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Chief Joseph
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Joined: 10 Nov 2007
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Location: Verlot-Priest Lake
Chief Joseph
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PostTue Sep 08, 2020 10:43 pm 
fourteen410 wrote:
What terrible news frown.gif I never met Jake but always enjoyed reading his TRs. It seems he accomplished more in his short life than many do in their lifetime. Wishing peace and comfort for his loved ones.
That's exactly what I was thinking while reading of his accomplishments and of the many friends he obviously had. My condolences to all for this loss of a great friend, partner, and family member. Post script... I just have to add that 2020 has been such a trying and yes, painful year for many of us, I lost my x Wife last Saturday as well..I just hope that we can find the faith, courage and strength to carry on, as we know our fallen brothers would want us to. Climb higher! See you on the other side.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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Bluebird
suffering optional



Joined: 22 Jan 2014
Posts: 199 | TRs | Pics
Location: United States
Bluebird
suffering optional
PostWed Sep 09, 2020 4:07 am 
from john roper: When Jake completed the Bulger List on June 15, 2019 at that time he became the youngest ever to do so at 24 years, 3 months, 11 days. · He also held the honor then of climbing the most new Bulger peaks (64! with no repeats) in a calendar year, surpassing the previous record of 45 in a year. Counting Bulger peaks he repeated on, his total that year was 73 (2018). · Jake became the fastest to complete 99/100 Bulger peaks (no repeats) in 2 yr, 11 mo, 23 d (7/23/2016 to 6/15/2019). He had climbed Adams in 2011. · Jake was well on his way to becoming the youngest to complete the Washington Top 100 by clean 400-feet of prominence (he only had Castle, Liberty Cap, and Lincoln to go).

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Gil
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Joined: 29 Sep 2004
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Gil
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 4:57 am 
Very sorry to hear this. I didn't know him, but he sounds like an amazing person.

Friends help the miles go easier. Klahini
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sbishoff
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Joined: 09 Sep 2020
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sbishoff
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 7:57 am 
Hi all. I can't tell you how much it means to me to see all the people Jake touched with his adventurous optimism and all the amazing things he did in the past years. Jake and I were best friends in high school and though I'm by no means even 1% of the climber he was, it makes me very proud to think I was one of his earliest hiking buddies. After graduation, Jake and I took a two-week road trip down to Moab, Zion, Yosemite, etc... It was one of the best experiences of my entire life. Some of the photos I've shared below are from that trip in 2013. We had so many epic trips and adventures during high school, most of them out in the beautiful landscape of Washington. To this day, every time I go camping, hiking, swimming in a creek, I think of my time with Jake. Some things I always remember about Jake: He was a great guitar player and could play literally any classic rock cover. He was a pyromaniac (we would spend hours in his backyard blowing up fireworks VERY IRRESPOSIBLY). Making homebrew wine in his closet (pretty sure we've already 'fessed that one up to his parents...). The Robinson's house was like a second home to me, and Jake's family always welcomed me. I love each and every one of them, and my heart aches for their loss. I know I speak for all that knew him when I say that Jake was a bright spot in all of our lives. Of course, as all of you have already mentioned, the best things about Jake were his unrelenting positivity and his love for the outdoors. Growing up would have been a lot different without him, and I'm still reeling from thinking I'll never get to hike another trail with him. But I think back to all the incredibly beautiful vistas I got to share with him, and it gives me some comfort that that's how I get to remember him.
Posin' at Delicate Arch
Enjoying the view in Canyonlands, UT
We took pretty bad selfies on this trip...
One of my favorite memories with Jake. We got up early in the morning to climb Angels Landing in Zion and got to see the sunrise while having the top all to ourselves.
Jake's typical sense of humor. I can see why we got along...
All the campsites near Zion were full so we got the last hotel room available which ended up being the honeymoon suite lol.gif
The remains of a backyard sparkler bomb

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cascadetraverser
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Joined: 16 Sep 2007
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cascadetraverser
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 8:10 am 
I only recent started communicating with Jake as we texted each other a lot about all the remote places out there in the cascades to be visited and climbed. He was so fun to chat with I insisted we meet up for a beer and he liked that idea so we shared some beers (he seemed to know quite a lot about them as well!) appropriately around a fire in our backyard. My whole family dropped in as is common at our place and everyone really liked him. He was such a kind, positive, smart and funny guy. I was so looking forward to hiking with him and continue to share beta and life's stories (I couldn’t believe how much he new already which what seemed to me a relatively short span of backcountry travel). When Eric broke the news to me, I just couldn’t believe it and it’s been hard not to think of him these past days. We all lost someone special. RIP Jake, You will be in my heart and mind when I travel in the backcountry soon....

