Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Portal Road

"Leave the drama in the theatre." m.c.

There is a reason this won't go away. The tragic death of Wade was a very emotional and traumatic event to everyone on this board.You can't just tell people to forget about it.People haven't vented or grieved enough to find solice.There is a natural grieving period and people haven't reached it yet. Coupled with the highly charged and polarizing personalities and morality/ethics issues raised with posting the SAR recovery pictures of this horrible death on our mountain has made this a unique topic that people need to resolve.It will go away when people have had enough. Deleting or telling people to let it go hasn't worked for a very important emotional reason. People aren't ready to let it go because the issue hasn't been resolved nor have peoples trauma over it healed.

Just because some are ready to move on, some aren't. Rightfully so.You can't impose your readiness to move on to everyone till they are ready.

I've been staying away from this board lately because of things like this but felt like expressing my thoughts about it then I'm gone.
What is getting to be constant bickering here is ridiculous.What happened to Wade is tragic to say the least but to have so many people posting,and speculating and offering ideas about search and rescue and where to look for him was totally disrespectful to the family and SAR.And this post is another example of that.
This was a great message board and in some ways still is.You people need to go back to trip reports,trail conditions,equipment recommendations and Mt.Whitney.Save the BS for some teenage prepubescent message board.
I'm gone,out of here,logging off and never coming back and I know it's no big deal,nobody cares and everyone will go on with their lives.I've met some really great people through this board that I will continue to stay in touch and hike with.Good luck Doug.

I hate conflict too fish395 but sometimes the family has to talk to work out their issues. If something isn't fully dealt with it, it just becomes denial and repression of emotion. That isn't healthy, working through it can be.It would be a wonderful world if there wasn't pain,death,sorrow and issues to be discussed that are polarizing.Some stuff just has to be dealt with and not ignored.Can't hide your head in the sand and pretend there aren't painful reality of lifes issue that need to be resolved.

I respectfully - and emphatically - disagree with the latter part of that statement. As a community of people focused on Whitney, that is one of the benefits of this board - helping others. A few borderline posts aside, the original thread (still available) regarding Wade's disappearance on the mountain was overwhelmingly positive and geared towards finding and rescuing the man, not recovering him. The people with the most knowledge about this mountain were offering ideas as to where he might be - hurt, sick, injured, lost, disoriented - who knows? Re-read that thread and I think you'll see that it was in no way disrespectful to his family, who were also participating and grateful for everyone's concern.

If I'm ever in trouble on Whitney and overdue, I hope to God that everyone on this board overloads a thread with ideas that might lead someone to my assistance. The alternative? Someone goes missing and this community ignores it and just trades attaboys about their latest hikes? Pleeeeeze!

Just so we're clear, by those comments I meant the fireworks surrounding Richard's photos. Like Doug said - enough! As to Wade's death and how it impacts all of us - now and possibly in the future - I believe lots of dialogue should take place. It helps bring closure to a large group of people who were with him in spirit on that mountain for 5 long nights, and it may one day prevent someone else from being the subject of one of Doug's posts. Time well spent, IMHO.

I won't belabor my point but since it is being questioned I will say this: Both sets of pictures featured an operation where a "deceased victim is involved". I never mentioned pictures of bodies. And there were remains near the Fossett crash site.

There is a real difference.

Steve Fossett was a public figure - (I avidly followed his exploits). His discovery/recovery was a public event.

Wade Brunette, and his family, on the other hand, are private citizens and deserve just that - privacy.

Wagga,

Exactly. Somewhat akin to an archaeological site.

I could not state it better if I tried for hours. It will go away when those, albeit E-voyeurs, are ready to let go.

That doesn't help at all. I may not agree with your last post, but I still wish to hear your opinion. So, actually, I do care. Join the other whitney "message board" or stay on this one, your view is important.

