CHAD KELLOGG

He epitomized an evolution of self few ever will achieve. From Silent Bob to Chadderbox; fast food to organic; suit to carharts; Olympic luge prospect to Alpinist; Chad is the butterfly emerged, the Phoenix risen. Most would barely survive his physical hardships, much less emotional. Yet he persevered to heal heart and body, to find again the beauty of partnership, the freedom of the alpine. Many spent time with Chad on his journey. We have stories; funny, sad, incredulous. Share them, that we might remember Chad. And, in these stories, may we come to know ourselves. To live our lives to their fullest. Submit your story by contacting the moderators at: [email protected]

[rememberchadkellogg]

The Sentinel - An Ode to Chad Kellogg

by Dan Sears

  fragrant skin of flora, fauna vast

upon soil of upheaval, painful past

barren, craggy, verdant face (less) wall

imbued with weather-worn rugged grace

stuttering rows of ragged granite into schist

bathed in gauzy clouds forming damp mist

stone and clover, mossy blanket crest

delicate white ribbons draped abreast

  i speak across time in rushes loudly

from my brow eyes gaze proudly

with verglassed ears kissing the sky

floating feathers gracefully airborne fly

  my stormy breath, descending swirling mists

wild flower rainbow hues blanket my fists

whispering voices upon the wind forlornly I hear

in my wooded brambles playful are the deer

  soaring eagle's nest woven tightly

buzzing insects flit about brightly

the owl's plaintive hoot emerges

my beards' silent thicket surges

bark of elk, flitting of bee and hopping of hare

many man-made webs do ensnare

springs tumble forth from my windswept crown

all manner of real and mythical creature abound

  roaming upon a broad shouldered slope

cob-webbed hair thick of dynamic rope

arms of meandering blue valleys, feet of deep chasm

traversing snow fields, crevasses slowly spasm

  sky, water, rock of abundance

feather, fish, flora suckle of sustenance

ever changing yet resolute at dawns warm glow

soft dappled light fades ravagingly slow

  conquerer, vanquisher are unwelcome here

for I will take you without shedding a tear

love, pure intention and energy matter

insight and awe, wonder, flowing spirit, water

  a brief fog-shrouded vignette of the whole

the exposure of a tender, majestic soul

an ancient future I feel deep inside

a sentinel of the land and the living, his changing tide

Copyright © 2014 by Dan Sears. Used with permission of the author.

About This Poem 

“I received news of Chad’s passing while traveling in SE Asia, shortly after seeing him in Thailand. Earlier, I had been in New Zealand exploring big mountains on foot. On those daily forays I was struck by the duality of life and nature, how we impose ourselves on places that stir our wonder and awe. This poem is an expression of that duality interwoven with Chad’s essence (as I felt it). A reflection on an intense man of duality, of light and dark, of inspiration and perspiration and exasperation, bearing witness to his profound impact on those around him. We were fortunate to share experiences and to call him a friend. While his passing is only temporal for me, I miss him and see his spirit flying high in those mountains he so revered. This is the first poem I’ve written that I’ve ever shared."

  —Dan Sears, Feb 2014

[rememberchadkellogg]

THE MOUNTAIN RUNNERS

I uploaded excerpts from an interview I did with Chad and Todd Warger for the film "The Mountain Runners."

It might help some people understand his motivation and who he is a little better. I personally find videos of those who have passed an effective tool for closure and growth. Hopefully this will help others. 

Thank you Chad.

Dave and Todd.

[rememberchadkellogg]

