R.I.P. Mike Colpo
Mike Colpo riding peavine at Sunrise
I knew something was wrong when I saw a short, mysterious post about him on Facebook Friday. But J.R. called with the news. Mike Colpo passed away last week, quite unexpectedly, on a run along the Truckee River on December 7th 2011.
I regret that I new Mike far less well than I would have liked. We went on a few rides, had a few beers, he made us pancakes up on the mountain once or twice. We talked about writing, and used each other for sources in articles once or twice. He was genuine, thoughtful, caring, tough, smart, funny, happy and adventurous.
Mike had the idea one year for Bike To Work Day to ride up peavine with a stove and cookware and make everyone pancakes. It was a wako idea, but also an awesome one. We road way up to the shoulder below the radio towers and he had cakes and syrup hot and waiting for us. It was awesome. And impressive. Mike hauled the stove, pans and food up on his Xtracycle bike. Which is a big load and a big ride!
Mike and TBS crew eating Peavine Pancakes.
Many close to The Bacon Strip are close to either the Nevada Wilderness Project, which Mike was quite envolved in, or Patagonia Reno, where he worked, so he had a big impact on the TBS Family and we are sad to see him go. Chances are that those who weren’t as close to him have some good memory of him. Like the pancakes. He seems to have had a way to leave a bold impression, with out much time.
Guys like Mike never just disappear though. He’ll pull away and maintain a pace you can’t quite match. You see him cresting the hill way ahead and dig deep to catch him. He’ll drop in on the pow stash and you’ll just see him, a speck on the horizon until you’re not sure he’s still there at all. But like all adventure hounds, he’s there somewhere, among the trees and tall grass, his nose to the ground, thinking and looking for something fun.
Please tell us your favorite Mike Colpo story in the comments below.
-M
Obituary: Michael Vincent Colpo
(Reno Gazette-Journal, Dec 11, 2011) Mike Colpo, 36, passed unexpectedly on December 7, 2011. Mike was born on February 1, 1975 in Wilmington, Delaware to John and Sheila Colpo. He graduated from the University of Delaware and then headed West to earn a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno. Mike embraced mountain living immediately, and made Nevada his home.
Mike worked for Patagonia for 11 years. He was a beautiful writer and editor. Mike also taught for the National Outdoor Leadership School and treasured his time teaching others to appreciate the mountains he loved so passionately. He learned to cook on a camp stove in the wilderness and is known for, among so many other things, his amazing culinary talent.
Mike married Elizabeth Mosco on August 20, 2011. He was a more patient and loving husband than anyone could ask for. He is also survived by his parents, John and Sheila Colpo of Maryland; sisters MaryEllen Hearn (Bob) and Patricia Anderson (Dave) of Delaware; and brother John (Kara) of Delaware. He also leaves behind 10 nieces and nephews and countless other family and friends who love and miss him dearly.
Services will be held at Mountain View Mortuary at 425 Stoker Avenue, Reno, on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 2pm. Mike’s kindness and love touched everyone he met. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Nevada Wilderness Project (www.wildnevada.org) or The Nevada Land Conservancy (www.nvlc.org).
The time I asked him if he thought headlamps would be a good idea before he, Lee T, and I headed towards Bunker Hill in the Toiyabes comes to mind. We had spent the night at Spencer’s and the next morning was cold as we got our gear together and drove into Kingston. It was a long slog and I was not moving quickly, but we got close enough to the top to have a really nice ski down. About halfway down Colpo’s binding breaks, which also caused him to lose his camera. I’m not sure how he got down the slope exactly b/c I’m pretty sure he ripped the screws out, but we all did as the sun dropped. It was a true race against the fading light as Mike tried to repair his binding for the long skin back around to Kingston. Lucky for us, we had a full moon rise later that night and everyone was able to laugh on the way out about how little space and weight a headlamp is compared to its incomparable value and use.
He went back several times to look for the camera, but never found it as far as I know, which was a shame. I do know that he always carried a headlamp when we went out after that.
I’ll miss my friend and frequent Nevada ski partner.
I knew Mike mostly through emails back and forth about blogging, salmon and dam-busting. Just a few months ago, I finally got to meet him in person. He was welcoming, kind, passionate about his life and driven. He was an incredible man and a wonderful editor to work with. I think you’re right. People like Mike just don’t disappear. His work and spirit will live on in the adventures we all take and the places we all fight to protect. Rest in peace, Mike.
my fondest memories containing Mike Colpo reside in the Schell Ck range when a bunch of us skied into the “deer slayer cabin” and stayed and skied over a long weekend in February, probably in 2007 or so. it was a 6 mile approach and our party of 12 people arrived in 3 or 4 groups and skied in separately. about half of the group started skiing the 6+ miles before dark and had the benefit of a snowcat assist to get some of the food and beverages closer (within 2 miles) to the cabin. Mike arrived in the next party, just in time to find the snowcat unloading supplies and Cameron figuring out how to haul it on to the cabin. several loads were ferried well into the night, in blizzard conditions, to deliver everything to the cabin. i’m pretty sure Colpo was out hauling part of every one of those loads.
