Submitted by Richard Windish on June 25, 2010 - 8:49am.
I have had the pleasure of serving on the board of the Green Mountain Club with Dave Blumenthal for several years. His accomplishments were many, his intelligence was great, and his love for the outdoors was boundless. Dave was a valued member of the club and an asset to the board. He will be deeply missed.
My fondest memory of Dave was a hike that we took with our daughters last year in Stowe's Wissner Woods at GMC annual meeting. Even though Dave was larger than life, a conqueror of mountains, a long distance hiker, endurance athlete, etc., here we were on a hike with three preschool aged little girls, walking at a snail's pace, stopping often to admire the flora and fauna. We admired a fairy house along the trail and made up silly stories about the imaginary occupants of the mossy glen in which it was located. We stopped to admire newts that had made their way into the footpath. We may have walked a total of one mile that day, which took over an hour; surely a fraction of the pace that Dave would usually follow. But we had the best time, and the girls enjoyed themselves immensely.
Dave's many accomplishments were inspiring to the adults in his life, but his genuine passion for nature and the mountains did not limit itself to adrenaline-fueled peak-bagging adventures. Dave was also an inspiration to children; indeed, he founded a group that promoted hiking for the small set. Dave loved his daughter and wanted to share his love of the mountains and hiking with her and other kids. As the father of three girls, the youngest being about the same age as Linnea, I am devastated by this news and my heart goes out to Lexi and Linnea during this tragic time.
R.I.P. Dave, you will be forever missed here in the Green Mountains.
The GMC is grieving today
I have had the pleasure of serving on the board of the Green Mountain Club with Dave Blumenthal for several years. His accomplishments were many, his intelligence was great, and his love for the outdoors was boundless. Dave was a valued member of the club and an asset to the board. He will be deeply missed.
My fondest memory of Dave was a hike that we took with our daughters last year in Stowe's Wissner Woods at GMC annual meeting. Even though Dave was larger than life, a conqueror of mountains, a long distance hiker, endurance athlete, etc., here we were on a hike with three preschool aged little girls, walking at a snail's pace, stopping often to admire the flora and fauna. We admired a fairy house along the trail and made up silly stories about the imaginary occupants of the mossy glen in which it was located. We stopped to admire newts that had made their way into the footpath. We may have walked a total of one mile that day, which took over an hour; surely a fraction of the pace that Dave would usually follow. But we had the best time, and the girls enjoyed themselves immensely.
Dave's many accomplishments were inspiring to the adults in his life, but his genuine passion for nature and the mountains did not limit itself to adrenaline-fueled peak-bagging adventures. Dave was also an inspiration to children; indeed, he founded a group that promoted hiking for the small set. Dave loved his daughter and wanted to share his love of the mountains and hiking with her and other kids. As the father of three girls, the youngest being about the same age as Linnea, I am devastated by this news and my heart goes out to Lexi and Linnea during this tragic time.
R.I.P. Dave, you will be forever missed here in the Green Mountains.
Richard Windish
Reading, Vermont