RATNA WAROUW: INNER PEACE AND HAPPINESS

My story about Chad involved a mellow Sunday night back in November 2012.  I had no plans that night so I wasn't expecting a call.  I looked at my phone and the number that displayed on the screen had me puzzled.   It  was not a number that I recognized. Curiosity got the better of me and I answered the call with a hello to be greeted back with“Hi, it's me  Chad!”  “Chad?”  With a distinct surprise in my voice this was followed  by “Are you okay?  Where are you?  Are you already back from China?”   Chad finally had enough of a pause  to answer  and let me know that he  was still in China calling me from his sat phone from the base camp of  this mountain he was on……. That was Chad. Calling from half way  around the world, half way up a mountain, to check the weather and wind  speeds so he could make a solo summit.    For those of us who don't do  much alpine climbing, we got a lot of excitement in our lives living  vicariously through Chad's adventures and accomplishments. But  it wasn't only excitement that Chad brought into our lives.  His focus,  dedication, and passion inspired all of us to live our own lives to  their fullest.  He constantly reminded us to go after our dreams, don't  waste the short time we have in this life, and appreciate the beauty of  the world around us.  We all learned so much from Chad in this way. But I also wanted to talk about another way that Chad has taught us through his own example.  He had suffered through hardships in his life.   Things that would shake all of us to our core.  However instead of  giving up, or giving into anger, Chad turned his focus, dedication, and  passion towards a different kind of journey.  One that didn't involve  summiting a remote mountain, but instead one that was an inward journey  into his own mind through mediation and introspection. Through  this journey inward, we all witnessed Chad finding something else--inner peace and happiness.  Initially I thought it was just me noticing but  turns out others did too.  It is hard to describe but there was a new  lightness with Chad that previously had not existed. This is when I  realized that as hard as Chad worked on his physical fitness he also had put the same focus, effort, and determination towards meditation. We all spend so much time searching for happiness and peace and in a way  that to me that is one of Chad’s greatest accomplishments.

[rememberchadkellogg]

DAN AYLWARD: LEARNING LESSONS

I only knew Chad for a small portion of his life.  I first met him in the mid ‘90s, and we crossed paths just a few times before 2005 or so.  I really knew his wife Lara much better in the beginning, and in the last couple years of her life we started to hang out more.  After Lara died, I consciously tried to get closer to Chad at first to get closer to Lara, but I quickly perceived that he needed my friendship during a rough spell in his life, and that need persisted through the rest of his life.  We spent a lot of time together in the past 5 years, climbing, working, scheming, and being goofy.

  Chad was a man with an incredibly strong body, but he had an even stronger mind.  He had very strong morals. But for all his good qualities, he also had a lot of demons.  I don’t know where he got them, but I got the impression they were there well before he met Lara.  He could get very angry and jealous, and not communicate, and hold his feelings inside, until they came bursting out with unpredictable effects.

  During the period I knew him best, he endured a series of incredible hardships – illness, injury, deaths of friends and family.  Perhaps spurred by these hardships, or perhaps just in spite of them, Chad finally acknowledged his demons and embarked on a mission to tame them.

  Chad lived a life of accomplishment.  His whole life, as I knew it, was about accomplishing things. When he identified a problem that he wanted to solve, I don’t think Chad really understood the meaning of the word “can’t”.  He planned, prioritized, persisted, and accomplished.  He attacked his demons with the very same strategy that he tackled climbing and construction problems, and it paid off.  Over the past five years, he steadily transformed his life in many ways.  He eliminated alcohol and meat from his diet.  He communicated better, he opened up to people, and he was true to his strong morals.   He was happy.  He found love.  And underlying this all was a much deeper understanding of himself and his place in the universe that he had cultivated through conscious thought and meditation.

  And then he died.

  Why did Chad die? 

  Was it because he pulled a rope too hard when he was descending a mountain?  You gotta pay attention to those loose rocks…

  Or was it because he was ready?  He had accomplished the most profound goal of his life, to tame his demons.

  Or was it because we were ready?  We were ready to stop and look and listen and learn the lessons of his life.  That life is short and precious, that we could go at any time, and that we need to get our priorities straight and make every moment count.

  Perhaps there are many other possible reasons, but the last one makes the most sense to me.

  Goodbye, Chad.  I will learn your lessons.

On the summit of Bear Mountain

High on the Direct North Buttress of Bear Mountain

At Bear Mountain high camp

Traversing the summit ridge of Johannesburg

On the summit of Johannesburg

High on the NE Buttress of Johannesburg

Crop of a photo from Dylan Johnson of Chad in front of an improbable Christmas display in Chengdu, China

[rememberchadkellogg]

DAVID GOTTLIEB: YOU WILL TRAVEL IN MY HEART

Chad, thanks for honoring us with your energy. You will travel in my heart until the end of the journey.

