2013 MOUNTAINFILM IN TELLURIDE: KEEPER OF THE MOUNTAINS

21 May 2013 MOUNTAINFILM IN TELLURIDE: KEEPER OF THE MOUNTAINS

When we think of Mt. Everest, we think of the expeditions, the climbers, and possibly of the Sherpas who help climbers to achieve their grand goals. Rarely, however, do we think of the woman who tirelessly recorded Everest expeditions since the Americans first started trekking there during the early 1960’s: Elizabeth Hawley. That’s exactly the story that filmmaker Allison Otto tells in her documentary Keeper of the Mountains, which is coming this year to Mountainfilm in Telluride.

Keeper of the Mountains chronicles of the life of Elizabeth Hawley, who in the 1960 moved to Kathmandu, after becoming captivated by the place during a round-the-world trip. Hawley, who is now 89, started recording Everest expeditions for the news organization, Reuters, and has never stopped. Although her work has now been digitized, Hawley still keeps written records. Her apartment, which has remained the same since the 60’s, is a testament to that: it is stacked to ceiling with log books, each of them packed with the details of every climber who has trekked on Everest.

Otto, who won a Mountainfilm Commitment Grant to help fund the film, first became captivated by Hawley’s story after reading about her in Outside Magazine. “I wanted to explore the story of this woman who found a niche for herself halfway around the world and was able to buck the gender expectations of her day,” says Otto, explaining that Hawley never married because she didn’t want to be confined by anyone else’s expectations and needs.

To tell that story, Otto scoured through Hawley’s collection of old letters, photographs, documents, and postcards. All of those are woven in amidst the footage of Hawley and of her Everest records. “My goal for the film,” Otto explains, “was to create an impressionistic snapshot of a fascinating, independent woman who defied the gender stereotypes of her day, carved out a niche for herself halfway around the world, and has famously been living life on her own terms ever since.”

Filmmaker Allison Otto with Elizabeth Hawley

Otto adds that she was amazed by the sophistication of Hawley’s memory:  “Elizabeth Hawley’s mind is like her own archive. It’s just as detailed as her log books,” Otto says. “Hawley can vividly remember everything from some wild party in Kathmandu she attended in 1962 to the minutia of some old expedition.” Otto goes on to explain how Elizabeth Hawley’s life and work challenges every gender and age stereotype we have. “I hope some of her wit, her persistence, and her quirkiness come across in the film.”

Click here to learn more about Allison Otto’s discovery of Elizabeth Hawley and her process of filming Keeper of the Mountains.