Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
|
|
so sorry tht this happened...it seems like everybody is pretty crushed down at berkeley ironworks, where she used to work front desk. i had just met julia a couple of times but was impressed with her good humour. all my condolences to her family and friends, especially her brother , ross, who i set routes at touchstone with for years steve schneider
|
|
Brock Wagstaff
Trad climber
Larkspur
|
|
Not sure what I can even say. I remember Julia as a kid just starting to climb at Class 5. Such an amazing person, and so hard to believe this has really happened. Thinking of the entire MacKenzie family, and particularly Ross who seemed to take his sister under his wing as they grew up climbing together.
|
|
BanDecho
climber
Oakland
|
|
Julia, you will missed so much. I'm so happy to have had the pleasure of watching you grow up and become the inedible person you were and the bad as climber you are. The world is not the same today, I will never be the same.
|
|
labrat
Trad climber
Erik O. Auburn, CA
|
|
|
Sep 10, 2016 - 12:18am PT
|
Condolences to her family and friends. :-((
|
|
Michael Snyder
Trad climber
Lagunitas, Ca.
|
|
|
Sep 10, 2016 - 09:26am PT
|
I remember you climbing at Class 5 with Ross and watching you go from a good climber to a great climber. I will miss your smile and happiness...
|
|
splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
|
|
|
Sep 10, 2016 - 01:19pm PT
|
a sad heart for Julia. my condolences to her family and friends and especially her brother.
some beautiful captures of her life in action in that CCM edition.
|
|
mmelvin
Trad climber
san francisco
|
|
|
Sep 10, 2016 - 07:06pm PT
|
Debra and I knew Julia and Ross from when they were kids, climbing at Class 5. There’s something magical that the MacKenzies did as a family — I’ve never met someone so cheerful, friendly, wanting to give a big hug. Any of you who knew her, even cursorily, will identify with this — she always had an ear to ear smile with a laugh that went along with it, a chuckle like she had a joke so funny to tell that she was having a hard time telling it. She had a kind of happiness halo. Thank you, to the Mackenzie family, for bringing us someone so dear.
|
|
Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2016 - 03:09am PT
|
This from Sean O'Rouke's blog. He was gunning it on the Evo.traverse at that time...
Helicopter above Haeckel Col
I heard the all-too-familiar sound of a helicopter just before the col, and paused my music to pay more attention. It approached the col, then made several circles around the Haeckel-Huxley cirque. I made random “I’m okay” gestures when it was near me, but had no idea how I could or should communicate. Taking several trips back to base to refuel, it eventually set up a base camp near Lake 12,021′ and extracted someone from Haeckel’s west face. I saw nothing as I climbed past this section of the ridge, but learned later that it was recovering the body of a woman who had just been doing exactly what I was doing.
http://drdirtbag.com/2016/09/09/evolution-traverse-vi-5-9-or-5-6-17h42/
The Evolution traverse is big and proud, it is a sorrow that such a passage has taken a great women.
Blessings and peace to all and for those who knew 'J-Mack' she will always be with you.
Peace.
|
|
Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2016 - 10:47am PT
|
I made random “I’m okay” gestures when it was near me, but had no idea how I could or should communicate.
When river guides in the Grand Canyon spot hikers in odd spots they often pat the top of their head, it means "Are you okay?". A thumbs up is the most obvious response, waving frantically is a bad idea unless you need a rescue. A reply by patting the top of your head with the elbow extended is more visible from a distance. Maybe the duck could comment on the best way to communicate when a SAR team spots you.
|
|
chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2016 - 12:03pm PT
|
Dear Ross, this is Rob Trelford writing. I know its been a long time since weve seen each other. And alot of water under the bridge. But I wanted you to know that you are in my thoughts and I pray that you are okay. You have always been kind to me and I owe you the same in return. Contact me at robtrelford@yahoo.com if there is anything you need. No comfort can change what happened. There is no sense to the world we live in. However I believe that she is with Our Lord now, watching over. Noone ever leaves this world altogether when they live on in our hearts. And you have a very big heart. Dont let it break and live well as she would have wanted. God bless you Ross.
