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The Larry
climber
Moab, UT
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Aug 14, 2013 - 04:38pm PT
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BLITZO!!!!!! Love you man!
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Aerili
climber
SLC, Utah
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Aug 14, 2013 - 05:51pm PT
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Yeah, Larry, someday there will be another dirtbaggy circle of power with cheap red wine around a winter J Tree campfire....Blitzo will be hammered and then sobered up again by the time we all show up!
Edit: Oh, who am I kidding... Blitzo won't be sobered up. :)
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Aug 14, 2013 - 05:58pm PT
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hey there say, sooze, thank you so much for sharing how you all are doing, and how blitzo is faring...
god bless...
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Aug 14, 2013 - 06:09pm PT
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This ancient one came to visit today;....it is a sign for Blitzo;....a messenger of sorts..
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Aug 14, 2013 - 06:42pm PT
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My thoughts are with you Billy (and of your wonderful friends) even though I am unable to be there in person.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Aug 14, 2013 - 07:06pm PT
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Thanks everybody out there carrying my torch. I wish I could be
there too.
Bless you, Billy!
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Aug 14, 2013 - 08:34pm PT
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Good thoughts going your way Blitzo.
Cool that you have so many good friends.
Erik
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errett
Social climber
Grumpy Ridge
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Aug 14, 2013 - 08:55pm PT
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It’s been hard for me to know what to say about this. I’ve known Bill for 39 years. We didn’t always live close together so there were some long gaps in those years when we didn’t see much of each other. The times we did spend together were always full of good friendship, awesome adventures, ribald debauchery and endless laughs.
We had our tent blown down on Mt Rainier in 70MPH winds. We got caught in a downpour on the summit of the Grand Teton. After that we went to an all-you-can-eat pancake joint in Moose and after eating about 30 pancakes each they cut us off and accused us of putting them in our packs. We got attacked by a herd of scorpions at the Buttermilks. We slid a thousand feet down Mt Adams riding a ground sheet like a toboggan. We backpacked from the Valley to the Matterhorn and camped on its summit before hitch hiking to Washington to climb volcanoes. We tried hitch hiking into Canada to climb but were turned back at the border by Canadian Customs as dirty hippies with little money. We accidentally got a slippery jack in our batch of dinner wild bolletes at Spirit Lake Campground and couldn’t stop laughing as we puked our guts out. We backpacked from Mt Saint Helens to Mt Adams in late September and all the creeks turned out to be dry. To stay hydrated we stopped and ate tons of ripe huckleberries along the way. Our hands, lips, and crap were stained bright purple for days. We packed into the Tetons, Wind Rivers, Cascades and Sierras, stood on top of many fine peaks and always had a good time. Not to mention all that silly rock climbing stuff.
Fine times with a Grand Master of fine times.
I must have quaffed 100 gallons of beer with Bill. If I had all the money we spent on good beer I’d be rich.
But then I am rich. I know Bill. I wish I could be there with him and thank everyone who is.
You’re right here in my heart brother.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 14, 2013 - 09:02pm PT
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Will, Caught, if you recall I stumbled onto the D5 lanyard marathon for just a tiny bit. I was dropping off a twelve pack and a big ol bottle of Sailor Jerry, to the compound, for considrations recieved. And there was Blute with a waist hogj pile of lanyards in the Raw. At the time his big concern was that the feed for Zappa radio had gone dead on Xm radio. As he fiddled with the tuner I looked at work to be done on the lanyards and the cache of booze in my possession and wondered if I was really being a help or not!
Edit I just remembered what happened after that. Blitzo said he had to go do his Indian cove Solo circuit at 3:00 ( or some time like that, it was thanksgiving, short days) since it was just up the road I headed up, with Blitzo driving behind me. We spend a good hour soloing his choice of easy climbs. Not always the ones I would have picked, he had a great eye for the safest ones. It was the longest concentrated time of climbing with him. Caught, you showed up somewhere in there. You guys moved on and I begged off. Even at the time I thought that maybe I should stay and climb till dark?
