Hiker Dies on Haystack Mtn.

[audrey]

I met Ray only once or twice but remember him well. Interesting, well-spoken, and a gentleman. We'll have to make a cairn in his memory up there somewhere.

 

[bobmak]

Here is a link to a 2005 story on Ray in the local paper. Once I saw this picture (click on it to enlarge) I recognized the face; I ran into him a few times around town, exchanged pleasantries but did know much about him. I never knew his name, realized that he was a famous composer, hiker and a fellow member of the VFFT community. I wish I had the chance to get to know him better. Again, my condolences to his family and many friends.

 

[king tut]

Rest in Peace. You were closer to the angels when they came down to take you up to the heavens.

 

[miehoff]

I am very sorry to hear about this. I have never met him, but I will be sure to think about him as I spend my weekend in the Whites.

 

[Abster]

My best thoughts go out to Ray's family and friends for their loss and to Marty and Jason for their efforts in a very difficult situation.

 

[marty]

Obituary and services

Here is an obituary for Ray with information on services this Friday night and Saturday morning, as written by some of Ray's closest associates:
Ray obituary and services

 

[Lawn Sale]

Rest in Peace, my dearest condolences.

I don't know what else to say, other than he's reminded me once again to take nothing for granted and live life a little fuller.

It is my belief people are not gone, they are always around us, just not in a form we can recognize.

To Marty and Jason, many thanks for doing what you could. I don't know the nuances and circumstances, but I'm sure you did all you could, never second guess that. My dad had a heart attack in a hospital, after being hooked up to the EKG machine. He said he was looking at the machine and was thinking it malfunctioned as all the lines went flat. They hit him 8 times with the paddles and weren't going to hit him 9. The local hospital realized he was bad off and Life Flighted him to Portland, where they kept him in a coma for a week until they could perform the surgery. He's doing well today, but my point is that sometimes there isn't much you can do.

 

[marty]

Hi all,
Ray's funeral services and burial was today. Jason Berard and his wife, Ridgewalker (Clarke) and his family and my wife and I attended. It was a very powerful tribute to a great man. Clarke delivered a very moving eulogy. I was very fortunate to meet most of Ray's family and closest associates, who were very supportive and their love for Ray had no bounds.

There was an outstanding concert the night before in Ray's honor. Jason Berard and his wife, Clarke, and my wife and I attended. Bobby and Larry D. were also there . Most of us went out for drinks and dinner afterward.

Some folks at the services wanted to thank the SAR team and asked for addresses. Here is some information:

Responding organizations:
United States Forest Service, New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. and Pemigawassett Valley Search and Rescue Team

Here is the address for these organizations:
New Hampshire Outdoor Council
PO Box 157
Kearsage, NH 03847-0157

Officer in charge of the rescue: Lieutenant Todd Bogardus. Here is his address:

State of New Hampshire
Fish and Game Department
Law Enforcement Division
Lt. Todd Bogardus
District Three Chief
NH State Police, Troop F
PO Box 417, New Hampton, NH 03256

Marty

 

[marty]

Here is a speech I wrote in honor of my friend Ray, with a strong emphasis on his love for hiking:
____________

My name is Marty Emmick. Ray was my closest hiking buddy. Jason Berard and I were the two friends with Ray on his final hike.

My relationship with Ray due to a message I received on Views From The Top, a website hiking forum in the fall of 2005. That message came from a member named Ridgewalker, who later identified himself as Clarke Haywood of Boxford, MA. We lived in the same town and he wanted to meet and possibly do some hiking with him and his friend, Ray, who was also a member. Receiving and replying to that message profoundly enriched my life.

Ray, Clarke and I first hiked together on a cold November day in 2005. We hiked Middle Carter and South Carter Mountains in New Hampshire and had a grand time. It was the first of many, many more hikes to come.

Ray’s confidence in his hiking abilities grew during the next few months. He never previously realized that he was a VERY strong hiker. His determination to finish the New Hampshire 48 4,000 footer list grew as well and he started knocking down peaks left and right. He finished his final 4,000 footer in November 2006 with Clarke on Mt. Cabot.

But Ray wasn’t through. Ray turned his sights on completing the New England 67 4,000 footers and went on another tear in 2007. Ray finished his 67th on a beautiful October day last year, hiking Old Speck Mountain in Maine with Clarke and me.

Ray decided that 67 wasn’t enough and wanted to complete the New England Hundred Highest. He finally convinced me to pursue the list as well. Several of the Hundred Highest peaks are trailless and require navigation through the wilderness. He, Clarke and I prepared for those peaks by doing several local bushwhack hikes over the winter together.

