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Articles
Memorial for Craig Hightower
| by Kevin Whilden |
9/1/2007 |
This month, the Bay Area kayak
community sadly mourns the loss
of Craig Hightower, who touched
so many people with his generosity
and caring, and his zeal for fun on
the water. Craig was one of those
people who lived his life to the
fullest capacity. Even though that
sounds cliché, with Craig it was
more true than anyone I have met,
as he shared his happiness with
others in way that was highly contagious.
Whether it was on the
river, the ocean, the surf, or in the
campground , Craig had a huge
smile on his face and always had
the capacity to make sure others
were having an equally good time.
I met Craig this past June, when he
offered to take me down the Chili
Bar run on the South Fork of the
American. I had just moved to
California, and he replied to my
post on the GCP email list. He
showed me the lines and we had a
great time together, and at the end
he invited me to join him on his
birthday weekend on the same
river in July. The story of that
weekend can perhaps best illustrate
who he was.
When I arrived at Camp Lotus, I
learned that all of my parking and
camping expenses were paid. Craig
then arrived with his van filled
with the most deluxe camping
amenities. Out came eight reclining
camping lounge chairs, an icy keg
of his favorite microbrew, several
coolers of food including his favorite
tri-tip steaks, lanterns and many
smaller items to make the camp
more comfortable for everyone.
He was still smiling, even
though he spent most of the afternoon
stuck in heavy traffic rather
than surfing Barking Dog which
was his favorite surf spot on the
planet. That night, as conversation
revolved around past and future
kayak trips, I met many of his old
friends and some people as newly
acquainted as myself. Everyone
was made to feel welcome when he
was around.
The next day, we started with
Craig artfully handling the shuttle
logistics for a dozen kayakers with
different needs and skill levels.
We started with the class II
Coloma to Greenwood run, where
Craig organized the instructional
aspects for the newly fledged
kayakers in the group. He loved to
get people involved in kayaking,
and had also started the
ClassTwoKayakers@Yahoo.com
group where he regularly organized kayaking trips for
beginners and kept up a steady stream of tips and tricks
for newbies. This list is still active, so please consider
joining if you haven't already.
At the end of C-to-G, the more experienced paddlers
continued on down the Gorge run. Craig had more ear to
ear smiles while surfing waves, running Satan's
Cesspool multiple times, and punching as many holes as
possible. However, one more aspect of his nature came
out in a dramatic way. He was a master of being prepared
for any situation, which is no surprise as his regular
job was the program manager in charge of keeping
the FAA's flight computers and radars working at all
times. When we encountered another pair of kayakers
below Hospital Bar, one of them had a large cut on his
forehead from an encounter with the big rock on river
left. Craig pulled out his first aid kit, so the guy could be
patched up. I usually only carry my first aid kit on
harder rivers, as do most of us, but Craig knew better.
The next day, Craig again handled the complex shuttle
logistics with aplomb and helped everyone else pack up
camp before packing his own gear. The run down Chili
Bar was beautiful and fun as always, and we played and
surfed at every opportunity. However Troublemaker was
the highlight, while the group ran it multiple times.
Craig developed the signature "Hightower Line", which
is to run the rapid backwards and occasionally upside
down. I'm not sure if that was an intentional decision,
but from the way he was smiling at the end, you could
not tell the difference. His friends will make the
Hightower Line a tradition on future trips.
I'm sorry that I won't get to plan more kayak trips with
Craig, or develop our Dutch oven cooking skills as we
had planned. I'm really going to miss him, as will so
many of his friends and loved ones.
However he was someone who made the most of the
time given to him, and he has hopefully inspired many
others to do the same. Rest in peace, Brother.
There is a tribute page for Craig at
http://www.regathon.com/craighightower.
Please share your thoughts of him if you haven't already.
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