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marydave
Musical Hikers



Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Posts: 182 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
marydave
Musical Hikers
PostWed Sep 09, 2020 8:30 am 
I don't think I had met Jake, but his goodness and humor along with his great and growing ability came through his trip reports. My heart goes out to his family and his friends in the community.

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Redwic
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Joined: 23 Feb 2009
Posts: 3292 | TRs | Pics
Location: Going to the Prom(inence)
Redwic
Unlisted Free Agent
PostWed Sep 09, 2020 8:35 am 
Wow. Just wow. bawl.gif

60 pounds lighter but not 60 points brighter.
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neek
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neek
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 10:57 am 
I couldn't wait to get down from Jack Mountain last weekend and tell Jake about the climb and about all the common acquaintances I ran into out there. Brett and Alden in the parking lot, Bob Bolton on the route, Greg Slayden (of peakbagger.com fame) at the summit. I never got to send that message. Jake would often check in with me, see what I was up to, give tips and advice on routes and gear. He seemed almost as excited about my trips as I was. When he learned I was heading to Goode and Storm King a few weeks ago, he flooded me with beta and encouragement, as well as his personal rapelling checklist, knowing I was nervous about the outing and relatively inexperienced on technical terrain. One of his last notes to me (Thursday): "[John] Roper is always watching. Always" (regarding peak naming in trip reports). Recently he asked me about Little Big Chief. I was like whoa, how could I possibly possess any mountain information that would be useful to someone as accomplished and capable as you. Most of the hikes we did were straightforward, but I will never forget how he and Fletcher helped calm my nerves while getting up to and down from the icy tip of Whitehorse. Often our conversations weren't about the mountains, but politics, social media, philosophy. He read every nwhikers post and was concerned by some of the animosity on display, wanting everyone to work towards building a positive and supportive community. His voice held me back from posting a few overly emotional responses more than once. How can it be that someone barely half my age was such a friend, mentor, and voice of reason? Aaron used the words I would have exactly - "wise beyond his years". Usually wisdom comes with age; how was he able to shortcut the process so effectively? Several of you called him real and genuine, and I agree. I think that was in part due to his humility, his willingness to admit to uncertainty and vulnerability. In a world where everyone seems full of themselves and thinks they know all the answers, he was a breath of fresh air. Of course we are not writing these words and posting these pictures for Jake, but for those whose lives he touched, those who must cope with his loss and somehow get on with life while integrating his memory with their souls, where he will live on. My thoughts for the past few days have been of him, but of course shift around. Then the realization comes back, and each time it's like getting punched in the face. Yes, this real, this is what happened. It is a fixture of Einstein's deterministic universe, if you take that approach. The truth is I only knew Jake for a few years, and we weren't attached at the hip or anything. I can only imagine--no, I can't come close to imagining--what his close friends and family must be going through. Having my own child gets me a tiny step closer maybe. But despite its relative brevity, Jake lived a full life, truly maximizing what he was given, as we must all strive to do. It's been a challenging year, and it's not over yet. I think Jake would ask that we step back a bit, take a deep breath, reflect on the importance of human relationships, and try our best to forge a positive and respectful path through this strange digital world that seems to have sprung up around us overnight. I watched it materialize; he was born into it. There are questions we must ponder, knowing we'll never have the answers. Can a tragedy like this bring us closer, help us appreciate the truths and passions behind even the most intense communication? RIP Jake, we'll miss you.

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GregSlayden
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GregSlayden
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 11:05 am 
My interaction with Jake was very limited, but I looked forward to more trips. He was an incredibly generous soul--I think about Jake's standing offer to help Bob Bolton summit Jack Mountain (Bob's last remaining of the 150 USA P4K peaks) by hauling his overnight pack up to high camp to help in his quest. It's a grueling and difficult approach and no one else who had already been in to Jack Mountain would make such an offer to go back like that. Jake's alpine exploits are already legendary, but I had the distinct honor of having him along on a silly 30-mile bicycle/ferry journey to a San Juan Islands summit last year. He had bike trouble the night before and I loaned him my poorly-maintained old mountain bike (older then he was). He still had strongest legs on our 1000' ascent on steep roads despite the rest of us having new sleek road bikes. A great memory and it's horribly tragic that there will be no more. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and the entire northwest climbing community.