Ray and I did several of the hundred highest this spring and summer, with Ray reaching #83. The most recent was Stratton Mountain in Vermont

Ray told Jason and me at breakfast on his last hike, that Boundary Peak was his favorite in the New England 100. This peak, done last August, required us to go into Quebec and we hiked a trail that led to the Maine/Quebec boundary. The boundary area was cleared of trees about as wide as a dirt road and extended as far as the eye can see. Ray loved the beauty of the boundary cut, the fact that one of his feet was in the US and the other in Canada, the extensive & wild northern forest and the history associated with the US/Canada border agreement of 1842. He told me this hike made him proud to be an American.

Ray and I were very compatible hiking partners. It was an amazing partnership, but I do remember two times when I just got a wee bit upset with him.

The first time was when we did Saddleback Mountain in Maine via a ski slope. Ray had to stop and use the woods and told me to head down and he’d catch up. I went a bit down the slope and then stopped and waited and waited and waited. I then got concerned for Ray’s safety and sprinted up the slope, only to find that he was photographing a cow and calf moose that came out to visit him. I gave him a stern look at first, but it quickly turned to a smile.

The second time was when we were on the Glen Boulder Trail. It was a COLD and VERY WINDY late summer day. We got to a spur off Mt. Washington known as Slide Peak and the wind just howled. My friend Tom and I were trying to boogie to the trees in the distance, but Ray stopped to reach into his pack. “Oh, gotta find my Windstoppers”, he exclaimed (Windstoppers is Rayspeak for windproof mittens). We waited for what seemed forever as he fumbled through his pack. Finally I yelled, “Ray, we’re FREEZING”, and he zipped up his pack and ran down the trail with his hands in pocket. We soon got under the shelter of some trees and he explained that as a pianist he had to keep his hands warm. I muttered that he should keep his pack better organized. Every time we hiked after that, Ray’s pack was as well organized as Batman’s utility belt. I guess he didn’t like me criticizing him. Sorry Ray!

Ray was an extraordinary man. His professional talents and accomplishments were almost beyond my comprehension. He was very modest about his achievements, however. I only saw two glimpses of these talents in our years together.

The first happened after we had finished a fantastic hike of Mt. Moosilauke last year. We went to check out Ravine Lodge, which sits at the base of the mountain. I went to the bathroom and started hearing beautiful piano music filling the air. I came back out and saw Ray on the lodge piano with a handful of Dartmouth students watching and listening in awe.

The second was at his studio. He invited my daughter and I so he could show us the many instruments he could play and demonstrate how he arranged compositions. We were both blown away about how accomplished he was with so many instruments and how proficient he was with all the electronic gadgetry. He also showed my daughter extreme kindness and patience.

Ray also always wanted to learn and was quite impressionable. I felt like I contributed to the delinquency of an elder on a couple of occasions, however:

The first time was when Ray and I were up at my camp in Maine last year. We had hiked the Crockers and Redington (bushwhack), enduring a vicious thunderstorm, which got us soaked and cold. We were sitting around the campfire that night and I asked him if he wanted a shot of tequila to celebrate our success. He said he never had tequila except in a Margarita. I asked him to try a small one. He tried it and said that it was very good. About 10 minutes later he asked me in his polite and humble way if he could have another, only this time a bit larger. He asked me for a shot of tequila every night for the rest of the week.

Ray, although entrenched in the classics, also became very interested in the rock music that I played for him on our drives. He became a big fan of several artists, including Roxy Music, Eurythmics, Cold Play and Ray L’Montagne, and we discussed these artists often. He also became a regular listener of local radio station 92.5 The River FM and amazed my wife Lauren and me with his uncanny recall of obscure rock artists. My good friend Mike (NOTE: that is VFTTer Sapblatt) gave Ray some heavy metal and punk CDs to listen to, but Ray quietly confided in me that he didn’t like all that noise. Sorry Mike. He liked my music better!

Ray loved his job as Adjunct Professor at Gordon College. He loved his students. He loved to share his outdoor adventures with them. He encouraged them to experience the outdoors and he delighted in their professional accomplishments and their outdoor experiences

I had the privilege of hiking last year with Nick (one of Ray’s students), together with Ray and a couple other close friends (NOTE: those other close friends were VFTTers Sapblatt and LarryD). Nick, if all the students at Gordon are anything like you, then the student body there is something very special.

The Lord took Ray quickly and without suffering. For this I give thanks to the Lord.

The extremely capable Search and Rescue teams brought him down the trailless mountain in pouring rain with the utmost care and respect. For this too I give thanks to the Lord.

Ray, you were a universally beloved man because you were exceptionally principled, deeply devoted to the Lord, gentlemanly and just a bit shy.

Ray, you were my dear, dear friend and knowing you has been one of the most positive experiences in my life. I will carry a picture of you on all my future hikes and Jason and I will carry the fond memory of you inside us always.

