Monday, December 18, 2006

Like many of you

I have great concern for the climbers on Mt Hood. I have great sympathy for their friends and families I truly have. I am so very sorry that one man was found dead. But, always that BUT, what about the families of ALL of the people that are risking their own lives by searching for these men. I know mountain rescue teams live to do this. And nothing is better than to find the people alive. I guess I just don't understand the draw of going up the side of a mountain.

Many, many years ago my husband had a friend that was what we now refer to as an old hippy. Ralph was a very cool guy in his day. He worked as an electronics engineer in the beginning of the rise of it all. Now Ralph was the first guy I ever saw go to work in sandals. Good lord that was unheard of back then you were just called weird. Well Ralph was far from weird, a tad eccentric, maybe a bit odd, but not weird. Actually he was a genius. He would go out to lunch, smoke a joint and come back and invent some of the wildest things.

We lost Ralph to a Mt Hood mountain climbing expedition. Ralph was also an EXPERT climber. He went out with only the very best equipment and with only the very skilled. Accidents happen and Ralph fell off of the mountain. His body was never recovered. It was a very sad time for a lot of his friends and of course his family.

Every time I hear of an expedition climber in trouble I think of Ralph. Been thinking a lot about him lately.

God speed to the rescue team...and may the weather be with them.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well I'm glad you did write about it. ;-) Sad, yes, but cathartic too and you use words so well. Ralph sounds like he was a cool fella.