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'A most
' memorable
ascent of
MoUnt
9
Ellinor
By Bill Barker
Special to the Journal
People climb mountains for all sorts of rea-
sons. Some do it for the exercise while others
do it for the exhilaration that comes with sum-
gn ting a scenic slope.
' I ll confess that sometimes I have said, with
a wee twinkle in my eye, well, it beats yard
work.
Here in Western Washington, one of the
most papular mountain climbs in MasOn
County is taking the trail up Mount Ellinor, in
the southeast corner of the storied Olympics.
So in the early morning of July 15, I decid-
ed to push my physical envelope and set out
to touch the sky, while ascending this mag-
ni cent peak that looks over the South Sound.
Last month, my oldest brother, Gene,
passed away and this summit is how I would
honor his memory. ,
Gene was the oldest of six of us, ve boys
' and a girl, and I was the youngest, with a 16-
year spread between myself and Gene.
Thursday, July 30, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A-35
A bevy of equally beautiful young ladies made the summit and one of them
took this picture of the
author that morning. Mount Olympus seemingly floats, like a levitating
island of ice and snow, just
above the old'sailor's head.
We were all born and raised in Hudson
County, New Jersey, right across the Hudson
River from the Big Apple.
After graduating high school in 1953, Gene
joined the Navy. It was soon after the Korean
War, but in his 20 years of service, he served
two tours aboard attops (aircraft carriers) off
the coast of Vietnam.
Gene rose in rank swiftly, from an 13-1 Boot
to an E-9, a master chief, in as short a period
as I believe it is possible to reach that level.
Let me tell you, the Navy doesn t make mas-
ter chiefs of anyone who applies. You have to
be good and you have to have paid your dues
the old fashioned way: you had to earn those
two stars above chief insignia on your sleeve.
An unseen good luck star wouldn t hurt in
getting the other two. This is why, if you ever
have the honor of meeting an 13 9, you will re-
member it, usually for good reason.
All of Gene s four younger brothers fol-
lowed him into' the military service, three in
the Navy and one in the Air Force (there s one
in every family).
But none of us served as long as Gene. I served
in the submarine service from 1969 to 1976.
Gene stayed in until 1973 and I like to think
there were times when all ve of us Barker boys ,
had this country s back covered from sea to shin-
ing sea and from the surface up into the wild blue
yonder.
Last month, when my sister let me know, about
Gene s passing, I never thought of sending owers.
No, I wanted to do something as special, some?
thing with a seagoing theme to it. I d wear my Navy
ball cap in his honor. *
So I got up long before the crack of dawn, kissed
my sleeping wife goodbye and lit off on my moun
tainous tribute.
Perhaps the most delicious part of this old sail-
or s sojourn was that no one Who passed me on the
trail (there were many) knew why I was up there.
Letting others know, I thought, would steal some-
thing from the magic of Gene s memory. .
WhenI summited Mount Ellinor that morning,
I thought I d be the rst old goat atop that pile of
Olympic rocks.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered a moun-
tain goat had beaten me to the top. The gods of
Olympus must have gotten a kick out of the irony.
It is tting that one of Gene s best qualities was his
wry sense of humor.
Like most folks, I d like to think I ll be blessed to
see my loved ones also, some ne day.
Still, I m more inclined to believe what Mae
West said:
Honey, if you live your life right, once is plent
enough. My dear brother lived his life right. May
God bless the memory of it always.
I Bill Barker hails from the greatest Garden State
in our union. The US. Navy sailed him out to The
Evergreen State, washing him ashore as a civilian
beside the sublime South Salish Sea, in the Bremer-
ton area, after a seven-year stint in its storied sub-
marine service. He has steadfastly refused to live
anywhere else ever since. Bill retired from the US.
Postal Service and is now attempting to ful ll his
long-delayed destiny as'a Man of Letters, rather
than a eternal sorter and delivererof the damn
things. He may be reached at billsnorthw est2002@
yahoo.com. 2