EDWARD WARREN HARNDEN 1865 - 949

Mountaineers are always indebted to those who, after exploring a region and discovering the enjoyment of it for themselves, take pains through their writing to induce others to follow after them and experience similar joys. Such an enthusiast was Edward Warren Harnden.

He was one of the first to climb regularly in the Purcell Range. Although lack of condition prevented him from reaching the summit of Mount Nelson in 1910, he took part in the first ascent and returned in 1911 to make the second ascent. In the same year he made first ascents of Mount Toby, Mount Catherine and Mount Monica; he was also the first to ascend Mount Sir Charles in 1913 and Eyebrow Peak in 1914. Eventually he shifted allegiance to the Colorado Rockies, where from 1922 to 1935 he climbed extensively, reaching many summits, among them those of Holy Cross Mountain, Longs Peak and Mount Elbert.

His enthusiasm for these two regions, so well reflected by a number of articles published in Appalachia, the Canadian Alpine Journal and the Sierra Club Bulletin, did not prevent him from climbing widely in the Cascade Range and doing scattered ascents elsewhere in this country. His record further reveals that he climbed in the Alps and journeyed to Alaska, where he engaged in scientific study of the coastal glaciers, particularly at Prince William Sound and Copper River.

Edward Warren Harnden was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 25 April 1865, and died on 21 January 1949, in California. He was the son of Charles W. and Monica (King) Harnden. His early education at the Somerville High School and later training at the Northeastern Law School led to his admission to the Massachusetts bar and a career as lawyer and legislative reporter. He was a member of the Appalachian and Colorado Mountain Clubs, the Sierra Club, the Mountaineers, the Alpine Club of Canada and the Estes Park Chamber of Commerce.

Harnden will be remembered as one of those who pioneered in North American mountaineering and successfully interested others in his discoveries.

W. S. C.