[rememberchadkellogg]

JAY JANOUSEK: A LETTER FROM CHAD

Chad on the summit of Lara Shan

Henry David Thoreau said, "Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves."  As I have gathered recently with friends to honor Chad, I've heard many stories of the person he has become in recent years; a time when he was very focused and I saw him only on occasion.  I knew Chad earlier in life when he was still struggling with his direction.  A buddhist concept with which I'm sure Chad would agree is that to discover oneself, there is nothing to add only things to pare away.  The person Chad is today has always been there beneath the surface.  To be certain, that light poured out often when he was younger and still seeking a direction in life later to become a beacon to so many.  I want to share one of those times with all of those who love Chad--a very personal note to Joe and me written the day after he learned of Lara's death (we were in China at the time and Chad was headed back as quickly as possible while Joe and I would follow with all of the expedition gear).

(click on picture to enlarge)

Chad's last sentence echoes loudly now....may we have the courage to face the hardships and challenges that are brought before us.  That challenge weighs heavy on me, but with the memory of Chad to help (as he so often did), that load is lighter.  I think it is fair to say that Chad loved us all as brothers and sisters.  Before Chad left base camp to receive the terrible news, I grasped him quickly, looked him in the eye and told him he would never know how much the expeditions meant to me.  That was my way of telling him I loved him.  Thank you, Chad, for helping me achieve my dreams and for leading the way as I, too, pare away the things obstructing my path.

[rememberchadkellogg]

RACHEL SPITZER: NE BUTTRESS OF MT. SLESSE

In the summer of 2012, Chad and I climbed the northeast buttress of Mt. Slesse together.  I hadn't done too much climbing with Chad until that peak but knowing his reputation, I knew everything would go smoothly.  This was going to be my last big climb in the PNW for awhile as I was moving to Salt Lake City in a couple days and I was psyched to connect with a motivated and competent climber for my last big PNW adventure.

  I was scared traveling across the pocket glacier to get to the base of buttress.  It was so broken and the stories I had heard of the pocket glacier suddenly sliding off the rocks kept floating through my mind.  Chad said it reminded him of a mini-Kumba and he calmly navigated us through the jumbled maze.  If it wasn't for my faith in his experience and his persistence I would have probably turned around.  Chad didn't bring an ice axe and only once did he ask to borrow mine.

  Once the rock climbing portion of the climb began, things became a lot more fun.  For having never really climbed much before, we were moving rather efficiently.  It is always rewarding to get on a route with someone and both people just know what to do without having to say any words.  That was the sort of experience we were having while climbing this beautiful peak.  We got off route at one point and our rope got stuck when we did a short rappel to get back on route.  This didn't seem to bother Chad too much and he calmly helped me get us back on route.  Midway on the climb, Chad remarked, he hadn't swung leads on an alpine climb with another female since Lara had died.  That comment made me smile in a nostalgic sort of way.  I never met Lara and only got to know Chad after she died.  I wish I had met her because she sounded pretty amazing.  Despite being this tough alpinist, Chad still had this sensitive side.  I only hope that Chad and Lara have somehow found each other again.  That thought helps to provide me with some sense of closure but still does not take away from the sadness that surrounds the death of two young and amazing individuals.

  After we summited, we proceeded to make the rappels back to the ridgeline. Chad carefully inspected the anchors and added more gear if he wasn't comfortable with them.  Once back to the ridgeline, we started motoring, as we knew we had get through some route-finding obstacles in the daylight. Chad literally started running and I couldn't keep up.  When it started to get dark, he waited for me.  There were several times on the descent that I thought we were going to have to bivy.  I learned again that Chad is very persistent and very good at navigating across complicated terrain in the darkness.  We were tired, hungry and lost for a lot of the night but he remained calm and positive through all of it.  His demeanor, without really trying too, rubbed off on me and I found myself also feeling calm and positive.  At 4 am we finally got back to the trailhead and laid down for a couple hours nap.

  Whenever I climb with others more experienced than myself, I always try to observe their strategies and techniques.  With alpine climbing, technique is only a small part of what contributes to success.  What I learned from Chad, is that persistence when compounded with skill and experience can be a very successful combination.  I also learned that faith and confidence in one's past experience is also an integral component to success.  Thank you Chad for teaching me about persistence and confidence.  Your pure spirit will truly be missed.

