Clarke Donald M.

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Biografie:
Donald M Clarke 1907-1988
With the passing of Donald Clarke the Club has lost a very unassuming but competent mountaineer. He became a member of the Club in 1962.
Donald walked and climbed widely in the British hills and was a steady leader on rock climbs up to mild severe. Prior to 1951 he had walked in the Maritime and Bavarian Alps and in that year he started climbing in the Valais. In subsequent years he made many ascents in various areas of the Alps, most of the climbs being guided. In 1957 he had a very successful season in the Oberland, with the M6nch (by the ordinary route but descending by the SW ridge) amongst his climbs.
Although he enjoyed climbing in the Alps, the less frequented mountain areas held a fascination for Donald. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, in company with Arnold Galloway, he visited Northern Norway, Swedish Lapland and Iceland. In Norwegian Lapland they spent three weeks exploring the then little known Lyngen peninsula. They spent a similar time in Swedish Lapland exploring the rather remote Sarek region and climbing (inter alia) Sarekjakko, the highest peak. In Iceland Donald and Arnold climbed Hekla and several peaks in the Akureyri area. On other occasions their fascination with volcanoes took them to Etna and Stromboli.
In 1962 Donald went to Greece and climbed on Olympus with Wynne Jeudwine and Wendell Jones. 1963 found him in the High Atlas with Wendell Jones and Peter Ledeboer, and they climbed many of the higher peaks in the area. Later the same year Donald and Wynne Jeudwine were climbing in the Picos de Europa in northern Spain.
Donald was again in Spain in 1967, this time in company with Fred Jenkins and Freddie Smith. They climbed first in the Sierra de Gredos and then revisited the Picos de Europa. In 1978 Donald visited Corsica with Hamish Brown, Ernst Sondheimer and Martin Waddell, but bad weather with a lot of snow severely restricted the climbing.
An unfortunate accident occurred to Donald when he was trekking in the Himalaya. He broke his back falling over an outcrop outside a Dak bungalow in the dark, but he made a remarkable recovery.
As he began to ease up in his later years, Donald became much taken with long-distance footpaths and walked many of them, including the Pennine Way and Offa's Dyke. With Arnold Galloway he tried to work out a 'Hebridean Way', in the course of which they climbed the other Hekla on South Uist.
Donald was born and lived all his life in the Caversham area of Reading. He took a great interest in local affairs and was an active member of St Andrews church, the Caversham Heights Society and the Chiltern Society. He frequently gave lectures to local groups on his travels and climbs and led parties of ramblers through the Berkshire countryside.
Donald's quiet and modest manner belied his considerable strength of character and physique. He was very determined but never foolhardy. He was supportive of and considerate to the other members of his party. Donald did not waste words, but what he said was to the point. He had a dry sense of humour. When I met him once he was limping and my enquiry as to his health brought forth the reply that he had fallen when climbing solo. I asked which rock climb had been involved and he replied 'It wasn't a rock climb - I was picking apples and I fell out of the tree!'
Donald was one of the older school who did not aspire to great technical heights but was very competent and safe in all that he did, and he loved his mountains. He will be much missed by all who climbed with him.
Maurice Bennett
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 94, 1989-90, Seite 312-313


Geboren am:
1907
Gestorben am:
1988