I lost a great friend on that mountain. The world lost an incredible man. Ray, I know you’re watching us from up there in Heaven. Up in heaven, where you now have the ultimate Views From The Top.

Marty

 

[BIGEarl]

Marty,

Outstanding tribute to your friend. Thanks for sharing.

It seems to me that most folks would consider you very lucky to have had Ray as your friend. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that Ray thought he was the lucky one.

You were, and still are a true friend.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Beautiful speech Marty.

He would have been humbled by it I'm sure.

Keith

 

[Ridgewalker]

Marty,

I am glad to have shared this weekend remembering our best friend. We did so much together in so little time, but it was so rich. In your example I would like to share my words of Ray to the VFTT community:

Friendship is the next Pleasure we may hope for: And where we find it not at home, or have no home to find it in, we may seek it abroad. It is an Union of Spirits, a Marriage of Hearts, and the Bond thereof Vertue. There can be no Friendship where there is no Freedom. Friendship loves a free Air, and will not be penned up in straight and narrow Enclosures. It will speak freely, and act so too; and take nothing ill where no ill is meant; nay, where it is, 'twill easily forgive, and forget too, upon small Acknowledgments. Friends are true Twins in Soul; they Sympathize in every thing, and have the Love and Aversion. One is not happy without the other, nor can either of them be miserable alone. As if they could change Bodies, they take their turns in Pain as well as in Pleasure; relieving one another in their most adverse Conditions. What one enjoys, the other cannot Want. Like the Primitive Christians, they have all things in common, and no Property but in one another.
More Fruits of Solitude by William Penn

Today we gather to remember the life of Ray Loring. His company in our midst will be longed for. I relate Ray’s passing to that of Enoch in the book of Genesis, for they both walked so close with God that after faithfully serving Him, they were suddenly taken away.

During one of the many long phone calls Ray and I shared, I read to him a passage out of the book My Dog Skip, at the time for the writing style. Author Willie Morris cheerfully remarked at the conclusion how he looked back on the passing of his companion. Morris saw above and beyond the physical burial of his friend, and linked to the thought of his memories as though ‘they will be buried in his heart.’

My first encounter with Ray was in a dessert line at one of the Wednesday night dinners at church. He introduced himself as Ray and asked if I was Gordon student, to his surprise I was only in eighth grade at the time! His next question instantly elevated our meeting to the threshold of friendship with the question, “Do you like to hike?” Much of that night we spent conversing non-stop about trails, gear, and his desire to return hiking.

Much of our friendship grew over the telephone. Any form of introductions was quickly replaced with a simple recognition of voice. He always had a chipper, “Hi Clarke, how are you?” which consistently began our long conversations, often enough to have a sweaty receiver under your ear. But it was not until after I came back from New Mexico that Ray wanted to go hiking again. Despite that I had been out at the time eleven days backpacking there was no hesitation to go out with him.

The very first hike was up to Mizpah Hut in Crawford Notch. We took our time viewing the scenery and seeing the breathtaking waterfall en route. His knowledge of local flora and fauna added to magic of the climb. As we continued to hike together, we added to the ritual a McDonald’s breakfast, deep conversation, and a well-deserved latte.

Ray began to blossom into a prolific hiker once I introduced him to neighbor and fellow member on hiking site Views From the Top, Marty. Ray and he began tackling a variety of lists that take hikers called peakbaggers to remote country in Rangeley, Maine or into thick woods in the Pemigeswasset Wilderness.

Ray entered into being an active composer-professor as he once was before. His new home away from home was at Gordon College, where he orchestrated plans for a new music major and helped boost the music program with his fellow colleagues. He supported many of his students in becoming the next generation of composers. Those who where privileged to have him as a professor know of his sincerity in helping students grow.

