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Matt
Trad climber
the land where lois don't roam
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Jul 19, 2007 - 03:33pm PT
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earlier this morning i sent that poster an email, inviting him to show some respect and remove his post, but it now seems to me that his post is of no consequence and really it enhances michael, the legend of michael, that is.
what mike reardon was drawn to frightened other people, and they thought it ought to frighten him or his family. not everyone agreed with his choices, not everyone understood him, you could even say that he was often surrounded in controversey (would he have called it jealousy?). his skill and his passion challenged people, some people couldn't wrap their brain around it all.
i wonder how many miles of rock the guy climbed with his life on the line? probably more than many avid climbers will climb while roped up in their lifetimes- wow, just the thought of it is almost hard for me to accept.
somehow i am comforted by the idea that he did not fall from a climb. pretty ironic in fact that he did not, considering the relative riskiness of his favorite passtime. kinda reminds me of when bachar flipped his rig, it's just so easy to forget how human these guys are.
what if there is a heaven, can you possibly imagine how sweet the splitters are up there?
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Anastasia
Trad climber
California
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Jul 19, 2007 - 07:38pm PT
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I am with Marci for I don't believe he is gone. I think he is just detained upon a fishing boat with some good Irish whiskey. Plus he must have found a willing ear for his ramblings, for he never walks away from a good audience.
AF
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RW
Boulder climber
SLC,UT
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Jul 19, 2007 - 10:37pm PT
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somehow i am comforted by the idea that he did not fall from a climb.
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RW
Boulder climber
SLC,UT
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Jul 19, 2007 - 10:40pm PT
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horse flats, mid 90's.
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RW
Boulder climber
SLC,UT
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Jul 19, 2007 - 10:56pm PT
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the first and last photos i had the good fortune to take of M.R.
it was always a blast.
you know if there is a heaven - boy, they got a hell of a band.
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dll
climber
Oak Park, Ca.
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Jul 20, 2007 - 02:38am PT
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RW - That second shot is undeniably awesome... but I truly love the first. It has a subtly intimate quality, that the B&W enhances perfectly. Mike and the rock blend together beautifully... very well done.
...and to Rubi - KTLA news, a local station here just ran a very nice piece on Michael using many of the pics you posted. My personal favorite is the kissing the rock shot... priceless.
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Jerry Dodrill
climber
Bodega, CA
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Jul 20, 2007 - 05:31pm PT
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Martha, all...
(Just tuned in again here. Been gone...)
I deleted my post upthread. Sorry if it was misconstrued. I didn't mean to imply that the photo was of the wave that took Michael. It seemed clear enough to me that it wasn't.
Damon's photo is an exceptional example of Michaels embrace of life, his visceral and tactile connection to nature. While it is clear that this photo is not of the wave that claimed him, it is chillingly prophetic of a tragedy neither of them could have forseen or imagined. The photographer/climber relationship, partnership, collaboration, is a complex one emotionally. I wish much peace to Damon. This must be a difficult time for him and all off Mike's friends and family. Wishing them the best...
-JD
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Lee_J
Trad climber
Buena Vista, Colorado
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Jul 22, 2007 - 10:26pm PT
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I'm just back from a week in Toulumne. What a blow... Sorry but Iv'e not read the entire thread. Is there some fav donation in order? My heartfelt condolences to all his family and close friends.
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GazCork
Trad climber
Cork
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Jul 23, 2007 - 09:11am PT
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Hi all,
I never met michael, though some of my friends have met and climbed with him. I have been following this thread since i heard of michaels tragic accident so I thought you would all like to know that the search for his remains continues. I spent the weekend on Valentia Island, the search team included, Irish Coastguard members from both Valentia and Ballycotton shoreside and in ribs, a search and rescue dog team from www.sardaireland.com (Catherine, a rock climber herself and her dog Daisy) volunteer climbers (including myself), the Kerry sub aqua club divers and a helicopter unit. Unfortunately we were not successful despite a thorough search of the Valentia coastline. The search will now be scaled back though there may possibly be another sweep on Friday week depending on weather and resources.***
My thoughts are with Michaels family and friends.
GazClimbs
*** Please note this assesment of the status of the search is not an official line. It is merely the opinion of the coastguard members on duty at the weekend
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cliffhanger
Trad climber
California
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Jul 23, 2007 - 01:10pm PT
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Tragic and sad to hear.
My brother almost met a similar fate. Playing in large waves in his kayak off of cliffs on the California coast he was overturned by a bigger series of waves, repeatedly rolling him, until he was forced to bail and swim for it. Even though a top competitive swimmer (HS swim team) he had to swim his greatest race ever, swimming directly away from the cliff, just to keep from being bashed to death against the rocks. After 20 minutes, greatly tiring and very cold (no wet suit) it seemed like certain doom as the waves carried him closer to the rocks. Then a local surfer managed to convey to him the need to swim south, with the current. Doing so he made his way down the coast to a bay and safety.
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Jul 30, 2007 - 04:06pm PT
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Sounds like an appropriate end for a Celtic superhero: Like Cuchulain of the Red Branch fighting the waves in the ancient Irish saga.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
pads are for girls
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Feb 19, 2009 - 03:43am PT
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( Borrowed from ROCK-CLIMBING-FOR-LIFE dot com ) *
Michael Reardon was recognized as one of the leading free soloist in the world .
Reardon had free-soloed thousands of rock climbs up to the grade of 5.13b .
National Geographic awarded him Adventurer of the Year for his lone ascent of Romantic Warrior , a 1000 foot route in the Needles .
He was renowned for his ability to free solo a massive number of difficult routes in a day , once undertaking 280 routes at the cliffs (and boulders) of Joshua Tree .
He was not the only climber that loved soloing . The list includes such famous practitioners as Henry Barber , Peter Croft , John Bachar and the Mancunian émigré Derek Hersey .
Although Reardon pursued much of his climbing in the United States , he loved to climb internationally . Especially Ireland , the home of his paternal great-grandfather where he would make 250 onsight solos including more than 40 ascents up to 5.12a .
On july 13th Reardon was swept out to sea by an unexpected wave .
* my edit .
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Anastasia
climber
Not here
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Feb 19, 2009 - 03:46am PT
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I miss him.
AF
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Feb 19, 2009 - 05:27am PT
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hey there.. say, thank you so very much for the bump... i remember how very sad we all were... and many folks, like me, did not even know him...
it was a very very sad time... and he was so happy with his trip, too... :(
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Feb 19, 2009 - 05:29am PT
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hey there... say now... will try to look at the brighter side from all this... as we all do pass-on:
he left a wonderful rememberance of his skills behind... by his friendships.. and by those wonderful pictures that you posted...
thanks for sharing, or folks like me, would never have known what he did, and skills should not be wasted, they teach others many things... :)
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mtwoodsonguide
Big Wall climber
San Diego
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Feb 19, 2009 - 01:22pm PT
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Klimmer if you read this that was way full of bad karma
I took your advise and got rid of it
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apogee
climber
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Feb 19, 2009 - 01:25pm PT
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Well done.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Feb 19, 2009 - 01:41pm PT
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Michael's spirit touched so many of us with his positive energy. My life is better for having (far too briefly) crossed paths with him.
-Jeff
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 19, 2009 - 03:08pm PT
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MtWoodsonguide, good job on zapping that other thread.
Too many negative vibes is bad for the soul. Especially a place where Michael has many friends.
It isn't unheard of to question someones legacy, methods or whatever, but I guess it's normally further out from their passing.
Here's to any great climber, warts and all, like the rest of us.
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