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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Dec 19, 2006 - 04:24pm PT
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I wish I could think of something to say that would ring as unique and original as Vern's personality. Everybody is sad, some are mad, yes, me too. I would have never believed he could take his own life. Dammit Vern.
Vern brought so much great energy to our intermingled posse of possessed trad J Tree backcountry FA explorers. He had an unbridled enthusiasm for climbing and rarely ever found a route to be a "pile." Just like us he loved the grit AND the varnish, loose rock was a good thing, good rock a great thing. Long hikes, short hikes, runouts, good pro, cracks, face, WHATEVER!, all part of good days tromping around in the desert.
The last time we spoke the Stiefel's were staying with us on a so. cal visit. Vern and I talked climbing for hours. He probed my memory for details of routes from long ago and I fed off his enthusiasm and passion and what seemed like an untouchable love of life. He always left me buzzing like a good double cup of expresso.
Yes Vern, you bet you will be missed! At least you left us with a new and rare bird species, maybe as rare as the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, the "Featherless Peacock" will live on.
See yaaaaa!
David Evans
Sorry the Evans's couldn't make the memorial.
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Jay Bancroft
Social climber
Bakersfield, CA
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Dec 27, 2006 - 05:48pm PT
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I am bummed I couldn't make the trek to JTree (...weather, plane East the next day...). If you come through Bakersfield, it'd be good to grab a brew and toast Vern.
Jay
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Dolly Vegan Wannabe
climber
Irvine, CA
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Dec 28, 2006 - 09:41pm PT
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I've been a member of Rockreation Costa Mesa for almost 9 years. Although I was not acquainted with Vern, I often saw him and Tara climbing the lead routes at my gym. I read about his passing two weekends ago and offer my condolences to his family and friends.
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ent
climber
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This time each year I feel very sad. I can't believe 3 years have past...there have been many times I wish I could ask someone advise about a peacock with no feathers.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Quinlan (Stiefel) and Jake (Evans) while we were terrorizing Tom Sawyer's island a few weeks ago.
ps. Both these boys are climbers.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 24, 2010 - 05:24am PT
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Was thinking today how Beacon hasn't been quite the same without Vern gracing us with a couple of visits each season...
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Murf
climber
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Mar 22, 2010 - 01:25pm PT
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We walked out with at least an hour of daylight left, we talked about the fact that Vern would have never allowed it!
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Mar 22, 2010 - 03:38pm PT
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Vern would consider an hour of daylight (and that half hour of dusk) to be wasted by the walk out -- even from the most remote locale. We have grown soft without his constant tutelage.
I'm not ashamed to say that re-reading this thread 3+ years later has me in tears and motivated to reform my slackish ways at the same time. Vern's power to affect me has not diminished.
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Maso
climber
Vsenory (near Prague), Czech Republic
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I am from the Czech Republic (Europe). I climbed with Vern in the Autumn 2000 - Williamson Rock, JT and some other areas around LA where I stayed for a year for my sabbatical. Then I had to stop climbing because of problems with my shoulder, then a family came it, so it is only now I am returning back at least to bouldering. It is Saturday 2 am here and don't know why I had the terrible idea to google the name of my friend far West...........
My English is too poor to be able to say what I feel... So sorry for Tara and Quinlan
I will maybe write some my memories or find some old pictures at some point, but now I can't
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Maso, welcome to SuperTopo and please do write about Vern if you can - he's much missed around these parts.
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Maso
climber
Vsenory (near Prague), Czech Republic
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May 13, 2011 - 05:17pm PT
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Here are some pictures from 2000-2001, sorry for not good quality, they were taken with the old technology and I had to scan the original paper print outs.
Once at the entrance to JTree I bought 20 postcards for my climbing friends. Vern told me he was surprised how many friends I had - well, now I must say I am amazed how many his friends reacted so quickly and created this long reading. I read through this forum and have very little to add as all the stories describe Vernon as I knew him. Enthusiastic, with seemingly inexhaustible energy, excited about small things such as aluminium spoon or some for me totally ordinary herbs. He was listening to Bauhaus and I laughed at him because of his pronunciation - impossible to describe in written, but I was expecting someone with such a German surname to pronounce it in the original language. If I remember well, Vern's father was from a German family from the town of Brno in the former Czechoslovakia.
I was connected with Vernon with a rope and in my mind will remain.
It is very said to realize that when I eventualy come back to the US, I cannot call him any more. But I want to believe he is fine now.
Stay in piece, friend
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Friend
climber
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May 13, 2011 - 05:47pm PT
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Great photos Maso. The Josh routes are Alf's Arete, Tax man, and Scary Poodles.
Here is another, Vern on Total Generic Package, with Tara & Quinlan. RIP my friend.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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May 14, 2011 - 01:13pm PT
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Vern lives.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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May 14, 2011 - 03:25pm PT
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Thanks Maso, between Vern and Jim Anglin, we lost a couple of remarkably talented and inspiring climbers in a short period and Oregon hasn't been the same without them...
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Vernon Leo Stiefel
June 8, 1961 -- December 8, 2006
“When we get out of the glass bottles of our ego,
and when we escape like squirrels turning in the
cages of our personality
and get into the forests again,
we shall shiver with cold and fright
but things will happen to us
so that we don't know ourselves.
Cool, unlying life will rush in,
and passion will make our bodies taut with power,
we shall stamp our feet with new power
and old things will fall down,
we shall laugh, and institutions will curl up like
burnt paper.”
― D.H. Lawrence
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ent
climber
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Dec 18, 2011 - 04:56pm PT
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RIP-Vern!
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ent
climber
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I miss Vern and think of him often. At the ESA annual meeting this past November his name was mentioned during the Linnaean Games.
Rest in Peace my good friend.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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I woke today thinking of Vern and how I have missed him these 6 years.
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