During the spring of 2007 I decided to follow through with my intentions of becoming a Scramble Leader for the Tacoma Mountaineer Branch. I came to the Mountaineers with a few years of trip leading for other organizations already, so I filled out the petition paperwork and sent it in. From what I understand, only one member of the board said, “Maybe he should complete a mentored lead before we give him status,” and that was John Hazelton. I accepted and invited John to be my mentor. He readily agreed and didn’t have any preferences for summits. I chose one that I had my eye on: Mt. Baring.
Our group was a collection of known and unknown participants to me, and the scramble went forward without a hitch. However, we were nearly back to a traversing trail that led to a ridge walk, and John tripped and fell down. He got up, declared, “I think I hurt myself bad,” and limped to a nearby log to take a look. We redistributed his gear, and John hobbled out the remaining mile and 1800ft descent to the trailhead strong, steady and in good spirits. When asked at future mountaineer events he would show his scar and tell us “I wanted to make sure he got the full, leader experience.”
Experienced, available, honest in a sometimes gruff way, helpful, and resourceful, he always had a story to tell from climbing a remote peak, injuring himself on a mentored trip or paying full price for backpack. We will miss you, John Hazelton.
- Justin McClellan
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