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At the End of a Long Drive


Shreesh and Neena Taskar

We didn't make the decision, the decision made us. On October 20th, 2007, we left our comfortable city of San Francisco to follow a simple algorithm - go North till the road ends then turn around and then go as far South. In between those two points was the stage, the timeline, the space, where we made things happen and things happened to us.

The past is fleeting and the stories, the sights and the feelings are perishable. One sees what one wants to see, and perhaps we are not capable of more. We saw that people are kind and helpful even if they were not materially rich. Some we could understand even though we didn't speak the same language, the motivations of others were incomprehensible even though we did. In the end fragments remain - the smell of roasting chocolate, a flock of snow Ptarmigians on snow, the creaking of the rainforest, the rough feathers of penguins, and the intoxication of Curanto.


So these are our stories. Every time you visit the site you will see a random post below. Each starts with Lo que pasa es que...

Death of a friend

Nov 15th, 2007 by

yosemite

Serene but deadly

Pietro – un’uomo perduto alla montagna

I can’t believe it. It is horrifying, sad, incomprehensible. A young man so full of life, killed by the vagaries of weather. An aesthete who shared so many interests in common with us. A lover of art, food, wine, Italian, outdoors.

I saw Peter Noble in Italian class every week for many years, but our friendship did not go much further than that. He was among the best students. Whenever it was his turn to read aloud we had to sit up and pay attention because he would read as if Italian was his first language. He was well-read, unassuming and always present.

Peter died last weekend at Yosemite after a successful climb of Cathedral Peak. I wish I had gotten to know him better. We grieve for him.

6 responses to “Death of a friend”

  1. Jerzy says:
    November 15, 2007 at 8:31 am

    This is sad and disturbing. I read the headline in the newspaper, looked at the picture – it did not remind me of anyone I knew (and I never knew Pietro’s last name) only to find out from you who he was.
    Truly tragic.

  2. Neena says:
    November 15, 2007 at 9:19 am

    Jerzy,
    I will give Liz your email address to make sure that you receive the updates and info about services.

  3. Vinay says:
    November 15, 2007 at 11:41 am

    Very sorry to hear that. Looks like Yosemite can be very dangerous during bad weather.

  4. Pramod Taskar says:
    November 15, 2007 at 8:00 pm

    I am writing in marathi in english script. “Gele te Deva Ghari gele. Thance Sone Zale. Apan aple Dheya rakha we.” My condolences to Noble’s family members and to you both.
    Take care
    Daddy

  5. shanta auntie says:
    November 16, 2007 at 9:07 am

    I am sorry to read about Peter. It’s always hard to see the young one go. He is gone while doing what he loved. Not that it makes any less painful. I pray for his soul.

  6. Suhasini Taskar says:
    November 16, 2007 at 8:08 pm

    Dear Shreesh & Neena,
    Daddy and I share sorrow with you for the loss of your friend. The beauty of nature has to be appreciated but at the same time respected with caution.
    Of course, what can I advice you and Neena who have tremendous experience in mountain climibing when you have successfully climbed mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Andes in South America?
    I tried to find your current location in the map but it seems it is not updated recently. So where are you now?
    With Love
    Aai

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