Jim McCarthy

Fred Beckey is the legendary American 'Dirtbag' mountaineer whose name has evoked mystery, sarcasm and adulation since the 1940s. His stubborn determination to climb one peak after another was translated into a solitary life on the road, where he left a trail of furious climbing partners and abandoned lovers. At the age of 94 he is still obsessed by the mountains and plans ambitious expeditions, but the man who once cavorted over the rock and ice now has to come to terms with everyday life. The story of this athletic rebel, who inspired generations of climbers with his monumental first ascents and impassioned books, is recounted for the first time.

This documentary from local station KING-TV in Seattle, Washington, examines the history of Mount Rainier through narration, interviews, re-enactments, newsreel, and home-movie footage. Highlights of the program include the following: claymation showing the formation of the mountain; discussion of Hazard Stevens's and Philamon Van Trump's discovery of the mountain in May 1792; reenactment of the 1870 climb to the summit; the mountain's designation as a National Park; activities on the mountain in the 1920s and 1930s; Paradise Ice Caves; history of skiing and other activities on the mountain; 1969 time-lapse photography of the movement of the Nisqually Glacier...