My Web Page

The main reason I'm doing this is to enable searches to pick up the location for my photo work, because Google won't pick up images from photobucket:

http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g305/pdronkers/

And, because other sites have picked up content from the Baffin Island story, I'll keep my editorial visible by pasting it below.  This is the exact content from the original editorial that ran in the Salt Lake Tribune.

 

Climbing tragedy: There is another side to the story

By Pete Dronkers

Pete Dronkers at the summit of a 2,400-foot wall on Baffin Island in northeastern Canada after Drew Wilson's phenomenal performance during a 30-hour summit push that ended 18 days of climbing. (photo by Drew Wilson) In April, five climbers left to make a first ascent on a major rock tower in the far reaches of the Canadian Arctic, and a month later, only four returned. Drew Wilson's fatal rappelling mistake struck the day after three of us stood on top, after 18 days of hard work and nearly two weeks spent living on the cliff face.    Brett Prettyman's two-part feature of our Baffin Island expedition (Tribune, Dec. 4-5), told from Kyle Dempster's perspective, should serve as a tribute to his cousin's life and recounts the heroic events of his last and most significant climb.    However, Dempster's references to conflicts between the cousins and myself represent only one person's account. These conflicts - unknown to me during the ascent and just recently brought to light through Prettyman's story - likely began with Ross Cowan's decision not to climb and were fueled by differences in climbing styles. Wilson's death amplified these sentiments and, since then, there has been little resolved among team members.    During the year spent assembling the Baffin team, I trained with each member and by winter, I had completed long climbs with Cowan and Dempster. Grover Shipman's climbing, if any, would be limited because of his lack of experience. Nevertheless, we trained together, brainstormed logistics and became friends. Wilson didn't meet the team until three days before departure, but when we left, we all respected each other and were confident.    When the climb began, it was clear that Wilson and Dempster were bolder and more aggressive than myself or Cowan, and their awesome abilities dominated.    Cowan's fear was already showing, as he had never been around rockfall or climbed with anyone as bold and carefree as the cousins. Before being able to participate, he backed out.    Having no intention to retreat, I committed to the wall with the cousins and worked to support their efforts by hauling loads, drilling anchors, belaying, shooting photos and occasionally leading. With the cousins making logistical decisions and advancing the route upward, I had no desire to question their choices and instead kept to myself out of respect for their kindred spirits.    There were no confrontations on the wall, and I thought the cousins were quite easy to get along with. If they fostered negative thoughts about me, their failure to communicate them to me created problems that still exist. After 11 days, we reached the summit, with Wilson putting forth the boldest climbing performance I've ever witnessed, and at no point did I suggest a retreat.    After organizing several expeditions, I've learned that the successful ones deeply unite Advertisement team members, and the tragic and fatal ones bring a harsh divide. After Wilson's error took his life, the emotional aftermath prevented any opportunity for Dempster to resolve issues with me that apparently took root weeks before.    I disagreed with an immediate retrieval of our 400-pound load dangling from the wall. Minutes before, I had watched Wilson fall to his death and wanted to avoid dangerous complications, but I never suggested that we evacuate the valley without Wilson's body.    I proposed that we retrieve sleeping bags and descend to the others for help, but Kyle was firm. As he lowered the bags from above, I dodged the resulting rockfall. As on any trip, I think about safety first and success second, and my rigid approach to safety may have bothered the cousins. To them, my role as expedition organizer may have conflicted with their roles as the strongest climbers, and Cowan's decision to retreat left me alienated from a pair that functioned as one.    The retrieval of Wilson's body required all of our combined efforts and tested our endurance. We delegated tasks and each followed through and, when Dempster nearly fainted from exhaustion near the day's end, Cowan and myself relieved him. That night, Shipman slept without his sleeping bag so Dempster could use it, as he had left his behind.    I understand that a safe return would have brought unity to the team. The discomforts of the expedition would soon have been forgotten, and Wilson and Dempster's bold efforts would be praised by all. But, instead, we're faced with lingering emotional conflicts that may never rest.    Hopefully, Kyle Dempster will someday be ready to mend his relations with the people with whom he spent his most difficult moments. After all, he's had our greatest respect since day one.    ---    Pete Dronkers is a grass-roots organizer with the Nevada Wilderness Coalition in Ely, Nev., with a background in freelance feature writing. Later this month he's leaving for his fifth climbing expedition, this time to the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere.