citing Petrie's first ascents, his early role in opening Oregon climbing mecca Smith Rock, and his rescues.
"In the 1950s and '60s if you named an important mountain rescue in northern Oregon, Petrie was there," Thomas says.
gushes that in 1946, Petrie "climbed 'anything with a summit,' coming away with first ascents of Shiprock, Independence Tower and Staender Summit.".
There, at age 13, he bagged his first peak, a then 9,677-feet-high St. Helens.
As for Mount Hood, Petrie says with a bemused grin, he's summited it "around 50 times.".
In climbing Petrie was a rare bird, and in his work Petrie was an endangered species: the male elementary schoolteacher.
Late that Saturday night, Petrie bought a fresh-off-the-press Sunday Oregonian and a quart of milk in a glass bottle. »
