Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Kevin Herrick
On March 12th of this year my friend and occasional climbing partner, Kevin Herrick, took his own life. Kevin was 40 years old. His longtime girlfriend asked his friends to send her anecdotes and stories about Kevin. This is mine.

Apoplexy, The Gunks. Late Fall 2005: It was one of those perfect late fall days. The landscape resplendent with fall foliage, the trees had not yet shed their crimson cloak, the air was crisp and clean; summer's humidity pushed aside as autumn elbowed it's way to the front of the line. Good for now, but winter was next in the queue.

Kevin lowered from the chains, relaxed -- torpid even. He'd TR'd the pumpy 5.9 with ease; barely breaking stride or a sweat. "I could lead that" he said with a smug smile on his face. "Yeah", I replied, "but the season's almost over. Give it a go next year". The day was drawing to a close and a few of our friends were striving for that one last pitch. Nothing better than a buddy with a TR at days end. Except maybe for a buddy with beer and a TR at days end, but I digress.

After Kevin untied and changed his shoes a bunch of us were chattin' about this and that, offering unsolicited beta and, of course, admiring the fairer sex. I'd recently heard of the Two Condom Problem and figured the guys would appreciate a bit of a brainteaser (guys only; women don't seem to have any interest in this one). The puzzle goes like this: We have two couples -- two male/female pairs -- all swingers. Each man and each woman wish to have relations. The problem is they're all afraid of disease and only have two condoms. How can they practice safe sex with the limited tools available?

A few people asked some questions and threw out answers. All wrong. Kevin just stared at the cliff, eyes wide, pupils dilated. After 10 seconds or so he exclaims: "Double glove; one inside the other?". "You got it man", I reply, "No one's gotten it that quick. Have you heard this before?". "Nope". And there was that same smug smile.

So either Kevin has a sharp, incisive mind geared to thinking outside the box or he spends more time than most pondering the mechanics of group sex.

Canonical Kevin.

We miss him.