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David Arnold Hasle passed away peacefully August 23, 2012 after suffering a stroke.

He was born to Arnold and Geneva Hasle in Long Beach, California on May 19, 1928. As a youth of the Great Depression, he lived and explored the beaches, cities, rivers and deserts of Southern California, which triggered his marvelous sense of curiosity that flowed into every aspect of his life.

He thoroughly enjoyed Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Life Scout and refining his mischievous sense of humor while simultaneously demonstrating strong leadership qualities. He later enjoyed sharing Scouting with his own kids.

Upon graduation from Oxnard High in 1947, he enlisted in the Army and served as a Supply Sergeant during his 18 months of service at Fort Ord. With the G.I. Bill, he attended Oregon State where he affiliated with the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and met his wife of 59 years, Wilma Anderson. They married in 1953, and with a degree in Civil Engineering, Dave and “Willi” moved to Whittier, California where he began his 30-year career with Bethlehem Steel as a Sales Engineer.

He was involved in the sale of steel for major infrastructure projects such as water and power, freeways and many prominent buildings in the Los Angeles area from 1952 to 1982. Dave and Willi’s 4 children were taught to be self-reliant, active and unique individuals. He and Willi also taught them to love the outdoors. Dave knew how to work hard and play hard!

Dave and Willi learned to ski in the early 1950s; skiing became the focal point of grand adventures and the basis of treasured friendships. The Hasles spent many happy decades of snow skiing at Buckhorn, Mammoth, and just about every major ski area in the world. He was a member of the National Ski Patrol for 25 years and skied until he was 83! He was eagerly anticipating the upcoming ski season at Mammoth.

Dave equally loved fly-fishing in the High Sierra and boating in his Boston Whaler. He enjoyed water skiing, backpacking, camping, growing fruit in his yard and exploring new places with Willi.

He joined Rotary in 1982 where his generous and charitable nature went to good use. He regularly participated with the Whittier, Bishop and Mammoth Rotary Clubs. The Rotary 4-way Test resonated with Dave as a component of his moral compass along with the Golden Rule and the 10 Commandments. He was a man of many interests and had great appreciation for intelligent conversation, a good book, an honorable deed, and a great meal.  He cherished his friends and his family. Dave’s high intellect, loyalty, quick wit and companionship will be greatly missed!

He is survived by his Wife Willi Hasle, sons Ben Hasle (Jane), John Hasle (Amy), and daughters Greta Mestre (Steve) and Jamie Lang (Mike) and 7 grandchildren.

A memorial Service will be held on September 9, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. along the Shoreline of Convict Lake with a reception following the ceremony. For more information, please contact gmestre@charter.net

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either:

Nature Conservancy www.Nature.org or the Rotary Club of Whittier www.WhittierRotary.org

c/o Mike Blackmore for the Youth Campership summer program at Camp Arbolado.

There’s the type of outdoorsy badass who accomplishes a noteworthy feat for the bragging rights. Then there’s the kind of badass who — like John Muir, Mary Austin or Norman Clyde — follows the tug of nature to the source of its extremes because he just can’t help himself, lives to tell the tale, and tells it beautifully.

Daniel Arnold is part of the latter group of badasses. His new book, “Salt to Summit: A Vagabond Journey from Death Valley to Mount Whitney,” combines his passion for adventure with his talents as a wordsmith. Eastside readers might be familiar with his previous work,
“Early Days in the Range of Light” (Counterpoint, $24.95), in which he retraces the footsteps of climbing legends through the Sierra.

In “Salt to Summit,” Arnold recounts his expedition from Badwater Basin in Death Valley to the summit of Mount Whitney. A distance of 80 air miles and an elevation gain of 14,787 feet, the 17-day journey takes him from the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere to the tallest point in the contiguous United States. Arnold recognized this poetic proximity of extremes as a teenager, thinking, “. . . this must be the perfect way to climb a mountain. Start at the very bottom, and end at the very top. What more could a mountaineer want?”

In a fashion familiar to readers of Early Days in the Range of Light, Arnold self-imposes obstacles to make is journey more difficult. Rather than travel the paved route from Badwater to Whitney, he forges his own path, avoiding roads and trails when possible. He leaves in April, a month when Death Valley smolders and Mount Whitney is still snow-capped. He carries little more than what the early travelers would have brought: no GPS device, no tent and a grown-out beard for sun block.

Schlepping 46 pounds of water, Arnold begins his trek from Badwater Basin: “Getting pinched between the salt and the sun here feels like hanging out in a jerking oven. It’s the apocalypse written by a banana slug.” Fighting the tricks of the desert and mountains, Arnold makes his way across salt flats, through slot canyons, and up precipitously steep rock and ice.

