Gerry Roach

[sarahmariekirk]

Wishing you a complete and fast recovery, Gerry! You are an inspiration to us all!

[Boggy B]

Saw Gerry give a talk this winter. You would never guess his age watching him present. Sorry to hear about the fall--hoping for a quick recovery!

[glenmiz]

Hope you have a quick and complete recovery Gerry. Looking forward to seeing your daily Flat Top entries on LoJ soon!

[Manky]

Had the pleasure on assisting on this callout. Cheers to Gerry for a speedy recovery and great meeting Jennifer too, what a cool gal!

[peter303]

Gerry is indirectly responsible through his climbing guides and teaching in the CMC for the SAR mountain culture that rescued him. I hope he and the SAR people can enjoy a beer together when he feels better.

[ekalina]

Get well soon, Gerry. As many have shared, your books and website have been a guiding light to me over the years. Without them, I may never have gotten started on the 14ers, and if/when I finish them, it will be in no small part thanks to you.

[Jim Davies]

The Durango Herald has a followup article with an interview. It sounds like he's in good spirits.

“Sixty is the new 50, 70 is the new 60, but 80 is still 80,” he said. “ … You’ve got to be tough to get older.”

Once his ribs have healed, Roach joked that he intends to climb K2 – by which he meant he will find a “little bump with a rounded summit,” cover it in snow, and plant a flag. Between the moments of facetious banter, Roach says he is determined to keep climbing.

“It’s what I’ve done my whole life,” he said. “I’ve just got to be more careful.”

https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/ ... silverton/

[Phill the Thrill]

Great interview with Gerry Roach at the hospital via Zoom.

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/g ... ado-14ers/

[JQDivide]

Hope he gets better quickly.
Good stories on both accounts.

I wonder how many of us will still be climbing peaks when we're that old?

Joel

[Tornadoman]

Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery Gerry! I hope that you can climb many more mountains in the future!

[MidsizeAl]

Gerry is ironclad, and I'm thrilled that he is on the mend.

One of my favorite quotes of his (from an old interview on 14erWorld):

Has there ever been a time or experience when you thought of giving up mountaineering?

Gerry: Yes. Once I mentally quit. That was after I came back from Manaslu in 1978. I tried and failed on Everest in 1976. I thought we could make it up Manaslu, as it was supposed to be easy. Ha! We tried and failed on Manaslu. It’s a whole saga. I was shattered, and came home in defeat thinking, “I guess I better quit.” The next time a climber tells you they’re quitting, ask if you can have their gear. [Laughter…] A climber isn’t really quitting unless they’re willing to give away all their gear. I held onto my gear!

Sounds like he still has no plans to make any gear donations

[James Dziezynski]

Speedy recovery to Gerry! Jennifer's description of the fall (and rescue) sounds like it would have wasted a climber without Gerry's decades of mountain toughness. Hoping he's back in the mountains sooner than later.