I'm a guy that happens to be taken by history, and is interested in that what has come before.
Smoke Blanchard was one of the giants of eastern sierra mountaineering. From his Wiki listing:
"A direct influence on every major guide currently working in the Sierra or is linked to them by a single degree of separation."
And so it goes.....
Anyway, there is a current amazing discussion thread about Smoke, with input from PRINCIPALS, and some amazing photos, and resurection of his climbing course in the Buttermilks, started by the famous Doug Robinson:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1383032/Smoke-BlanchardThe story of the pin, by itself, is worth the visit.
