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H_Squared
Oct 22, 2008, 5:35 AM
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I'm so saddened by this news, what a loss. Although I first met him this spring, I considered him a good friend of mine. We connected right away thru our multitude of separate Indian Creek trips and canyoneering adventures. I very much looked forward to spending weekends (or weeks) on climbing trips with him.
A very genuine and honest person he was truly a man I looked up to, and still do. I think that the afore mentioned email quote of his rings especially true, he did what he loved and he loved what he did. His memories will be cherished, as is apparent from the above posts, an admirable character not soon forgotten.
Miss ya buddy,
~Harry
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geogoddess
Oct 22, 2008, 3:26 PM
Post #28 of 54
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Teague (Tigger) asked me to post this photo of Daryn and James together. It was taken last May, during a really fun, long weekend in Indian Creek with Daryn, James and Jamie, Andrea, Teague, and myself. We all shared good times, good friends, great climbing, great food. The guys are hanging out at camp; that is Tigger's awesomely-rigged pickup w/ cookstove setup.
You boys go!! We miss you. You are too hot for words, both of you 
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flipnfall
Oct 22, 2008, 4:59 PM
Post #29 of 54
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I'm so sorry to hear about this. This is a very touching thread. I read through all the memories people left here. He must have been a great guy!
To those hurting by this loss, you will be in my thoughts and prayers.
GT
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macherry
Oct 22, 2008, 8:26 PM
Post #30 of 54
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geogoddess wrote: Teague (Tigger) asked me to post this photo of Daryn and James together. It was taken last May, during a really fun, long weekend in Indian Creek with Daryn, James and Jamie, Andrea, Teague, and myself. We all shared good times, good friends, great climbing, great food. The guys are hanging out at camp; that is Tigger's awesomely-rigged pickup w/ cookstove setup. You boys go!! We miss you. You are too hot for words, both of you
my condolences to friends and family
a couple of hotties........yes indeed!!!
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clmbrchick
Oct 22, 2008, 8:56 PM
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Good times fer sher! And both Darryn and James are quite the cooks...great food. Wonder what they're planning next...some awesome breakfast burrito and then off to the crag...maybe put up a new line...and settle down to a warm campfire after a long day of climbing and laughter ...then ice cold beers and more laughter. Rock on guys!
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climbnbikegirl
Oct 23, 2008, 12:11 AM
Post #32 of 54
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I am really saddened to hear of James passing. We have lost a great soul.
I knew James (Jim to me) for a short while, but he made a lasting impression on me. He was an amazing climber, but more than that, he was such a genuine person. He was thoughtful, smart, funny, and sincere. He had a quiet soulfulness about him that made you feel comfortable in his presence. I truly admired his free spirit and his ability to appreciate all that life brought to the table-the good and the bad.
I remember climbing with him and Andy, my then-boyfriend, at Indian Creek. I was going through some tough times then and he really helped me to put some things in perspective and to not be so hard on myself. I was struggling up a climb and he was so encouraging to me and told me to feel proud about what I was doing--that I was out there despite it all. That I was climbing and connecting with the rock and with nature. James really provided support and comfort in trying times and a smile and a witty quip to bring some laughter.
I know James was a true, life long friend to Andy and I cannot imagine the loss of such a friend. My heart goes out to all the loved ones in this time of grief. He will truly be missed by all that knew him.
I am attaching a picture of that day at Indian Creek. Its what I call the essence of James. It is how I will remember him.
[I cant seem to get it to show up in the text, so please click on the attachment].
(This post was edited by climbnbikegirl on Oct 24, 2008, 3:55 AM)
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baffinislanders
Oct 23, 2008, 3:55 AM
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I had the fortune to share James' last week with him in Yosemite. It had been a dream of his for quite some time to climb El Capitan. Being his first route on the big stone, we climbed the Salathe Wall because it has plenty of good free climbing which I knew he'd love. It was a great accomplishment and we enjoyed every minute of the 5 day climb. He seemed to have natural big-wall ability and made good decisions and climbed very strong. He loved it up there and I was so proud of him when we topped out. I know it had been a life-changing experience for him.
