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Skeptimistic
Mountain climber
La Mancha
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Nov 29, 2010 - 11:47pm PT
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Terrible, tragic loss. Her spirit lives on in the hearts of all she touched.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Nov 30, 2010 - 12:09am PT
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This is a sad cloud over such a sunny climb.
My sympathy to Heather's family for their loss, and to her many friends.
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sergio64
Trad climber
Sin City
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Nov 30, 2010 - 01:17am PT
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It breaks my heart to look at those eyes and that beautiful smile knowing that she's no longer with us. Actually, my eyes are pretty teary right now. I didn't know Heather but now I feel like I always did. I feel horrible when I think about it.
Thank you for posting her photo, I am going to save it on my laptop.
Rest in peace Heather.
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Daphne
Trad climber
Mill Valley, CA
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Nov 30, 2010 - 01:20am PT
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I'll be sending out prayers for her, her family and all her friends at this terrible time of loss. Thanks so much Heather's Friend, for posting her picture. What a great spirit she had.
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Friend of Heather's
climber
Vancouver
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Nov 30, 2010 - 01:43am PT
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While I don't pretend to speak for someone who is gone, knowing Heather as well as I did, I doubt she would have any regrets about climbing. She loved it and was out almost every day this past summer. Next time you are on the rock think of her and enjoy, enjoy! Thank you again for your words.. it is small but significant consolation at this time. xo
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MattF
Trad climber
Bend, Or
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Nov 30, 2010 - 03:21am PT
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I just got back home from Red Rocks. I was no where near Solar Slab on Thanksgiving day when the accident happened, so I have no more specific details of the accident itself. I did hang out with Heather on Monday before the accident, and on tuesday when she took a rest day I climbed Frogland with her traveling/climbing partner. I can say that during the brief time I got to know her she was a wonderful person, very vibrant and full of energy and excitement. Such a very sad thing to happen on Thanksgiving day.
Rest in peace, Heather.
I do also have to add that on Thursday afternoon, we were climbing in the second pullout area, and my friend took a 25' groundfall there and broke both his heels. He fell because a dinner-plate sized piece of rock pulled off in his hand when he was going to clip the first bolt (he had a .75 C4 in at about 10' off the deck, but it was too low to catch him at all). He got a short-haul helicopter ride to a waiting ambulance in the parking lot, and is completely fine other than the broken heels. He'll be in a wheelchair for a couple months, but is expected to make a solid recovery. There was some mention of this other incident on the mountain project thread, but I'm not a member there so I didn't post there in response.
I do feel obligated to mention that he fractured his helmet in the fall as well. If you didn't already need more evidence to wear your helmet while leading, this is it - there could have been two extremely serious falls at Redrocks on Thanksgiving day instead of just one if my friend hadn't had a good helmet on his head. Not to say that fracturing both heels isn't serious, but it could have been much worse.
Also, just want to say great job to Gavin from the Las Vegas SAR team. He was on both helicopter rescues that day, and I know he did everything he could for Heather. I have much respect for SAR guys/gals everywhere around the country.
My thoughts go out to Heather's friends and family.
-Matt
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Nov 30, 2010 - 10:12am PT
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Thanks for the info Matt. In a rare instance of backwardness, the report I saw said your friend was a hiker! Finally, a climber reported as a hiker instead of vice versa. So sorry to hear of his accident, but happy to hear he'll recover fully.
And thanks for the photo of Heather. I didn't know her, but I've been watching the news for any word about the incident. I can't let it rest in my mind until a name and a face and a life is attached to a 'climber who perished.' Even then, I am just so sad for her and those close to her. What a tremendous loss.
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Gary
climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Nov 30, 2010 - 10:21am PT
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What a terrible loss. RIP.
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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
ColoRADo
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Nov 30, 2010 - 10:27am PT
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When someone dies climbing, we all feel it in one way or another. I hope her family and friends take comfort in the fact that she died doing what she loved, in spite of her life being cut so short. Deep sympathy to those who knew her. This is very sad.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Wishing eventual Peace and healing for Heather's friends. Hope you can feel and share the love that's a part of your grief
Wishing Heather well on the greatest adventure of all
Peace
Karl
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Paul_in_Van
Trad climber
Near Squampton
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RIP Heather, condolences to those that knew her.
Side note on the photo.
Mad props to anyone who can do that climb (Hypertension I believe, 11a 5 or so inch OW) without tape and end up at the top with a smile on their face.
She was from the area, though I don't know her directly I have probably seen her around Squamish.
Sad.
P
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tonym
climber
Oklahoma
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Tragic...
My condolences to Heather's family and friends.
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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Very tragic and very saddening, my condolences to all of Heathers friends and family.
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eagle
Trad climber
new paltz, ny
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we all gonna die sometime. may god rest her soul
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Chief
climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
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Really sad news.
Condolences to Heather's family and friends.
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Disaster Master
Social climber
Born in So-Cal, left my soul in far Nor-Cal.
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Truly tragic.
Can we learn something from this? Was she wearing a helmet? If so, why the head trauma?
Rest in peace.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Others have posted elsewhere that she was not wearing a helmet. Some at the scene said it wouldn't have mattered though. It was a big fall and she flipped.
Thinking about her and her friends/family still.
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