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

I am so sad we have lost a member of our message board family. He has been posting on this board for as long as I can remember. I love Mt Whitney as I'm sure Kent did-I will always think of him when I am there.

I am shocked and saddened to hear this. Like many of us here Kent was very much interested in the Whitney area. I especially enjoyed hiking with him and his family. He had a great personality and knew things (routes, shortcuts, etc.) that perhaps no one else did. I really feel for his family. They're a great bunch and Kent was very successful in instilling within them the great love that he had for the outdoors. He was also an active contributor on this message board.

Some days are harder than others , I watched the helicopter go up , thinking maybe a recon or moving material to Trailcamp


Some years ago I watched a large group going up the last section of the mountaineer's route. I sat on the side about half way up thinking if anyone had trouble I could climb over and help ,didn't want to intrude so just sat as the last member went onto the summit I moved on later I meet Kent and his family .

We would talk before and after trips and felt he had adopted this mountain and was always a force of reason , when he would post routes and pictures . I knew he had not only been there but had found the most logical way to go.


I sit here holding back the tears, nothing can be worst that losing a father a brother a husband a great person that has added joy to so many lives . Please let us all have a private
time to honor our years of knowing Kent and bless his family helping them get through these times. Thank you Doug

I'm absolutely stunned ... don't know what to say...

Yes, we are family. Thank you Bob for saying what the rest of us are thinking and feeling. I'm just very emotional about this right now. I never had the pleasure to meet Kent (my loss), but always admired his love of the mountains, his always-interesting posts here, and the fact that he was such a family man and had such an adventurous spirit. I believe he and I e-mailed a few times over the years, though it had been a while since the last one. I will definitely miss his presence and contributions here. Perhaps one of our next group hikes can be dedicated to him ... just a thought. Thank you so much Bob for letting us know about the funeral arrangements.

David (CaT)

How fortunate his family was to have had a Father,husband like him.

I envied his summits with his children
I felt his pride when his son successfully led a group to the summit
I feel their sorrow
I pray for their comfort

"On no subject are our ideas more warped and pitiable than on death...Let children walk with nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life, and that the grave has no victory, for it never fights. All is divine harmony." John Muir

RIP Kent

Kurt

As Kent's brother I would like to say thank you for all the posts in his behalf on this board. I have hiked Mt Whitney two times with my brother once on the trail and once up the Mountaineers route. He truly loved to hike in the Mt Whitney area. Every time we visited him in LA it wasn't long until his next hiking plan would come up or what new route he would be taking up some new peak in the area. Is is with great sadness to our family to hear of his passing, but I do find a measure of peace that he was in a place he loved so much.

great loss and sorrow for family and friends. perhaps someone that was closer to him than me can set up a memorial hike or some other way to express our repect of his accomplishments?

This is very sad news. Although I've never had the pleasure to climb with Kent, I have used his great route beta on many occasions.

RIP, Kent.

Kent left a pair of mountaineering boots behind which will assuredly never be filled.

I only knew Kent by reputation when he wrote me last September. He had read my trip report and wanted information on climbing Thor’s Stemwinder route. During the ensuing exchanges I was so impressed by his youthful curiosity despite a very impressive Sierra resume. But most of all, as a father I was in awe of the wilderness experiences he selflessly treated his family to.

I always kind of figured that I’d hear from him come spring, and that he’d invite me to come along when he climbed Stem for the first time, undoubtedly with a son or two at his side.

Rest in peace, Kent.

Dave

I can only offer my condolences to his family and friends.

May he rest in peace and his family make the trying times ahead.

Shocked and saddened by this. Sincere condolences to his family. This is very sobering.

it's a little late to say it, but thank you Kent for your posts, TR's and photos. i will miss them. i was always impressed how you were able to share your love of the mountains with your family. to me it seems more special when a mountaineer is able to share that passion with those they love most. you were very fortunate.

my prayers and condolences to the dear Ashcraft family.

norma

As a long-distance contributor, I've never had the chance to meet the folks on this board but when one of "our own" (if you'll permit me to include myself in "us") passes on, it hits home hard even 1700 miles away.

Knowing that Kent shared his passion for the mountains with his family underscores my own sense of value in the time that I've spent traveling and climbing with my son. The memories that they created together, along with the skills that he shared will be his legacy.

My condolences to his wife, kids and the rest of his family. May he rest in peace.

Owens Peak register entry.


Honoring the spirit of Kent Ashcraft.

Climbs don't get any tougher than this.

I used a differnt route today, Kent.

As I called my mom today after she left me a message I could not believe what I had just heard. I immediately thought of the of thousands of hours I had spent with Kent in and around the Whitney area. My mind also raced back to the countless hours spent on Thors alone. Whitney gets lots of the hoorah but of all the hikes we did in the area no mountain ever posed so much of a challenge to us as Thors. I remember the euphoria of finally making it after we had tried previously 4-5 times, each time being turned back by weather or the feeling that things just weren't right.
The last time I was hiking with Kent in the area we actually hiked Thors first and then went over to do some hikes out of Iceberg Lake. It was approximately five years ago and I remember telling him about 10:30 at night as we were sitting under the stars trying to stay warm that I was finally getting married. I remember chatting for hours that night and listening to his words of advice and stories from his "younger days". I'll never forget when we were camping at horseshoe meadows one night to acclimatize better and the next morning driving over to the portal, Kent pulled over and said "do you know how to drive yet?" I told him no since I was 14 or 15 and he said "now is as good time as any," as we switched places and I drove the rest of the way. Kent knew those mountains better than the back of his hand and he shared that knowledge freely with all who would listen. He was a great teacher of not just mountains but of lifes lessons as well.
Like my uncle Richard said there is some comfort knowing that he was in an area he loved so much. Kent was a great uncle and a friend and he will truly be missed by all who ever had a chance to know him.

Sorry, I can't figure out how to post these pictures of Kent and I and then one of Kent, Matthew and I on Thors five years ago. Here are the links:
http://image73.webshots.com/173/1/16/49/2701116490090947706ANRIia_ph.jpg

http://image62.webshots.com/662/1/60/23/2503160230090947706PTVvuJ_ph.jpg

Here is a link to my album with a few more photos of Kent.
http://community.webshots.com/album/571270789ISntYi?vhost=community

Although I never met Kent, he truly was an inspiration to many -- I include myself in that group, as I will be tackling the Mountaineer's Route with a handful of friends for the first time this August ... due, in part, to the wonderful photos of Kent, his wife, and the mini-Ashcrafts hitting that hike outta the park during their well-chronicled 2004 adventure.

On this family of Board members, there are occasional posters, "lurkers", anonymous users, and leaders. Kent was, without question, one of the leaders. What a huge loss, and my heartfelt condolences go out to the Ashcraft Family and the many friends and hiking partners he left behind.

BruinDave

No. I can't believe it. I'm so shocked and deeply saddened by this news. Like many here, I never met Kent..but felt like I had met him. His trip reports of his adventures with his sons never failed to inspire and his love of his family and the outdoors would always shine through. I do not have kids..but I can tell you, just from reading his reports on this forum with his kids, that when I do have children, I hope to be half the father to them that Kent was. My sincerest condolences. I can't find the words.

Chris

Very, very sad news. Kent was an oustanding person. I remember trading emails with him regarding a climb of the north ridge of Mt Irvine. He and his boys did this climb, took beautiful photos, and posted additional route information to this board. Kent was great at finding new variations to many destinations in the Whitney area.

May you rest in peace Kent,

Steve

My prayers go out to the family.