|
Paul Jay Bradt (1904–1978) has been called the father of rock climbing in the Washington, D.C., area.〔 See also the sound tracks of the archival videos on this website. 〕 He was instrumental in developing interest in the sport, was a founding member and first chair of the rock climbing branch of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, and pioneered historic climbs and cave explorations in the 1930s and 1940s.〔 Note: This reference misspells Bradt's name as "Brandt."〕〔 Note: the solo photos of Bradt and Hubbard are improperly identified in the 2nd Edition; Bradt is the climber on p. 14 and Hubbard is on p. 15. They are correctly identified in the earlier “Revised Edition” (1995) – (H. Bradt, nephew of PB, pvt. comm. )〕 Bradt was introduced to rock climbing by Gustave Gambs (1868-1958) who had learned the sport in Europe. He soon became an active proponent of rock climbing, introducing many people to the sport, some of whom became leaders in the field, such as Don Hubbard, Arnold Wexler, and Herb and Jan Conn.〔〔 Bradt and his colleagues explored and developed early climbing routes at Great Falls, VA, Carderock, MD, Seneca Rocks, WV, Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park, VA, and in the Teton Range.〔〔〔 ==Early life and education== Bradt was born in Portland, Indiana, on October 21, 1904, grew up on a farm in Versailles, Indiana, and as a teenager and student, lived in Bloomington, Indiana, where his father taught in the high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics (1927) at Indiana University and a master’s degree in mathematics (1931) at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.〔Archivists at Indiana University and George Washington University〕 During his long residence in Washington, he first worked as an examiner at the U.S. Patent Office and then had a long career as a physicist at the National Bureau of Standards. He recruited climbers from among his fellow workers at the Bureau. Bradt married Josephine Irey (1908–1975) of Washington, DC in 1942.〔 They had two sons, Alan and Peter. He was a quiet, self-effacing person who set a standard of encouraging beginning climbers and who embraced a safety-first mentality that persists to this day in the Washington climbing community.〔 ==Seneca Rocks== At Seneca Rocks, Bradt made the first documented roped descent – the ascent was a steep hike – of the North Peak with Florence Perry in 1935 and the first documented ascent of the South Peak (east face) with Hubbard and Sam Moore in 1939. The latter was a heroic two-day effort via the routes now known as Lower Skyline Direct, Skyline Traverse, Cockscomb Chimney, and Windy Corner. The same team also made the first documented ascent in 1940 of the precariously-perched narrow pinnacle at Seneca Rocks known as the Gendarme. 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Paul Bradt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|