On Sunday 15 Jan, 2012, another friend of mine died “doing what he loved most”, ice climbing on the incredible Bridalveil Falls in Telluride, Colorado. He suffered a fractured hip and went into cardiac arrest sometime thereafter while he was being evacuated from one of the most ethereal locations on earth. Perhaps he bled out internally from his pelvic fracture. No matter the cause, he had time to suffer and contemplate life. I wonder what Jack, the author of Colorado’s best ice climbing guidebook was feeling at the time of his would-be rescue.
It’s been said that when people die in the mountains, “at least they died doing something they loved.” Other grow bitter with those words, I think simply out of grief and the loss of a loved one. The mountains are dangerous, no doubt. So is driving your car, but I’ll bet unless you own a Ferrari, it’s not the most rewarding time spent. Steve Jobs died doing what he loved, nobody says, “don’t venture into the treacherous field of making awesome computers.”
Yesterday while I was leaving South Korea, a close friend sent me some of the most inspiring prose:
So many people don’t get “it,” regardless of what “it” is.
“why don’t you retire from that”
“there was nothing I could say…because anything I said would not be understood. I would have been speaking a language he could, or would, not comprehend. While many don’t understand why you (me) travel around the world to compete in a sport they are even further from understanding; know that I, and a few others like me, get it and support you with everything we have. Keep pushing hard ! Enjoy the camaraderie that comes from pushing hard, and suffering, with others. Once it is formed, it is an unbreakable bond that is only understood by those who share “it”.”
What defines us are the actions we take, the people we touch, and what we give and receive. I hope that Jack loved every step up the splendid falls, savored the smell of the incandescent blue frozen waterfall ice, and realized that he leaves a legacy of ice climbers who share all the things that make climbing special. Your family and your friends will miss you. I hope you know that with every swing my ice axe that you are part of that energy, as are others who have inspired and helped me become who I am: Craig Leubben, Guy Lacalle, and many more. Thanks for helping me get "it". God speed.
(Post-dated blog for respect for family notification)
Great post, Marc...great words.
ReplyDelete