Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Kent Ashcraft

Steve asked me to post that Doug and I will be coming down for the services Monday morning. I would like to get together with other WPSMB family members from here and have lunch before he and I head back north in order to celebrate Kent's life. Please look for us at the services.

-Laura

I regretfully can't attend the services due to prior guiding commitments. I wrote this on the Whitney summit register yesterday, April 22, 2009:




Whitney Summit Register April 22, 2009

I will be attending the annual gathering of hikers who will be attempting the PCT this weekend. As I have the last 4 years, I'll be giving a talk on mountaineering techniques, and this year the talk will be noted as being in memory of Kent. Few attendees will probably know or care (AsABat excepted), but I will.

I beg to differ. While I only conversed with Kent through the board and a few emails, it is like losing a friend. The more I climb, and the more people I meet who climb, the more friends I lose. Last night in a crowded brewery glasses were raised in honor of Kent by a tablefull of climbers who had never met him. Anytime a climber dies climbing it hits all of us. I will guarantee they'll care, and it's great of you to honor his memory with that.
My deepest condolences to the Ashcraft family, his friends on the net, and the climbing community. We lost a good one this week.

Please forgive me for posting here, but I do not know how else to find out the information I need. My son is currently serving as a missionary in Madagascar with Kent Ashcraft's son and I and some other parents of missionaries serving with Matthew Ashcraft were so completely saddened to hear of his loss. We the parents of the Madagascar missionaires would love to reach out to Mathew's family and send some kind of comfort if possible to his family. Can anyone give me information on where to send the family our regards? We would love to send flowers...something...anything to the family. We are so heartbroken as Matthew has not seen his father for nearly two years and was due to return home very soon....please contact me if you have any information on where we can send flowers or our condolences. My name is Lezlie Fitts and my email is lmtfitts@comcast.net my phone # is 801-501-7828 and I live in Utah.

To save unnecessary duplication: I called her and gave her the information she wanted. Kent's wife's phone number, funeral and memorial service arrangements, contribution information.

Thank you so much Bob for your information and contacting me just now. Several other people who have sons serving with Kent's son in Madagascar have also just contacted me about making a contribution but I was unclear on where exactly to tell them to send such contributions. Do you have a snail mail address or institution where I can direct them as they are from all over the country....

Edit 4/25: Please see the message below from mstayner if you wish to make a contribution.

I received this this morning:

I am sorry that I will be on a plane headed for Maryland on Monday.

Here are links to a couple of articles about this tragic accident
http://www.mammothtimes.com/content/view/121517/1/
http://www.ksrw.sierrawave.net/site/content/view/2007/48/

I too offer my deepest and sincerest condolences. I did not have the opportunity to meet Kent in person but I benefited greatly from the information he generously posted in this forum. He was one of the great mountaineering mentors of modern times.

First let me apologize for posting on this forum as i am not an avid hiker, I was however a long time Patient Of Dr. Kent's,
I began seeing him when he came into his practice in LA and i was only 5 or 6 yrs old i am 29 now.. I want to give my deepest condolonces to the family, especially his wife, and children.

and to share some memories of him:
I remember growing up i was always into magic tricks and Dr. Kent was like a big kid himself, every year when we came in he always had a new magic trick to show me how to use, and eventually to give me so that i could take it home and bewilder all of my friends.

as the years went by i grew out of the magic tricks and got heavily into Computers (i am a computer programmer now) then Dr. Kent would always have a computer question that required pondering, or some new computer problem he wanted to show me, i loved going into see him because it was like getting an eye exam from one of my buddies, It was Dr. Kent who helped me overcome my fear of getting LASIK which i enjoy every day,

To his family, and all of his friends, You are not alone, this is a great loss! he will be missed but we will always remember him and those times we shared with him.

God Bless you all.

Jeremy Thompson

What incredibly sad news. His pictures of him and his family charging up MR was a great inspiration for me. My condolences and prayers to his family.

