FEATURED POST

The P-38

…for the past three weeks i’ve been a hermit in the wasatch alpine; my hope was to spend as much time in the high country before the snow started falling, to finish a few new routes–one, in particular, as a memorial-of-sorts to my friend mike brown.

well, it’s done–i finished it–oddly, in front of the camera–on saturday afternoon, just in time to get back to camp that evening, host a huge bacchanal-bbq, then race back down the mountain to make it on time for work–i open the shop each sunday!  i called the line the P-38; if you’re not already familiar, the P-38 is, of course, a WWII plane, but it is also the US military’s name for the standard-issue can opener, a marvel of modern design:  if you’ve ever used one, the P-38 is light, compact, easy-to-use, and reliable as hell.  whoever designed it must have been a genius–it is elegant in its simplicity, the process involved in stamping them out was probably as streamlined as manufacturing can be, fast and cheap.  all of these qualities–lightweight, compact, easy-going, reliable, cheap, fast and elegant–describe the sort of character mike brown was.  i would have never had the courage to visit some of the places i’ve been, or to take some of the chances–against all better judgment–in life that i did if it were not for his influence.  and like the P-38, mikey was classic, timeless.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener

Shingo, Lone Peak in the Wasatch Mountains