Ascent, yes; consent, no

Published 8:00 pm Thursday, August 13, 2015

First ran April 22, 2011: The cover story in last week’s Daily Astorian about Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach reminded Mert Norman about her father’s adventure with the famous 235-foot-tall landmark. She dug around until she found the story from the Astoria Budget, dated July 16, 1927:

“Arriving from Europe a few days before, Arthur Petersen (pictured left), visited Cannon Beach and … undertook the ascent of Haystack Rock. Without alpine equipment, he found a favorable ledge leading to the summit, which he attained in 20 minutes, to the surprise and terror of those watching on the beach.” Yikes. She told the Ear that according to another article, he was the first one to make the climb.

So why did he do it? Being fresh from Germany, he only spoke a few words of English, and didn’t know it wasn’t allowed. “He just took his shoes off and climbed right up,” Mert chuckled.

— Elleda Wilson