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Desert Peoples / Modern Legacy

Piton

Piton

Charlie Brown
1925

This hand-forged piton was made by Jackson Hole, Wyoming blacksmith Charlie Brown in 1925 in preparation for climber Phil Smith’s first ascent of Grand Teton National Park’s Mt. Owen. It was also part of Smith’s gear on the first ascent climb of Joshua Tree’s Indian Head in 1938, when he was a Joshua Tree maintenance employee.

Steel. L 13, W 4, 0.6 cm
Joshua Tree National Park, JOTR 32052