December 26, 2004 marks
when my uncle, Bryan Hartley, passed away. In light of the soon approaching 14th anniversary of my uncle Bryan's passing, I would like to share this
great story my father, Jim Hartley, prepared some time ago.
Uncle Bryan was a tremendously positive influence on my father, who
in turn, has been a tremendously positive influence on me. Below are
my father's own words:
Bryan
Paul Hartley:
From
Stranger to Beloved Big Brother in 56 Miles
 |
| Hal Throolin |
The hike was actually Hal
Throolin’s idea. Each springtime, soaring mountain peaks and
challenging hiking trails called his name. Hal heard their call in
early 1965 and persuaded his neighbor and buddy, Richard Hartley, my
brother, to join him later that summer for a seven-day adventure in
California’s rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains.
For this adventure, Hal
had immersed himself in detailed topographical maps from the United
States Geological Survey (USGS). He identified the highest mountain
passes, the coldest lakes and streams, and the most remote Alpine
meadows he could find in Yosemite National Park that were connected
by wilderness hiking trails. When he was done, he had charted a
complex, circuitous, 56-mile route that twisted, turned, and snaked
all over the compass. Three-fourths of the hike would be above an
elevation of 9,000 feet—an altitude where the air is so thin that
dandelions, mountain lions, and mosquitos can’t breathe. This was a
route that would have made Daniel Boone shake his head in disbelief.
Mama Bears
But, Daniel Boone didn’t
need to. Merline and Norma, Hal’s mom and Richard’s mom,
immediately shook their heads “no!” These “mama bears” simply
were not going to allow their 16-year-old “bear cubs” meander
alone in some of California’s wildest and most rugged mountain
regions.
With determination, Hal
and Richard became very persuasive. They made the hike sound
downright civilized by emphasizing that most of it would be on the
well-marked, popular John Muir Trail, and they would be in Yosemite
National Park nearly the entire time. There would be park rangers,
and plenty of water, and places to fish, and they would hike where
there were no boa constrictors, grizzly bears, or Big Foot.
Eventually, Norma and
Merline softened. They deliberated and came up with a non-negotiable
counter-plan that would resolve most of their mama-bear concerns.
First, Jimmy must tag along. I’m sure their hope was that Richard
and Hal wouldn’t do anything too dangerous or dumb if they had to
be responsible for me, Richard’s 13-year-old little brother.
Second, our 25-year-old brother, Bryan, must also go with us as our
guardian, safety warden, and law enforcement officer. With “no
hike” as the only other option, Bryan and I were in, and the four
of us would explore the high Sierra’s in July 1965 under Bryan’s
command.
The Stranger
 |
| Bryan Hartley |
Frankly, adding Bryan was
a little surprising to us. Of the five Hartley boys, Bryan was the
second oldest, and Richard and I were the two youngest. At that stage
in our young lives, the age and maturity gaps between us and Bryan
were huge: nine years for Richard and 12 years for me—Bryan was
nearly twice my age! And Bryan? He was basically a stranger to us.
All we knew for sure was that Bryan had been a Mormon missionary in
Germany, had studied physics and engineering at the University of
California in Berkeley, and had just earned a bachelor’s degree in
German and science from Brigham Young University in Utah.
So, for Richard and me, a
big question in our minds was, “How well will we get along with
this stranger, who happens to be our older brother?”
The Plan
When the time came, our
dad drove us 200 miles due east from our home in San Lorenzo through
the entire width of Yosemite National Park to the drop-off point at
Dana Meadows. There, on the eastern slopes of the Sierra’s, the
four of us would start our wilderness trek at an elevation of 9,700
feet. After working our way more-or-less westward, Dad would pick us
up again seven days later at a designated rendezvous spot in Yosemite
Valley.
 |
| Dana Meadows |
Grueling First Day
After the four-hour drive
from San Lorenzo, the first day of hiking was supposed to be an easy
11 miles from Dana Meadows to Alger Lakes. It turned out to be
grueling! First, there was a 1,400-foot climb to Parker Pass at
11,100 feet, followed immediately by an 1,800-foot climb by way of
some tight switchbacks up to Koip Peak Pass with its elevation of
12,350 feet. The final stretch was a 1,600-foot descent from Koip
Peak Pass down into a small basin containing snow-fed Alger Lakes at
10,700 feet.
