Leif and Natalie

Dave at Kootenai Falls, 2010 Dave Schmitt As many of you already know, our good friend Dave Schmitt died last Friday, May 6th. He and a friend were in the War Memorial Stadium at the University of Wyoming the night before his graduation, and — to present a very condensed version of the events that were described to me — Dave fell trying to climb onto a ledge that wasn't there. There was a small amount of alcohol involved, but Dave was never known to drink to excess. They weren't being irresponsible or clowning around, just having fun. It mostly sounds like a case of very bad luck. Natalie and I were very shaken when we heard of Dave’s passing while on our way to camp the night before a high-water Gore run. We quickly decided to stick with our original plan, and we had a great run in our friend’s memory. Dave was an exceptional person. There is a tendency to see the recently deceased in overly flattering light, but in Dave's case, all the praise is deserved. Dave was ...