I was just a kid in love with the mountains when Bucky invited me to join him and Brian on a hike to the carbon glacier. It was one of those first mountain experiences that inspired me to live as much of my life in the mountains as I could. I can say that that trip, my only trip with Bucky, pushed me into mountaineering. I ended up climbing countless mountains because of Mike. Some of them were with his ice axe and helmet that he lent to me for earliest climbs. One of the great things that lives on in my life from Bucky is on most trips that I take into the mountains you will find a small quart can of foldgers coffee with a pound cake in it. pound cake is the exact dimensions of a foldgers can and is still in perfect condition when you get to camp. Nothing gets crushed or smashed. It's that special thing he taught me that I still use to this day, and I thank him for that. I wish I could have told him that myself.

Over the years I've heard so much about Bucky and Brian and the rest of the family through my dad. Mike always invited me on trips to the Tahoma Huts or Mt. Baker but I only had that one chance as a kid to hike into the glacier with him. He was a friend through the years. He came to my graduation party, he BS'd with me at the shop when I visited my dad, and he danced with us at our wedding. It's hard for me right now to sit here and cry through this post. Mike and my dad are a lot a like. They both gave their lives to working hard, and I mean hard, to pay for soccer shoes, lift tickets, hiking boots, and bikes that we needed to be the people we are today. They both picked the shifts needed to make the start of the games that seasons or have the days off to drive to the tournaments. They both gave them selves to the role of being fathers, and through that time they became such good friends. I wish they could of grown old together, sitting around talking about the latest transmissions and articulated 60 footers while drinking cheep beer together. Thank you for everything Mike.