Birthday Surprise

Today is Blair’s birthday. Jackson, Joey and I wanted to surprise her with a helicopter flight around Mount Cowen. The boys were actually able to keep a secret, and apparently I could lie convincingly enough that “Operation: Birthday Surprise!” was an actual surprise.

Big time.

I promised her a hiking adventure so after she returned from the gym we drove to Paradise Valley and parked at a house belonging to some friends. The front yard is massive ... big enough to land a small helicopter. Nine miles out I sent a text to Jackson who was waiting at the hanger with Joey, a 15-minute flight away, "Send it!" At the house I told her we were waiting for the owner to drop something off, and a few minutes later, well, watch the video.

Mount Cowen is special; striking, beautiful, tucked away, a place of dreams, of love and effort, of heart and loss. Six years ago Blair’s husband, Travis, was killed in a climbing accident on the northeast arete. He'd been on the Gallatin Country Search and Rescue team for 17 years — the man you wanted to come for you on the worst day of your life — he had a premonition there would be a big accident on Cowen that summer and wanted to climb the route again to be ready, to have a plan in place in case it came true.

Jackson, also a SAR member, was 30-40 feet above Trav that day when a ledge collapsed and he fell 400 feet. Joey had done innumerable rescues with Travis, they climbed together, summitted Denali on their third attempt together, and were best friends. Joey recovered his body.

Every year on the anniversary of the accident Jackson and Joey have climbed Cowen. Blair climbed it with them last year. And this year she got to soar above it, circle, feel and remember.

Jackson wrote, "Such a phenomenal flight this morning with my favorite people. Such a treat getting to fly you all around ❤️ a memory for life. And a perfect day for it, Cowen can take but she can also give 🐦‍⬛ flew high with the ravens today. Trav would have been jealous, was expecting a random lightning bolt on our way home today as a high five. Love you all."

One friend who saw the video we shared noticed a heart-shaped snow patch on the arete, and we knew then that even without a bolt of lightning, the Golden Heart of Rage was out there, up there, all around us. Always.