EXPLORER
John Clarke came to B.C. from his native Ireland in 1958, discovered the craggy wilds of our coastal mountains, and soon built his life around them.
"To me, exploring this part of the world is so fascinating that I don't have time for any other part. We have it all right here," he says with a smile. "I've never been back to Dublin and I've never even travelled in the U.S.
"I'm completely captivated by the wilderness beauty and the challenges. I can hardly wait to get back out there every year..."
In his highly regarded Guide to Climbing & Hiking in Southwestern British Columbia (Soules, 1986), author Bruce Fairley describes Clarke as "an enigmatic character...who is indifferent to the goals that motivate most North Americans.
"Certainly Clarke has seen more of the distant alpine corners of southwestern B.C., and has made more ascents, than any other individual."
In the case of the Randy Stoltmann Wilderness, Clarke, stands as a fiercely passionate defender of a mountain paradise threatened by the kind of short-term exploitation he has always scorned.