When the news struck I was devastated, yet I also felt good that he had made this accomplishment before his time ended. I sensed his elation and triumph on the summit and I know that the experience wil be with him forever. On the climb, James displayed an eagerness to learn unlike anyone with whom I've climbed before. Even during the hard and trying times on the route, he remained optimistic and positive.
When we waited out a day of rain in the Mariposa Grove, underneath some of the largest Sequoia trees in the world, he passionately explained the logistics of climbing El Cap to some foreign tourists whom he had befriended. Most climbers have no interest in explaining these things to non-climbers, especially the typical Yosemite tourist. But that was James; kind, caring, and humble -- just as interested in chatting to unfit tourists as talking about routes with his best friends. That was James. I may have shown him how to climb El Cap, but he showed me things which are far more important. I will strive to live with his virutes from now on.
--Pete
(This post was edited by baffinislanders on Oct 23, 2008, 4:36 AM)
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clmbrchick
Oct 23, 2008, 4:00 AM
Post #34 of 54
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I'm having problems uploading a photo.
How do you guys make it big on the page w/o it just being an attachment?
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baffinislanders
Oct 23, 2008, 4:30 AM
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It's limited to 150 kb as attachments:
type in [inline yourfilename.jpg] after you've uploaded it.
URL entries can be up to 450 kb.
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baffinislanders
Oct 23, 2008, 4:54 AM
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By the way, there is a post on supertopo that deals with the nature of the accident and how we can all learn from it:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=701629&msg=704948#msg704948
Jumaring taught haul lines should be avoided at all costs....backing up with a gri gri while ascending is extremely important...
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salbertsweber
Oct 23, 2008, 10:33 AM
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All -
I am a friend of Sue Kennedy, Ken Hirst, and James Welton in Elko, NV, where I also work for The Event Source (Sue's Company) (as did/do James and Ken).
We are devastated at the news of James' death, and know that Sue and Ken will be as well.
We are using the US Consulate to try and locate Sue & Ken to let them know about James' climbing accident and the details of the memorial service, etc.
Does anyone know which mountain(s) they were climbing, in what order, the name of the trekking company or guide, name of anyone else they were traveling with, etc.? We don't have their itinerary, and any additional information will help immensely. (As I am not a climber of mountains myself, I probably wouldn't have remember if I heard it in conversation.)
Please call or e-mail me - 775-385-7215 (cell) or alb_web@hotmail.com.
Thank you.
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rnchdog
Oct 23, 2008, 2:06 PM
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I have uploaded some photos at the link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rnchdog/JamesClimbingPictures#
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storey
Oct 25, 2008, 12:21 AM
Post #39 of 54
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I have been reading these posts since I got the link on Monday, and they have really helped me so I thought that I should add my own. I met James in either 2005 or 2006. It was winter and he was wearing this yellow fleece/jacket. He was back in Elko staying with Ken. I remember having a get to know you conversation with him and how much it stuck out in my memory years later. I tend to always follow the safest path, and here was this guy who had just decided to come back to Elko, no job, no real plan, just a desire to see friends and revisit the landscape around Elko. He just said that he thought he would hang out here for a while. It was obvious to me at the time that here was a guy who had just decided to live the life he wanted to and not be bogged down by what anyone else thought he should be doing. Instead of having the traditional “where are you from, what do you do” conversation we talked about public land issues, the friends he had here, and of course he invited me to go climbing.
Over the years, I saw James on most Tuesdays having a beer and some pizza after ultimate frisbee. He took jobs that allowed him to take off and go on adventures, and when he would pop back into town he was usually more concerned with the next adventure than rehashing the old one. I am not a climber, so James and I mostly talked about music, his ideas for programs to get kids outdoors, lectures downloaded from itunes, or whatever was topical in the moment. I saw him some weekends in Lamoille canyon, we went on a river trip up in Idaho, and he offered to work on my Eskimo roll with me at the Elko pool. I used to make jokes about how James never tired, and if we were going to go anywhere together we would have to make sure that he was hobbled first. He wasn’t someone that I saw all the time but he was someone that I was always glad to see when I did. I saw him the Tuesday before he left for Zion and I told him he needed to stop by so I could give him some music for his trip to West Virginia. In the end, I was always amazed and a little envious of the quiet ease with which he lived his life. Everyone has posted about what a flowing climber he was, but I think he made everything he did seem effortless.