As the four sea-level
suburbanites ascended higher and higher, the trees shrank in size and
number, then disappeared completely, replaced by scrawny bushes and
grasses, which were soon replaced entirely by talus—slopes of
countless small, jagged, rock fragments that had broken off of the
mountains over thousands of years. Breaking the monotony of the talus
switchback trails were small snow fields that blanketed the trail in
places that saw little, if any, sunshine.
The “Runt” . . .
Off to a Difficult Start
Bryan, Richard, and Hal
seemed to handle the difficult trail and extreme elevation changes
pretty well. But, the “runt” of the foursome, me, didn’t know
if he could make it. After crossing Parker Pass, I had to stop. My
head ached. I was light-headed and a little dizzy. I was nauseous and
weak from head to toe.
That’s when Bryan, the
stranger, began to become Bryan, our beloved big brother. He
recognized my condition as altitude sickness—too much elevation
change too soon. He halted our mountain march so that I could get
acclimatized. As I rested, Bryan tended to me and encouraged me. I
realized then that he genuinely cared about his youngest brother.
While I was acclimatizing, I’m pretty confident Hal and Richard
were thinking, “Why did we have to bring Jimmy along? He’s going
to ruin the hike.” But, I never actually heard it. Bryan kept
things positive, and I was extremely grateful.
After a short time, I
began to feel better. We resumed our hike up to Koip Peak Pass. To
help me, Bryan compassionately carried my 35-pound backpack and
sleeping bag for a while, in addition to his own much-heavier gear.
We ascended the narrow talus trail single-file, with Hal in the lead.
More than once, Bryan directed Hal to slow down a little—no doubt
so that I could keep up.
One of the snow fields
covering our upward trail was fairly large. Hal wanted to play on it.
Specifically, he wanted to glissade down it, which is to “surf”
or slide down on his feet. Bryan looked at the sharp-edged,
unforgiving talus at the bottom of the snow field, and with absolute
authority in his voice, he stopped Hal from snow-surfing. Guardian,
safety warden, and law enforcement—just as Mom had intended.
Lightening and Light
On Sunday, our second day
of hiking offered a different challenge. We left Alger Lakes and
headed south to Gem Lake. We were approaching the crest of Gem Pass,
elevation 10,400 feet, when an angry thunderstorm suddenly rolled in.
Not wanting us to be targets
for lightning, Bryan had us double- time
up and over the pass and down into lower, safer terrain. We stopped
in a somewhat protected area. Bryan instructed us to stretch rope
between two scrawny trees and connect three of our tube tents
together into a single, heavy-duty plastic tunnel. The four of us
quickly built and crawled into the shelter with our gear just before
the storm hit us.
 |
| A mountain thunderstorm rolling in |
That’s when we learned
that Bryan was not only kind, compassionate, strict (when needed),
and smart, he had a deep love for sacred things.
That second day was
Sunday, the Sabbath Day. While we sat close together in the narrow
tube tent tunnel, Bryan prepared a brief worship service for us,
including the sacrament. He had obtained permission from our bishop
at home to bless and pass the bread and water, emblems of the
Savior’s body and blood; a remembrance of God’s supreme love for
us and of our covenants with Him. While wind, lightning, thunder, and
rain prevailed outside, there was peace, love, and calm inside. We
needed our flashlights to illuminate the darkness in our tents. But,
a sweeter, brighter light—the light of the Holy Spirit—illuminated
our souls. We will never forget the physical and spiritual warmth of
that short sacrament service. At the same time, our admiration and
love for our big brother, Bryan, mushroomed.