That was I think 2010. I've regretted not staying longer, many times since. Now more than ever. I always thought there would be another chance...
I like that quote of Billy's upthread ""I may be next, or maybe you. The dice tumble! Let's try to squeeze joy out of every moment!"
From that day
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Aug 14, 2013 - 09:25pm PT
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Errett,
Very well said.
Ken
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Aug 14, 2013 - 09:41pm PT
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Errett....There's little I can add to what others have said about your post. It was so moving. A beautiful narrative...
Susan
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
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Aug 14, 2013 - 10:07pm PT
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That was awesome, Errett!
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Leggs
Sport climber
Tucson, AZ
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Aug 14, 2013 - 10:17pm PT
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Errett, thank you for sharing your wonderful, adventurous memories with us...
~peace
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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Aug 14, 2013 - 10:17pm PT
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Hey Errett, I've been waiting to see a post from you on this thread...I knew it would be a wild & sweet trip report... .(-;
Thank you for the beautiful tribute.
Saludos..
xo..
nita.
......................................
I just noticed this thread while i was looking for pictures of you and Billy climbing on the eastside .
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/896856/Im-Bummed
Billy's quote..
I may be next, or maybe you. The dice tumble! Let's try to squeeze joy out of every moment!
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Aug 14, 2013 - 11:01pm PT
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I'll always owe Errett for that post. Makes me believe in folk.
JL
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CrazytownIndianCoveAKATheAGENT
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
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Aug 14, 2013 - 11:05pm PT
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One day Blitzo and I had a late lunch and I had to drag him with me to pick up the kids from school. We grabbed the kids and drove into the national park to secure a campsite for the weekend for my family.
This was about 2 weeks before he found out the cancer was back. He showed me some awesome spots and encouraged us to check out a few locations which my ten year old, jack, promptly noted on the map. He calls it the Blitzo map.
A month or so later I brought the kids with me to visit Blitzo when he was in the early stages at arrowhead and he was having a tough day and feeling down on himself. Jack told him to hurry up and get better so we could have a camping party. Blitzo said, "lets have the party no matter what little dude."
Jack wrote Blitzo a letter today:
Dear Blitzo,
When I first met you I thought you were a really cool guy. This is probably the last time I get to say hi so I just wanted to say thanks and stuff for showing my mom the coolest campsites in the park. We love camping. Every time we go I will think of you that day we drove in the park. Mom Is gonna really miss you. But I remember in the hospital you said we should have a party. So when is the party? Anyway, I hope you get to go somewhere without cancer and stuff. Cause that sucks. But you are cool.
Love, Jackson
Ahhhh, the words of the young. It took my kid's perspective to make me remember those fun times, remember how Blitzo was before this all began. And while my heart is no where ready for a party, I have to say.: let's throw down when the time comes, and celebrate all together this crazy beautiful man's life. I will be there. I will bring the beer.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Aug 14, 2013 - 11:17pm PT
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Wonderful words Errett. He always spoke so highly of you. It was nice roping up with you the few times we met (with Billy).
I think about the routes you and Billy did up in Tuolumne on Dozier Dome every time I'm up climbing on them. Just the tip of a very big iceberg of your adventures together.
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MisterE
climber
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Aug 14, 2013 - 11:20pm PT
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Number me among the weepy guys.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Aug 14, 2013 - 11:57pm PT
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hey there say, ~~~~akatheagent...
notes like that from you son, make us cry... however:
we grab even tighter to the reason of life:
to PLANT seeds of new life, for the next generation, or even for
those left in THIS one...
AFTER friends have passed on the pain is there from loss, but the
'party of celebrating' IS knowing this:
that they left powerful new seeds that really have touched others and
THAT will indeed grow and benefit them, for the long haul and onward, this all may go...
thanks for sharing...
prayers to blitzo-billy as he rides this bad-bronc,
prayers to you all, and god bless...
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