I thought this video would be different than it turned out but as Justin Sullivan once wrote (and sang), "Chaos rules it all." We only believe we are in control. Instead of the day I imagined, we learned a valuable lesson about how quickly a casual outing on the ice can become less casual.
Pat Callis turns 87 in a couple of days and is still climbing on both rock and ice. He was the longest serving professor at Montana State University, where he taught quantum chemistry from 1968 to 2024. He is also an icon of climbing history in North America with first ascents spanning the distance from Southern California to northern-Alberta, Canada.
Despite roughly 70 years of climbing experience, our visit to Hyalite canyon last week was cut short by something that had never happened to Pat before; a small piece of ice dislodged by the impact of a tool clipped his upper lip and he sprang a leak. Descent was the wise decision.
And while this may seem like a negative outcome I view it as a celebration; Pat is none the worse for wear, eager to get out once or twice more before the spring thaw, and he is still climbing, doing pull-ups, and hiking uphill to keep his knees healthy. What an incredible human being.
Blair and I recorded a podcast with him in 2022 which I hope to re-release on this platform later in the year.
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