PHILIP P. UPTON 1919-1984

In 1964, as a fledgling glaciology student from Ohio State University, I spent my first North American summer in the St. Elias Mountains in the Yukon. The OSU contingent was part of a larger group participating in the Arctic Institute of North America’s Icefield Ranges Research Project which had been created by Dr. Walter Wood in 1961. Philip Upton was the principal pilot, having been with the project since its inception. During 1964, I came to realize how much the glacier-based research carried out within IRRP depended on the air support provided by Phil and the AINA/AGS heliocourier. In those early days glaciologist-pilot R. H. (Dick) Ragle also played a significant role on the air logistics scene. It was he who checked Phil out on the machine as I remember it.

How clearly I recall standing many times on the Hubbard-Kaskawulsh Divide gazing in awe at the overpowering bulk of Mount Logan, 35 kilometers away. Little did I realize that Upton and Ragle had discussed several times the possibility of landing up on the plateau at 17,500 feet.

Four years passed before I returned to Kluane to carry out a topographic survey of Logan. Phil and the “helio” were still the mainstay of the Icefields operation: in the meantime Phil had pioneered the skillful feat of landing on the plateau with the now turbo-charged “helio.” The medical HAPS project was already well underway with Dr. Charles Houston as director.

Then, in 1974, I began a series of surveys on Logan which were to culminate in the recovery of a 103-meter core from the northwest col in 1980. In order to accomplish this we relied entirely on the logistics provided by Phil and his protegé, Andrew Williams, flying the two turbo-charged “helios.” By then, the HAPS project had wound down and we were fortunate to have the fullest attention of the pilots in 1980 as well as 1981 when the final evacuation of drill and core was made. Most of the ice core was flown to Whitehorse, direct from the mountain, above the freezing level. That core is the most valuable item I have ever handled in my life.

Charles Houston, I and many others who carried out research on Mount Logan and in many other parts of the St. Elias Mountains were totally dependent on the skill of both AINA pilots. Even the local aviators regarded these two as being in a special class. The four IRRP volumes, the HAPS project tome and my papers describing the ice-core results (with more to come) all owe their existence to the dedication of Phil Upton. In addition to providing the logistics for scientific projects in the St. Elias, Phil also supported a large number of purely climbing or skiing expeditions.

I last flew with Phil in the summer of 1983 not realizing that his time was near. The end of his “era” was recorded by him and published in the 1984 Canadian Alpine Journal at the time of his death. A postscript to that account is provided by Christopher Shank: “If Canada is looking for a folk hero, Phil Upton seems to be a likely candidate.”

In recognition of the achievements of this remarkable man, a plaque was made to perpetuate his memory. The bronze plaque measures 15cm × 22cm. It has been attached by rock bolts to the solid granodiorite rock which crops out on the 5475-meter pass between AINA Peak and Prospector’s Peak. This pass provides access from the upper “Football” field of the King Trench route to the plateau and is frequently travelled. Only 15 meters lower than Mount St. Elias and with this mountain as its magnificent backdrop, it is probably by far, the highest memorial plaque in Canada. It sits in its lofty granite perch in fitting tribute to this great Canadian-American aviator. It should be there long, long after we have all gone. From all of us, thanks Phil.

Gerald Holdsworth