Although he travels alone, Arnold encounters a host of ghosts from the Old West … Shoshones, ‘49ers, writers, climbers, entrepreneurs and Paiutes. With his signature gift for storytelling, Arnold’s narrative seamlessly transitions from anecdotes of his own journey to tales of people from the past. He also leads readers through the history of the landscape, from the time when the native population thrived, to the gold rush era, all the way to Owens Valley water wars.

With the observations of a philosopher and the artistry of a poet, Arnold’s impressive writing style propels the story forward. He breathes life into the area’s history and its notable characters. His descriptions of the landscape spring to life on each page, as he notes the changing color palettes, geology, flora, and fauna.

To some, Arnold’s feat itself might not sound entirely “epic” in a world where athletes are constantly breaking records free-soloing, speed-climbing, BASE jumping, and logging obscene mileage on foot or bike. But “epic” aside, this is a story of extremes, of hot and cold, high and low, and of the extremes people have taken to live in such seemingly uninhabitable conditions.

“More than a story of passing through, this is also a story of trying to stay, of people drawn to the harshest landscape in the American West and held here when the desert got into their blood,” Arnold writes.

Copies of “Salt to Summit” can be found at the Booky Joint in Mammoth Lakes, and Spellbinder Books in Bishop.

Arnold will sign and discuss his book at several area locations. (Photo courtesy Counterpoint)

Early Days in the Range of Light

By: Daniel Arnold
Counterpoint, LLC 421 pp.

When John Muir ascended Mount Ritter, his apprehension about the last leg of his journey was not enough to persuade him to turn back. Even when the cliffs near the summit looked most foreboding, it was as if the mountain was coaxing him on.
“We little know,” Muir wrote, “until tried how much of the uncontrollable there is in us.”
Muir reached the summit of Mount Ritter after a three-day long journey carrying a light jacket, a tin cup, a notebook, and a bundle of bread. He slept on the ground at night without a blanket in the middle of October, climbed up cliffs without a rope or harness, and lived to tell the tale.
That was 1872. These days, high-tech gear is seen as essential to a trip, and the people who don’t carry it are viewed as ill-equipped for the unpredictable forces of nature. However, modern outdoor equipment can easily make a mountaineer’s backpack weigh over forty pounds—what Muir would probably call an unnecessary burden for an adventure into the wild.
“Risk opens the door, focuses the mind, begets a healthy distrust for the padded walls of prudence,” Muir wrote.
Learning the stories of climbing pioneers such as John Muir, William Brewer, and Norman Clyde, makes modern outdoor adventure seem like a walk in the park. However, author Daniel Arnold wanted to do more than just learn their stories. He wanted to retrace their footsteps.
Arnold spent four years researching and writing what became “Early Days in the Range of Light: Encounters with Legendary Mountaineers.” During the cold months, his research included reading biographies and historical accounts of first ascents. In the summers, Arnold would, as accurately as he could, recreate the climbs of legendary mountaineers. He used only the equipment that would have been available to him between the years 1864-1931, but also mirrored the personal choices of his role models as best he could.
Arnold writes: “When the footsteps I followed were lightest, as with Muir, I left my sleeping bag and backpack behind, too, and spent days living out of a small canvas sack slung over my shoulder.”
The book spans the Sierra Nevada from north to south, covering 15 mountains, following the footsteps of the men who first reached their summits. Not only does the book contain interesting history and biography, but Arnold also exhibits his talent for nature and adventure writing. His prose is thoughtfully pieced together into a compelling and beautiful narrative that reminds us why we live in such a breathtaking place.
“The mountains have not changed nearly as much as we have,” Arnold writes. “Flashing digits may hurry us along, but the rocks and high meadows remain apart above the bustle. The asphalt noose around the mountains has tightened, the surrounding valleys have been mined, graded, and drained, but across the pavement threshold lies a country that is quiet and still.”
Daniel Arnold was raised in Portland, Ore., and developed a love for climbing at Broughton Bluff and Smith Rock. When he moved to California, however, and saw the Sierra mountain range for the first time, he was hooked. He has climbed nearly 100 Sierra Nevada peaks since graduating from Stanford with a philosophy degree.
Arnold will be at book signings at three Eastern Sierra locations this weekend: Friday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. in Bishop at the Inyo Council for the Arts (includes slide show); Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m., in Mammoth Lakes at the Booky Joint; and Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m., in Lone Pine at the ESIA Visitor’s Center (includes a discussion).