Everything below was written by Murray Johns in an email to me on August 31, 2023. He finally found this blog “only” 16 years after I first started trying to locate him when I first encountered his name as someone who had climbed with Mike and Curry. This answers the big question I have had for years, “How and when did Mike and Curry get started doing serious mountaineering (andinismo)?”. When I knew Curry in 1973, he was frequently trekking around the area of the proposed Parque Nacional Huascarán (PNH) as part of his effort to establish its boundaries, but it was clear to me that he had not yet started serious mountaineering. From the following information, it now appears that Murray had a lot to do with teaching them mountaineering skills. Thus Murray, himself, was an important figure at the roots of what Mike and Curry did for mountaineering in the PNH. (Lew Scholl, 2023)

Neither Mike nor Curry had much experience in snow or ice climbing. But both were fit, strong and keen to learn, especially Mike. He came with me on several of the lesser climbs in the Blanca where he was quick to learn the basics of glacier travel, rope skills, axe work, snow camping and the like. When the opportunity presented, Curry joined us, learned 'on-the-job' so to speak, and it wasn't long before they were doing climbs on their own. They had access to good climbing gear, left with them by departing expeditions.

In the time I was living in Huaraz our climbs together included Pisco, Vallunaraju, Copa, Huascaran (north and south), Ranrapalca (See AAJ Article Here and Murray's Photos Below) and Rima Rima. 

Curry and Mike at Collon
Waiting for the Arriero

Curry in the Ishinca Valley

Ranrapalca Base Camp
Murray & Curry Standing
Mike Squatting

Ranrapalca North Face

Curry and Mike at Advance Base Camp

Curry Jumarring on Ranrapalca

Curry and Mike at Bivouac Site
Ranrapalca Summit Plateau

Summit Pyramid -Center- from Bivouac Site

Curry and Mike on the Summit Pyramid

Murray and Mike at Advance Base Camp
The morning after the ascent

Map for Orientation

It may sound odd but Rima Rima was a favorite, we climbed it a couple of times from Huaraz, up and back in a day.

During 1975 in the course of their PNH work they both climbed together, plus with the local 'Club Andinista Cordillera Blanca' and other gringo climbers who happened along. Curry has his name on a new route on Hualcan. Both have their names on the first ascent of Ranrapalca's north face. It was Mike's initiative to organize the local porters and arrieros into a more professional and united group. They were both highly respected men in the local and expat community.

As for the accident, what more is there to say. I was back in Australia when that happened and didn't hear of it until weeks later. One account I read said Curry slipped, couldn't self arrest, went over the edge and his weight snapped Mike off his belay and into the air like a rag doll. Another account said Curry went through a cornice. I believe all was witnessed by their two companions following on another rope - one was Ryan ?, an ex Peace Corp lad who I knew but for whom I have no contact details.

In 2002 I went back to Peru to climb, with my son. But first I trekked to the eastern snow line in the Paria to pay my respects and thinking I might find something, I know not what, but to no avail. While there I encountered a Peruvian trekking guide. I raised with him Mike and Curry's names and it turned out he knew them well and had been involved in the search/rescue efforts. He was adamant that he and his fellow porters could have, and very much wanted to, gone up the Paria glacier to the face and possibly have found 'something'. However, they were prevented by the search hierarchy from doing so, and after all those years he was still somewhat bitter about that.

Back in Huaraz I heard, and what I dismissed as idle chatter and rumor mongering, that blood had been found on the floor of their tent. It will soon  be 50 years since the accident, and with glacier retreat, it's likely evidence has now come to light. (Perhaps someone knows something?)

Mike was a very moral and upstanding man, a very strong character, with an always calm and reassuring demeanour. Very spiritual, had trained two years in a seminary and assisted in local church matters with the priests at the Los Pinos school, where he had previously taught PE. He was not a hard driven person, rather it was simply his work ethic and honesty that drove him forward in making life better for those his life happened to touch.

In the volunteer cohort there was frequent use of drugs but not once did I see Mike partake. Mentally he was too strong for that, very comfortable within himself and had no need for artificial highs. I recall him once saying that when standing on a summit you were one step from god. I only hope he found it.

Curry was a man who couldn't sit still, so much nervous energy and always on the go. Twice I recall when we had finished a climb and were waiting for our arriero to arrive next morning he couldn't wait and would be off down the quebrada and back to Huaraz and the PNH office.

What drove him was his love of nature, a passion to conserve the physical, environmental and cultural values of the Cordillera Blanca. He complimented this passion with adventure in the out-doors.  His house in Huaraz was a focal point for expats and fun loving locals alike. Curry had personality and liked being surrounded by people. His death would have gutted so many friends and acquaintances.

At times with Curry there were  hints he was running away from going back to the US  and settling down.  He did say, however, that he wanted to return to further his studies taking advantage of the subsidized Vet schemes.

