Loss of a Good Friend

I lost a good friend a couple of days ago. She was a guide for Alpine Ascents and lost her life on Denali. I had known Suzanne since she first moved to Seattle in 1999 while working at REI. She was from the east coast and in a matter of fact way told me she planned on eventually becoming a mountain guide…even though she had done very little hiking or backpacking. Working at REI was a path to learn and meet other outdoor people….and that is what she set out to do. We became good friends….went snowshoeing, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, and mountaineering over the years. She processed amazing talent, physical strength and determination. When she couldn’t find someone to head to the hills with she would go by herself. She was confident and at ease with herself and her own company. Solo trips grew in length as she hiked the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier, then the newly planned Northern Trail from Montana to the coast of Washington. She got her first professional guide job with a small local company and after a couple of seasons moved to Alpine Ascents. She accomplished what she had always wanted. She was nonstop…traveling and working in Alaska, South America and Asia. Whenever she passed through Seattle Suzanne would call and we would meet for tea or a beer. She always made an effort to maintain our friendship and I will truly miss her and my heart will always have a place that is Suzanne’s. *Photos from a trip that Suzanne, Tim Hagan, Frank Hagan and I took to N. Africa on completion of my Seventh Continent. Seattle, Washington

Photo by Tim Hagan