In Memory of Brent Higgins
30 November 1976 - 15 July 2006

...whoever experiences the magic of wild places will breath in the fragrance of his spirit.

- Bryan Bornholdt
(Brent's friend and mentor)
Download Brent's Music Slideshow
(Windows PC Executable - 23 MB)
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Canyon Higgins Fund: Canyon Higgins Fund
Mountain America Credit Union
1715 W. 700 N.
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Search And Rescue Fund: Brent Higgins Search And Rescue Fund
Colorado Federal Credit Union
516 28 Road
Grand Junction, CO., 81501
On Saturday morning, the 15th of July, 2006, Brent Higgins left the Molas Pass trailhead on his way to climb Vestal Peak. Brent was the most capable and safest climber that I've ever known. The weather was good and his exceptional conditioning reflected all of the climbing, running, and adventuring that made up such a big part of his life. By all accounts this should have been a typical Brent-style adventure. Sometime in the early afternoon Brent neared the base of Wham Ridge, a huge scoop shaped face that steepens and narrows as it nears the top of Vestal Peak.

Wham Ridge from the base of Vestal Peak
Source: SummitPost.org
Having been on many adventures with Brent, I'm sure he was very excited to do the climb. With a rating of ~5.4 on the standard route, this mountain was well within Brent's fun zone and would not be hard for a guy that routinely climbs much more serious stuff. I'm sure Brent was comfortable with what lay ahead and had no doubt that he would summit in short time. Brent started his climb and as usual he snapped pictures along the way. He loved to share his adventures on his family website and was probably one of the few people that could match my image per trip ratio. Somewhere along the climb he managed to take a self portrait. The vast Wham ridge stretched out behind him as he looked towards the summit of Vestal Peak. He smiled his big Brent smile and took the picture. If only he had known how profound this moment was...or how thankful we are to have this one last picture to remember him by.

Brent Higgins ascending the Wham Ridge
We may never know the details that led to his accident. Brent would'nt get himself into a situation that he could'nt get out of. I'm convinced that whatever caused the fall had to be something outside of his control. The mountains, for all their beauty, can be so cruel in their indifference.
Brent was the type of person whose energy and passion for life was infectious. He did everything at 150% and never missed a beat. He worked hard and took great pride in his job. He played harder than anyone I know and was always looking for a great adventure. Personally, he took me places and introduced me to the outdoors in ways that I would have never been able on my own. He was a great friend and even after he moved to another city he made keeping in touch a priority. He really cared about the people around him.

He loved his family. Shannon and Canyon were always on his mind and he frequently talked about them when we were together or in his emails. It was easy to see how happy he was and that he really felt like his life was turning out exactly as he wanted it to. I'll never forget how excited he was when we met on top of a desert tower the day before his wedding. There he was, in his element on that tower, and so happy to be marrying Shannon. She and Canyon were the best two things that ever happened to him.

We are all better people for having known Brent Higgins. Even through his death, I find that the power of his life inspires the people who knew him, and even those that are just coming to know him now. It's not only the gifts he gave us through his life. In the end he has also forced us to look impossibly close at our own humanity. His life continues to bring meaning to us all.

Goodbye Brent - we will forever carry your spirit within our hearts.
This is from my wife Annie:

Brent’s vitality, vigor, and love were unending like the blue of the sky.  It gives me much solace to have the belief that his spirit has been released around us and floats with the breeze. When you long to be near him, speak to the wind. I believe he will hear you. When you are in a beautiful place, stop and be still for a moment. I believe Brent is there, sharing in the beauty, and quiet solitude of the moment with you. He has become part of the beautiful places he loved. He is part of the places he longed to show us all.

Shannon and Canyon, as you continue on your journeys and adventures thorough life, I hope you will have peace knowing Brent is with you. You take him wherever you go because he lives in your hearts. He is seeing whatever you see because he is looking out over the world from the sanctuary he has found inside your hearts. When you long to show him something, or find yourself wishing he were there, do your best to stop and remember that you don’t have to wish it. He is there. When you find yourself needing to hear the encouragement and support that only Brent could give, listen closely and you will hear him. His voice will ring loud and clear through the beatings of each of your hearts.

 Let his life be a lesson and a charge to us all to be better people. I hope we all can remind ourselves on a daily basis, to live life to the fullest as Brent did. I hope we can learn from his example to appreciate the gifts of the earth, to be in awe of the beauty that surrounds us, and to love unabashedly. Brent’s life was one well lived, albeit too short. The earth is a richer, more beautiful place because his footprints were left here.