As for the PNH, I was only ever on the periphery so I don't know much about its establishment. Clearly though, Curry was a leader (the jefe) in making the case for conservation. But there was also Dr Ponce in Lima. He was essential in having the regulations approved and cleared by the Agriculture Department's head office and taking that through to legislation. It was indeed a momentous day for Curry and Mike, and all those affiliated with the Park, when it was gazetted in 1975.

Writing this has triggered many memories of my time in Huaraz - good climbs and good times. But looking back on it all, what I valued most at the time was their friendship and good cheer. On occasions fate deals a fatal hand. This was just such a hand - two great guys snatched away and we know not why.

Vale Michael. Vale Curry.

Murray Johns, August 2023

Curry Slaymaker; a Peace Corps Hero

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, and celebrations are happening in many places in countries around the world where volunteers have served. In and around Huaraz Peru, the late Curry Slaymaker has been recognized for being a Peace Corps volunteer who played an important role there in bringing about the creation of Huascarán National Park. Five years after leaving the Peace Corps, Curry came back to Huaraz and after working on the park project for 3 more years along with professor Marc Dorojeani and others, Huascarán National Park became a reality.

Curry, who was the first director (jefe) of the park and his friend and companion Michael Rourke, the mountaineering director, died in a mountaineering accident only a year after the park was formed. Their bodies were never recovered, but a monument was constructed in their memory near Lake Llanganuco. The photo below was taken in 1976 during construction of the monument. The woman with the baby is Nora, Michael's widow, the baby - their daughter, Cathy.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps, a group of government officials and people who knew Curry or were affected by his work made a pilgrimage to this monument, called, the "monumento a los caídos" (monument to the fallen).

In a recent email from René Valencia Padillo (a former recent director of the park), a newspaper article was attached that sheds considerable light on the accident itself and the details of the rescue attempt. The article was originally published on August 7, 1976 in a paper called "Variedades". The title was "Viaje a la Eternidad" (Trip to Eternity), by Ernesto Espinoza Rodriguez. The partial text of that article as I have translated it follows:



25 days ago, two American climbers who worked for the Ministry of Agriculture disappeared in the snows of the Cordillera Blanca. The story is one of the most tragic and painful adventures of mountaineering in Peru. "Variedades" has now published a special report on the tragedy, written by our correspondent in Huaraz, which is based on the direct testimony of companions of the missing climbers.


July 13:

Mike Rourke, Curry Slaymaker, Ryan Goodman and Mike Lazzari left the Base Camp (Laguna Parón, an elevation of about 5,100 meters) at 8.00 am. Curry and Mike Rourke ascended a small peak south of Nevado Paría then met up with Ryan and Mike on the (abra) of Nevado Parón at 12 pm.
They started the climb with two ropes; two on each rope up the ridge of Nevado Parón in 2 feet of soft snow.
At 14.00 hours, according to information from Mike and Ryan, Curry slipped and fell a few feet, disappeared under a cornice, and pulled Mike Rouke behind him.
Ryan and Mike tried to look under the cornice to determine the fate of the other two but soft snow conditions prevented it. They shouted but did not hear any response.
At 15:00 Ryan and Mike began their decent back to Huaraz.

July 14:

At 16:00 Ryan and Mike arrived in Huaraz where they communicated with the Andean Club of the national park.
At 23.00 Mike, Ryan, Moshé Sanir and 8 members of the Club Andino Peruano departed by truck in the direction of Laguna Parón, to climb to the scene and descend by rope over the cornice to see if there was any chance of rescue.

July 15:

At 6:30 the group reached Laguna Parón, crossed the lake and began to climb. At this time Moshé returned to Huaraz to send a rescue team to see the east side from the air and if necessary drop more personal equipment to the first rescue group. At 14:00 a Cessna plane belonging to the Aero Club of Huaraz, was sent to observe the eastern side but did not provide any positive observation.

July 16:

At 10:00 a group of 7 people left by truck from Huaraz in the direction of Llanganuco Pass to arrive as soon as possible on the East side of Nevado Parón.
This route was a 25 km (16 mile) trail to the line of the Nevado Parón Glacier.
At 12.00 Carlos Ponce from the General Directorate of Forestry and Fauna in Lima arranged to send a helicopter to the scene on the next day. That same night the first rescue group reported by radio that they were not able to reach the accident site that day.
Mike and Ryan were 20 meters from Mike and Curry . Meanwhile, news came about a group of Spanish climbers who had an accident and needed rescue and medical care.

