Charles Houston passes away

[Gary_Yngve]

"the father of high-altitude medicine", led American K2 expeditions in 1938 and 1952

 

he gave a talk at UW about five years ago.. he told a funny story how he convinced the DoD to let him study the effects of altitude in a pressure chamber to predict the potential effects on high-altitude mount.. err.. pilots

 

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090929/NEWS02/90929008/Climber--researcher-Charles-Houston-dies

[ivan]

wise sir do not grieve

it is always better to avenge dear ones

than to indulge in mourning

for every one of us living in this world

means waiting for our end

let he who can achieve glory before death

when a warrior is gone

that will be his best and only bulwark

 

and to die is far different than what anyone ever supposed

and luckier

[Off_White]

Age 96. Nothing wrong with a long life well lived, we should all be so lucky.

[iluka]

A life well-lived...

[arentz]

He embodied a lot of what I value in mountaineering and in medicine. Cheers to a life that inspired many.

[wfinley]

wise sir do not grieve

it is always better to avenge dear ones

than to indulge in mourning

for every one of us living in this world

means waiting for our end

let he who can achieve glory before death

when a warrior is gone

that will be his best and only bulwark

 

and to die is far different than what anyone ever supposed

and luckier

 

While you get bonus points for choosing the Seamus Heaney translation - there's nothing to avenge here. Dr. Houston lived a long rich life that most only aspire to. RIP Doctor.

[ivan]

wise sir do not grieve

it is always better to avenge dear ones

than to indulge in mourning

for every one of us living in this world

means waiting for our end

let he who can achieve glory before death

when a warrior is gone

that will be his best and only bulwark

 

and to die is far different than what anyone ever supposed

and luckier

 

While you get bonus points for choosing the Seamus Heaney translation - there's nothing to avenge here. Dr. Houston lived a long rich life that most only aspire to. RIP Doctor.

it's my standard posting for deaths - if i might be so poetic, perhaps the best way to avenge the work of the grim reaper, who in this case was relatively merciful, might be to spend a big old day out in the hills?

 

the heaney version s! i've kinda hit a terminal point where i can't memorize past about the 1000th line

[Bigtree]

Gary, your linky is buggered, but this one appears to work: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090930/NEWS02/909300310/Doctor--climber-Houston-dies-at-96

 

Houston was an impressive guy.

[LostCamKenny]

wise sir do not grieve

it is always better to avenge dear ones

than to indulge in mourning

for every one of us living in this world

means waiting for our end

let he who can achieve glory before death

when a warrior is gone

that will be his best and only bulwark

 

and to die is far different than what anyone ever supposed

and luckier

 

Oh boy... I thought you saved that stuff for bivys and long approaches?

 

RIP, Doc!

[johndavidjr]

Durned Eastern'er......must'a been some sorta creep...

 

 

 

[iluka]

A great piece on Bill Moyer's journal about Charlie Houston including an interview and some old footage Houston shot himself on his expeditions...

 

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/10092009/profile2.html

 

 

 

[pindude]

Thanks for posting, Iluka.