[rememberchadkellogg]

SARAH HART: GONE, BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS BE HERE.

Gone, but you'll always be here.

I've tried to start this blog post a couple times now, I keep deleting the first paragraph. Ultimately, I'm left speechless at losing a friend to the mountains.

A week and a half ago my friend Chad was killed while descending Fitz Roy, in southern Patagonia. 

I won't do the justice Chad deserves by trying to describe what an inspiration, friend, and mentor he was, so I'll just show some pictures and share a few funny stories.

Chad was my big brother of the mountains. And, I'm really going to miss him...

One of Chad's own photos of him and Dan from the tippy top of Mt. Russell, Sierra Nevada. 

Probably laughing at some horrendously dirty "your mom" joke on the top of Mt. Fairview. There was a wedding happening on the summit at the very same time. They probably didn't appreciate our crass sense of humour. But we sure were having a good bunch of laughs.

Descending from Mt. Fairview I saw this stream of water suddenly appear from the granite. I called Dan over and asked him what was going on. Was water miraculously bubbling forth from the rock? Dan assured me that was NOT what was happening, but rather, I was witnessing for the first time the evidence that apparently Chad can pee while walking? I mean we were all having a conversation on the way down. Wow!

After climbing Mt. Fairview we all made a "love" stop and took some time to call our respective lovers. Here's Chad on the phone with Mandy.

We had to make a run for the cover of a boulder after encountering a little summer storm on an acclimatization hike in the High Sierra. That is a very smiley face in there Chad!

For someone who's so darn fit, Chad sure knows how to laze about...

OK, time for a nap.

Like Colin, Chad travels everywhere with a fishing scale. He made me take a photo of the weight of his rope for future reference.

Chad and Dan photo-bomb me from the summit of Mt. Russell. Hehehehe...

Some smiley dudes we encountered on the summit.

Chad showing off his rad ankle burn after our intense car-to-car mission on Mt. Russell.

Stoked. Always.

What a photo.

Dan and Chad getting stoked as they prepare for what will become a 21 hr. ascent of the Regular Route on Half Dome. 

Chad. So stoked!

Another smiley face just popped up out of nowhere?

Chad, what a great, great smile.

Hehehe, not stoked.

Stoked. The team on Tenaya Peak. 

I'll finish off with my favourite photo. Chad showing us where to go. When I joined him, Dan, and Steph on this trip, I was a little bit nervous about how I would measure up. He'd just been attempting the speed record on Mt. Everest, how on earth was I going to keep up to this person? But, in the most lovely way, Chad would just trot along at a speed no faster than the rest of us. He wasn't racing at all, he was just having a good ol' adventure in the mountains with some buddies. That was it. I learnt a lot from him on that trip, the secret of the CamelBak filled with fruit juice and protein powder, and a few really gross "your mom" jokes come to mind. But mostly I learned that Chad was the kindest soul.

I'm going to include a poem below that someone else already posted on Chad's Facebook page. But, I think the words included within need to be shared again...

Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

  Canon Henry Scott-Holland, 1847-1918, Canon of St Paul's Cathedral

[rememberchadkellogg]

CECELIA MORTENSON: SWEET MEMORIES

I've known Chad for nearly 20 years and am devastated by his accident.  When I think of Chad - I embrace the sweet memories of his character and friendship - not his wild accomplishments, though they be profound.  I can still remember when we were both struggling to place cams - and he led the famous Yosemite nut cracker on nothing but nuts with a young inexperienced girl like me.  Nobody else had wanted to climb with me that day - not even my boyfriend and Chad said "lets go!"  Even way back then, when we were young dirtbag nobodies in yosemite, the strength of Chad's kindness and great heart shone strong. 

Chad has grown so much year by year and I've cherished every precious moment together.  From climbing Ama Dablam back in 98, when he had a barbie doll as a mascot and stunned us all with his speed ascent.  To quick coffee visits amidst his 16 hour work days while training and saving money for his latest passion filled vision.   We once bailed on a party at 9pm to go for a trail run in squamish - with me only able to keep up with him since he'd already ran 15 miles that morning.  Chad the extreme athlete, buddha like and filled with passion and zest.  I miss you.

