Walter “Pete” Starr Jr., an avid mountain climber and young lawyer who perished on a trek in the Sierra backcountry in 1933, was the subject of a story in SFGate on Sept. 1.
Brilliant and spirited, Starr grew to become a track star and law student at Stanford. Every chance he got, he hopped in his car and headed to the mountains. Long before the advent of modern mountaineering equipment, alpinists like Starr hiked in tennis shoes, without ropes, often armed with just an ice axe and crampons. The smallest mistake could be fatal.
In 1933, Starr was 30 years old and working as a successful attorney in San Francisco. But, as usual, the mountains held more allure than the office. He headed out to the Sierra backcountry for a summer of solo hiking. He promised his father, Walter Sr., that he would meet up with him at Tuolumne Meadows in early August.
But the rendezvous date came and went. Unsettled but hoping Starr was simply running behind, Walter drove home to Piedmont without his son. On Aug. 14, Starr didn’t show up to work. Now 11 days overdue, his loved ones began to fear the worst.
“One of California’s great search missions led to a lonely mountain grave”, SFGate, Sept. 1, 2024
Starr’s parents launched an extensive search effort and the article tells the story of the mountaineers who found Pete’s body and the enduring connection they had with the family. Read the full story HERE (no paywall).
A great book was written on this story – “Missing in the Minarets” by Judge William Alsup who lives in Oakland.