He’s Fred Beckey, the original ‘dirtbag’. And here’s why they made a movie about him

Central Washington Mountain Rescue is hosting the Yakima screening of the award-winning documentary “Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey.”

This incredible film, presented by Patagonia, is touring the country this spring, sharing the story of one of the most influential climbers of all time. Fred Beckey is the original American “dirtbag” – one who abandons societal norms and material comforts in pursuit of a nomadic mountaineering lifestyle.

Beckey wrote numerous climbing and mountaineering books about the Cascades. He kept meticulous personal journals where he mused on everything from arcane geology to his romantic life, to the myriad sunrises he witnessed from vantages not seen by anyone else on Earth.

His writing often captured paradoxical historical and scientific insights and set the tone for the incredible, cascading array of rocky adventures that followed. Here’s a sample from “Cascade Alpine Guide, Vol. 1” where Beckey describes how Mt. Rainier got its name:

“Mount Rainier 14,410’

When at the end of April 1792 Captain George Vancouver in his sloop Discovery sailed through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to near Marrowstone Point and called “the round snowy mountain” after his friend Rear Admiral Peter Rainier, and published this name in his journal in London in 1801, he initiated a controversy that lasted over a century. Though Peter Rainier had a long and honorable career at sea and was later elected to Parliament, our greatest mountain is named for one who took an active part in the war against the American colonies.”

His lifetime of mountaineering accomplishments set the bar for the entire sport. He shattered records with an unparalleled string of superhuman first ascents, bushwhacking trails and pioneering direct routes thought previously impassable.

Beckey’s detailed trail maps and crisp black and white photographs still fire up the imaginations of climbers all over the world who set out to Washington state to climb these magnificent peaks.

Beckey entrusted director Dave O’Leske with the volumes of his personal journals, rare archival footage, photographs and writings dating from 1933 to 2015. O’Leske is the only person ever to gain unfiltered access to Beckey and have his full cooperation to create a feature film about his life. This 96-minute documentary reveals the untold story of a true American icon.

He defiantly continued climbing until passing away in October 2017 at age 94.

This story was originally published April 8, 2018 at 4:17 PM with the headline "He’s Fred Beckey, the original ‘dirtbag’. And here’s why they made a movie about him."