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awilsondc
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Joined: 03 Apr 2016
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awilsondc
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 12:51 pm 
I still can't believe this is real... Hiking into Royal Basin, Jake made a remark about how he wasn't athletic. WHAT?!? I said, he was clearly a top level hiker, but he kept mentioning how he wasn't very good at traditional american sports. I tried to convince him his hiking and climbing prowess very clearly indicated he was an exceptional athlete, but he wouldn't accept the compliment. That was Jake, always humble. When he became the youngest person to ever complete the Bulger list, he didn't make a single mention of it anywhere. Only a few people even knew that it happened, but that's how he wanted it. He never wanted to talk about himself or his accomplishments, he always took interest in what you were most interested in, your passions... that's what he wanted to talk about. I think it helped him understand people better. For me, we'd often talk about photography. I heard the news of his passing on Monday. I had Tuesday off, scheduled for hiking but suddenly I didn't feel very motivated. I decided to go for a peak we both had a failed attempt on and headed off for Marmot Pass at 1 am Tuesday morning. I got to the pass and took some sunrise photos. It was cold and windy and I was sad so I just headed home. When I went over my photos this morning I noticed that I had captured a sunrise that looks remarkably like a human eye. The symbolism here is obvious. RIP Jake.
I see you
I see you

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pwrobinson
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Joined: 09 Sep 2020
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pwrobinson
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 2:12 pm 
From Jake's Mom and Dad: We so want to thank everyone for sharing their thoughts about our wonderful boy. Our family is so touched by reading this outpouring of love. Everyone is so helping our collective hearts heal and we can't express in words the gratitude we feel to this amazing community of amazing people. Know that Karin, Charlie and I are hugging everyone of you and are wishing to one day meet you all. We love Selena so much. She has been with us literally as soon as she hiked out from Devil's Dome on Monday. She is so kind and thoughtful and it helps to see the same love surrounding her from you all. Please. Please all of you be safe and smart in the mountains.

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Dustin R
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Joined: 30 Aug 2017
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Dustin R
veteran rookie
PostWed Sep 09, 2020 3:12 pm 
My interactions with Jake were also very limited, but over the years lurking nwhikers I looked forward to reading his words. He had a way of making the reader feel included. There was never any pretense, and he was so good at explaining the technical aspects of traveling through the mountains in a way that most anyone could understand. A few years ago as I was planning a trip into the Bannock Lakes, I reached out after he and Fletcher completed a nice loop via the PCT. He was so excited for me to see the area, and provided everything from his GPX through the brush to beta on ground wasps near Canyon Lake. I loved clicking into a trip report and seeing Jake responding to congratulate someone on an accomplishment that was probably 10 levels below what he was doing. It didn't matter to him, he was just stoked that someone was stoked enough to put time into writing out their experience. Mountain culture has a tendency to lean the other way and it's always so refreshing to see this kind of attitude on display - especially from one of the prominent members of the community.
neek wrote:
He read every nwhikers post and was concerned by some of the animosity on display, wanting everyone to work towards building a positive and supportive community. His voice held me back from posting a few overly emotional responses more than once. How can it be that someone barely half my age was such a friend, mentor, and voice of reason?
I hardly knew him, my heart goes out to his friends and family. I'll sorely miss seeing his name on this forum.

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John_B
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John_B
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 3:40 pm 
I didn't know Jake but certainly looked forward to any trip report I saw with his name next to it. His TRs served as both as inspiration and ideas for my travels. I'll be sure to think of him as I continue to travel in the North Cascades. Much love to all that knew him.

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zephyr
aka friendly hiker



Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 3361 | TRs | Pics
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zephyr
aka friendly hiker
PostWed Sep 09, 2020 5:47 pm 
So very sad to see this news. I just now logged onto NWHikers since Monday. Yesterday was a long day--hiking on the Olympic coast. I've never met Jake, but have read many of his reports and enjoyed his climbs with his friends over the years. I particularly enjoyed his recent climb of Bear's Breast Mountain with Selena (Bluebird) and Fletcher. My sincere condolences to you Selena, Fletcher, Jake's family and many friends. This is heartbreaking to hear. ~z

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BaNosser
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BaNosser
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PostWed Sep 09, 2020 5:56 pm 
My most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends... I'm stunned..

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