I am at a loss of words and filled with grief with Chad's loss.  And yet, I am hopeful that he and Lara are somehow together again and this brings me my only sense of peace. 

Every time I have said goodbye to Chad these past years I have known it might be the last.  This spirit of living entirely in the moment with Chad was both necessary and also a gift. I cherish every single  moment  with him and hope all of you too can remember his passion for living with intensity, light and honor. 

[rememberchadkellogg]

MATT FIORETTI: CHRISTMAS 2012

Chad spent Christmas at our place in 2012.  He won the gift of the Deer ornament.  Instead of putting it on the tree he hung it around his neck with that huge smile. When I pass I hope to see  that huge smile again.  

Chad, you were a brother.  You were a force.  You were a true mountain breathing dragon, mountains oozed from your cells and you taught me so much about this. You followed your dream, no obstacles, just flight.  Your brothership was true.  Now I know you are an even greater force traveling well.  

Love You,  Matt Fioretti

[rememberchadkellogg]

GARRETT MADISON: HE DID NOT COMPROMISE

Chad & I spent a lot of time hanging out at Everest base camp in Nepal over the last few years, as he made 3 attempts (3 separate expeditions) to break the speak record climbing Everest without supplementary oxygen. 

  He was the nicest and most inspirational guy I have ever met.  In 2012, Chad helped put in a new route from the base of the Lhotse Face to Camp 3, that ended up making the route much safer by avoiding the rock fall hazard. 

  Chad joked about putting on Os and firing off successive climbs above 8000 meters, as I had been doing with my Everest & Lhotse clients, saying "wouldn't that be fun to feel so strong".  I admired him greatly that he tried everest 3 times, without compromising his style.  He could have easily put on Oxygen and likely broken the speed record, or likely made the summit without using oxygen if he had spent a few nights at the high camps as we do while on his summit attempt.  He knew this, but the only way he wanted to do it was a single push speed climb without oxygen, in his goal of breaking the record, and that is what he stuck to.  He did not compromise…..

[rememberchadkellogg]

BLAKE HERRINGTON: HOME TOWN HEROES

I started climbing about 10 years ago, living in the northwest. I was graduating high school and already obsessed with the mountains From reading the American Alpine Journal and seeing flyers for slideshows and new routes, it appeared there was this cadre of seemingly inauspicious Northwest "Supermen" who all knew each other, climbed together on routes I couldn't imagine, and generally made casual training days out of the biggest climbs in the Cascades. They weren't famous and they weren't flashy, but they were climbing relentlessly. Who were these guys? I don't know if it was a connection through UW, working on Rainier, or simply being better, stronger, smarter, and more dedicated that anyone else, but it seems like this group was a "generation" of NW alpinists with an unparalleled list of accomplishments. Without knowing any of them I got a sense that they were simply operating on a different level. Chad was, without a doubt, part of this group. 

  I learned of most of these folks through little more than reputation-turned-hero-worship. I knew Colin was about my age, but he'd been climbing with some of them for years and had already done the classic Cascades "intro" climbs and was on to the big time. To the rest of my contemporaries bumbling our way through our first big epics, it was only through chance meetings and slide shows that we would bump into Mark Westman, Chad, Joe Puryear, and the rest of the Washington hard man crew. I remember my first year at WWU, living in the dorm without a car, but determined to bum a ride to down to Feathered Friends to see Joe and Chad present a slide show about climbing in the Kichatnas. Their images of the Black Crystal Arete are still etched in my mind. I was 19 years old. 

  Another summer or two passed, and my first time up at Colchuck Balanced Rock involved a very intimidated attempt to climb the West Face. Who should literally run past myself and my partner (still in our sleeping bags after bivying) but Dan and Chad. One or both of these guys wore track spike/sandals/invent-a-shoes and I am 100% certain that they could have lapped us on the route, climbing it twice in the time it took us to thrutch our way up. 

  Over time I got to tag along and climb with (or get nearly rescued by) Mark, Colin, Joe, Chad, Jesse, and Dylan. I never had a crash-back-to-reality moment, as these guys really were indubitably good people and good climbers, not merely good heroes to idealize. When Alpinist Magazine closed down, the story of Chad and Dylan on Siguniang sat atop the magazine's website for months and I read it a half-dozen times. It seemed more Piolet-worthy than whatever else was nominated that year. I felt like these Seattle Supermen were our home-town heroes, less hyped and more blue-collar than the Cali and Colo based "rock stars" I'd see in movies and magazines. 

