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mountainman
Sep 19, 2009, 7:33 AM
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I only knew him because we climbed together at Seneca a few years ago, and it was memorable!
He was severely hung over both mornings, and led the hardest stuff I ever did at Seneca. He deliberately took a thirty footer, and warned me so I could get a glove on!
He climbed both pitches of Prune in one pitch, put in only three pieces of pro, while smoking a cigarette!
At breakfast he did say something funny. He said "I like my coffee like I like my women:
Cold and bitter!"
I heard he live in Yosemite at one time and climbed some gnarly stuff. I know he climbed Half Dome with David Micklo.
Rest in peace Mikey. I know things are better now.
(This post was edited by mountainman on Dec 15, 2009, 11:08 AM)
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mountainman
Dec 10, 2009, 4:56 AM
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Michael A. Brown
Age 39, suddenly on Wednesday, August 19, 2009.
Son of Carole and Tom Norulak; brother of Kelly Brown; grandson of Jane Ries; nephew of Tom and Lisa Ries; cousin of Travis and Nola Ries; beloved friend of Michelle Lackey.
Mike was an avid rock climber and a member of the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh. He was also a Hasher. On-On.
Friends received to a memorial visitation Saturday 2-4pm only WOLFE MEMORIAL, INC., Forest Hills Chapel, 3604 Greensburg Pike 412-731-5001. Service private.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh, 328 Nicholas Place, Sewickley, PA 15143 attn: Rock School.
(This post was edited by mountainman on Dec 10, 2009, 5:22 AM)
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mountainman
Jan 11, 2010, 2:54 PM
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Tom Prigg wrote:
I thought I would try to share times I had hanging out with Mikey. I am going to try to add more as I find them and tell the background stories to each of them.
Mikey was honestly like family to us. He really felt like a brother. I can't tell you how many times I have the urge to ring him up or text him about going to do something. It was something so common that it doesn't seem to go away regardless that I know he is no longer here.
I wanted to share our goofing around. It was something that we did anytime we were hanging out together. It was always a game to us. It really was. When we would say, "why don't you try to ....." Or "How high can you get up that?" "Hey can you swing from this to that?" It was never a competition it was just a game.
I do have to say that I completely enjoyed the very few times I actually scared him or out did him a little. It was a funny frustration to have a friend who could drink like a viking and smoke like a chimney and out do me just a little more no matter how much I trained. That always cracked me up.
It was all a blast and we never thought or cared what anyone thought. Hell, I think we may have just blocked out that anyone was around or laughing at the dumb things. Again, it was just a big game for us. Life, enjoy it, who cares if someone else thinks your a moron. Odds are they are boring as crap.
I always thought people were a little mellow-dramatic when they said that a part of them is now gone after the death of someone close. But I have to say, that is exactly what it feels like.
Although, despite how badly his condition made him feel he lived life 110%. So I will continue to do the same, continue to live life as hard and carefree as possible. Not caring what one else thinks. I guess this is the last challenge he has posed for me.
Here is a link to 50 pictures of Mikey and some more stories.
http://www.facebook.com/tom.prigg?v=feed&story_fbid=250087752439#/album.php?aid=103088&id=566992439
(This post was edited by mountainman on Jan 11, 2010, 3:02 PM)
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markc
Jan 11, 2010, 6:38 PM
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I still have Mike's phone number in my notebook from the last time I bumped into him at Seneca. Mike worked and climbed with a couple of my regular partners, so we had occasion to hang out and climb together a little bit. I remember Mike almost talking me into leaving a party around midnight to drive down to Seneca. He wasn't in any shape to drive, and I had too much going on the next day to seriously contemplate a 5 a.m. arrival and climbing all of Sunday. I've regretted not abandoning my responsibilities and going climbing. If nothing else, it would have been an adventure.
When I first started seconding, my friend Dave took my wife and me down to Seneca. We were at the top of the first pitch of Old Man's when Mike came down the trail. We said hello, and he promptly climbed up to chat. I was still new enough that seeing him just hanging there, even on really secure holds, made me nervous. Mike could tell, and he repeatedly feigned slipping. I nearly died from heart palpitations.
About a year later a friend and I were building a meager rack, reading John Long's anchor books, and looking to start leading. We were talking to Mike, and he mentioned he was teaching a placement class, but didn't have a way down to Coopers. We sat in on the 'class' in exchange for a ride. Little did we know the class was just one guy. It took the client a while to get it, but it was a good excuse to hang out in the woods.
Mike was one of a kind, and someone that I counted on running in to and passing time with when our lives intersected. I'm saddened that that won't happen any longer. If there's something after all this, he's one of the people I look forward to seeing.
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mountainman
Jan 13, 2010, 8:53 AM
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Here is a link to an album of Mikey pictures from 1995-1996.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=762192235&ref=profile#/album.php?aid=2023625&id=1582118006
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