A Fascination and Hunger for the Good Things in Life

 I have only been lucky enough to know the Patterson family since June of 2011.  This beautiful scene above was on one of those river trips that Craig loved so much.  Kaya was fascinated by the hand washing station and how that ordinary old soup can was transformed into a "faucet".  Quietly watching the way that Craig spotted the curiosity in Kaya and joined her was one of those precious father/daughter moments to cherish.  This was one of many moments where I witnessed the pure love and devotion Craig had for his family.  There was rarely a time when you could not see very large smiles on all 3 of their faces.  Granted it was on the river and what is not to smile about.

There are many things about Craig, the way that he approached other people and life in general that I admire greatly.  His genuine love for his wife and daughter was paramount in everything I saw him do.  He also had a love of learning and a respect (almost awe) of watching someone else do something that he admired and his hunger to learn more!  Example...  although I did not know Craig well, I know that when we first met he was relatively new to rafting.  Rather than a typical macho "I am outdoorsy and can figure this out for myself" kind of attitude he went to work becoming a student.  It was heart warming watching him consult and ask Jamie's opinion on not only how to approach an oncoming rapid but how to rig the boat, what the recommended gear was etc...  What a wonderfully confident and genuine person to "pick the brains" of those who had previous experience that he could learn from.  It was exciting to watch!  I saw this same love of how things work when he came over to our house to have some work done on his trailer.  He was so gracious and sincerely interested in the process.  And thankful!  The funniest part of that was that Jamie was so excited to have a project to practice his newly acquired welding skills and Craig so thankful for the improvement on his trailer that they thanked each other a bottle of whiskey! 

In June 2012 we had the pleasure of spending another week on the river with the Patterson's and a whole bunch of kids!  If I remember the minors outweighed the adults by 1!  Craig and Renae's boat was the Kid wagon and known to have the best songs, dances and a hidden bag of candy that Renae pulled out at just the right time!  Towards the end of the trip, the little girls had all been relocated to another raft (probably Burt) and Craig and Renae were rewarded with getting the BIG GIRLS!  Ruby, Georgia and Mary Grace  (pre-teen and teens). broke out into a bit of a mini-war over a sponge animal, I think it was nap time for the big girls at this stage.  Mary Grace recalls that Renae played a little bit of peace maker (as the older kids were acting like little kids:-) ) and Craig quietly went to work getting them as quickly as possible to the next meeting spot.  When they pulled up, I think that Craig may have been off the raft before anyone else saying in a quiet voice.... Beer... Beer....  Poor guy!

We will treasure the moments always!  More pictures to come...
Tina
James "Jamie", Mary Grace and Maya

A Lost Hero

I did not know Craig personally, but I was just north in BCC from where Craig suffered that horrific accident, on Thursday. I have been skiing in that area for quite some time, and I depend greatly on the UAC's info to keep me and my friends safe, i.e., I depend on brave men like Craig to keep me from the all too real danger of the backcountry.

People that venture into the backcountry realize the risks involved, and we come to accept those risks. For most of us, we accept the risks for our selfish pleasure, but a few of us, like Craig, are up there risking their lives to keep the rest of us safe. Those like Craig are truly heroes!!! Unfortunately, real-life heroes succumb to real-life dangers, unlike their comic book counterparts, and that is what we witnessed this past Thursday. No amount of experience, training, or precaution would have prevented this terrible tragedy from occurring, as it was simply the will of the mountain that a hero was taken from us that terrible day.

In a tragic twist of fate, I realized that Craig and I were alums from Miami (OH) and he was only 1 or 2 classes behind me, and we both have young daughters. My condolences and heart go out to his wife and daughter, his extended family, and his friends. I have no doubt that Craig is in a better place where he is shredding deep pillow lines under always blue-bird skies!!! In death as in life, I am sure that Craig will continue to watch over the rest of us, as we continue to venture into the mountains he so dearly loved.

Travel well brother, and we know that we have lost a vanguard in the mountains.

Respectfully,
Jeff Wu - Miami (OH) Class of 2000

Fishing with Craig

A previous blog post alluded to the fact that Craig was quite a handy guy. Since I don't have any photos of Craig, I want to share a memory and photo of a different type of Craig's handy work.

Although Craig and I share several mutual friends, sadly, our lives rarely overlapped.  However, I had the chance to share an extended period of time with him on a fishing trip down the South Fork.  It was evident right away that Craig, Renea and Kaya have a great love for being on the river.  It was also evident right away that he was a rookie fly fisherman.  But, his reputation having preceded him as an accomplished outdoorsman, I half expected him to out fish us all.

Craig and I saddled up in Jay Beyer's boat and set off down river with Craig's, as we politely put it, "vintage" fly rod.  We were slinging flies toward the bank and enjoying the beautiful day.  Fishing can be frustrating, and having spent so little time with Craig, I didn't know what to expect.  Almost instantly I experienced his infectious love for life.  Although mostly confronted with light hearted ridicule, his overwhelming interest and inquiry into the nuances of fly fishing reinvigorated me for the sport.

I spent the first river mile with Craig's huge hopper fly buzzing my ear and following it with a, "Craig, watch your back cast!"  Fishing started off slow, but before long, Craig had hooked something big.  Me!  After an abrupt removal of Craig's fly from my arm, we continued down river.  Jay and I managed to boat a few fish along the way, but Craig remained fishless.  As we neared the end of the first day, it became a goal of the whole boat for Craig to land a fish.  We rounded a small bend and decided to explore a small side channel a few hundred yards from our first camp.  In one of his last casts of the day, Craig sent his fly towards the bank and "Fish on!"  The boat was alive with shouts of excitement and instruction.