  A few weeks ago I was having dinner with Chad in Patagonia, and he told me about his immediate plans to try the Supercanaleta on Fitz Roy with Jens. During the same day of "ok" weather, I climbed on a (much) smaller peak with Steve Swenson and our friend Scott Bennett, spending the day staring at Fitz and admiring Chad's enthusiasm to tackle (and likely fail on) a much more impressive peak. Once back in town, we heard an Argentine team describe witnessing two "American Supermen" speeding up the lower part of the route. We had no doubt who it had been. At the time we didn't know the result of their attempt. Steve, Scott, and I each had bus tickets out of town within a day or two of returning from our climb and I wouldn't get to see Chad again. I will not forget the image Jens and Chad left on the Argentine team as they sped up the route on a entirely different plane of experience from everyone else present. 

  My only climbing memory with Chad also happened this winter. It was a gray Washington December day, and we were tromping around looking for frozen cascades that had survived the end of our week-long "ice season". Chad, Jens and I had just climbed the two wettest pitches any one of us had done. I lead the easy first pitch, a slurpee beneath a waterfall to a cave with water pouring all around us and puddled at our feet. Chad probably pulled out both screws by just wiggly them out from the slush. Chad then stepped out of the cave on lead and we could hear the 33-degree water pounding onto his head from hundreds of feet above. We thought he would be able to step out from beneath the shower, but it covered the entire width of the ice flow so he just clawed his way up the pouring slush, never shouting back into the cave or whining. And I don't think he was trying to stifle his complaints either. I think he was actually enjoying it (Although if he had opened his mouth it would have filled with ice water from above.) Whenever he'd raise a tool, water would run down his arms inside his jacket, soaking him from the inside-out. 

  Shivering in the cave, Jens even admitted that he could at least "understand why some people don't like ice climbing." 

When Jens and I reached a soaking-wet Chad after he'd been standing immobile at the belay for the past 10 minutes, he handed me a dry jacket from within his backpack and his smile was ear-to-ear. There was nowhere you could imagine him rather being.

[rememberchadkellogg]

DYLAN JOHNSON: STRAIGHT HARDENED STEEL WITH A HEART OF GOLD

Still at a loss for words, but wanted to share some images from good times shared with one of my dearest friends. Straight hardened steel with a heart of gold. Love you brother. 

Speaking at our wedding. Despite habitually spending all his money on climbing all the time, he figured out how to travel all the way to Thailand to deliver a beautiful and touching prayer during our ceremony. Thanks Tim, for the pic. 

Stoker. This is acclimating way up some side valley of the Changping in China. We found a bunch of garbage left by a previous expedition in a little glacial tarn and spend all day cleaning it up. This brought him much joy.

  Not stoker. He was cold. I told him to put on a jacket when the blizzards started hiking up to this high camp, but he refused. Then he was cold. 

THE LOG! We actually talked about this log in the Chiliwack Valley (cascades) just a week ago, recounting the story to our housemates in Patagonia. We were attempting a winter climb up there and "THE LOG" proved one of the most formidable obstacles. With such dense bushes all around, we actually busted out the tools to "send" the 4 meter diameter fallen cedar....all smiles as usual. 

Poser.

My "gift" to him on his 37th birthday. Free climbing pitch 10 on Siguniang. A nice evening of "cragging' above our bivi ledge seen below. 

Scoping the SW ridge of his beloved Siguniang before our climb together.

Just off my first summit in Asia, "Chadder" (as they called him there) refused to let more than a day of nice weather pass before shouldering these loads and heading up on Sigi. Looking back, its overwhelming how much he taught me. About caring and trying hard and thinking positively. The mind is a powerful thing, especially his. 

Lots of adventure ahead. 

Muy fuerte.

Scoping.

He hadn't had a sip of water in 36 hours here. But.....still all smiles as usual! 

Still smiling....

He was having so much fun....

