For those of you on Facebook, fellow Sierra Club member/leader Dan Richter has posted that R.J. Secor died on Oct. 26. No other news beyond the FB posting at this point.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

RJ was a friend. We met through the RCS (later SCMA) in mid 70's. Already then, RJ was in the middle of gathering data for his Sierra, Mexican Volcanoes and Aconcagua Guide books. It was about 25+ years after the Roper Sierra Guide came out, that RJ published his first edition of the High Sierra Peaks Passes and Trails ( The RJ guide as it is now known).

RJ would go on a month long data gathering trips into Sierra. He did this every year for about 30 years or more. He had huge file of data on the Sierra.

RJ was SPS List finisher at least once (correct me if it was more times). Added later- I'm told he finished it twice.

He was also Honorary Member of the SCMA.

I seem to recall that the First Edition of the Sierra guide was nominated for the Pulitzer price.

RJ and I spent a little over five weeks in Argentina in 1998. He was a very good Spanish speaker and was well known and liked in the Mendoza climbing circles. I was amazed when one phone call from our hotel in Mendoza set up a private meeting with Fernando Grajales, the famouss Argentinian and Aconcagua climber. We tried his seldom climbed, but wonderful Ibanez-Marmillod route on Aconcagua. Unfortunately, that year had horrible weather on Aconcagua and we gave up at the top of Grajales Couloir.

RJ was one of the guys, who knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish and would not be swayed from his direction. He was his own man. I liked that.

RIP Brother.

A true pioneer!
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