(Send to Judi Myers by email 2/20/09):  A friend of mine recently sent me photos of himself playing college football back in the 1970s, a defining period in his life.   As I thought back over the years it occurred to me that my defining period was the summer I spent at Skinner Brothers in Pinedale Wyoming in 1979.

As a young man I always had in interest challenges, sports, work and the outdoors. I attended Survival School as a young teen in New Hampshire and developed a true desire to bring it to higher level.  A friend of mine suggested that we attend the Skinner Brother Mountaineering School in Pinedale Wyoming.  His parents arranged a meeting with a representative from Skinner Brothers to visit their home in NJ. I recall Courtney coming to my friend’s house with a projector that showed what the school was all about. Our parents watched with interest and by end, signed us both up for the upcoming summer. It was 1979; I was 16 and going into 11^th grade. Little did my mother know was I was in store for…. 

I kept a daily journal of the trip with diagrams of climbs, locations and explanations of the trip.  I have a photo my friend took while I a straddled a crevice on what I believe was Mammoth Glacier on the way to Gannett Peak.   The trip really pushed me to my physical limits. When you wanted to give up, you pushed through it. When you felt weak, others felt weaker so you helped them.  Courtney, Orion and Todd really fostered a team and set a great pace. I recall feeling exhausted after back packing all day to get to base camp at Mt. Lester. I looked at Courtney and I remember thinking he is 50 something and has to slow down at some point. He never slowed and had the same calm, kind and tough demeanor at the end of the day that he had a beginning.  What a great role model. Up to that point, aside from my father, I had never seen anyone lead like that.

I have not kept in touch with any of the camp mates, but we had great comradery and a lot of laughs.  You learn a lot about yourself when help others who are past their limit and you are at yours.  This was a great experience for me and I can honestly say, a defining moment where a boy became a man.   

Thank you, Courtney, and God Bless you and your family.   

 Regards,

 Pete

Peter A. Gilman

PS.  (Send to Judi Myers by email 2-23-09):

I recently wrote of my mountaineering experience at Skinner Brothers.  It is amazing that 30 years have passed and I still reflect on that experience.  When I entered the camp in 1979 I was 16 and had already attended survival camp in New Hampshire and done a good deal of camping and canoeing with my father.  I was also pretty ambitious, so I think I fit in well with the Skinner crew.    I recall it was real interesting mix of kids.  My friend Peter Franks from Essex Fells NJ and I were up and coming mountaineers.  We both shared a similar interest and the camp really brought our interest and skill level to a higher level.   I recall meeting others from places like Mitch Keller from California, (a real surfer type), Harvey from NY and  Tom Fowler and his sister.  Todd (Skinner) and Courtney (Skinner) lead the trip.   I am not sure, but Monte may have met us part of the way through.

What an adventure!  From Courtney’s slide show at Pete Frank’s house to landing in Denver, taking Frontier Air lines to Wyoming (Rock Springs) and then getting on some kind of cattle truck to Pinedale. I recall as I looked outside the truck how the terrain changed and mountains got bigger and bigger.  When we got to camp The first thing we did was to start training in our climbing boots to get them broken in and get ourselves in shape. This may have been Todd or Courtney’s idea and we liked that a lot. Day after day Mitch and I ran around the tundra until we couldn’t anymore.  The boots were so heavy and it was so hot we could not get very far so getting lost was not a problem.  The only bad thing about the trip was riding those wild horses across the desert.  I must have looked like some kind of stunt rider sticking out sideways.  Of course, I ended up marrying a woman who loves horses and now we own one.

Courtney kept a great pace. He always seemed to take giant steps.  After 4 or 5 hours I’d wait for him to slow down, but he never did. I recall thinking, ‘He is 53, he has to slow down’. It never happened.  Courtney was also compassionate. When I said my knees were killing me he did not press me to climb Mt. Lester. I recall being bored out of my mind that day and regretting not doing the climb. My knees healed and the next day I was up and about. When I was about 13 years old some doctor said I had a knee condition that would result in my being in a wheel chair.  That was crushing news for an active kid. We went to another doc and he gave me exercises and braces to support and strengthen the muscles around the knees.  The Pinedale trip was a great way for me to prove that I could overcome just about anything. It was a way for me to prove that I can not only overcome obstacles, but I can succeed and can help others along the way.  I remember trying to get Harvey, the NY kid motivated to keep going and not think about missing his family.   He completed the trip and was a better man for that.  So was I.  After that trip I felt as if I wanted to lead. 

The following year after the Skinner Brothers School I was selected by my High School teammates as captain of the lacrosse team.  I always made it point to befriend and support the weakest players on the team. Maybe this was something I learned up on the mountain, because everyone had to finish so you were as good as your weakest person.  Now here we are 30 years later, almost a lifetime. I have had many challenges, led many teams and am now passing down what I have learned to my children.  The Skinner Brothers experience really and truly tested what I was made out of and it made me strong. It fed my ambition, gave me confidence and fostered a sense of kindness.  I wanted to write this letter because you Skinner Brothers deserve a big warm THANK YOU.    Regards, Pete  (Peter A. Gilman)