-Danielle
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j_ung
Oct 25, 2008, 12:33 AM
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Jamie, I'm so sorry, though I don't know either of you. So much grief in your circle of life.
I think the community is doing a pretty good job of paying tribute to James and Darryn here and on other sites, but please, all of you who were close to these guys, if there's anything at all that RC.com can do in an "official" capacity, don't hesitate to contact me directly. We're here for you if you need us.
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salbertsweber
Oct 25, 2008, 7:32 PM
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I was able to get a message regarding James to Ken & Sue on Amadablam. They are making their way as quickly as possible (on foot) to the airfield at Lukla and on to Kathmandu then USA. If it is at all humanly possible, I am sure that they will be in Salt Lake next Saturday.
Weather is the biggest concern for now - please pray hard for safety on the trail and clear flying weather in Lukla and Kathmandu. Thank you to everyone who offered information and advice. God bless the US Consulate and many fabulous strangers in Nepal who extended themselves to make this happen.
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NGC
Oct 25, 2008, 8:57 PM
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Returning to my car after a long slog through wet snow to the summit of Granite Mountain on Tuesday, I turned on my phone to text my wife that I was down safe. I noticed that I had a message from an unknown number. It was Jamie, the girlfriend of my friend James Welton who I had been out of touch with since his move to Nevada. She wasn’t sure how I knew James but was calling to deliver the shocking news that James had recently died in a climbing accident.
I had been lucky so far. I had been climbing and guiding in the mountains for years and most, if not all, of my friends are climbers. In the back of my mind I knew that someday one of us would be killed climbing, but I never, ever, thought that it would be James. James was the personification of climbing. James was climbing and climbing was James. They were inseparable. He was one of the most mindful and safety-conscious climbers I ever had the pleasure of sharing a rope with, and if it could happen to him, no one was safe.
I grew nauseous with the realization that it could just as easily be my wife on the other end of the phone line, delivering to James that same horrific news. I felt that it would be irresponsible of me to continue climbing with the risks involved and consequences now apparent, and wondered if I would ever be able to climb again. I drove down I-90 towards Seattle, tears streaming down my face, and memories of the good times I had shared in the mountains with James flooded my consciousness.
East Ridge; Engineer Mountain, 12,988’; Winter 2003. James, Pete, and I took turns breaking trail up the exposed and elegant ridge with my dog Fatty in tow. We had all failed to bring crampons which could have been quite useful, and as the sun rose Pete realized he had forgotten his sunglasses. James wasn’t about to let that turn us around, and on his suggestion we rotated glasses every half hour so that all us took short turns without so that no one would suffer snow-blindness.
We stayed on the summit for a long time under a brilliant blue winter sky, gazing at the sea of summits that spread out below. Between us we knew the names of almost every prominent peak, ridge and route, and if we hadn’t yet climbed it, we made plans to one day do so together. At that moment everything was possible, and our time on the planet in which to accomplish it was infinite.
North Face Direct; Peak 12,579’; Winter 2004. James, Kirk, Alex and myself had come to climb the classic 1500’ ice route, only to find that there was a little less ice on the classic pitches than expected. Far from disappointed, James was instead excited for the opportunity to do some mixed climbing. He led the horrendous looking thin ice and wet sandstone with style, grace and a smile on his face. At the top of the route it was getting late but James, always the alpinist at heart, insisted that we continue to the summit and the rest of us reluctantly agreed. Alex wisely traversed off on ledges to a ridge, while the rest of us continued directly upward, wanting to keep the “North Face Direct” direct.