There has been a memorial fund set up on behalf of Kent and Ilene's children. People wishing to donate to it should make donations to
The Kent Ashcraft Memorial Fund and send them:

    c/o Justin Tolton, CPA
    8939 South Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 440
    Los Angeles 90045

If they wish the donation to be used for a specific purpose (e.g. education, mission) they should indicate that. Because the burial will be in Utah, some people may wish to donate to the memorial fund in lieu of sending flowers.

I have struggled for days now wanting to post something about Kent. His respnses to my amateur questions on this blog were always spot on and I have utilized what he said. I've struggled because, here was Kent, an expert and this happened to him and now I have very friends, who got a permit for Whitney, who aren't climbers/hikers and don't even own hiking boots and are taking this hike way, way, way to lightly. They figure it will be a walk in the park and can do it in one day on the first weekend in June. It's scaring the hell out of me since they don't even know what crampons are and yet they got a permit. What do I do? What do I say? I've turned them onto this blog site and I hope to God they read everything and take it to heart.
To Kent's family, you are all in my prayers.

I'm back from a fast and safe climb up Thor Peak today via the Secret Route.

I hope the Ashcraft family/friends doesn't find it inappropriate that I entered Kent's name in the register (on a full, separate page). The entry reads:

April 20, 2009
Dr. Kent Ashcraft R.I.P.
We will all miss you.

I also built a small cairn on the summit as a memorial to him. I found a few small white stones on my way up. It is believed to bring you good luck when you add a white stone to a memorial cairn.

Although I never met Kent, his trip reports were very useful to me as a newbie to Mt. Whitney over the past six years. Those reports also had tremendous impact on others on this board as well. His conection to family and community is something we all should admire and seriously think about. It is during times like this that we must remember to give our own famlies and loved ones that hug, and an "I love you" whenever possible. I will miss those reports, with family as the background, but will always remember Kent on my hikes in the Whitney area. He truly was an outstanding individual.

Bob

This ia Matthew Ashcraft, the oldest son of Kent.
I am so very greatful for all the love and support you all have shown. My father was truly a great father, husband, and role model to his children.
July 2-4, two days after I return home from Madagascar we already had a hike planned. Last week he asked me what size shoes I wore so he could buy me some hiking boots. He truly loved the peace and spirituality of the mountains. Though we will not meet again in this life, there will be a joyous reunion after this life has gone.
Again, thank you for all your love and support.

Matthew Ashcraft

I just got back from South America and am also stunned to read of Kent's accident. His contributions to this board were priceless. It was clear that he had a zest for the mountains and he was able to relay that in his wonderful posts. My condolences to his family and friends.

It was a beautiful and moving service today. Very hard to maintain composure and there were no dry eyes in a VERY full temple atop Sepulveda Blvd. All of Kent's children, and Ilene, his wife, spoke eloquently and touchingly of their lives with Kent. His love of the outdoors and hiking was at the top of the list of all speakers, the coffin adorned with a bouquet of bright flowers and pine boughs and cones. The message board, with its outpouring of love and respect for Kent was referenced several times.

As far as I could see, Bob Rockwell, myself, Doug Sr and Earlene, and Tomi were there representing the WPSMB. But there were perhaps a few hundred people there, so if I missed anyone I'm sorry.

To the Ashcraft family, again, my deepest condolences on the loss of your husband, father, brother, uncle, and dear friend.

"We have mountains inside us. A mountain is never there simply to ski or climb. It is a challenge to physical mastery and spiritual possibility to which one goes toward risk with as much abandon as possible." -- Andrea Mead Lawrence

Kent loved to explore and wander, and inspired me at times to do the same. Kent, we will miss you tremendously.

-Laura

Laura,

Thank you for the funeral summary. Like so many posters to this board, I have been following along with deep sadness. I knew very little about Kent, but he seemed like the quintessential person who thoroughly understood his priorities and desires in life.

He was a role model, not only for his children, but also for others who knew him. What a blessing to be able to start a practice with his brother and keep it going for so many years. That, in and of itself, is something to aspire to.

I miss this man I never met.