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R. Duke Watson - Outdoor Activities Record
Duke's outdoor activities record extends from 1928, a fourteen mile Boy Scout hike along the Mississippi River (when he was about 12 years old), to 2000. I reviewed the record and noted entries to discuss with him in person. The entries relevant to this project are a tiny portion of Duke's record.Post-war ski mountaineering:
- 1941, mid-March
- Drafted by U.S. Army.
- 1941, December 7
- Skiing at Paradise with Ralph Bromaghin, Paul Lafferty and others on Pearl Harbor day.
- 1942, Jan-Mar
- 87th Mountain Infantry training, Paradise Valley.
- 1942, Jul-Dec
- Commanded U.S. Army advance camp to support testing of the Studebaker Weasel over-snow vehicle, Saskatchewan Glacier, Columbia Icefield.
- 1943, Mar-Aug
- 10th Mountain Division training, Camp Hale, CO.
- 1944, Jan-Apr
- Mountain training for standard infantry, West Virginia.
- 1944, May-Jul
- Commanded Army's Seneca Rocks Climbing School, West Virginia.
- 1945, February 24
- Commanded Company I, 86th Mountain Infantry, which seized the summit of Mount Della Torraccia, the division objective, in the Appenine Mountains, Italy. Wounded on the summit.
Crystal Mountain Ski Area:
- 1947, March 23
- Skied NW face of Mt Dickerman with Harold Sievers.
- 1955, May 7-8
- Ski ascent of Mt St Helens with Rob Quoidbach and others, overnight at Longview Ski Club cabin.
- 1959, May 30-31
- Mt Rainier, ski descent of Emmons Glacier, with Warren Spickard and Dave Wessel.
- 1960, August 20-29
- Washington Pass pack trip. Some of the party climbed peak 7500' south of Early Winters Spire, later to be known as Wamihaspi Peak, after Watson, Milnor, Hall and Spickard.
- 1961, August 20
- NW Peak, Twin Spires. Warren Spickard fell 800' to his death on the descent.
- 1962, February 17-18
- Big Chiwaukum Mountain ski trip via Deadhorse Pass, with Tony Hovey.
- 1963, April 20-21
- Snowking Mountain ski ascent via Cyclone Lake, with Tony Hovey, Vic Josendal, Cal Magnusson, Hal Williams and Hans Zogg.
- 1965, April 10-11
- Snowgrass Mountain ski ascent, with Jack Hossack and Tony Hovey.
- 1967, May 13
- Ruby Mountain ski ascent with Tony Hovey.
- 1980, May 17-18
- Mount Sefrit climb with Tony Hovey and Hans Muller. Observed explosion of Mt St Helens.
- 1953, April
- Reconnaissance trip to Corral Pass to survey potential for ski area development, with wife Marillyn, Spike and Mary Lea Griggs, Don and Gretchen Fraser and others.
- 1954, March
- Exploratory ski trips in Corral Pass area with Bill Black, Mel Borgersen, Walt Little, Ted Watkins and others.
- 1955, Mar-Apr
- Exploratory ski trips in Corral Pass area.
- 1956, Winter
- Start of intensive interest in upper Silver Creek area (eventually to be Crystal Mountain Ski Area) as a potential ski development site. Numerous visits to the area.
- 1957, Feb-Apr
- Exploratory trips in Silver Creek area.
- 1958, February 22-23
- Reconnaisance of Crystal Mountain, with wife Marillyn, Warren and Jo Spickard.
- 1959, April 18
- Crystal Mountain reconnaissance trip.
- 1960, April 28
- Reconnaisance trip to Crystal Mountain, with potential investors.
- 1960, October 16
- Crystal Mountain work party, tagging and cutting trails, with other board directors.
- 1961, January 21-22
- Exploratory ski tour, Crystal Mountain.
- 1961, June 24-25
- Crystal Mountain trail work.
- 1961, Sep-Oct
- Crystal Mountain trail work parties.
- 1962, January 13
- Crystal Mountain exploratory tour with interested investors.
- 1962, October 20-21
- Crystal Mountain work party, with various board members.
- 1962, November 14
- Crystal Mountain Ski Area Grand Opening.
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