We climbed up an aesthetic couloir, and then traversed out and upward on ledges covered in thin snow. We spread out on the final stretch as we tiptoed up a fragile-seeming wind-slab, hoping that it wouldn’t rip out and sweep us down into the steep terrain below. As we climbed the final cornice Alex watched us from the summit where he had been waiting for quite some time, drinking coffee and eating his lunch turned dinner.
The sun set as we headed down a different side of the mountain, hoping to find a shortcut back to the car and avoid rappelling and down-climbing the route in the darkness. We wallowed down deep snow and rappelled a brush-choked, icy gully. We followed fresh bear tracks down an old logging road through the forest, ice axes ready to fight off the angry owner of those large paws. At the bottom we found ourselves in a small canyon with an icy stream blocking our passage. At this point our patience was wearing thin and James disappeared only to return a minute later. He had found a way across that didn’t involve getting our feet wet. After crossing the stream and checking the map we realized we were now a few miles up road from the car. Some shortcut! Exhausted and elated, we trudged down the road making plans for the future. First for what we would eat and drink when got back to town and secondly for what we would climb together next. Little did I know that it would be the last major climb we would all share together.
As I drove across the floating bridge into Seattle I could see Mt. Rainier in the distance. Usually when I glimpse a great mountain from the valley floor, my heart lifts and I long to be up there. Suffering and loving every minute. Climbing! Now! Today, however, Rainier had gray pall about it with a small lenticular cloud clinging to its icy summit. It looked dark, depressing, dangerous, deadly. I couldn’t wait to get back to my warm, safe house in the city and start to work on kicking this nasty climbing habit.
Then it hit me. Climbing isn’t about rock, ice or snow. It’s not about the face, the ridge, the summit, or the view. It’s not about the rating, the challenge, the gear, the first ascent, the climbing resume, or the ego. It’s about the people. It’s about the laughter, the smiles, the curses, the sighs of exhaustion, and the funny noises we make while on a tough lead. Its about the arguments about which terrifying way to go and what ungodly hour to wake up. It’s about the stories we tell over a raging campfire under the starlit desert sky. It’s the plans for tomorrow that we make at the bar and grow increasingly ambitious with each beer. It’s about the experiences we share with our partners that form such strong bonds in a surprisingly short period of time spent together. And, as I now know, its about being overcome with grief at the loss of a true friend that a non-climber would probably categorize as a mere acquaintance. So I’ll keep climbing. But I’ll try to be more careful and I’ll always carry a little piece of James with me in my heart.
So farewell James. I know you’re in a better place. We’ll miss you. You were an inspiration to us all, both as a climber and a person. A true Bodhisattva. If everyone in the world were more like you there would be no more wars, no suffering, no pollution and no more unclimbed rock, ice, or mountains. I promise not to quit climbing because I know you would never want that. I can only hope that we meet again somehow, somewhere, someday. Until then much love. Your friend Nick.
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weltoncousin
Oct 26, 2008, 2:14 AM
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I am a cousin of James Welton. I am not a climber, but I have found great pleasure in listening to his adventures. Thank you for sharing your memories of him. It has been a great comfort to his family to read your stories about your life with James. My thoughts are with all of you who knew him well. Today, I met Jamie at the memorial service in Iowa. I only wished James had been the one to introduce me to her. To those of you who know her and his closest friends, please take care of them in the coming days and weeks. I am beginning to think about ways to honor his life. It has been mentioned that he talked about programs for getting kids involved in the outdoors. Can anyone share any thoughts that he shared with you? Thanks.
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murrawunda
Oct 26, 2008, 3:09 AM
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I know that most of you knew James as an amazing climber and a warm and caring person. I knew him as these things, too, but more importantly, he was my true life partner. We loved each other in a very rare and precious way. We supported one another completely and shared a love that gave us each the freedom and confidence to follow our own individual dreams with strength and grace. And we shared the most beautiful times together. Already, I miss climbing with him, miss our adventures - I know I always will. But more, I miss his deep and loving hugs, the sparkle in his eyes when he says he loves me, his humor, his laugh. These things will never be replaced. James knew exactly how to love and support me from the first moment we met - he never had to be asked or told, he just knew. We made an exceptional team, and I can't begin to imagine how I will muddle through this life without him at my side, or carrying me, as he did in the times when I could not walk on my own.
