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History
John Clarke was a noted Canadian explorer, mountaineer, conservationist, and wilderness educator. Born in Ireland, Clarke moved to Canada with his parents at age 11, attending the Monastery School in Mission, British Columbia. From 1964 until his death in 2003 Clarke spent at least six months of each year on extended backcountry trips, usually into the Coast Mountains of British Columbia using the technique of dropping food caches from small planes along an intended route, then traveling that route for weeks at a time. His routes regularly led him along the high ridges and glaciated icefields of the west coast, and allowed him to make hundreds of first ascents of the many mountains along the way. Many of these trips exceeded 30 days in length, and were often done solo, simply because nobody could afford the time to accompany him.
In 1994, Randy Stoltmann, a good friend of Clarke's, was killed in an avalanche while attempting a summit. This was a turning point for Clarke. Stoltmann, already a noted conservationist and volunteer, had left a hole in the mountain community that Clarke stepped in to fill. In 1996, Clarke and Lisa Baile founded the Wilderness Education Program (WEP).