"Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks. Great success shooting the knife into the piano. The woodworms are so bad and eat hell out of all furniture that you can always claim the woodworms did it."
--Ernest Hemingway
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Sarah Simon - Dec 29, 2011 10:54 am - Voted 10/10
Wow, MarkWhat a touching piece.
A lot of us take more than our backpack and physical selves into the mountains. I'm the first to tell you that the mountains are often where I want to be when I'm stressed or tired, thus taking my 'baggage' up the mountain with me to jettison on the way.
It's beautiful that you take your father with you to the high country. :)
Sarah
MarkDidier - Dec 30, 2011 7:59 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Wow, MarkSarah,
Thanks for kind words. I had been wanting to get this piece down on paper for quite a while...
I like the way you worded it, "A lot of us take more than our backpack and physical selves into the mountains".
Happy New Year! I hope 2012 brings you lots of trail miles and many summits.
Mark
Stu Brandel - Jan 4, 2012 10:04 am - Voted 10/10
Thank You MarkI just lost my 80 year old dad last November. You piece brought up very strong emotions. I had thought about taking some of his ashes with me on my next summit, then decided I did not have to, as he would be with me. But I think I now will take his picture, so I can remember the man who made all my education and recreation possible. Thanks.
MarkDidier - Jan 4, 2012 9:02 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Thank You MarkStu, thanks for the nice words. Sorry to hear about your father. It sounds like you are quite proud of him and have great memories of him as well. I feel very fortunate that my father has lived such a long and mostly healthy life. But it is tough to see him slow down.
I hope taking your dad's picture on your next climb works for you. It worked for me! I think the best part was packing his picture into my backpack each morning. It made me very mentally aware that I was bringing him along with me for the day.
Hope you have a great year and get to take your dad to a summit soon. Mark
Stu Brandel - May 10, 2012 9:15 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Thank You MarkJust wanted to let you know I took mt Dad's picture to about 6 Nevada summits in March. The last one happened to be my only solo climb, and at the top I was able to pull out the picture and have an extended time of grieving/rejoicing. Many thanks! Hope all is well.
MarkDidier - May 12, 2012 10:29 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Thank You MarkStu, Thanks for the update. Glad to hear this worked for you. Solo on a summit can be a pretty special place...and it sounds like it was.