Thanks to everyone who has posted here. Thanks in advance to everyone attending his memorial service in Salt Lake on the 1st. As climbers, we sign up for this life - we take these risks together so that we can explore the places we love and form tight, meaningful and lasting relationships. Not that I'm really looking forward to it, but it will be nice to mourn this terrible loss in the presence - in the arms - of so many friends and loved ones who understand James, me, our community, the mountains.
My love to everyone, along with my requests for hugs, prayers, support and love.
Jamie Fields
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murrawunda
Oct 26, 2008, 3:27 AM
Post #46 of 54
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weltoncousin, I'm not sure which cousin you are, writing this post. The kids in nature programs James talked about were probably the ones I'll be taking on with my new job in the National Park Service. I'll be on a team leading a program we're calling Energize (or Mobilize) GenWise, in which we will be communicating with young people and helping them to find access to the kinds of outdoor pursuits that James and I love, the communities we are a part of.
James has been my base of strength and confidence for pursuing this exciting challenge, which I'll admit is far less exciting without him here where he can hug me at the end of a hard day or where we can bounce ideas off each other or even just go climbing together to enjoy the beautiful things in this world we both hope to save.
I'm sure James would have been more involved in this project than just as my support. In the past year, he had talked about possibly getting involved with a boy scout troop. Perhaps, in what would have been our new home together in Fayetteville, WV (I have to move there soon without him), he would have done so, or started a local youth outdoors club, or, well, who knows? Perhaps we'd have just set him up a wood shop so that he could be artistic. It's awfully hard to say now.
But yes, there are heaps of kids in nature programs out there already, and soon there will be a movement geared toward young adults as well. I hope that, in a few years, there are many many more young people out there, following James's adventurous example of how to live, love and celebrate in this crazy world.
Thanks for your post,
Jamie
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weltoncousin
Oct 27, 2008, 3:53 AM
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Jamie, thanks for your reply. I'm Beth Nordmeyer. My mom and James' mom are first cousins. I was the Iowan who told you my favorite story of the sleeping bag and James (which by the way I have trouble remembering because I grew up calling him Jim!) He was in high school-I think-and he got a new sleeping bag which was rated to 30 below. He was so excited when the temperature dropped and he could try out the new bag. The rest of his family slept comfortably warm inside while he stayed in the backyard. It was then that I realized he had a true understanding and appreciation for nature and all the experiences it had to offer. Shortly after that I had another realization that his heart was in the mountains and like John Denver sang, "he was going home to a place he'd never been before." The mountains in Iowa are hard to come by and even though those of us in Iowa saw him less, we knew he was happiest somewhere else. I imagine the memorial service in Iowa was a blur for you. I hope your time with your friends in Salt Lake will bring more healing for you and them.
As for kids in nature....I am a first-grade teacher in Des Moines with a strong passion for our environment. My husband does a lot of work with the Iowa Environmental Council and related organizations. Following the ideas presented in Last Child in the Woods, we have discussed what we can do to introduce nature to more children. Other than providing experiences for my classroom and leading my boys' cub scout groups, we haven't done much. During the last week, I've become more motivated than ever to get up and so something. I've thought about beginning a group here for the city kids to get out in the wilderness, supporting a program already in place like your program in West Virginia, and/or supporting a program in the west to teach kids about climbing. I don't know how many of these programs exist and I just don't know where I'm feeling called which is why I'm throwing out ideas.
Here's a message to all who knew James. Let's all try to do something more. Let's all do something to keep his ideals alive. Not out of obligation, but because we loved him and everyone can benefit from learning what he already knew and taught us by the way he lived. It may be you teach someone else something he taught you. It may be you introduce someone else to the mountains he loved. It may be you live with a little more passion. It may be you do something to keep the places he loved wild and untouched for those yet to come. Let's just all do something more with the precious time we have here...for us, for those around us, and for James.