the remainder of our party arrived much later in the night, skiing miles into unfamiliar terrain in a total blizzard to get there. more than once the cabin door would swing open and someone would shuffle in with a blast of wind and snow. cheers would erupt and you could see the relief in everyone’s faces as our entire party was eventually accounted for.
the next morning we woke up to a bunch of new snow and terrain worth skiing in all directions. we were all pretty much blown away. Colpo and Jason had already set off for some advanced scouting, just like serious enthusiasts and competent guides that they were. i definitely got the feeling Mike was in his element. as a seasoned backcountry traveler, he had the savy to bring along things like a collapsible water bucket. that was handy for fetching water from the nearby creek for dishes and cleaning up, especially with 12 people and 4 dogs in a cabin that had “beds” for 10 or so. i was so impressed with the simple utility of such a tool i’ve had one in my camp kitchen. thanks Colpo!
oh, and the point of the ramble here… as part of organizing for this trip, we split into teams for dinner planning and cooking each night of the trip. if my memory serves me correctly, Mike Colpo and David Walker were the master minds behind the lentil burritos we had on night 2 or 3. nutritious and delicious as they were, the consequences were all too real. 12 folks, small cabin, bean farts, one out house… it was epic.
please have a look at the photo gallery from the trip here
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/1221831_jSGpQm
and especially this one of Colpo, in his element
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/1221831_jSGpQm#57303924_9b8Vf-L-LB
in the few times i got to visit and rally with Mike i could see he was a man of genuine enthusiasm and natural talent. his passion for the mountains and being in them was contagious. we will all miss you, Colpo. see you in the mountains.
Mark McDaniel
This is so very sad! Mark, I remember that trip so well. Thanks for posting the link. I remember pulling up to the trailhead late. I couldn’t get there until much later and everyone had skied and catted in hours before. It was dark, snowing, and windy. I was alone, sans two dogs. I was determined to get into the cabin that night, but feeling apprehensive heading off into unknown territory, alone, in the dark with a blizzard bearing down. Up pulls a truck and out steps Colpo. I distinctly remember the feeling of my fear and apprehension subside. Hell, it was Colpo and nothing could possibly go wrong now. Mike and I and the dogs made the trek in arriving to the cabin around 2 am. We had to stop and check maps on occassion, reset our bearings, et. (yup, we even used headlamps at times). But that is Mike. He had an air of calm, even in the worst of conditions. Mike made you feel welcome all the time, never a burden. Even when he had to wait on you while riding, skiing, whatnot, his emphasis was about the company you kept on the adventure. I had lost touch with him over the past couple of years but would run into him from time to time on the trail, and it was always the same: A friendly smile, it was about you, and when you said good-bye he always left you with this sense of calm and peace.
Thank you Mike, for bringing that peace to my life and to so many people. You will be missed!
This is awful. Mike was a really good guy. I met him through the Gooch, of course.
A few years back, a group of us who are used to ski-alpinism in the challenging, fickle Alps started doing Stupid Ski Tours around Tahoe.
SSTs are contrived winter mountaineering outings done in high-pressure periods when backcountry skiing gets really bad. Usually they involve some gawd-awful, exhausting peak traverse through miserable snow conditions just to see if it’s possible. Major fun!
Most normal people we know won’t even consider going with us. Probably because often we even skip good snow to complete the tour. We sometimes climb chutes we don’t ski back down. There also tends to be a fair bit of manzanita thrashing and my short-ish friend Beth is generally required to climb a tree.
One day, I was e-mailing back and forth with Mike about some work stuff and for some reason we got to discussing some ideas I had for several obscure, possibly painful, and definitely pointless ski traverses. To my everlasting surprise, Mike had actually skied a bunch of them. He even had suggestions for a number of others that he hadn’t done yet, including some that would require truly Olympian efforts. A man after my own heart!
Unfortunately, we never got the chance to do one of those tours together. I guess I figured we had plenty of time to get around to it. That’s just sad.
Mojo has jogged my memory and I’ve enjoyed the gallery again, causing me to dig deeper and unravel the memories of the ski trip into the Schell that weekend in February. there were at least 14 people and 6 dogs in the small cabin. Colpo and Mojo were the late latest arrivals, and the skiing and comraderie were even better than I’d remembered. I am grateful to have shared the weekend with Colpo and all the folks that were part of the trip.
to COLPO!
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/1221831_jSGpQm#57199234_9uPNZ-L-LB
Thanks Mark for the gallery. I find it healing to hear so many funny stories. We are lucky to know folks like Mike and have so many fun experiences. See you in Reno tomorrow.
Wallin