Coach Rob
|
|
Daphne
Trad climber
Northern California
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 11, 2016 - 11:02pm PT
|
Julia's sister Lauren will post more details about the memorial service as it is planned. I will update this thread when I know the exact details, unless someone does it sooner. Thanks, crankster, for posting the memorial contribution site, where the funds will go to climbers, in lieu of flowers.
|
|
seano
Mountain climber
none
|
|
|
Sep 12, 2016 - 01:51pm PT
|
A reply by patting the top of your head with the elbow extended is more visible from a distance. I heard this from someone I know who works with Inyo SAR. Signs I saw in Canada said one hand raised for "okay," both for "help." So I guess there's no universal signal.
|
|
Shu
Trad climber
Bonsall, California
|
|
|
Sep 12, 2016 - 01:58pm PT
|
My wife and I got to meet Julia when she and my son came to stay with us for a week around new years earlier this year. She impressed us as such a sweet, unassuming young woman; it was hard to imagine her as the hard core climber she was. She and my son went on to climb the Triple Direct on El Capitan in a day this spring, which is apparently just one on a long list of her climbing accomplishments. This has hit us quite hard; my wife said she just gets a sick feeling when she sees a rock face now.
To her family: This must be unbelievably difficult for you. My prayers are with you. May God comfort you. As someone said so well above, grief is the price of love.
|
|
aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
|
Sep 12, 2016 - 04:15pm PT
|
My prayers and condolences to all family and friends. She is obviously one of those sweet, sincere souls that everyone loved.
Forgive me for bringing it up, but it is often instructive to learn the specifics of climbing fatalities. Was she soloing at the time? There is no mention in this thread of a climbing partner, possibly out of respect for the family's desire for some privacy.
|
|
ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
|
|
|
Sep 12, 2016 - 05:38pm PT
|
memorial threads aren't the place for accident debriefing. I know a tiny bit about what happened, but I am not "in the know". I started this thread in a state of shock.
the interest was legitimate and respectful. You started the thread but are not the arbiter of what people post.
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
|
Sep 12, 2016 - 05:44pm PT
|
hey there say, daphne... oh my, i just saw this...
i had been out of town...
my condolences to her family and loved ones...
:(
|
|
chachi
Boulder climber
San Antonio, TX
|
|
|
Sep 13, 2016 - 08:08am PT
|
I signed up for an account solely to post in this thread, to offer my remembrance of Julia and condolences to Ross, should he see this, and to Julia's friends and family. And maybe to remind myself and others to make the most of our relationships as they can be gone at any time. It's terrible that it takes such an occurrence to think, "I wish i had stayed in contact with them." But i wish i had with Julia, and others.
I worked at Class 5 as full time staff ~2002-2004, a temporary Texas transplant that found climbing late in college. Working 40+ hours a week there and often climbing before and after, I was at C5 a lot. I will never forgot my time there, almost solely due to people like Julia.
I saw Julia at the gym frequently. Smiling for what to me seemed like about 98% of her day. Julia was dependable, friendly, honest, kind, and funny. An ideal kids camp teacher, lesson giver, and helper with just about anything anyone needed. While the boys at C5 weren't always the most reliable and often only concerned with sending the next project, Julia cared about people, fellow workers, friends, and customers alike.
My thoughts of her climbing are of someone not only just becoming aware of their physical capabilities (I remember her being young, HS age, plus or minus), but also of the maturation of her love for climbing. I've since read that she went on to climb some very difficult routes and classics [briefly seeing some recent climbing photos, my wife heard me half whisper, "Julia got f#*$&% awesome!"]. Back then, she was far from strong, somewhat awkwardly making it up 5.10's, but joyously so and with a passion that clearly blossomed and continued to bear fruit over the years.
Right now, closing my eyes, I can see her face, smiling. Honestly, I can picture Ross smiling too. That memory, of Julia (and Ross), is something I will always have and always remember, of people that have made an impact in my life, even so now a couple thousand miles away in Cincinnati.
I haven't crammed on my v10s or dragons that have sadly sat idle, collecting dust, in my climbing bag for too long, since life "got busy" and running became easier (in TX remember). But I'm getting them out this week. For Julia. And for Ross. There's a gym around here someone told me about recently. I'll flail, probably look ridiculous, and get pumped in minutes, but I'll be smiling the whole time, just like I remember Julia doing.
And so, reminded of how Ross turned me onto Reggae, burned into my brain, I hear...
Strange, this feeling I'm feeling
But Jah love we will always believe in
I know you may think my faith is in vain
Til Shiloh we'll chant Rastafari's name
-Chad Childers
|
|
Gregory Crouch
Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
|
|
|
Sep 13, 2016 - 09:17am PT
|
My condolences to her friends and family. Very sad news. RIP.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!