Overdue Climbers

Threads related to Colorado mountaineering accidents but please keep it civil and respectful. Friends and relatives of fallen climbers will be reading these posts.
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tmathews
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by tmathews »

mbuhrmester wrote: I hope that sharing this all has been helpful to you all -- I know it has been helpful to me to be able to understand what happened -- many thanks to the Custer County SAR. Our family is and will forever be a mountaineering family (in addition to lots of other wonderful things in our lives), and having read many of the posts here just briefly now, I can see that this site is just a bigger mountaineering family as well. We loved so many 14ers together -- Sneffles, Longs, Snowmass, Mt. of the Holy Cross, Capitol, North Palisade, Sill, Rainier, and dozens more. We loved our summer adventures and the experiences we got to share as a family.

I thank you all again for your condolences during this tough, tough time. And if you are able and willing, please support the Custer County Search and Rescue Team. They are an extremely professional group that helped us through this ordeal with the utmost respect, understanding, and diligence. They are a small unit with an enormous heart.
Michael,

Thank you for the additional details. I can only imagine how difficult it was to write this so soon after such a tragedy.

If you do return to Colorado, please visit the forum again. I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be willing to climb with you and your brother. I hope you find success in pursuit of your PhD. What an awesome way of honoring your father's memory.
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jimlup
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by jimlup »

mbuhrmester wrote:Hello,

...

I hope that sharing this all has been helpful to you all -- I know it has been helpful to me to be able to understand what happened -- many thanks to the Custer County SAR. Our family is and will forever be a mountaineering family (in addition to lots of other wonderful things in our lives), and having read many of the posts here just briefly now, I can see that this site is just a bigger mountaineering family as well. We loved so many 14ers together -- Sneffles, Longs, Snowmass, Mt. of the Holy Cross, Capitol, North Palisade, Sill, Rainier, and dozens more. We loved our summer adventures and the experiences we got to share as a family.
...
Michael, Thank you so much for sharing this. As a parent of two who are roughly your age, I am very moved by your post. My sincere condolences to you.

You are already fulfilling your parents wishes.
"Just because you have the gear does not mean that you are a Mountaineer!" My daughter's cynical comment about my hobby...
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MtHurd
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by MtHurd »

Michael,

As a fellow UTD alumni and mountaineer, my sincerest condolences to you and your family. Thank you for giving us a better understanding of what happened.
Last edited by MtHurd on Tue Aug 03, 2010 6:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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elkheart22
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by elkheart22 »

Michael, Thanks for posting.
My condolences to you & your family.

Tim.
Lakes below the mountains
Flow into the sea
Like oils applied to canvas,
They permeate through me. --- Jimmy Buffett
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lazyhiker
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by lazyhiker »

Michael, My condolences to you and your family. Your parents are in our prayers...
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gsliva
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by gsliva »

Michael:

Best to you and thank you so much for publishing your story. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.

Glenn
Live for the Climb and the search for commitment.
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Jon Frohlich
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by Jon Frohlich »

cftbq wrote:
Jon Frohlich wrote:I find that reading the scientific forecaster discussion is more useful than going by the percentages much of the time.
Gotta link for that discussion?
Just using this one as an example.

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/fin ... ct=WEATHER

If you look at the forecast on the right below the last day you will see a link to 'Scientific Forecaster Discussion (NWS)'.

http://www.wunderground.com/DisplayDisc ... me=Alamosa

They post them for any city or region you look up. Just part of it for this weekend:
The upper ridge will build Friday and persist into early next week
with more west to southwesterly flow developing across the region.
This will bring drier air into the area with moisture being
shunted to the east. Expect a more typical diurnal Summer time
pattern to set up with afternoon convection over the mountains
which is forecast to remain tied to the terrain before dissipating
after sunset. These thunderstorms will be more isolated in nature
but still capable of locally heavy rainfall. Storm motions will
also be a bit faster which will limit the flooding potential.
They give far more interesting information than just 20/30/40%.
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Wish I lived in CO
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by Wish I lived in CO »

My sincere condolances. Thank you for your post.
Last edited by Wish I lived in CO on Tue Aug 03, 2010 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! Psalm 121:1-2
TomPierce
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by TomPierce »

Michael: I'll again add my condolences for the loss of your parents. And thank you for the detailed account, it makes much more sense now.
-Tom
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MountainHiker
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by MountainHiker »

Michael. Thank you for posting. My deepest sympathies for you and your family.
Red, Rugged, and Rotten: The Elk Range - Borneman & Lampert
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Phill the Thrill
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by Phill the Thrill »

Michael:

Thank you for your post. I appreciate your thoughtfulness very much. I think it is valuable to the climbing community to understand what happens in tragic accidents like this. I'm so sorry for your loss, and I pray for peace to you, your brother and your extended family. I'm sure you have many wonderful memories of your mom and dad, including the many outdoor adventures you shared together, and I hope you find comfort in remembering those times. If you are able to post a picture of your parents here sometime, I know I would greatly appreciate that and I'm sure others here would as well. I am planning to climb the Needle later this month and I will certainly have you and your family in my thoughts in prayers as we climb.
"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it." - Andy Rooney
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susanjoypaul
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Re: Overdue Climbers

Post by susanjoypaul »

Michael, I am so sorry for your loss.

Thanks for understanding - and doing your best to satisfy - our curiosity as to "what happened." I think that a non-mountaineering family might find the questions and discussions on this site sometimes callous and inconsiderate in regard to the deceased's family and friends, if not morbid. I'm glad you understand that we all spend a lot of time "out there," and anything we can learn from this will only serve to keep ourselves, and our own families and friends who join us, safer.

As you know, the weather here has been inconsistent and dangerous lately - I've been caught in several isolated downpours myself over the past couple of weeks, that seemed to build at an amazing speed, let loose, and then dissipate just as quickly as they appeared. We all do our best to avoid being caught in a precarious spot when this happens, but sometimes, due to the time it takes to remove yourself from the situation versus the speed at which a storm comes in, it's just not possible to get down in time. Add to that the danger of rock fall and rock slides from rocks that have been sitting on a steep, saturated incline, from previous rainfall, and it really doesn't take much to set them off.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. When someone dies in the mountains, the media always says "they were experienced hikers," even if they've never strayed beyond a well-beaten trail. But it sounds like your parents really were experienced hikers, climbers, and parents, who took the time to share their passion for mountaineering with their children, and that's something we can all learn from.

Thank you so much for your detailed contribution. I think we can all put the speculation to rest now.
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