Never Quit

In our lives we meet that one person that becomes more than a friend. If you’re really lucky they become closer than family…that was our friend Steve. Steve was like a second dad to my kids.  As many of you know we closed Trailhead Supply for five straight days last week, this is unheard of! Trailhead Supply is a family owned and family run business. So, for the first time since we opened in 2009 we went on a family hunting trip in the middle of nowhere. We fought the snow, the ice, and the bitter cold. And like all trips in the backcountry, stories are told. Some are embellished and some you can’t change at all because you can’t make this stuff up.  This year I noticed that all the stories…well the good ones anyway, included Steve. Steve passed away a couple of weeks ago, he lost his battle to a horrible disease, but he never quit and he never gave up to his dying breath.  We went riding a couple years back and his motor skills were starting to fail.  I was saddling my horse while he was trying to mount up. First, he couldn’t lift his leg high enough to get his boot in the stirrup, after he accomplished that, he didn’t have the strength to swing his leg over the saddle. I said “Wait a second I’ll help you.” Then I heard some clanging metal I walked around his trailer and Steve had an extension ladder leaned against his horse and he was climbing up…  As we were laughing about Steve this past week my daughter looked over at me and said “Life isn’t fair, Steve should be here.”

It’s been said that time heals all… In the case of Steve, I don’t want it to. I want to remember all he taught me, to never give up, and laugh about him along with all the crap he did forever...

Go get out on the trail and make some memories, life is short to damn short…

Andy