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American Mountain Guides Association E~Newsletter
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Greetings!
I hope this email finds you well and gearing up for spring.
It is with a heavy heart that we report the tragic loss of Kathryn Miller Hess. Kathryn passed away on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
Below you will also find the dates of the 2009 Annual Meeting in
Moab, UT and news about
accessing your membership & program information online!
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 Kathryn Miller Hess will be dearly missed!
A letter from Rob Hess
"We have lost some great mountain souls in our world of guiding and unfortunately we have lost another. Kathryn Miller Hess was lost after a fall in which she hit her head in a couloir known as Space Walk at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Once in a great while, people come a long that effect their community in an overwhelmingly positive way, Kathryn was one of those people. Everywhere she went, people were drawn to Kathryn. She always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, but you had better be ready because she was not afraid to tell it like she saw it. That subtle southern drawl, great laugh and quick, sharp wit combined with utter determination made her a force to be reckoned with. She had her soft side and looked after her friends and boy could she ever host a party!
Kathryn started outdoor education at NOLS, teaching a wide variety of programs from hiking to mountaineering to skiing to Alaska mountaineering, in fact we met while instructing a winter ski trek in Wyoming. Kathryn was an owner and guide with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides from 1998 to 2005, and continued to guide for JHMG. She summitted Cho Oyu as a part of a completely unsupported women's expedition. She was a ski patroller at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, and quickly became a mentor for many especially the other developing women patrollers. She donated significant time to Teton County Search and Rescue.
These were the most obvious talents Kathryn had, but the ones few saw were most incredible. Kathryn had this artistic eye and loved to see, play and dance to music. She saw the Dead well over 100 times and Panic over two hundred. To see what she could do with a house utilizing the concept of feng shui was amazing, wow!
Quite simply though, Kathryn loved her friends, loved her dogs and loved to live! I can't believe she is gone...."
A fairwell from Jim Williams, AMGA Certified Guide and founder of Professional Mountain Guides.
"Kathryn was a friend to many of us but an inspiration to us all. She will live on in the lessons learned and the moments shared even in her passing. I knew her only briefly but her love of life and the places she lived her life inspires us all to break new ground and do the best we can to learn from her example.
May the journey never end...."
Our best wishes go out to Kathryn's family and friends!
~ the American Mountain Guides Association
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 AMGA 2009 ANNUAL MEETING
Moab, UT
Mark your calendars, buy your plane ticket or pack your truck and get ready for some splitter cracks! We have officially set the dates for the 2009 Annual Meeting in Moab, UT.
2009 Annual Meeting Schedule ~ Moab, UT
Oct. 24-26 - WFR Recertification
Oct. 25-26 - Leave No Trace trainer course
Oct. 27 - Technical Committee Meeting
Oct. 28 - Board of Directors Climbing Day &
Dinner
Oct. 29 - Board of Directors Meeting, Professional Development
Clinics, & Opening Night Event
Oct. 30 - Professional Development Clinics & Annual Meeting
Main Event
Oct. 31 - Professional Development Clinics & Guide Olympics
Nov. 1-2 - Instructor Pool Training
The AMGA Annual Meeting is a time-honored tradition that brings together the largest gathering of American mountain guides. It is the perfect opportunity for AMGA Members and guides to participate in professional development clinics, share ideas, discuss current issues and celebrate the guiding community.
We look forward to seeing you in Utah this fall!
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Access Your Membership Online
With the coming of spring, the AMGA has developed a new online  database. Wherever you are, you will now be able to access your membership and program information via the web.An email will be sent to you in early April inviting you to participate in the beta testing and help us finalize the database.
You will be able to access the following membership features:
- Update your contact information
- Review your course/exam evaluation
This is a very exciting upgrade for the AMGA and we look forward to sharing it with you.
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That's all for now! Please contact the office with any questions.
Happy climbing,
Katie Kelly
AMGA Membership Director
303.271.0984
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