By Phuong Le, Associated Press SEATTLE — He’s notched more first ascents than any other American mountaineer, wrote the definitive guidebooks to a major North American mountain range, and at age 93, Fred Beckey is still plotting routes — though more slowly and buoyed by a cadre of fiercely protective partners. For years, stories have floated around about the man known as much for his eccentric personality as for his singular obsession with climbing, said Alex Bertulis, 77, a retired Seattle architect who climbed with Beckey for decades. Some were true, some not. “But that’s OK. That’s how legends are built,” Bertulis said. In this photo taken July 26, 2016 in Seattle, Fred Beckey, the legendary mountain climber who has bagged more first ascents than any other mountaineer and wrote the definitive guidebooks to a major North American mountain range, sits in front of a screen bearing the logo for “Dirtbag: [...]
