Super sad news - Carl Skoog dies :(

It was great to see so many of Carl's friends at the memorial last evening. I thought of posting this picture over on the photo thread that Charles started, but I decided to keep it here with all the nice words that have been posted. I took this picture of Carl in the North Cascades in 1985.



Y ou shall know the night--its space, its light, its music.
You shall see earth sink in darkness and the universe appear.
No roof shall shut you from the presence of the moon.
You shall see mountains rise in the transparent shadow before dawn.
You shall see--and feel!--first light, and hear a ripple in the stillness.

You shall enter the living shelter of the forest.
You shall walk where only the wind has walked before.

You shall know immensity,
   and see continuing the primeval forces of the world.
You shall know not one small segment but the whole of life,
   strange, miraculous, living, dying, changing.

You shall face important challenges; you shall dare,
   delighting, to pit your skill, courage, and wisdom
   against colossal facts.
You shall live lifted up in light;
   you shall move among clouds.
You shall see storms arise, and, drenched and deafened,
   shall exult in them.
You shall top a rise and behold creation.
And you shall need the tongues of angels
   to tell what you have seen.

--Nancy Newhall
 This is the American Earth

On January 7, 2006, my mother, Ingrid Skoog, died from complications of a probable stroke that she suffered on December 26.  She was 85.  The picture below was on our Christmas card in 1955, a year before I was born.  Carl was born 2-1/2 years after me.



Ingrid didn't ski much after I came along.  But I have happy memories of a day in 1984 when Carl, my wife and I took her to Crystal Mountain and lent her a pair of modern boots and skis.  She rode the rope tow and soon was making stem turns again.  You never forget how to ski.

Mom slowed down quite a bit during the past few years, but she remained independent until the end.  She lived a full life.  My only regret is that she experienced so much sadness in the last two months of her life.  Carl's death broke her heart.  Her spirit has now joined Carl and my late father, Dick Skoog.

Lowell -- sorry that you have had so much loss in the past few months, but glad that you have been surrounded by people who have lived such full lives. You have added a lot to everyone who is interested in the culture and spirit of skiing in our region. Your picture and story of Ingrid, reminds me of my own mother, probably on her last months at a senior home in Oregon. She had a wicked stem christie. <br><br>regards<br><br>ross

So Sorry to hear of this great loss. Although I had not seen Carl in about a year, I considered him a friend. I used to ski Baker with Carl and Rene and Jesse. Some of the best photographs of me skiing were taken by Carl at Mt. Baker. His latest pics of me appeared in the October issue of skiing. I had a choice of which pics to run in the story and Carl was my first choice. He was a genuine guy and I am very saddened by this loss. My heart goes out to his family.<br><br>Scottie Ewing (and Bobby Fenton)<br> <br>photo by Carl Skoog

Fine article and great pictures about Carl:<br> www.greatoutdoors.com/published/ski/prof...amcarlskoog/?rssfeed

I am new to this community, but I wanted to send my condolences. I have enjoyed and been personally inspired by Carl's photography for years and I'm saddened that he's gone.