sdillen
ArboristSite Lurker
I've been generally lurking around here for a year or so. I saw this today...thought it belonged here.
http://www.canada.com/victoria/timescolonist/news/story.html?id=596f3e7d-1ff2-4f43-8344-a02aff2a206d
Text...in case the link doesn't work.
Rescuing cat, climber falls to his death
Scott Petersen
Times Colonist
Monday, August 23, 2004
A life spent conquering mountains and cliffs came to a tragic end on the weekend when renowned Victoria rock climber Daryl Hatten fell to his death from a tree.
Hatten, 49, slipped from a rain-soaked arbutus tree in Langford Saturday when a cat he was trying to save took several swipes at him, friend David Parsons said.
The cat's owner called a tree-climbing company owned by Parsons, who recommended the job to Hatten, and lent him some climbing gear. But Hatten wasn't safely strapped in when he climbed around a large limb and came face-to-face with the large, black house cat, said Parsons.
"The cat was swiping at him and he moved further out on the limb, lost his balance and fell," said Parsons, after talking with West Shore RCMP about their investigation into the accident.
Hatten fell about 20 metres to a rocky patch below the tree near Swallow Place, he said. An ambulance and the Langford Fire Department were called to the scene at about 1 p.m. to stabilize him and take him to hospital. He was pronounced dead from internal injuries about an hour later, said Parsons.
"He was happy-go-lucky and was going to get paid $75 for rescuing that cat," said girlfriend and roommate Debbie Graham, who knew Hatten for the past 11 years.
Working mostly as a tree climber, Daryl Hatten used his dual Canadian and American citizenship to obtain search-and-rescue work at Yosemite National Park in California for a short stint, said Parsons.
He was well-known as an adventure-seeker by climbers around the world and wouldn't hesitate to blaze new paths up the side of rocky cliffs.
His mountain climbing days recently ended after he suffered an injury.
"He was sort of semi-retired but he's way up there," said Parsons, about Hatten's climbing reputation.
"He's known worldwide as Cro-Magnon man in rock- climbing books."
One of the books featuring Hatten's climbing work is Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering, written by Calgary-based climber and author Chic Scott. Also known as Hacker, Hatten had friends all over the world in the mountain climbing community, said Parsons.
"He was a heck of a good guy and everybody knows him. He doesn't have an enemy in the world."
Graham said the coroner's office will be investigating the death and an autopsy will be performed. West Shore RCMP was still completing its investigation Sunday afternoon and was unavailable for comment.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2004
http://www.canada.com/victoria/timescolonist/news/story.html?id=596f3e7d-1ff2-4f43-8344-a02aff2a206d
Text...in case the link doesn't work.
Rescuing cat, climber falls to his death
Scott Petersen
Times Colonist
Monday, August 23, 2004
A life spent conquering mountains and cliffs came to a tragic end on the weekend when renowned Victoria rock climber Daryl Hatten fell to his death from a tree.
Hatten, 49, slipped from a rain-soaked arbutus tree in Langford Saturday when a cat he was trying to save took several swipes at him, friend David Parsons said.
The cat's owner called a tree-climbing company owned by Parsons, who recommended the job to Hatten, and lent him some climbing gear. But Hatten wasn't safely strapped in when he climbed around a large limb and came face-to-face with the large, black house cat, said Parsons.
"The cat was swiping at him and he moved further out on the limb, lost his balance and fell," said Parsons, after talking with West Shore RCMP about their investigation into the accident.
Hatten fell about 20 metres to a rocky patch below the tree near Swallow Place, he said. An ambulance and the Langford Fire Department were called to the scene at about 1 p.m. to stabilize him and take him to hospital. He was pronounced dead from internal injuries about an hour later, said Parsons.
"He was happy-go-lucky and was going to get paid $75 for rescuing that cat," said girlfriend and roommate Debbie Graham, who knew Hatten for the past 11 years.
Working mostly as a tree climber, Daryl Hatten used his dual Canadian and American citizenship to obtain search-and-rescue work at Yosemite National Park in California for a short stint, said Parsons.
He was well-known as an adventure-seeker by climbers around the world and wouldn't hesitate to blaze new paths up the side of rocky cliffs.
His mountain climbing days recently ended after he suffered an injury.
"He was sort of semi-retired but he's way up there," said Parsons, about Hatten's climbing reputation.
"He's known worldwide as Cro-Magnon man in rock- climbing books."
One of the books featuring Hatten's climbing work is Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering, written by Calgary-based climber and author Chic Scott. Also known as Hacker, Hatten had friends all over the world in the mountain climbing community, said Parsons.
"He was a heck of a good guy and everybody knows him. He doesn't have an enemy in the world."
Graham said the coroner's office will be investigating the death and an autopsy will be performed. West Shore RCMP was still completing its investigation Sunday afternoon and was unavailable for comment.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2004
