Exum Guide, George Gardner Dies in Fall
In the evening of July 19th, Exum Mountain Guides lost our beloved friend and fellow guide, George Gardner. George was soloing the Lower Exum Ridge, a climb he knew well. We do not know, and will never know, the cause of his death.
George was an Exum guide for 17 years. During the winter he was a popular teacher at various schools and at Sterling College. He was a mentor for younger guides. He was a devoted husband and father. He was a spiritual beacon for all who knew him, a seeker who readily shared the fruits of his search with others. He had a Nobel Prize-winning smile and an infectious love of whatever he was doing. Indeed, the word love was common in his speech, the idea intimate to his mind, it’s products present in his actions. He will be missed by all who knew him.
George often mentioned that his mentor at Exum was the legendary climber, Chuck Pratt and it was suggested that it would be appropriate to have something of Chuck’s included in George’s cremation. We selected something that expressed both our grief and George’s many fine qualities, a well used piton with a name that said much–Lost Arrow.
Please click here for a link to the Grand Teton National Park website for more information.
A fund for Gardner’s family has been set up at a Ridgeway, CO bank. Checks made payable to the George Gardner fund can be sent to: Citizen’s State Bank, P.O. Box 222, Ridgeway, CO 81432
