Benjio

Yah I was out there this morning with a whole mess of guys from work. We had a nice memorial time where we got to celebrate Nates life and share fond memories we all had of our time with him. Thanks to whoever was climbing and took a break while we were there. Also thanks for cross-posting some more details about what happened. We were basically left to wonder and speculate, so it is actually helpful towards some form of closure. Of course it is tragically sad to think that it was a preventable accident, but helps to remind us all to be careful and watch out for each other. Thanks for all the condolences. It's tough even to write this; every time insay his name or remember a specific memory my eyes start to well up and my lips begin to quiver as I realize I'll never see him again. He left us with nothing but great memories. Godspeed Nate.

Yah, that's my boy there. We were all gathered around a buddie's laptop watching videos and looking at pics of Nate today; it's strange to think I'll never get to talk or laugh with him again. Although he loved his job and was an incredible firefighter to work with, a picture of him rowing old ladies around for fun in Cambodia or topping a snowy peak in South America would better show his true nature and loves.

Sorry, they sent us all home today and I don't have a good pic with me. And yes, we (FF's) are a tight group. We basically live like a family every third day for 24 hours straight; we cook/eat, exercise, learn/train, run calls, enjoy downtime in the evening, and sleep at the station together. He was part of a group of REALLY tight guys who loved to travel. Seems like he was on a trip as much as he was ever at work. He loved going places and doing stuff all over the globe. A good portion of his travel included serving with MTI out of Portland providing aid and teaching around the world. That'll probly be my last post on here. I was poking around earlier looking for info on the details of what happened and then it got deleted. Thanks for the kind thoughts though. It still doesn't seem real. Thanks for the memories Nate, you are gone but you'll NEVER be forgotten.

His name is Nate Turner; some may have known him as Nathan. At the station we called him Natedog. He and a friend had climbed up somewhere on Beacon Rock and then he fell on the rappel down. His family has all been notified and are adament about nobody else contacting them. The info/his name has been made public a few other places, so it's ok to put here.

I read that last thread on this and tried to post a response but the whole thing got deleted. I used to climb a tiny bit but haven't in a few years; I just reg'd here to send out a quick note and remembrance about Nate, my good friend. I work with him at the fire station and he rides behind me in the fire truck each shift. He was (and will always be remembered as) an amazing friend and guy in general who's loss will leave a hole in our hearts that nothing or nobody will ever be able to fill. Everything he did, he did with passion; he was an inspiration to me and everyone who met him. I basically got to live with him every third day on shift at the statoin (when he wasn't off traveling the world looking for his next big adventure). I will forever remember Nate as the guy who grinned from ear to ear no matter how crappy the job was we were doing, the guy who sat next to me at every meal time and loved to laugh together, the guy who put as much heart and effort into a mundane task at work as he did climbing, and the guy who helped make me excited about going to work each morning. The tragic loss of "Natedog" as we called him, will be heavy on our hearts and minds for years to come. I'm sure I'll still expect to see him smiling each morning and ask me how my girls are each morning when I walk into the locker room for years to come. mods can do whatever they want with this -- Nate was such a free spirit, he probly wouldn't care either way...