Mourning the Passing of Wolf Bauer
Posted: 01/31/2016
By: Thomas O'Keefe
We are sad to report the passing of Wolf Bauer one of American Whitewater’s original
founders. Born in 1912 in the Bavarian Alps, Wolf came to Seattle at the age of 13 and was
awarded a membership to The Mountaineers as a youth.
Already an accomplished skier, Wolf quickly came to love his new home at the doorstep of the
Cascades where he began to hike and climb with the Boy Scouts. Through college he established the
region’s first instructional program for climbing with The Mountaineers and pioneered the
first route up the north side of Mt. Rainier (the side that faces Seattle). Among his first
students was Lloyd Anderson who went on to found REI. A teacher, who focused on safety, Wolf was
also among the founders of Seattle Mountain Rescue
and a leader in the subsequent creation of the Mountain Rescue
Association.
After World War II and while he was established in his career as a ceramics engineer, Wolf became
more interested in the rivers and the marine environment of the Pacific Northwest. As he had done
with skiing and climbing, Wolf looked to Germany for resources and equipment to inspire his entry
into the sport of river touring; Wolf believed “river touring” was more inviting than
“whitewater paddling” and always felt that a kayak was simply a means to experience
places that would otherwise be difficult to access.
In 1948 Wolf established the Washington Foldboat Club (today Washington Kayak Club) and by the 1950s was offering
courses through the YMCA. Club volunteers continue to teach the introductory paddling course to
this day. In 1954 Wolf joined the conversation among paddling club representatives around the
country on the need for a national affiliation of clubs engaged in whitewater paddling and the
American Whitewater Affiliation was born. As one of our original founders, Wolf focused his
efforts on instruction and safety and his interest in conservation can be found in our founding
principles. He was also the first to introduce the concept of play boating in an article in a
1956 issue of the American Whitewater journal titled “Playing
the River” where he described the benefits of taking half a day to enjoy a section of
river that could be run in a half hour or less.
While any of Wolf’s accomplishments in skiing, climbing, mountain safety and rescue, or
pioneering whitewater and sea kayaking in the Pacific Northwest would stand on their own, his
greatest contribution has been towards the conservation of our rivers and shorelines. In trips on
the Cowlitz River
canyons prior to their flooding by two dams completed in 1962 and 1969, Wolf witnessed
first-hand the loss that hydropower development brought. Vowing to make sure the Green River
Gorge did not suffer a similar fate, he led the successful effort to establish the Green River
Gorge Conservation Area and Kanaskat-Palmer and Flaming Geyser State Parks in 1969. Following the
passage of the Wilderness Act, Wolf corresponded with leaders in the national river conservation
community and provided input on the successful effort to create the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Wolf joined with others to form the Washington Environmental
Council to a play a more effective role in environmental issues at the state legislature. He
was a leader in the effort to establish the Shoreline Management Act 1971,
which seeks to protect the natural character of shorelines; his influence can be seen by the
provisions of in this state law to “increase public access” to shorelines and
“increase recreational opportunities for the public on the shoreline”.
Following his work to protect undeveloped shorelines, Wolf began an ambitious effort to restore
shorelines and began his second career as a full-time shoreline resource consultant in 1975. Many
of the beaches enjoyed at our state and local parks have benefitted from the restorative touch
that Wolf Bauer applied.
Wolf leaves behind a century of work with impact on the climbing, skiing, kayaking, mountain
safety, and conservation communities. To learn more about his life and all his incredible
contributions see his biography Crags, Eddies, and Riprap: The
Sound Country Memoir of Wolf Bauer by Wolf Bauer and Lynne Hyde and published by Mountaineers
Books.
Thomas O'Keefe
3537 NE 87th St.
Seattle, WA 98115
E-mail: okeefe@americanwhitewater.org
Phone: 425-417-9012
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