July 17:

At 7.00 the rescue group on the east side reached the bottom of the line of glacier ice at the base of the east side of Nevado Parón. They started up, made signals with flares in order to get a response from Mike and Curry, but saw no sign of them.
From a small peak in front of the line of glacier ice, the rescue team observed the accident site where they noticed a 25 m (solid ice) corrugated vertical ice wall under the cornice, followed by a 150 meter wide ledge of rock and the beginning of a very broken glacier.

July 1918:

At 08:00 a reconnaissance flight of the Cessna was conducted.
At 15:00 a group of 5 Americans were dropped off by car at the end of the road in the Quebrada de Llanganuco and started down the 25 km trail to the east side of Nevado Parón.
At 19:00 the first rescue team returned from the East Side and reported the conditions. Based on this information a group of 4 Americans were organized to be carried by the helicopter as close as possible to the line of glacier ice on the east side Nevado Parón. This flight was dependent on weather conditions and the pilot.
Two members of the west side rescue team returned to Huaraz and reported two cases of snow blindness in the group.

July 19:
At 7:00 the helicopter flew with the 4 Americans plus Shaul Lev, integral member of the first rescue team on the east side.
With excellent weather conditions it was possible to fly over Nevado Parón and clearly see the scene. It was noted that any attempt to climb on foot would be difficult and would require considerable time.
The helicopter landed below the snow line (5 km away from the accident site), and left three people with their equipment. The helicopter went back to the snow zone and spent some time flying over the accident site.
In the helicopter were Shaul Lev, Jay Helman, head of the Pittsburgh Explorers Group, and Bob Broungton another member of the group.
After flying over the crash site, from all...

This is all that I have received so far of this article. I will publish the rest when it becomes available.

Lew

They Chose to Live in the Andes

They Chose to Live in the Andes

By Joan Massons

Written shortly after the Catalonian Expedition to the Andes

Operació Quitxua – 76 (1976 Quechua Expedition)

Tranlated from Catalan by Ramon Bramona Rams

It seems that the modern world makes concessions to romanticism with difficulty. The profit motive, of a social position or of simple security, directs our restlessness toward the work and the routine of cities. For that reason precisely, it becomes continually more difficult to find persons, who far from looking for this establishment, seek to dedicate themselves to occupations distant from home that give little reward, but an intense personal satisfaction.

Michael J. Rourke and Curry Slaymaker (28 and 33 years of age respectively) belonged to this class of men. The former left his homeland in Pennsylvania USA to live in Huaraz Peru at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca. He practiced as teacher for several years until he was hired, along with botanist Curry Slaymaker, by Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture for the task of preserving and promoting the new Huascarán National Park.

This activity left them time for mountaineering in the Andes. Well acclimatized, trained and constantly active, Curry and Mike made successful Andean ascents, published articles and reviews, and began to prepare a guide book for climbing in the Cordillera Blanca. To further highlight their accomplishments we have to mention their work in training the youth and mountain porters of Huaraz.

Mike and Curry made the porters of Huaraz aware of their professional mission and how to conduct themselves. Rules, places of meeting, and prices for their services were fixed in accordance with the equipment and experience of each man. In a similar manner they taught courses to the boys of Huaraz on the techniques and standards of mountaineering practice. For these reasons and for their role in Huascarán National Park, Peru owes these two men a debt of gratitude.

We, the foreigners, have to thank them for help of every kind that they offered to mountaineering expeditions. Before organizing the 1976 Quechua Expedition with Ramón Bramona and Guillem Arias, we started to establish contact with Michael Rourke. In June of that year we made connection with him in Huaraz. He as well as his Peuvian wife, daughter-in-law, and the newborn Katherine were a family that enjoyed the strong love of the people of Huaraz. Michael took care of purchasing food for our expedition. Before we left for the Nevado de Caraz we participated with them in an international meeting to dedicate the new premises of the "Club Andino de la Cordillera Blanca". The great humanity and prominence of Michael Rourke among the people that know him were revealed through these contacts.

We set out planning to re-unite at our Base Camp at of the Parón Cirque. He and his companions are the only people that we saw in this place during our expedition. Mike was attracted to this fabulous corner of the Andes, and saw the possibility of connecting with us at the Parón Cirque. The plan for this encounter was to install our Camp I along the virgin route on the way to the pass between Pisco and Huandoy Este. Mike and his companions installed their Camp in the opposite part of the Cirque, at the foot of the Nevados de Parón. We spent two days of forced inactivity due to the bad weather. On July 13 we managed to install our Camp II in the Pisco-Huandoy Este pass and on the 14th we made the summit of Pisco Oeste. That day we broke Camp II and on arrival at Camp I we found a note from the companions of Mike and Curry informing us of the accident and asking us for help. We proposed to continue toward the Base Camp and to go out the next day toward the place of the accident. While traversing the slope we remained in silence, conscious that the worst may have happened.

