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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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I will always remember Al as curiously nerdy, very high functioning individual who could hold his own in conversation on just about any subject.
Always friendly and kind, he didn't have a mean bone in his body. Solem and I were the first to talk with Al after the accident with Woody. It took a long time for him to find his climbing compass. We climbed ice, rock and often talked late into the night many times. I was in the Valley for Facelift, barely digesting Kyle's death when I heard of Al's fall on Deerhorn. Hard to fathom, I drowned the reality in beer and pain pills.
I will miss you Al. You were one of the good ones.
TY
Nice to see you, Dean, at Meatfest. Thanks for your kind words and love.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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So sad. I only just saw this thread and realized I had spoken at length with Al at the Idyllwild Access Fund event this past June. Seemed like a great guy, confirmed by those who knew him and posted here. RIP Al.
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everbrad
Trad climber
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
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Oct 15, 2016 - 02:55pm PT
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Apologies for being late for the celebration of Al’s life here. I missed Al’s memorial too but Al would have wanted it that way as I was entertaining my retired Mother for her California vacation. To the casual observer Al might have been seen as a climbing junkie using all that “down time” from teaching and not having a wife and kids for his climbing addiction. But was Al was much more that and his immediate family and students were his priority. One time when we were out he was obviously upset. I thought it was something to do with me or the climbing but he was pissed that his brother had taken their parents out traveling and never bothered to stop to give the Kwok clan a proper meal. "You take care of your own, especially the elderly" or something along those lines Al quipped. He also never climbed during university functions even if he didn't have to attend; He was always there for his students. One time we even hauled one his students to the San Diego metro at the end of a semester with guitar, crates of college junk and all on the way to check out Mount Woodson.
Al was well traveled and had great stories. He also wasn’t quite like any other friend I’ve ever had. Here a few of my favorite Al memories (my apologies in advance for not doing Al justice in prose).
Al calculated climbing trips in fractions. For instance even with driving time, we could easily get in 5/8 of day on the rock on Saturday if we left at 6:30 am and only made 1 stop at Von’s in Yucca Valley to pick up bagels. Sunday of course would be a full day since we’d climb sunup to sundown. Leaving early was not acceptable and driving in the dark wasn’t factored into the climbing time calculation.
Al never slept in a tent, which is the way to go in Socal, but not so much up north in the very late fall and early spring. He was the teacher by trade but I became the teacher when it came to dew point.
Al was up, had his sleeping setup packed up, and ready to get to the climbs in about 10-12 mins after the agreed upon wake up time. I learned quickly to adjust my schedule.
Al often explained his work to me with climbing terms so I could better understand. For instance, last year the biology side of the research was crux but this year the physics was the crux.
Al was all about the classical music as others have mentioned. On the way back from Yosemite we had obviously climbed until dark before heading out and both had to work on Monday so we took turns driving. When I awoke from my slumber somewhere on the 99, Al had the Mozart cranked up! I couldn’t even hear myself think but he was wide awake and focused on the road. He turned it down but I gladly took over for my turn so he could sleep while I put on something with guitar.
Al was a crack master when I met him and he took me to all the jtree obscure classics that he learned on. I remember being quite humbled and pissed off after spanked “blood and cut”. Al of course made it look like no thing. Just another jtree 5.9 . . . (I have since returned to master it, thanks Al!)
Al’s bread bag has also been glorified by others and rightfully so. Part of your belay duties while Al was lead was to fend off the critters. He never ate a lot of meat but sometimes had an avocado to go with the bread, he knew where all the Chinese joints were on road trips and we never ordered anything that could easily be made at home, and dinner at the crag was also about 5 lbs of noodles or so with some veggies. Al could put down the carbs and never gained a pound. He could out eat me on noodles by 2 to 1 easily if we had had a big day as according to him they weren’t that filling.
We shared a camp fire once in Hidden Valley with some San Diegoens and one was quite taken by Professor Al. There was a lot of conversation to be had and then the question of why Al hadn't settled down came up. I never thought twice to ask Al about such things, but he was quick to respond and did so perfectly, “Well I guess I’m married to the rock” he replied with his enthusiastic smile and that was that.
My first climbing trips to Josh, Tahquitz, Yosemite, and a number of sport climbing spots areas not worth mentioning were with him; those memories I will cherish. He was taken from us too soon. A new set of mountains are calling Al, now go! God speed my good friend.
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