into the "Mushroom Haus" (above, bottom) with us during the summer of '79, when Rebecca moved to the Rock Creek Guard Station up the Chiwawa River for the season. The Mushroom Haus, located across the highway from the old Cougar Inn on Lake Wenatchee, was a gathering place for many of the seasonal USFS employees in the neighborhood.

Kelly lives in Anchorage, Alaska with his better half, Lupe Marroquin, and they had the opportunity to dine with "The Old Man of the Mountains." More to come on Fred Beckey.