Buddha said "Be the light you wish to see in the world"
No one shone quite so bright as Lara. A loss of energy from this earth occurred with her passing. My first meeting with her was after an emotional good bye she and Chad had at KIA (Kahiltna International Airport, the snow-bound airstrip on the Kahiltna Glacier) on his way up for a speed record on Big Mac (Mt. McKinley). We all flew to Talkeetna and with a posse of folks to tear up the West Rib and Fairview for a good night of partying. The following morning I learned of Lara's love of eggs, eggs, eggs. My climbing partner, Robert, Lara, and I spent the day wondering around, chomping for info on Chad's ascent and just being happy climbers in the streets of Talkeetna.
Two months later I visited Lara in Seattle on my way to Bolivia and got the full tour of sushi, red wine, and her romping grounds all through the wind sheild of the old Volvo. Her love of life, big smile and enthusiasm for climbing and life kept me pumped for two months of guiding in Bolivia.
When I returned from South America she and Chad opened their door to a tired and strung out climber and I thank them for that. I left them a gift from Bolivia that though it had broken in transit was but a small offering to Lara's kindness and whole hearted energy that has infected all of us.
To Chad I send compassion.
To Lara you're with us always.
Brendan Cusick
Lara Kellogg
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- The breadth of her relationship to us is far reaching, her friendships deep and long lasting. Ever in motion, she lived three lives every day, her broad smile and infectious laughter gracing each moment. She was a natural storyteller, in delivery and in experience, for they were her stories, unembellished. To summarize her would be a travesty of embarrassing proportions; even for those of us who were characters in her stories, our remembrance is but a moment of her rich life. If you live only one life each day, these stories will be a window into an existence extraordinary. Yes, if you were close, if you were acquainted, and even if you never had the opportunity, these stories will help all of us in the years to come, our years without Lara.
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