Robert Dow

Dan was a good friend and this loss is difficult to accept. We met when I moved to Utah eight years ago and immediately became close. I've never met anyone like him and am proud to have known him as my friend. Not long after we met we climbed Mt Shasta together and in a small cabin on the lower flank of the mountain before we went up there was a discussion about meditation and he said, "Show me how, let's do it right now!". He took off like a rocket and continued to pursue his inner work with the same zeal and focus that he applied to mountain climbing, and everything else in his life. We did Enlightenment Intensives, went to the Zen Center and chanted with Tibetan monks. I was always amazed at his capacity, openness, and tenacity not to give up until he got "it". On Mt Shasta the next day these qualities were evident. The wind was so strong that he couldn't carry his snowboard sticking up out of the pack like a sail and attached it to a cord that dragged it behind him. Other people heading up that day thought it was kind of nuts and I didn't understand why he needed a snowboard to climb a mountain. But that was Dan, always a few steps ahead with a plan for more adventure. The wind flattened our tents around us during the night at base camp and in the morning everyone elected to head down except him. He was focused and intent, said the weather would be clear and calm by early afternoon and took off with the snowboard dragging behind him. He was the only person to summit that day and when checking in with our radios he described how clear and beautiful it was at the top, marveling at the fact of being there alone, a rare thing on such a heavily climbed mountain. I headed back down to the car and it wasn't long before Dan came sliding along. Being early summer the snow was still there and he had boarded from the very top to the car. His face was red from the elements, he had a grin like a Cheshire cat and I was in awe.

I received so much from having Dan in my life. He was the best man at my wedding and will always be the best man I ever knew. I am just so sad, and, as grief is praise, I laud you well my friend. I saw you, you lived a good life, and you were beautiful.

Love,

Robert