Brewer Basin in Kings Canyon

The essence of cross-country mountaineering.

The "Cross-Country Mountaineer"

I have bagged very few peaks in the Sierra, but I am sure there will more of them in my future, thrilling me with an acrophobic high. Which brings me to something I think alot about, and that is, what do I call what I do in the Sierra? In the old days of John Muir, I would undoubtedly be called a mountaineer, along with anyone who spends a good deal of time in the wilderness. But "mountaineer" seemed to be co-opted by default when Hillary first climbed Everest, and now is claimed by anyone who uses ropes to climb a mountain, although I see a difference between technical mountaineers above and below 4000 meters. Perhaps the difference is if the first letter of mountaineer is spelled with a small or capital "m". But I don't see why mountain climbers should have exclusive claim to this classic word, yet I see the need in myself for a distinction between them and I. Occasionally, I am a mountain climbing mountaineer when I bag a peak here and there, but more often I am a trail-less traveler of the wilderness, a mountaineer in the classical sense when my wilderness experience is wrapped up in the journey, not just be-all end-all goal of a summit. This was the style of John Muir who climbed peaks primarily to see the country around him and the good general views, all to aid his cross-country ramblings. So in the spirit of John Muir, I will consider myself a "cross-country mountaineer".