Nearing the top of Siguniang. Everyone talks about his "drive" and "will power" for obvious reasons, but holy shit - this day was like none other I'd witnessed. There were so many reasons we should have bailed way earlier, but he was so stoically motivated to finish this route. He literally grabbed the rack from me, put his head down into the storm and charged upward. I just had to draft along as the rope came tight. 

On the summit of Siguniang. 

Another one of the most emotional moments of our lives. Spreading Lara's ashes on the summit. This was what was driving him so hard to get there. 

Frosty chad trying to get down. 

Even frostier chad.

The beauty of the Changping: Lara Shan.

Common way to spend time with Chad, hiking around with heavy packs....

Poaching the second ascent of Yangmantai....we kept calling it the north ridge of Stuart at 18,000'...so much fun.

Another cumbre, more smiles.

In his element. Way above the valleys. 

Brewing up some of his favorite "nuun tea" after a long day out...

More heavy pack lugging. Seerdengpu in the background. 

Trying to keep up as usual....

His favorite Chinese swamp valleys.....

Another memorable night in China.

More unclimbed spire romping together

High on Seerdengpu

Siguniang and Lara Shan in the background. He knew this valley so well.

Seerdengpu summit

Lets try this one!...... Why not?

In front of the Monastery he loved so dearly. The Gubla Gompa, home of Lama Rinzing Dorje. Chad was thrilled this place was rebuilt after the 2008 Sichuan earthquakes and spent much time here with the Lama. 

All part of the adventure. 

The 2010 Changping crew. One of the countless groups of people he shared his wisdom, positivity and strength with. Everyone in this pic has, since 2010, commented over and over what an impact Chad had on them. Just being around him was inspiring and meaningful. He knew what was up and was generous with showing others how to see it. 

And his dear friends, the Ma family of Rilong. 

Trying to teach Mr. Ma some knots......

We had a good laugh here....

Back close to home, bushwacking in the north cascades. All smiles, of course!

Summertime in the pickets.

Shiver bivi on the North Howser Tower in Canada. 

I love this pic of chad. "Summertime" high on the North Howser, he is wearing all summer clothes, fingerless leather gloves etc, jugging an icy rope and sliding right back down it. I can still hear his voice, half laughing...."Dude....its worse now!"...Tough as hell. 

Another moment of incredible natural beauty shared with him. Down climbing in China at sunset.

And finally, the west side of the Fitz Roy group a few days ago. I know you're back with Lara and Joe now  - but, man, we sure miss you down here. You'll always be with us too, brother. 

[rememberchadkellogg]

AMMI BORENSTEIN: THE MEMORIES JUST SPILL OUT

I lost a brother.   When I met Chad in 1991 we hit it off instantly.  Even back then, he would let out his goofy laugh at my bad jokes while he would be telling me the details of the next adventure.  Back then the adventure was luging and the details were about sled construction and blade design, but the passion that he brought to it was the same passion he kept with him.   We shared a ton of great times together in the years since then.  Working together, spending time in the mountains together and growing up together.   One memorable trip was when we carried our snowboards to the top of Mount Adams in a single push.  The weather on the way up was clear and the snow was perfect for the ride down.  Unfortunately, right as we summited, the winds picked up and a white-out rolled in.  The weather got so bad that we couldn’t ride down and had to walk.  We lost our tracks and hadn’t set wands so we spent the next few hours fumbling our way down.  It finally got dark and we couldn’t find the car, so we bivied for the night.  Before we fell asleep, we spent a couple of hours laughing at ourselves for the comedy of errors.  And, of course, we found the car in 10 minutes the next morning.   Some of the other great memories were times when Chad and Lara came to my kids’ earliest birthday parties.  It was so great to have them be such an integral part of my family.  One of my favorite pictures of Chad is here.  My girls made him wear one of the party hats, like it or not.  I remember Lara laughing her head off at the moment this picture was taken.   And the memories just spill out from there.  I was touched that he came to so many important events in my family.  I was incredibly honored when he asked me to be his best man at his wedding.  I was forever grateful when he helped me work on my house.  And on, and on…   As I think back through it all, I realize that he was more than a friend.  He was a brother.   Having been connected to Chad for half of my life, it’s hard to imagine the rest without him.   I will miss you brother.