A Romantic
During the first few days,
we discovered a tender side of Bryan. From time-to-time, he would
pick a small stem of wildflowers and carefully press it in a book. We
later found out that our “commander” was also a thoughtful and
hopelessly smitten romantic—the pressed wildflowers were for a
sweet young lass in Utah.
A Fantastic Journey
The rest of the trek to
Yosemite Valley continued to be a fantastic journey. We had a brief
encounter with an angry, hissing, teeth-bearing badger protecting its
trail-side den. But otherwise, we never had any problems with
wildlife. If they were there, they kept a secretive, safe distance
from us.
Other than that brief
Sunday thunderstorm, we were blessed with beautiful, friendly weather
the entire way. We even enjoyed our dehydrated food. We had plenty of
water from streams, rivers, and lakes, and Hal and Richard actually
caught a fish or three. But, the “popular” John Muir Trail wasn’t
very popular where we hiked. We were virtually alone in our journey.
Those 50-plus miles of
trekking in the Sierra Nevada wilderness qualify for the most
superlative application of awesome that man can bestow. Even if
you’ve been there, no words can adequately describe the amazing
beauty, the exceptional sounds and smells, and the majesty of the
mountains, meadows, trees, lakes, and streams of God’s high
country. And, the most stunning of all are the heavens at night. No
photographer or painter will ever capture the breath-taking feeling
that envelopes you under the expansive dome of an exquisitely clear,
bejeweled alpine night sky!
Tent City
During the last two days
of our hike, we descended some 4,000 feet in elevation into Yosemite
Valley and precisely on schedule. But, after the peace and solitude
of the previous six days, our entry into the valley was somewhat of a
shock. The valley floor was carpeted with hundreds of tents and
masses of boisterous campers.
 |
| Campers on the floor of Yosemite Valley |
An hour or two after we
arrived, Bryan somehow filtered through the masses and found Dad, and
we were soon on our way home. We were sad our hike was over, but very
pleased to leave Yosemite Valley’s sprawling, noisy tent city.
Fifty-six Miles . . .
More Than Just a Hike
As difficult as the hike
was in places, Hal Throolin’s seven-day adventure in the high
Sierra Nevada Mountains was incredible! Our love grew enormously for
nature, the night sky, and for their Creator. The hike also brought
us a wonderful sense of achievement and self-confidence. One of the
best and most unexpected benefits came because of Bryan. In those 56
miles, Bryan became a much-beloved and admired big brother for the
rest of our lives.
 |
| Bryan Hartley |
Bryan went on to blaze an
exceptional trail for his younger brothers, inspiring us to excel in
education, make and keep divine covenants, advance in the priesthood,
serve LDS missions, marry well and raise families, and set high
personal and professional goals and standards. Richard and I will be
eternally grateful to Bryan for his role during an incredible hike,
both in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and throughout our lives.
-------------------------------------------------------
Written by James E.
Hartley, Bryan’s brother.
-------------------------------------------------------
Source:
Family Story Gems: Bryan
Paul Hartley: From Stranger to Beloved Big Brother in 56 Miles. By
James E. Hartley.
Also available at
FamilySearch.org:
Photo Acknowledgements
• John Muir Trail sign:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/567458129cadb68edf3ff563/t/58403b86893fc05b6ec64454/1480604556938/
• Dana Meadows:
http://www.itoda.com/photos/yosemite/DanaMeadows-01.jpg
• Parker Pass:
http://www.meghanmhicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/DSC05049.jpg
• Talus trail:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BNoCDC8Asr4/U9tQ4b-EoFI/AAAAAAAABiM/_GzjG2YC-YQ/s1600/0_IMG_1586.JPG
• Wild flowers
http://peaksforfreaks.blogspot.com/2013/06/koip-peak-kuna-peak.html
• A badger:
http://portfolio.jeffwendorff.com/img/s2/v1/p178168139-3.jpg
