You must be wondering why I’m posting autumn photos (and old, scanned ones at that) at the height of summer.
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This is Jeff:
Jeff would have been 40 today had he not developed eye melanoma ten years ago and succumbed to it three years later, only three weeks after marrying his longtime love.
Jeff was the key to unlocking the door to the more adventurous outdoors for me while we were students at Boston College. He worked at Eastern Mountain Sports in his spare time from school helping others get going on their adventures. He taught me how to rock climb at Hammond Pond. He took me camping in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I admired his navigation skills, his camp craft abilities, his calm under pressure as we hiked down in the dark from a summit in the White Mountains in mid-October. Those skills stuck with me. I wanted the confidence to do the same, to take care of myself and others outdoors. I can say without any hesitation he’s one of the reasons why I ventured into the outdoors realm for work decades later. I owe him huge thanks for helping inspire and nurture my garden filled with seeds of change.
I wish you a happy birthday Jeff. Miss you, my friend.
Kate Monahan Outdoors 