Fish395.......I think the problem with your supposition is that the people on this board are not just people who hike or climb Mt Whitney. It's obvious to me that everyone on this board, from Moose to Richard to Wagga to DocRodneydog and others, don't just hike this mountain.......they LOVE this mountain. How else do you explain JustHike's thread about cleaning up trash off the mountain and even carrying 5 pounds of other peoples excrement off the mountain? How can you explain Moose wearing antlers and hiking to the top of every peak near Bishop and Lone Pine? And how about her and several others telling Wades family that they would be there for them and actually driving to be with them? How do you explain cancer survivors like Doc, Climbstrong, Melville and me making not just the mountain, but the journey important? And most of all, how do you explain Doug putting up with all of us? It's not because it's about the gear, the boots, the trail conditions.....It's about a deep love every person on this board has for their mountain, our mountain.

I get excited every time I do read a trip report, whether it's from a "rookie" like me, or a more experienced climber, like Richard. I looked at every pic of the Thor Peak hike on October 17th. I was jealous! I watched the video by Kurt Wedberg and felt my hands sweat just watching these climbers on the face of Mt Russell. And I watched as hundreds of people on the board cared about Wade in a very unselfish and giving way. I don't see anything wrong with that and I for one, am proud of them.

OK, I have a controversial question: What does IMHO mean? I've seen it twice in this thread and can't figure it out.

PS-
Well said quillansculpture.

In my humble opinion

Got it, IMHO.

I have read the posts and see a pattern of positions as with most debates all sides will make the best of a position, facts and inference will play into the debate. The very real world event that has happened is one person on a mountain without witnesses is no longer with us, this event is very tragic and the ability to make reason of the accident leaves many questions.These are questions that may not have answers. We can offer and share in the sorrow of the family and friends for the loss . Can we learn from this, my life experience says we tend to hold ourselves at a distance above the rest, and are subject to follow the past.
E. Durkheim wrote about mores and his proof to his peers was not by numbers and other studies, but he said violate one and you will know , they exist as we enter and guide us as we grow, we have now tested that theory. Please out of respect. Thank you Doug

Quillansculpture - I couldn't agree with you more. I have never hiked Whitney, I have only been to the Portal for pancakes...so far. Making the hike/summit is high on my list of things to accomplish before my time is up. For now, I read the board to learn about the mountain and what it takes to summit.
The TR's and pictures from everyone on this board, especially Laura (I'm a big fan of da Moose), almost allow you to visualize the entire trip before you set foot on the trail. Their personal experiences mixed with expert advice from Doug, Kurt, Richard, & others are what it's all about for me.
As Wade's story unfolded, the compassion displayed by everyone on this board was absolutely overwhelming. I have never seen such a widespread community pull together so tightly for a person that they didn't even know. It moved me in a way that I can't explain. The only thing I can be sure of is that these people love their Whitney, they respect her and pay homage to her as often as possible. I feel privilaged to be here and hope to make my Whitney summit some day soon. Until then, I'll be here reading your stories, looking at your pictures, and dreaming...so I thank you all!
Stacy

Only with the free flow of information, can future ignorance, mistakes, accidents, etc. be avoided. However, words are usually sufficient when someone dies.

Full Moon no more!

Stacy, be careful - it's addictive. My wife calls it "Whitney crack", and I have to get my fix on a regular basis through this board. I'm not one of the fortunate ones who can swing over to the Sierra for a weekend of hiking, living 2500 miles away, but for several years Mt. Whitney has been a focal point for me. I'm a reasonably avid hiker, averaging about 300 trail miles per year, and have rambled through just about every national park you can name in the lower 48. Hiking national parks is my hobby, and I rarely centered a trip west on anything that wasn't run by the NPS.

My fascination with Whitney evolved from my annual winter camping trips to Death Valley. I would swing through Lone Pine and just stare at that majestic, snow-covered mountain and think, "one day". When I finally took my first shot at Whitney this past summer, I was hooked - as far as I'm concerned, I'll be back at least once a year for the experience. A journey up this mountain has laid hands on my soul like no other hike I've done, and I've toted a backpack thousands of miles in my 52 years. This message board is my vicarious tonic till the next trip, and as Joe (quilliansculpture) eloquently states, it's a community of like-minded people who love this mountain in a very special fashion. I look forward to a winter in which I can log on to the WPSMB to read trip reports and see current photos of this mesmerizing mountain and environs by the Mooseys, Bobs, Richards (are you listening Richard?) and other icons of this community.

Really, Mt. Whitney should come with an FDA warning label - along with Doug's cheeseburgers and pancakes . . .