Remembering R.J. Secor, Sierra Club mountaineer and author

R.J. Secor holds a copy of his 1992 climbing guidebook “High Sierra — Peaks, Passes & Trails”  CREDIT: Dan Richter

R.J. Secor, Sierra Club mountaineer and author of a detailed climber’s guide to Sierra peaks, may never know how many people he inspired to tackle the highest points in the Range of Light.  His 1992 book “High Sierra — Peaks, Passes & Trails” became a climber’s bible, one that reflected his own devotion to climbing and to keeping the Sierra Club’s rich mountaineering tradition alive.

Secor (the R.J. stand for Robert John), who lived in Pasadena, died Oct. 26 at the age of 61. He had conquered numerous peaks in the U.S. as well as Canada, Mexico, South America, the Himalayas and the Karakoram region on the Pakistan-Indian border.  His “alpine vitae” (climbing resume) includes summits of Alaska’s Denali (1995), Aconcagua in Argentina (1986) and many of Mexico’s volcanoes.

To those who climbed and hiked with him, Secor was a good friend with a wry sense of humor. His cousin Joan Colgrove says the Sierra Club was a big part of his life. “The friendships he made were important to him and brought him much joy,” she said.

Sierra Club mountaineers Royal Robbins, left, and Glen Dawson with R.J. Secor at the Angeles Chapter Centennial in 2013. CREDIT: Allen Der

In 2013, Secor received the Sierra Club’s prestigious Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award, which honors “an individual's contribution to mountaineering and enhancement of the Club's prestige in this field.”

 “High Sierra,” now in its third printing,  is the successor to the pioneering work begun by the Sierra Club in the late 1930s. Secor credits those who provided guidance before him and writes about his beloved Sierra peaks in the book:

“One of my goals in life is to go around the world three times and visit every mountain range twice. But whenever I have wandered other mountains, I have been homesick for the High Sierra. I am a hopeless romantic , and therefore my opinions cannot be regarded as objective. But how can I be objective while discussing the mountains I love?”

 In working on the mammoth project,  Secor completed more than 700 Sierra mountain ascents on about 300 different peaks, climbing as many as 60 peaks in one year.  The book covers more than 600 Sierra peaks and provides a great deal of history and first ascent records, plus a vast number of invaluable photos and many maps.

Through his book, Secor  provided an invaluable service to countless thousands of mountaineers who have entered the High Sierra far better prepared to contend with and to succeed on its vast array of peaks than otherwise would have been the case.  

Books written by R.J. Secor CREDIT: G. Watland

Secor has also earned international recognition for producing three editions of “Mexico’s Volcanoes: a Climbing Guide,” two editions of “Aconcagua: a Climbing Guide,” and one edition of “Denali Climbing Guide.”  All four books are still in print and available on Amazon, which has an “R. J. Secor Page.”  All his books have a strong statement about minimizing the environmental impact of climbing.

In 1997 he became the second person to have twice climbed the 247 peaks on the Angeles Chapter’s Sierra Peaks Section’s peaks list.  He was also active and held positions in the Chapter’s Ski Mountaineering Section too.

In 1989-90, he served as president of the California Mountaineering Club and in 1998 he served as chair of the Angeles Chapter’s Sierra Peaks Section. 

Secor lived in Pasadena, the only son of Leta and Jack Secor. His mother was extremely supportive and proud of his considerable achievements.  His mother died in 2016 ; his father in 2008. His cousin remembers him even at a young age as “a self-starter and an interesting person because he was so interested in the world around him.  Although he was often the smartest person in the room, he was an innately kind person …”

In 2005, Secor suffered skull fractures and other injuries from a glissading accident on Mt. Baldy in Southern California. He regained most of his mobility but last year suffered a second head injury that ultimately led to his death, Colgrove said.  

A memorial may be planned in Altadena at a later date. Contributions may be made in his honor to the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter. 

Those who want to share memories and stories about R.J. Secor with his family should email southern.sierran@sierraclub.org.