The Day of the Three Thunderstorms may sound like the title of an ancient fable, or a mystical tale of mother earth and winds and messages sent down from above.

In some ways it is a little bit of the later, for The Day of the Three Thunderstorms marked a very important day in the history of Issaquah, a day which has left a legacy which continues now to shape the character of the city and its people.

The Day of the Three Thunderstorms, to hear Harvey Manning tell it, was the day that the Issaquah Alps Trails Club (IATC) first came into being, he and a few friends huddled underneath a tree in incredible weather at Long View Peak on Cougar Mountain.

That was May 5, 1979, and already Manning was known in the area as a charismatic outdoorsman, author of trails guides, editor of Mountaineer books, and advocate of the wilderness areas east of Seattle with which he would soon grow inextricably linked.

Manning passed away in November of 2006 at the age of 81.

Though all use the term now, it wasn’t until Manning called them the “Issaquah Alps” for the first time in his trail guide for the Seattle area, Footsore 1, in 1976, that many people in Issaquah and its surrounds recognized the significance of the green hills that rose behind them.

Since then those green hills have been hiked, documented, photographed, and protected, largely due to Manning’s work in promoting the beauty of the area through his trail guides and books, and his sometimes belligerent haranguing of politicians at all levels.

His story has been written many times, and recollections of those closest to him gathered in many publications, so there is little need to repeat them here.

Most notably, the December 2006 edition of the IATC newsletter “The Alpiner” is a comprehensive compilation of the memories of those who knew Manning, many of whom worked side by side with him in the early days of any conservationist conscience in Issaquah.

You can find a copy of this historic document at the Issaquah History Museums building at the Gilman Town Hall on Andrews Street.

His 1986 book “Walking the Beach to Bellingham” is part autobiography, part manifesto, and a good introduction for those keen to learn more about Manning.

After reading many pages and snippets of Harvey Manning biography, it is clear that like many people driven by great passions, he inspired, frustrated, offended and loved in equal measure.

For those of us who take it for granted that we can wander up into Cougar Mountain and enjoy the solitude and beauty of its trails whenever we please, it is important to remember that without the pioneering efforts of early environmentalists like Manning, who fought tooth and nail against those who couldn’t see the same vision he did, (and back then these were many, and powerful), this would be no guaranteed splendor.

Those of us who have ever hiked Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, Little Si, Big, Si, Rattlesnake Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Cougar Mountain, the North Cascades National Park, or the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, owe at least a nod of gratitude the Issaquah Wildman.

It is a broad legacy.

Last week Manning was honored posthumously by the City of Issaquah with the 2009 Ruth Kees Award for a Sustainable Community.

The IATC, that was born on that legendary Day of the Three Thunderstorms 30 years ago, will honor their founder with a life-size bronze statue of the man, to be unveiled near the Issaquah Trails Center in downtown Issaquah in September of this year.