I think of Ray as a well rounded man, knowledgeable in many subjects. He infused me with an appreciation of classical music and a measure of sophistication. He recognized the individuality of people and their qualities. He was an encourager and inspirer, directing me to become a teacher. But seeing an authentic desire to call myself a professor, did he impart his wisdom and experience to me.
Ray left me with rich view of life. There was an aura about him that made me feel appreciated and understood. He treated everyone with equality. When he felt it was necessary to introduce me to one of his interests he worked it towards his audience so it would be easily understood.
There will be times when I see a piano I expect to see him move his head slowly as his pours his soul into moment, making the notes a message of his heart. The hikes we had together can easily put a friendship to the fiery tests of patience and working together to climb up a mountain. Since the word age was non-existent in how we saw one another, our common bonds and pursuits made it into a beautiful friendship.
I will miss early mornings waiting for him by the door for a hike up north. Often our journeys were marked the sounds of the classical station until Concord, when the signal was replaced with silence and perhaps a question. We both found beauty in all sorts of weather, making a rainy day into a quiet afternoon hike. Often we paused without warning on the trails and contemplate the view. Lunch was taken side-by-side eating only trail mix and offering one another thoughts of a hike going well.
Due to my interest and willingness to invest in knowing Ray, he reciprocated it with introducing me to the masters of music. He spun the stories of it creation and how it fits into the past’s view of life.
Our loyalty was affirmed when most needed. Ray’s sincerity and humor when counseling me frequently changed my course of seeing certain things in life and I owe that to him. He served his friends without seeking reward and did not ask for anything in return. That is true service. I owe his knowledge of the English language in helping me become a better writer. His judicious correction, as he put it as, ‘me being a curmudgeonly old man’ was needed when the truth of how my writing was at the time only gave way to improvement.
Most of all Ray never sought greatness, nor did he ever affirm it. His words and tacit desire to increase his knowledge carried through strongly. For someone who had seen the world and studied with the great musical minds of the day, he could have stopped learning by adjusting his attitude by tossing away his abilities. But no, confidence was paramount to his character. Ray was a whole man, embodying unity of the mind in his gentleness and temperament. He did not hide or elect any other standards when no one was looking.
At first sight it appears that Ray left uncompleted work, but I suspect otherwise. He leaves behind the sounds of slowly playing Moonlight Sonata to a family that adopted him as their own. His mind was displayed through his music, so rich and vibrant. He possessed a unique teaching style that always shined everywhere he went. His wisdom and intellectual prowess was incredible; tidbits of his knowledge graced many conversations we had. His depth of color and appeal for intimate beauty can be linked to a Hudson River painting, for he saw those hills as an escape from corrupt society. He understood the world so well.
We grieve Ray’s physical departure but rejoice that he has joined the Lord, free of all earthly burdens. Science cannot unlock the reason why people go so suddenly. Too often we are comforted that some people like Ray will around for a long time. Many of us thought Ray’s vitality would bring him to celebrate a century of life many years from now.
Our lives are conceived long before our birth. Entering into this harsh world, we struggle to make our meaningless life one of worth. We work to serve God and continue until the moment we are called home. So our life on earth is only just the middle and beyond that all comprehension is unexplainable. While no monument or statue can justify Ray’s character, his monument is the extrodinary life he led and that we were privileged to have been under his influence, for he was whole in all the work and pursuits he followed.

I would like to share this brief poem--

Ray Loring. Humble in appearance, drawing the eye beyond his features to something higher. He was endowed with such a rich mind, so complex, yet understood. Rare and so cherished by those he knew best.

He is united at last with God, completed and at rest. Solace is now his, reclining under the shelter of a tree, alone in an open meadow watching soft white clouds pass overhead. He has found his Elysium.

The Earth has wiped away his footprints, but memory is like a torch that is carried by those who witness his days-so few bear it and it is strong

The Cycle is at last complete. His years were long and fruitful. Charles Raymond Loring is at last home in Heaven surrounded by the saints in the clouds looking down on us waiting for us to join us when it is our turn to come. God can fully show the portrait of Ray Loring in fullness and beauty.

 

[marty]

Thanks Earl and Keith.

Earl, the group shot you took last on Blueberry Ledge was included in a photo board tribute to Ray at a nice celebration which followed the cemetery service. Thanks again for sending!

Clarke, great job again. Your words were only exceeded by your polished delivery.

Marty

 

[Jason Berard]

Clarke, and Marty, those are both fitting tributes to such a talented, and selfless friend. Both the concert Friday and the service today were beautiful. I was moved deeply by remembrances shared by family, friends, students, and colleagues.

Clarke, it was nice to finally meet you. I wish it were under different circumstances.

Marty and Lauren, thank you so much for opening your home to us. Give Bemis a scratch for me.


Bobby, you're a real class act. I hope we get to meet again soon. Never forget Mr. Butch!

Larry, nice to meet you too at the concert. I hope you're all having a good time up in Baxter.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Marty, Mike, Bobby, Earl, Keith, Jason, Clarke, and others,

Thanks for sharing the beautiful words about Ray, which make me wish that I had known him.

Also, thanks for the kind words for the rescue teams; as a member of PVSART, I know that many on the team read and some post on VFTT and appreciate that their efforts are valued.

Dr. D.

 

[amstony]

My condolences to Ray and his family, a heartfelt loss.

And also to Marty and Jason for enduring such a terrible event and doing the best they could for Ray.

 

[Ridgewalker]

For those of you wishing to pay your respects to Ray, may find his grave at Harmony Cemetery in Georgetown, MA. All are welcome to leave a stone at the base. His Find a Grave memorial is here:


http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Loring&GSfn=Charles&GSbyrel=in&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=39039368&

Ridgewalker