(426x640 at 168 kb) from Erika C.

A very bittersweet weekend, whose purpose was to pay our last respects and honour the memory of a great friend and climber, Jeff Schoen. Rod, Jack and I drove to Hardin on Friday night, and on Saturday, Jack and I began the day by soloing Aqua Knobby (5.9) (the down climb is indeed pretty trivial), while Rod went off to do Tenaya Peak. I then met up with Tom, and we hiked to East Cottage Dome, where we warmed up on the knob climbs, before having a go at Polaris (5.12a), one of Jeff's routes. It's pretty obvious that this climb hasn't been done much, as despite going up in '94, it only appeared in the guide book this year. It's a fun route full of overhanging crimps. It was also full of dirt and lichen. After cleaning it out, it was much more doable. Very worthwhile. Around 4, Tom went off to finish up Jeff's last route on Fairview, while I joined Jack on Pywiack to play on Electric Africa (5.12c). Jack's pretty close to sending it. I'm not. I could really do with a stiffer pair of shoes... As the afternoon faded away, we gathered by the shore of Tenaya Lake, where a memorial for Jeff was held. Many funny stories of his adventures were told, and fond memories were exchanged. The wind died down as the sun set beyond the hills, and a smoky fire was lit. We whiled away the evening around the picnic tables where food and wine had been laid out, remembering Jeff and all his quirks and loves. It was a real celebration of the life of a fantastic person. We eventually headed back to the campgrounds, and after laying out the sleeping bags, I crossed the road wandered deep into the meadows, where I found a comfortable rock to lie down on. I was treated to a marvellous sight - the Perseid meteors were at their peak, etching glowing contrails across the night sky as if to honour Jeff's passing. It was very fitting. The next day we climbed Tenaya peak. Deb, Jack, Rod, Rob, Matt, Susan, Zindzi, Jeremy and I climbed the North face, in various states of solo/simul/pitching, and rendevouzed with the rest of the party who had hiked up the back. We bid a last farewell to Jeff from the summit, and let the winds and the spirits of the mountains claim him for their own. Goodbye Heffe - we will miss you. PS: if anyone has any more pictures of Jeff that they would like to share, this would be a great venue for them.

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Scenes from the climb

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The hikers

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The climbers approach the summit

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Last words

(2048x1536 at 1533.5 kb) from John H.
Thailand '05