[rememberchadkellogg]

AUGUST WELCH: THAT KID TAUGHT US

It must have been sometime around 1994 or so...maybe my dates are off it really doesn't matter. Jeff Robertson and I were at the UW Rock doing our usual terrorizing and this kid with burly, tough-looking, strong arms and a really rough looking face with a set jaw shows up. He came right up to us and started hanging out with us as if he belonged. He was just learning to rock climb at the time. He gravitated to Jeff and I because he immediately recognized that we were some crazy f*cks just like him. That kid was Chad Kellogg. We liked him to because there were so few tough kids that showed up down there and when a really crazy one would show up we loved it. He explained to us that he had been on the Olympic luge team and he blew our lids when he told us that yes, you absolutely could jump off the Montlake bridge. He had done it several times. He taught us how to cross your ankles and hold your arms when you jump so as to not break your bones when yo uhit the water. We loved this new kid.... he was ROUGH.

I gradually found my way out of climbing. Injuries took their toll and I started to lose trust in myself. I lost touch with many people along the way but still kept within the core circle the original kids that we used to climb with at the rock. The rock bound so many of us together and forged lifelong bonds. One day just a few years ago, I got a friend request on Facebook from none other than the world famous climber Chad Kellogg. He wrote a little note with his friend request that said something like "Hey August, it's Chad. I don't know if you remember me but I met you down at the rock with Jeff Robertson. I always admired you guys and how hard you guys were climbing and how crazy you guys were...." or something like that anyways. It made me smile. Here was Chad, world famous climber reaching out to me and paying some respect for some boulder problems I did at the climbing rock almost 20 years ago. That was Chad though. Always humble to his core. It had been forever since I had seen him and I looked at his Facebook profile and saw a picture of him and his rough looking face with the set jaw and my mind was transported back to that day when that kid taught us that yes, it was OK to jump off the Montlake bridge. You can do it. Sometimes I regret never having made that jump. I doubt I ever will but I am glad I have the memory of Chad's spirit in my head from that day at the UW Rock. I think about him often when I drive across that bridge on my way to somewhere else. I am very glad that I had a chance to exert some of my own influence on him when he was new to climbing. It doesn't matter what you do, just be in it fully. Cross your frickin arms like you are giving yourself a hug and hold on tight if you ever decide to jump off that damn Montlake bridge. Chad would go....

August Welch, UW Rock Rat

Photo of the adult Chad courtesy of the Tacoma News Tribune:

[rememberchadkellogg]

BETH WRIGHT: HUMBLE CHAD

I met Chad through Lara, who worked with my husband Clint at the US Forest Service.  At first, they came to our place for dinner and vice versa.  Lara was a ball of energy and Chad was a sea of calm.

Chad worked in a boring office job, as did I, and we shared laughs over the insanity of cubicle land and the motivation to exit it as quickly as possible. Eventually  we moved to their neighborhood and we were both remodeling houses and congratulating each other on our impeccable taste and handiwork.  He was also my buddy at USFS parties when Lara made him attend.

It took me a while to figure out that Chad and Lara both were phenomenal athletes - outstanding in any field.  I just loved hanging out with them, laughing at their crazy lives - like listening to them discuss whether sleeping in an oxygen deprivation tent was a good idea.  Chad's talents were plentiful - he made some amazing chocolate chip cookies with his professional mixer (that lived in its special cabinet with the spring-loaded shelf).

I don't remember the climb that was documented in the first of Chad's slide shows I attended, but it was clear that Chad had a passion and a talent for climbing that I would never fully comprehend.

What I loved about him, though, was that it never seemed to matter to him that I had no interest in climbing or understood his prowess in the sport - we were friends just the same and shared some great times.  Chad and Lara guided Clint up Mt. Rainier and I wouldn't have trusted anyone more (else?) to do that. I regret that we grew apart after Lara's passing but am so happy to know that Chad filled every day with the activities and people he loved - for that he will always inspire me.

Rest in peace, Chad.

[rememberchadkellogg]

CHRIS SCHLOTFELDT: I AM WITH YOU

My dear brother...

Never have I been impacted by a death as I am with yours...

I wake up in the middle of the night hearing your voice...

I am not ready to write anything of substance here for you yet, but soon...

I am with you.