Last Sunday evening I met up with some old friends to climb the 2nd Flatiron in Chautauqua Park in Boulder, to commemorate and celebrate Dan Sidles’ life.
Dan took part in our first No Barriers Warriors expedition to 20,075-foot Lobuche in Nepal, back in 2010. Then, he signed on as a mentor on the next year’s Warriors expedition to Cotopaxi in Ecuador.
On the third day of the Cotopaxi climb, there was another soldier ready to quit. Dan pulled him aside and told him that he’d been in that very same spot the year before. He admitted how nervous he was on the first day, that he broke out in a sweat; his hands were shaking, and he was a couple of minutes away from jumping back on the plane and flying home. But he’d stuck it out, with encouragement from team members, and Dan asked the soldier to do the same. That soldier took Dan’s advice. He stuck it out. He wound up not only summiting the mountain and finishing the program but now he’s gone on to do some great work training service dogs for other veterans. So thank you, Dan, for caring so much about your teammates.
Dan loved being a part of those teams, comparing it to his service in the Marines. He said a climbing expedition felt similar to a military operation, in the way that everyone watches each other’s backs. For a tough Marine, he had a soft side too. He said that everyone just wanted to feel loved. I only wish Dan could have experienced that loving rope team in his daily life.
Sunday was a beautiful night. Thunder cells threatened in the distance, but the weather held. We climbed together with no ropes, and Charley provided me vital beta of where to grab. Near the top, we stepped off to the side of the trail and scattered Dan’s ashes. It gave us a chance to remember Dan, to tell stories, and to have a little closure.
Semper Fi.