Thanks for reading,
Beth
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climbnbikegirl
Oct 29, 2008, 4:58 PM
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Jamie- Thanks so much for posting the photos of you and James. Although I never met you, you seem like a wonderful person and I am so glad that James had such a loving and compatible partner during his last year.
I will not be attending the SLC service, but will be thinking of you and James and all that knew and loved him.
I also work for the Park Service and if you need anything during your adjustment to your new life with the NPS out in West Virginia, I would love to help out.
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ddarden
Oct 30, 2008, 9:01 PM
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Dear Jaime, All of us here at New River Gorge National River were saddened to learn of James' tragic accident. We just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you and James and that we regard both of you as the newest members of our NPS park family. Although we never had the chance to meet James, it's clear from all the posts on this site that James was a very special person. We hope in the days ahead that you can find some small comfort in your many happy memories of him. Please let us know if there is anything at all that we here at NPS can do for you.
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salbertsweber
Oct 30, 2008, 11:13 PM
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All -
I am so very sorry to let you know that, in all likelihood, Sue Kennedy & Ken Hirst will not be able to get back to the USA from Nepal in time for James' memorial gathering in Salt Lake City, UT, this Saturday. Everybody I have called and e-mailed, both here and abroad, has been tremendously helpful and empathetic. Many people went far above and beyond to make sure that two American strangers in a foreign land got the news of James' accident as quickly as possible and had support as they tried to deal with the logistics of a hasty return.
Although flights from Bangkok to USA got straightened out, the problem is flying from Kathmandu, Nepal, to Bangkok, Thailand, in time because Nepal has been in the midst of a huge, 5-day national holiday/festival called Tihar. Imagine having five American Christmas Days back to back to back; even the US Consulate has been closed for business.
We tried everything we could, and I am sorry to disappoint you during this sad time. Barring a miracle or an act of God, Buddha, James, or the higher power of your choice, Ken & Sue will be with you in spirit only.
Now here is some especially poignant (I thought) information about Tihar, the festival that is scrambling the travel plans. Officially, Tihar is "the festival of brothers & lifelong bonds" (even if you were not born brothers) - I kid you not. The festival officially runs from Saturday, October 25, through Thursday, October 30 (but the business closures can extend through November 2 - no matter what country or culture, who doesn't love a long weekend?) Read this info that is straight from offical Nepali web sites recommended by some of my new on-line friends in Nepal:
"Tihar is a festival for brothers and sisters, but what if you are a brother without a sister or a sister without a brother? Well, you can make [a brother] by accepting someone close to you in your relatives. If nothing works, you find one among your friends and neighbors, it becomes almost as if it was real. Whom ever you made your sister or brother remains so for life, and each year this festival makes your bond stronger." (Reference @ http://www.nepalvista.com/travel/tihar.html)
Tihar is known in Nepal as the "festival of lights". Day 1 honors crows, Day 2 honors dogs, Day 2 honors cows (or livestock?), on Day 4 you sing rousiong songs, and the 5th day is the day to honor your brother. "Lastly, on the fifth day of the holiday, [they] celebrate the lives of their brothers, and give them special flower chains and tikas on their foreheads to wish them luck. Throughout this holiday, people light beautiful butterlamps [like candles or luminarias] and place them along roads, in front of their houses, and in windowsills. Others stream lights from their roofs, and the entire country is lit up in a beautiful celebration of life and family." (Reference @ http://www.xploreu.com/blogs/entry/Tihar-the-Festival-of-Lights)
If Ken & Sue cannot be with you, their people, to celebrate James' life on Saturday, could there be any better place for them to be then in a beautiful kingdom at the top of the world, surrounded by fabulous peaks, immersed in a culture that reveres mountain climbers, and celebrating a festival to honor brothers? So light a butterlamp, get a tika, sing some songs, and have a beer to honor and celebrate your brother James.
Steph In Elko
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