Tribute to Steve Gladbach

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Boggy B
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by Boggy B »

Thanks for posting this thoughtful tribute to honor Steve's memory.

I find myself thinking about Steve often. Not sure what it is that keeps reminding me of him. I didn't know him nearly as well as some here, barely well enough (for me) to consider a friend, though I know he was my friend. We did a handful of hikes together. He talked nonstop but every word was worth hearing. Even without knowing all of the selfless things he did, you knew he was a truly good person within minutes of meeting him. He was a legend and a staple of this community. I thought he would always be around, and I felt angry and sorry for myself when he died. How many opportunities had I missed to get to know him better, to let him rub off on me a little more? It still surprises me to have been so impacted by the loss of someone I didn't think I knew that well.
ltlFish99
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by ltlFish99 »

Thank you for posting this wonderful piece, and especially for the reference to "rocky mountain high"
The first 2 lines of that song mean more to me than I can possibly state.
I also find deep solace in the song "love, peace, and wisdom" and my personal favorite lines:

Love, peace, and wisdom are the 3 golden keys
Love, peace, and wisdom are all that we need.

I never met the gentleman, and from what I have read about him I truly feel not having met is indeed my loss.

Thanks again for an absolutely delightful read.

Rest easy Steve
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IHikeLikeAGirl
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by IHikeLikeAGirl »

Yes, thank you for posting. The mountaineering community lost an icon that day.

Thank you Steve, for all of your help when I was just starting out...and for everything you brought to this community. Rest in peace....
"Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time."
- Steven Wright
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desertdog
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by desertdog »

Very nice tribute. Thank you for posting. We sure could use more people like Steve in the mountains.
The summit is a source of power. The long view gives one knowledge and time to prepare. The summit, by virtue of the dizzying exposure, leaves one vulnerable. A bit of confidence and a dash of humility is all we get for our work. Yet to share these moments with friends is to be human. C. Anker
TomPierce
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by TomPierce »

Thanks for posting this, Brian, well done.

I still think about Steve, probably always will, certainly whenever I hear "Rocky Mountain High" (which played at his funeral). He and I climbed a bit together in the San Juans and I obviously enjoyed his companionship as well as the friendly debates we'd have about the nature of risk & consequences when climbing. A great guy, he's missed for sure. RIP buddy.

-Tom
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mschmalz
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by mschmalz »

This is a beautiful tribute. I cannot think of anyone I have ever known on a personal basis that has had the positive impact of Steve Gladbach with the possible exception of Gudy Gaskill, mother of the Colorado Trail (Steve and Gudy were great friends.) I met Steve in 1988 hiking the Colorado Trail. There are very few people who you meet that make such an incredible first impression. My wife and I felt like we would be life-long friends with Steve from day 1. I bet there are many of you on this thread that felt the same. Steve made me a better teacher, climber, and overall person. I am forever grateful for his humor, inspiration, love affair of the mountains, and friendship. Even though we started climbing together at about the same age, Steve quickly advanced WAY beyond me. I looked up to him like a legend when we were 26 and today.
Onwards!
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nyker
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by nyker »

Very nice Brian,

Touching and thoughtful, thank you for posting.
I only communicated with Steve via this forum/pms and unfortunately never climbed together.
Good to keep his spirit alive, rest in peace Steve.

Rob
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by MountainHiker »

I was fortunate to meet Steve at 14ers.com gatherings and to share the trail with him a few times. Steve had a way about him that made you feel like you’ve known him a lot longer than you actually did. I had already heard of Steve before I met him the first time. He was well known for his incredible resume of Colorado climbing. But there was no air of him being anyone other than one of us sharing the trail.

We were traveling when we received a message from a mutual friend that Steve was overdue on Thunder Pyramid. The next message, that had to be passed through a tour company was the bad news. When we lose someone to the mountains they are somebody’s everything. They have family, friends, acquaintances… A void is left behind. It’s not just someone in the news. It’s real and the world is forever a different place. Steve is missed. We are changed by him being in our lives. We are changed by his departure.

I was born in the summer of my 27th year.
Red, Rugged, and Rotten: The Elk Range - Borneman & Lampert
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dubsho3000
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by dubsho3000 »

I was lucky enough to climb one peak with sgladbach - Shavano in early December, I believe. I think there were a group of people from 14ers.com there but he's the only one I remember from that day - sorry to anyone else that was there! We had a great conversation about 14ering and even got into a fairly deep discussion about his personal life. (He was doing most of the talking because I could hardly breathe!) I remember thinking it was odd he was so open, but I absolutely loved it. Why not share about ourselves? Again, other people may have been participating in this convo, but I only remember Steve! Such a magnetic personality, at least on that one day.

I could not believe his stats - he had climbed each 14er 10 times or something ridiculous, was working on the 13ers and so on. I was probably on 14er #25 or there-about and I just couldn't understand how he could possibly have the time to do so much in the mountains. He was a teacher, so that made some sense, but still, he was on a different level. He opened my eyes to what was possible if you stick with this mountaineering thing for a long time.

Also, his trip report about Chicago Basin in winter was astounding to me. By then I was fanboy of his and I was giddy reading about the trials and tribulations. If you haven't read it, buckle up buttercup: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=7773

Thanks for the inspiration Steve.
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SurfNTurf
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by SurfNTurf »

Thanks for sharing, Brian. I didn't know him nearly as well as many, but the few interactions I had with Steve have stuck with me. The beginning of my own hiking career coincided with his winter finisher and subsequent lionization. I don't throw this word around lightly, but he was very much a personal hero. His passion, inclusivity, kindness and generosity have yet to be replicated in the Colorado mountaineering community, and may never be. Rest in peace, Steve, and thanks for everything.
“There are two kinds of climbers: those who climb because their heart sings when they’re in the mountains, and all the rest.” - Alex Lowe

"There have been joys too great to describe in words, and there have been griefs upon which I cannot dare to dwell; and with those in mind I say, 'Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste, look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end.'" - Edward Whymper
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Brian Thomas
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by Brian Thomas »

Unselfish is how I'll always best remember Steve.

After the Spring 2010 14ers gathering on Sherman (only my 3rd 14er) at Pizza Hut in Fairplay, I knew nobody there. But Steve pulled out a chair for me, and invited me to join him on Elbert the following day. Even after warning him I was slow and inexperienced, he told me he'd help me make that summit. That's who Steve was and how I'll always remember him.
"I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them" - Bob Dylan
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Re: Tribute to Steve Gladbach

Post by wildlobo71 »

Brian Thomas wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:48 am Unselfish is how I'll always best remember Steve.

After the Spring 2010 14ers gathering on Sherman (only my 3rd 14er) at Pizza Hut in Fairplay, I knew nobody there. But Steve pulled out a chair for me, and invited me to join him on Elbert the following day. Even after warning him I was slow and inexperienced, he told me he'd help me make that summit. That's who Steve was and how I'll always remember him.
Man, I still recollect and retell that day, too, at the Pizza Hut. He was working the room like a wedding party, getting to know everyone and offering and equally listening to all stories. It's where I first got to chat with him and understand why he was so revered. That followed up with another Spring Gathering in 2011 at the big site below Missouri Gulch - hiking with him and his kids up Belford to Oxford and watching them glissade down from Belford. Pure joy in all their experience. I simply couldn't join as it wasn't my ride, so to speak - although I know he would have asked us to share his line without hesitation.

Thanks for sharing, Brian (and Brian.)
Last edited by wildlobo71 on Wed Jun 24, 2020 10:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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