Hulda Crooks was an American mountaineer

Mountaineering

Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...

. Affectionately known as "Grandma Whitney" she successfully scaled 14505 feet (4,421 m) Mount Whitney

Mount Whitney

Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of . It is on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties, west-northwest of the lowest point in North America at Badwater in Death Valley National Park...

 23 times between the ages of 65 and 91. She had climbed 97 other peaks during this period.

In 1990, Day Needle, one of the peaks in the Whitney area was, by an Act of Congress , renamed Crooks Peak in her honor. In 1987, at the age of 91, she became the oldest woman to complete the ascent of Mt. Fuji in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. She hiked the entire 212 mile John Muir Trail

John Muir Trail

The John Muir Trail is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, running between the northern terminus at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley and the southern terminus located on the summit of Mount Whitney . For almost all of its length, the trail is in the High Sierra...

 in the high Sierras, completing the hike in segments over five years.

Hulda Crooks was a long-time resident of Loma Linda

Loma Linda, California

Loma Linda is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 23,261 at the 2010 census, up from 18,681 at the 2000 census...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and a Seventh-day Adventist

Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...

. She often spent time with children in the community, encouraging them to appreciate nature and stay active. In 1991 Loma Linda dedicated a park at the base of the south hills as Hulda Crooks Park.
According to Congressman Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...

(R California), one of her hiking companions,

External links

• A personal webpage by friends of Crooks
• The Backpacking Octogenarian Health and Fitness
• Hiking report at Hulda Crooks Park includes 3D maps of terrain.
• Photo of Jerry Lewis with Hulda Crooks below Whitney Summit.