The rescue attempts, not finding them alive, a fruitless attempt was launched instead to find their bodies. Curry and Mike were on the slope of Huaripampa, opposite that of Parón. When a helicopter appeared that was dispatched to reconnoiter for a possible place of the fall, the Basque group in the Chinchey area came and the pilot of the helicopter directed them to this zone to pick up the injured people. The first helicopter having an accident itself at the same time, another helicopter was sent to finish the operation. A week after the accident of Mike and Curry, the helicopter made a reconnaisance with uncertain conclusions about signs of a fall along a wall of snow and rock of some three hundred meters to the glacier. From Parón the attempts were fruitless and other attempts from Huaripampa also gave no results.

These lines attempt to pay homage to the work of these friends and to their positive way of life; It is a pity that these two lives have been so short.

JOAN MASSONS RABASSA

On the Memory of Michael J. Rourke and John Curry Slaymaker

By Ramon Bramona Rams

At the end of year 1974, motivated by preparing for our OPERACIO QUECHUA 76 in the Cordillera Blanca, I made contact in writing with Michael J. Rourke.

He and John Curry Slaymaker were the Administrators of the "National Parque Huascarán" and were active mountaineers in the Andes. These two activities were complementary to perfection, as the major part of the 340,000 hectare park was within the mountainous zone. Connoisseurs like few others of the Cordillera Blanca, they dedicated much time and vision to help the expeditions that planned to visit the Andes to facilitate the purchase of supplies, contracts with porters, technical equipment etc, etc. In this way they helped many groups from all over the world, but at the same time they helped the people of the country to create a kind of Union for Porters intending to form this group of men into a new profession.

Michael was the contact point in relationships between the expeditions and the porters. His central acquaintance with the character of the people of Huaraz and his constant observation of the behavior of these strong men from his place of privilege was a difficult task. Men of strong personality and great compassion they had to win the confidence and the esteem of the people of the country, in spite of where they came from (the North Americans or "gringos" are not generally well accepted in Peru). Also he was developing an interesting work of a social and sporting type as President of the "Club Andinista Cordillera Blanca” of Huaraz.

On July 9, Curry and Michael together with two other North Americans rowed across the Laguna Parón (in a certain way inspired by us) to carry out a short stay in this part that was previously unknown to them. Michael came to greet us at our Base Camp and was interested to see how our porters, Honorato and Fortunato, were doing. On the following day they established their Camp 1 on the glacier of Artesonraju, but had to remain there on the 11^th and 12^th due to the bad weather.

On the 13^th of July they climbed the Nevado Chico de Parón (5.550 m.) and in the attempt to make the second ascent of Nevado Grande de Parón (5.650 m.) the first rope team formed by Curry and Michael had an accident and they fell some 300 meters down the West slope and disappeared into the valley of Quebrada Huaripampa. The main work of the rescue was lead by people of the country, with support from an Israeli group and from part of 'OPERACIO QUECHUA 76. It did not yield any results and a week later between the difficulties and the dangers of the rescue, the authorities of Huaraz desisted from further pursuing the search for the bodies. A helicopter from the Chiclayo Base had reported seeing tracks of the fall of the two unfortunate climbers that ended in a deep crevasse in one of the roughest and most tortured parts of the glacier.

There our friends Curry and Michael will rest forever entombed in the perpetual ice of their second homeland, Peru.

The mountaineers of the entire world owe a debt of gratitude to men like Michael J. Rourke and Curry Slaymaker. May they rest in peace.

RAMON BRAMONA I RAMS

What Motivated Curry?

I would appreciate input from others who knew Curry regarding what they think motivated him: First to join the Peace Corps; Then to go back and ultimately complete the work of creating Parque Nacionál Huascarán. I visited his brother, Neil Slaymaker, at the Oregon Veterans Home on May 2, 2009. He had little insight on this, although, apparently the fact that their father, Maurice who ran a feed and seed store, was closely connected with the agricultural community in Rainier Oregon had something to do with his interest in plants and botany. Also - I have found out from Darlene Witham Pearce at the Rainier Methodist Church where Curry's mother was active that she was a very committed gardener. That says something about plants - but what about mountaineering, travel, and living so far from home? Did he have an early interest in such things? Neil says that he climbed Mt. St. Helens once - probably when he was in high school or shortly after. But that appears to be the only mountaineering he did until after I met him in Peru in 1973 and sold him my ice axe and crampons. Apparently Michael Rourke taught him most of what he knew about climbing - but I believe that Michael was also relatively new to mountaineering when he died.

Any other information on what motivated Curry to do the incredible things he did would also be welcome. Neil said he thought Curry hitch-hiked to Peru once from the states. Does anyone else know? I don't remember that he said anything about that when I knew him - It seems he would have said something - as that's how I got there and not even then in the hayday of hitchhiking was it very common to go that far on the thumb.