Back in the mid 70's I worked in a small bakery with a guy named Karl Ritchie who had a cabin/home on Sunland DR, just East of the White Pine road. He has long passed, I assume, unless he is in his early 100's. He used regale stories of hiking and skiing the Chiwaukum and Stevens Pass areas in the 40's. Way before there were any lifts, maybe a rope tow or T-bar at Stevens.
I was always amazed by this stout old euro with his sagging barrel chest and thick accent. His back ached from many years of skiing and baking, but he kept me on the edge of my prepubescent seat reeling through his adventures blazed by youthful legs and wooden skis. While I was wallowing around the Chiwaukum's foothills on my leather boots and cross country skis, his stories made me feel like Karl and his Euro buddies were as big as mountains that entertained his tales.