Doug Walker, 64, dies in avalanche on Granite Mt

Sad news, friends of Doug:

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/seattle-phi...ton-mountain-n488956

Seattle Philanthropist Found Dead on Washington Mountain
by ELIZABETH CHUCK

A noted Seattle entrepreneur and philanthropist who officials described as a "very experienced hiker" was found dead on a Washington mountain Friday.

Doug Walker, 64, of Seattle, went missing Thursday afternoon while snowshoeing with friends on Granite Mountain in the Cascades, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

"They got separated from him. They waited for him on the trail for a while. When he didn't show up, they headed down the mountain," Cindi West, a King County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said.

Walker was a "very experienced hiker," she added.

Walker was an avid outdoorsman who cofounded WRQ, a private software company that merged with another Seattle software company 10 years ago. He served on the boards of various environmental non-profits, including The Wilderness Society, Conservation Lands Foundation, The Sierra Club Foundation, and was president of the American Alpine Club. From 2005 to 2008, Walker was chairman of REI, the outdoor gear company.

Dozens of members of a search and rescue team combed the mountain starting around 5 p.m. PT Thursday, West said, some spending the night to look for Walker.

He was found dead Friday by the search and rescue team, the sheriff's office said. No other details were immediately made public.

From: q13fox.com/2016/01/01/seattle-philanthro...at-granite-mountain/

Seattle philanthropist killed in avalanche during hike at Granite Mountain
POSTED 11:57 AM, JANUARY 1, 2016, BY Q13 NEWS STAFF

Doug Walker
SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. — Authorities say they found the body of a missing hiker who was killed in an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass.

According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, Doug Walker, 64, went up the mountain with two others Thursday. The other two hikers did not want to continue to the peak, so Walker continued up on his own.

The pair waited for him, but when he didn’t return they called for help. Search-and-rescue crews worked through the night.

Deputies said Walker’s body was found around 10 a.m. Friday.

Walker is an experienced hiker. Deputies believe he died in an avalanche.

This news is a shock to the system.

I worked as a software developer for Doug's company, WRQ, from 1995 through 2000. In later years, we've been in touch many times for conservation and access projects. I never climbed with Doug but was always impressed by his enthusiasm for the outdoors. My heart goes out to his family and many, many friends.

While not an avid backcountry skier, Doug Walker was a true Force Majeure in the Northwest outdoor community. Chairman of the board of The Wilderness Society for 4 years, former Chairman of the board of REI, former chairman of Access Fund, and on the board of Steven Pass, Doug personified love of wilderness. My wife and I had the pleasure of knowing him since 1999 and accompanying him on numerous climbing trips. We will miss his enthusiasm, sense of humor and unbelievable endurance in the mountains and everywhere else.

I ran into Doug, starting back about 2007, at the old Vertical World in Seattle. He was a very friendly guy and we ended up trading belays until our regular partners showed up--which we continued at the new Seattle Vertical World. A very smart guy, but folksy, and very funny. I saw him often at the gym, sometimes with his daughter. Some of my climbing friends had worked for him and were also fans. My wife and I ran into Doug and Maggie atop Little Si on Thanksgiving Day, 2015. I asked why he was on such a minor peak and he said 'hip replacement.' I can't believe he is gone.

I can't wrap my mind around this.  If there was ever a person who oozed life and joy, it was Doug.  I'm stunned, and still disbelieving.  There are some who are so much alive they can't not be.  How could a mere mountain do this to someone so large?

I can hear his voice as if it were yesterday.  Three or four years ago, I was digging out a snow cave in the Commonwealth basin, when I heard a twangy South Carolina accent yakking a mile a minute.  He was coming down the trail on snowhoes, leading a "newbie" from her first trip up into the snow country.  His voice was unmistakeable, and high pitched enough to penetrate the snow walls.  We hugged talked briefly and he left saying "We gotta git out and clamb somethin'."

Years ago on a Camp Orkila beach with our daughters, we were looking at a cedar tree, big branches sweeping down to the sand.  Molly and Kina were making sand castles.  I was feeling old, until Doug said "I bet we can climb that tree" and we were off hand over hand up the branches to the trunk, then up till I got scared and he was looking down at me.  And I didn't feel old anymore.

Every adventure I had ever dreamed about, Doug had done, in spades.  And he was willing to go again, just for the joy of helping someone new see it the way he saw it.  I think every conversation ended with "We should try that.  Call me".  I wish I could.

I've been moved by the many amazing comments about Doug on this website and in social media and the news. Based on where we found him, it appears he might have been close to a relatively safe ascent route when he was caught. This fact helps me make more sense of what may have happened.

Please be safe out there. Granite is extremely unforgiving. Very precise route finding and stability evaluation are required, even when avoiding the obvious southern slide paths.