As much as I enjoy mountaineering and climbing, I realistically know that I do not have the talent or drive to be a world-class, elite mountaineer. Jonny Copp was the only one amongst my friends out here in Boulder who truly was of that caliber. Humble, fun, down to Earth, JC nonetheless was an incredibly accomplished climber, ticking off first routes all over the world--Patagonia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and so on. While we weren't super close, he was still a buddy and an inspiration. Recently, news has some in that his climbing party--consisting of himself and two other climbers--was reported late in returning from a daring first ascent attempt on an obscure, unclimbed peak in China called "Mount Edgar" (you can read more about it here). Sadly, the rescue efforts, which are already into day 7 have turned up an as-of-yet unidentified body. All signs are pointing to tragedy.
It feels kind of surreal because JC has had so many amazing scrapes and close calls and always made it back home to Boulder. His life was one of constant adventure and endlessly pushing the limits of what is possible in the mountains. While there is still a sliver of hope, it's not looking good. I'm not ready to write any sort of eulogy, but... the fact is, this is the game of mountaineering. You can be the very best in the world and when the time comes, mother nature will claim her bounty. Such was the case with another seemingly invincible climber, Alex Lowe.
I've always thought that one must be pre-programmed with a fearless gene to continue to take risks of this magnitude over and over again. Some describe it as an addiction. For most of us, even one close call with truly imminent and life-threatening danger is enough to cause us to fearfully abandon whatever it was that chilled our spines. This is normal and natural as a response. However, some people have a different view on the world; many cite the near-fatal consequences and wild settings as truly living. Maybe they are right to some degree, but the problem with the big game is that losing is for keeps.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
June 8th will be the 7th anniversary of Colorado's famous Hayman Fire, an incredibly destructive wildfire that consumed 138,000 acres, 133 homes and caused millions of dollars of damage. The summer of 2002 was brutally hot, setting the stage for mass destruction. I can remember going to 7 PM Ultimate Frisbee games with the temperature stuck at 105°F. Everything was brown, dry, dead. Once the Hayman Fire began, there were weeks of hazy ash-filled skys, the clouds and debris acting like a blanket on an already parched landscape.
The great tragedy of this epic conflagration is that it was started by a single person, a person whose motivation remains a mystery to this day. Terry Barton was, of all things, a Federal Forestry Worker with 18 years experience. Originally, she had tried to pin the fire on a passing camper, then changed her story that she was burning a letter from her ex-husband that got out of control. In the end, investigators concluded there was no letter and that she had created the fire to put it out--in other words, to seem like a hero.
All this is speculation of course, only she truly knows how the great fire came to be--or to put it more poetically, what emotional tinder ignited the blaze. Regardless of how it began, the end result was Terry Barton serving 6-12 years in federal prison and legally (though I don't know how they impose this) owing the government 14.7 million dollars.
So the question is, is she a sympathetic figure? While her ticky-tack explanations for starting the fire leave much to be desired, one would hope her intention was not to burn a good chunk of Colorado for fun. Or maybe it was? Maybe there was something hypnotic and perverse, some vision of raging fire that tipped the balance of judgement in her head.
The reason I ponder all this is because 2009 is an atmospheric contrast to 2002. It's been rainy--as rainy as I've seen it out here--and the land is green, lush and colorful. The dancing flames and scorched earth are now distant memories. Many folks out here would not recognize the name Terry Barton.
No real conclusions here, just thoughts. It's wild how nature is so quick to heal, to replenish and resurrect itself. Trees that were given life in the wake of the great fire will be a good six feet tall when Terry Barton is released from prison. And soon enough, there will be another dry season and it will all play out again, regardless of triggered by human hand or force of nature.
The great tragedy of this epic conflagration is that it was started by a single person, a person whose motivation remains a mystery to this day. Terry Barton was, of all things, a Federal Forestry Worker with 18 years experience. Originally, she had tried to pin the fire on a passing camper, then changed her story that she was burning a letter from her ex-husband that got out of control. In the end, investigators concluded there was no letter and that she had created the fire to put it out--in other words, to seem like a hero.
