Tree well death at Alta today.

[Slaag Master]

just saw this. happened a couple of months before i joined tgr. what a black hole tragedy. i was 1 year older than Tom and also have 5 kids so this really seems personal. Gail, i think that you can sense the feeling of brotherhood and loss within this great community, the tribe. most folk posting here never knew your husband yet we feel the sting of loss all the same. while your connecting with the tribe may bring us a sense of closure it really does not. it is great to hear that you and your children contine to ride and slide. there are many ways in which we honor our forerunners that pass beyond, usually with words and stones and with remembrance of things said and done. as a tribe we often struggle with a feeling of collective guilt over the deep enjoyment of an activity that never the less also produces so much suffering. most, in the end, decide that we honor best those we have lost when we continue to climb the ridgeline so that once again, we can forget the pain of loss for a moment as we surrender to bliss.

i stumbled across this thread around 3am this morning. all night i had been having a restless sleep. finally i sat up and checked fb only to see a post from my son who works at snowbird. seems that on his way down canyon he went off the road and rollled his suv 2 times!!! claims he only had a scratch on his finger. he is just 18. anyway, after reading that, 3 hours after it happened, there was no chance for sleep so i came over to our tribal campfire to shake it off. when i first saw this thread i thought - someone is digging up old posts - and passed it by. something made me come back and read it. it is not often that family come sit by the fire with us as we hash and rehash the sad news from the tribe. somehow we think that if only we get another detail things will make more sense. usually we wait in vain. understanding, the most elusive of treasures, always seems just beyond our wisdom and compassion. well, i am rambling, transferring as it were the shock fom my small world onto the back of the tribe. but tribe runs deep. tribe remembers.

earlier this summer i began a thread titled "tribe up", a collection of poems i have written over the years in an attempt to not only reconcile loss but to celebrate the bliss of the sport and the family we call tribe. perhaps you will find some thoughts there that will bring you a glimpse of understanding. thank you for your presence and your words.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...65032-tribe-up!!!!