Jay and I could have boated the biggest trout in the South Fork that day, but that little trout Craig pulled aboard would still have been the fish of the day.  Craig has left a mark on many people.  For me, that mark has a physical manifestation.  A small scar on my right forearm reminding me to love life like Craig loved life.  Tight lines Craig!  

--Jared

In honor to Craig

In honor to Craig,           

We all awoke Friday to the horror and sadness of loosing a friend, colleague, mentor, and most importantly a Family member. First and foremost, I consider myself a teacher, an educator. Yet, regardless of my many years of experience, I have always felt honored and blessed every time I have had the opportunity to share this stage with Craig. He has touched many of us in our community (and the world), and there are pieces of him that we all are feeling very strongly right now. For me, Craig’s gift of teaching was something that I relished to be a part of, and truly he was not only a colleague, but also a mentor and loving friend. His passion and skill was something that seemed to enliven me in my own pursuits in the educational arena. It was as if he helped me find a greater sense of meaning and purpose in following my own path.

I struggle to count the number of friends I have lost to the mountains. We all lead our lives simply one step at a time. Who knows where our next step may take us. Unfortunately, Craig’s last steps leave us all in this place of sadness and missing. Our community is in shock. Yet, regardless of my pain, it is the grief and loss of Craig’s Family that carries the heaviest burden. At times like these, I know I find myself not only missing someone I have just lost, but it also has a way of rekindling the sorrow and pain of others who have moved on in my past. I know I am not alone in feeling this way. I believe the only solace to be found, is that of embracing a piece of those who have blessed us with their presence; and left us carrying on our lives as better human beings by emulating their ideals and life actions. There is no doubt that Craig has given me this blessing. Thank you dear friend…I will truly miss you.

Bruce E.

Sincere Enthusiasm for life

What an amazing guy and tragic loss.
Heather and I had the honor of working with Craig at Ascending Path in Girdwood many moons ago.  We had many adventures together exploring the Chugach on foot and by ski. One fond memory I have is of an ice cave we discovered together on Alyeska Glacier, we both went in one at a time and he was about as enthusiastic as if we discovered a new planet!  Once he was skiing all rowdy at Turnagain Pass, and smashed his hand on a rock, even facing surgery and serious damage, he had a great attitude and positive outlook. Craig guided with us that summer, then moved to Utah with the love of his life, Renae. When Heather and I were passing thru a few years ago we met little Kaya and we saw first-hand how wonderful parents Craig and Renae became. We now have a son, Bodhi who’s birthday is 1 day before Kayas! There was always a sparkle in Craig’s smile; a combo of sage knowing and youthful spirit that instantly engendered trust. Craig had a sincerity about him that was simultaneously unapologetic and compassionate to others.

This impermanent life we live is so concurrently rugged and fragile, it seems all that matters at the end is the individual moments in which we make the world a better place. Renea and Kaya: Heather, Bodhi and I give our warmest condolences and loving thoughts- please know that Craig did make the world a better place. Rest in peace my brother- you were a kind soul with a huge heart- we all will miss you tremendously.

Craig was an amazing person

Over the past year I was lucky enough to get to know Craig well enough to know he was an amazing person. From the first long car ride through Central Utah I went on with him doing summer weather station work to the early mornings doing control work, he always greeted you with a smile and asked how you were. CP was a mentor, friend, and inspiration to me and I will never forget the short time I got to spend with him.

Cheers,
Steven Clark

Trail Talk

I've spent a lot of time with Craig on the trail over the years and I've never had a more solid partner.  Its hard to decide where to start explaining just how awesome of a guy he is, but if you're reading this you probably already know.  He was the kind of guy that I could confide in and bounce ideas off of, and also one that I could learn from.  With knowledge of topics far ranging from avalanche stuff, we would talk about everything from politics and construction, to VW vans and river running, to fatherhood and fine single malts and beyond.  Whenever I had a new project whether at home or at work, I would bring it up on one of our long walks.  Invariably Craig could always contribute to the discussion with first hand insight, or if he hadn't done it already he could explain how to do it.  All of this while I lengthened my stride in hopes of keeping up with his agile trail breaking.  Trail talk.  Just one of the things I'll miss about him.
In the spirit of one of the more frequent topics we would consider, building things, Matt Mckee, Steven Clark and myself would like to contribute to one of the projects Craig didn't get a chance to finish.  The deck at home is looking beautiful but is still without a railing.  Recently Craig was considering a metal railing around the whole thing and we would like to finish that project.  Galvanized steel that will last maintenance free for years.  We have the welding supplies and skills, just need the steel and likely a few hands to help.  We're working on a design soon, with Renae's approval of course.  Anyone wishing to help out with this please contact Matt or myself.                           
Bill Nalli

Craig

This is a place where we hope family and friends will share messages and pictures about Craig.  This site and what we can do with the entries is dynamic.  We have hopes of printing a book for Kaya including memories, stories, and pictures that help her remember and know who he was.  This will be invaluable to her in the future. Please post specific entries for her.  Also, we are doing our own grieving and therefore entries for the greater whole and/or Renae are important as well.  We are able to tease these entries out and print various books in the future.  Thanks ahead of time for your time, thoughts, and love.  

If you would like information about how to post to this blog please leave a comment on this post that includes your name and contact email, we will send you an email with instructions. For privacy, once we have sent you the instruction email, we will delete your comment that contains your email address. or you can send an email to jesskirby76@hotmail.com with your request.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations can be made to the Craig Patterson Memorial Fund at any Key Bank or mailed to the Craig Patterson Memorial Fund, 520 Crestview Dr. Park City, UT 84098.