All this is speculation of course, only she truly knows how the great fire came to be--or to put it more poetically, what emotional tinder ignited the blaze. Regardless of how it began, the end result was Terry Barton serving 6-12 years in federal prison and legally (though I don't know how they impose this) owing the government 14.7 million dollars.
So the question is, is she a sympathetic figure? While her ticky-tack explanations for starting the fire leave much to be desired, one would hope her intention was not to burn a good chunk of Colorado for fun. Or maybe it was? Maybe there was something hypnotic and perverse, some vision of raging fire that tipped the balance of judgement in her head.
The reason I ponder all this is because 2009 is an atmospheric contrast to 2002. It's been rainy--as rainy as I've seen it out here--and the land is green, lush and colorful. The dancing flames and scorched earth are now distant memories. Many folks out here would not recognize the name Terry Barton.
No real conclusions here, just thoughts. It's wild how nature is so quick to heal, to replenish and resurrect itself. Trees that were given life in the wake of the great fire will be a good six feet tall when Terry Barton is released from prison. And soon enough, there will be another dry season and it will all play out again, regardless of triggered by human hand or force of nature.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
I've purposely taken the last month to myself, writing very little and kind of laying low. It was a month ago today at 3:16 PM that I made the call to peacefully end Talus' suffering. Slowly, I feel the effects and distance of time healing the pain and sorrow. The nightmare that took him away is being diluted with each day into a more gentle vision, a dream purified by time. "Dream" is a fitting way to explain the memory, it all happened so fast and so intensely the whole effect has had a prolonged disorientation that is just now lifting. We really had some great times in the brief moments we shared and it is my hope that the best parts of those experiences will live on with me while the tough days become faint, ineffective notions.
With that... life goes on. Contrary to my writing, the rest of my life has not been immobolized. If anything, activity and exercise has been instrumental in getting me back in a good state of mind. I had a great trip back east, bowled a 200, celebrated my Dad's birthday (and my parent's 37th anniversay tomorrow), secured some good new freelance work and have been spending time in the mountains with friends. I have some big events ready for the ensuing weeks, from century bike rides to triathlons to mountain climbs. Of course mountain biking is on the agenda too.
The big question I know some of you have is will I be getting a new dog. It's really hard to say. I've visited some awesome, awesome border collies from the rescue that I liked, but I'm still holding off for now. There's a lot of changes these days; my lease is up soon on my apartment and I have some logistics to consider plus Talus' illness was a big financial setback too. All that aside, I do feel if I click with a dog like I did with Talus, it'll be a no-brainer -- he'll be in my home in no time!
So... this will be my last Talus post for a long time. It's really time to say good bye, not just inside but also for the world at large. I know these posts are not particularly fun to read and they are hard to respond to; however everyone's love and support were greatly appreciated. Goofball video game posts, adventures, news of the wacky and so on-- they'll all be back soon.
Onward ---->
With that... life goes on. Contrary to my writing, the rest of my life has not been immobolized. If anything, activity and exercise has been instrumental in getting me back in a good state of mind. I had a great trip back east, bowled a 200, celebrated my Dad's birthday (and my parent's 37th anniversay tomorrow), secured some good new freelance work and have been spending time in the mountains with friends. I have some big events ready for the ensuing weeks, from century bike rides to triathlons to mountain climbs. Of course mountain biking is on the agenda too.
The big question I know some of you have is will I be getting a new dog. It's really hard to say. I've visited some awesome, awesome border collies from the rescue that I liked, but I'm still holding off for now. There's a lot of changes these days; my lease is up soon on my apartment and I have some logistics to consider plus Talus' illness was a big financial setback too. All that aside, I do feel if I click with a dog like I did with Talus, it'll be a no-brainer -- he'll be in my home in no time!
So... this will be my last Talus post for a long time. It's really time to say good bye, not just inside but also for the world at large. I know these posts are not particularly fun to read and they are hard to respond to; however everyone's love and support were greatly appreciated. Goofball video game posts, adventures, news of the wacky and so on-- they'll all be back soon.
Onward ---->
