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The Lisa
Trad climber
Da Bronx, NY
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May 19, 2014 - 10:28pm PT
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My condolences to his family and friends. I hope they get to see the many tributes to him here.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
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May 19, 2014 - 10:47pm PT
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Richie was at the last El Cap Barbeque I was at. I'll miss you dude...Cheers.
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Anastasia
climber
Home
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May 19, 2014 - 10:53pm PT
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What?
Now I am going to go hide.
Sending love, prayers and my condolences.
AFS
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SofCookay
climber
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May 19, 2014 - 10:57pm PT
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Very, very sad news. Every time Kate and I saw him in the valley he was always stoked and so happy. Damn. My condolences and prayers for his many friends and family.
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Bullwinkle
Boulder climber
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May 19, 2014 - 11:13pm PT
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We were just smoking a 50-50 down by the river, you said that you'd be right back. Goodbye Monkey. . .df
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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May 19, 2014 - 11:24pm PT
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Never got to meet him, but it's obvious he was a good soul.
Rest in peace, Richie. God bless.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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May 19, 2014 - 11:48pm PT
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hey there all, say... very very sad to hear this... :(
did not know him, though i know of close camaraderie in so many of the various trails of life...
climbers are one of the close ones, i know...
very sorry this loss, as to his life, his loved-ones' loss, and his buddies' loss...
my condolences to his family and loved ones...
:(
thank you for sharing how very special he was, so those that did not know him, will know him, now...
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WBraun
climber
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May 19, 2014 - 11:57pm PT
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Rich was a throwback form from the 70's only he appeared in a more recent time.
A real true hardman to the form we've all seen and dreamed how one would be.
He told us his previous life on the Ford motor company assembly line as we listened in awe.
A true pure bred blue collar dude, every mans working stiff we all so easily could relate to and admire.
You'll be truly missed by us lifer tribe you so loved also.
You're already missed dearly.
Goodbye our good friend until we meet again ......
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Raafie
Big Wall climber
Portland, OR
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May 20, 2014 - 12:07am PT
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Sad for his friends and family. . . . sad for all of us who could have called him a friend one day.
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Cynder
climber
St. Louis, MO
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May 20, 2014 - 12:36am PT
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My name is Cindy, and I am Rich Copeland's sister. I just came upon this website and this forum as I was searching for more info on my brother. Thank you all for this tribute to him. It really touches my heart to see that he had so many people in this community who loved and cherished him. It means so much to me and our family. It comforts me greatly to know that he had such wonderful people around him when he moved out there. I also love the photos that were posted of him. I had never seen those before, and cried upon seeing them. This is an unspeakably painful time for our family and myself. So once again, I really thank you all for all of your love and support for him.
-Cynthia Copeland
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ChuckKnuckle
Trad climber
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May 20, 2014 - 12:39am PT
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A real bummer to hear of this today. Would have liked to climb with him one more time. Rich was pure. He was always psyched about life. I am fortunate to have known and had the chance to climb with such an amazing and inspiring person. Love you man.
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
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May 20, 2014 - 12:48am PT
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Clearly a true adventurer, at heart, and beloved by those who knew him.
One day at a time, Cynthia. One day at a time.
Thanks for posting up.
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yexplore
Trad climber
Sonora, CA
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May 20, 2014 - 12:52am PT
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I met Richie 2 weeks ago on a 2 day trek up at the Diving Board. I was late meeting the group & was heading up the Snake Dike climber's trail. I saw some water he was hauling up there by Lost Lake so I figured I would grab one to help out. 20 minutes later, Dude shows up and asks if I'm John. He was on his 2nd run and looked beat so I offered him a sandwich and some carrots. We spent the next several hours laughing, quoting movies, and planning some future adventures in Yosemite and Kings Canyon. On Saturday & Sunday, I walked behind Half Dome and looked in the Harding Hole because I knew he was planning to climb up there. Little did I know.. Richie had the heart of a lion and was such a positive influence on so many people. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. You will be missed, Dude.
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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May 20, 2014 - 12:52am PT
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My deepest condolences to his friends and family. It is wonderful for the family to have these recollections posted by his dear climbing brethren.
Phyl
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RP3
Big Wall climber
Sonora
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May 20, 2014 - 01:07am PT
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I loved every minute I got to spend with Richie. He was dedicated to the life - eating cold canned soup when his friend offered him nice cooked (fresh) meals. His positivity and wild spirit brightened the world.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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May 20, 2014 - 01:09am PT
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A very very sad day for the climbing community......
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Nudge Nudge
Trad climber
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May 20, 2014 - 01:17am PT
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I first met Rich in Chicago, and my first summer in Yosemite he took me up the fixed lines to Heart Ledge while his neck was still recovering, and had a night of beers and laughs. I haven't seen him in a couple of years, but often find myself laughing remembering his stories.
..."how many bottled waters do I need to hike to Venereal Falls?"
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ryankelly
Trad climber
el portal
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May 20, 2014 - 01:35am PT
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This photo was taken a week and a half ago. A couple days later Richie came down to El Portal to dry out for a bit. Richie was so stoked about that mega-headlamp. He was so amped about getting off work in the winter and going "night snowboarding" and then he went on to another story about how his cats followed him for miles when he lead hikes for clients...and then another gut busting story after that...
We started calling him Night Shift Richie because he was the one who lead through the night on more than one occasion...
How about a story from the push on the NA Wall?
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Rufiooo
Trad climber
Phoenix, AZ
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May 20, 2014 - 01:38am PT
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I worked at a summer camp with Rich for at least 6 summers and I can easily say that he was one of the most influential mentors I've ever had the pleasure to work with. Rich was easily the most dedicated employee, spending his free time cleaning trails in the national forest and gathering wood for casual staff campfires, and I think he was an inspiration to everybody who met him. I know at least twenty people who he took to Yosemite for their first times! He taught me to climb, slack line, and led for my first sport, trad, and multi pitch.
He really knew how to make friends with anybody, from little toddlers to people older than him and he made climbing enjoyable for all of them.
One of my favorite memories is when we were trying to amuse ourselves while waiting for our turn to give some presentations to our clients. He got us to play a silly game where you blow a paper around a table and it got all of us laughing so hard that nobody could feel their fingers and one of our coworkers actually lost control of his facial muscles and couldn't move his mouth for about ten minutes. We got scolded for being so noisy, but it's impossible to sit still and not have a good time when Rich is around.
Rich would often joke around by telling people that he was a PhD from Harvard in subatomic physics, but I think we all know that the education he was able to spread to his friends, peers, and students he met through rock climbing were much more valuable than anything we've learned in school.
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Leggs
Sport climber
Made in California
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May 20, 2014 - 02:00am PT
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bump of love and respect ~
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