NORM ROHN
1/14/19 - 8/20/89 |
The Desert Peaks Section
and all of Norm's acquaintances have lost a good friend. By now, most of you
know that Norm passed away while leading an SPS trip over Taboose Pass into
Lake Basin with R.J. Secor.
When his good friend R.J. called to tell me
the news I didn't want to believe it. Norm was so big a man, looked so healthy
and he lived his life so fully. We had last met only eleven days before and
Norm gave me a list of desert topos he wanted me to buy; we made plans for a
fishing trip at the ocean this September and discussed doing a week's backpack
in the Sierra in 1990. Norm was so full of life.
Everyone shared in
Norm's generosity. He knew the geography of the desert and most of the routes
to its peaks. He shared this information willingly.
All of us will
remember the homemade camping trailer pulled by Norm's 4W0. He shared his
coffee, his plain wrap oatmeal cookies, his beer with everyone.
I'll
always remember while leading Norm's DPS List Finisher on South Guardian Angel
that he backpacked two large canned hams and a 4-liter box of wine for his
party at our base camp. Afterwards Norm left immediately to go deer hunting in
Utah.
Norm loved desert hot springs. He earned the Sierra Club hot
spring emblem and we visited any hot spring we passed by. He loved Saline
Valley Hot Springs even if he blew out two tires on the road in. He earned his
emblem at Deep Creek on a day in February when we hiked in from the north over
patchy snow covered terrain, waded the freezing water of Deep Creek to soak in
the steaming springs. Trouble is, we had to wade the icy water to return to his
car.
And the memories of the Argus Barbecue. Norm helped me with 5 of
the 7 barbecues where he was responsible for obtaining the several desert deer
it took for each feed. And Norm always made sure we had a good BBQ sauce and a
good marinade. And he always was afraid I wouldn't cook the meat long enough.
And he always served as sweep on the hike to Argus Pk when we would have as
many as 100 hikers at the start.
We will miss our friend! -- Ron
Jones |
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