Monika Johnson missing near alpental....

Friends of Monika,

In an effort to make a slide show/video in memory of Monika, Khahn and a few others are collecting photos of her for a memorial servie/celebration of her (date TBA). If you have a photo or two that you would like to share, please email it to Khahn at khanhnquach@yahoo.com

If possible include an approximate date for the photo and location. If there are any others in the picture, include their names too.

We love you yukigirl,
Stephanie Brown (via daveb's account)

For those of you that may have been wondering...
Flintofts’ online Obit for Monika shows her memorial service to be scheduled for 7:00 pm on 2/17.
More details on the service and location are posted HERE .

I only had the pleasure of meeting Monika once. A few years ago I was heading up Hyak with no one else around. As I neared the top, I turned around to see someone barreling out of nowhere. By the time I reached the top, she had easily caught up with me. As I stood there winded from the climb, I met Monika, who was breathing normally, chattering away with a huge, wonderful grin on her face. I've never met someone with such an open, happy and amazing presence. One look at her and you knew how much she loved what she was doing. It's extremely difficult to grasp how this could happen to someone so strong, so talented, so happy and so loved by an entire community.

Monika, your spirit will forever live with us in the mountains.

I first want to thank the TAY community for sharing the love we all felt for Monika.   I can’t begin to express how much it has helped me with my grief and sense of loss.  Our family relocated to Santa Cruz CA last June and not being in Seattle this last week has been difficult.   

I was fortunate to meet Monika 7 years ago while taking the Mountaineers Crevasse Rescue and Glacier class.  I was new to Seattle and knew no one.  She took me under her wing and started showing me the ropes of mountaineering in the NW.  She became a part of our family and continued to grow with our growing family over the years.  She was not only an amazing athlete, but a very giving friend.

I wish I could say I skied with her but really she skied with me.  I remember talking with Jason on a ski at Paradise early in our friendship, and saying “man I try so hard to keep up and just can’t.”  Jason just laughed and said he had given up a long time ago.  She found time in between her big ski trips to putter around in the backcountry with me.  As the years passed, our family started growing and Monica still found time to help get me out and into the mountains.  She helped me to ski until I was 7 months pregnant with my first child.  She also helped me strap back on the skis for the first time after my daughter was born to get back out making turns. We took my daughter skiing together for her first ski when she was 5 months old. 

I am including some pictures to this post of us celebrating on top of Mt Rainier, Monika skiing the Slot Couloir and hiking Poo Poo point with my daughter Reve.

Monika: Girl we love you.  We will miss all of our adventures and your friendship.  We have had some of the most wonderful times in our lives with you.  The inspiration you have shared will live on in us and our children.

Ryan: Thank you for loving her and bringing some peace to our hearts.

- Jennifer, Jay, Reve, and Jack Maguire

On top of Rainier, and soon to ski the Upper Nisqually and Fuhrer Finger . . .

I thought about Monika a lot while touring the last couple days, as well as of her close friends and family, positive vibes to you all.