Clark Jacobs

Clark Jacobs has passed away- he apparently was receiving a medical therapy of some kind, and had a stroke last evening.

Idyllwild has lost an incredible piece of its climbing history...and a Flower of High Rank, indeed.

Horrible news. I thought the little guy was going to beat this. Flower of High Rank is one of my favorites.  A true legend. 

RIP Mr. Jacobs

Very sorry to hear this sad news. Clark was truly a Flower of High Rank. He was an Idyllwild fixture from my earliest climbing days. Always a friendly greeting and generous spirit.

So sorry to hear this. Clark was a friend and a fellow Idyllwilder. I knew him since the late 70s. So many memories. Rest in peace my friend.

The next time you are at nomad ventures in Idyllwild take a look at the picture of Clark soloing Flower. Past the roof, just, and it looks like he’s just hanging out at the grocery store.

It is sad.  I would always look forward to chatting with him.  He sold me my first friend at sport chalet back in the 80s. I'll be tipping em back tonight!  RIP...

Hi Everyone.

This is Jimmy, Clark's younger brother.  Yes, Clark did pass away last night February 4, 2021 at 9:40pm.  After long consultations with the medical staff, I placed Clark in Hospice care (Reliance was amazing) and after a lengthy Zoom I had with him at 8:30pm, he passed comfortably and peacefully.  I reminisced about family, old friends John Bald, Jim Wood, Bob Bolton and the list goes on and on.  Thank you to everyone who has reached out.  I plan on having a memorial service ( probably on line, damn COVID) which i am tentatively scheduling for next month in March.... Maybe on his Birthday, March 12th.  Keep him in your hearts and mind.  His love for nature and passion for climbing and teaching have touched us all.  If you have any ideas or thoughts, please feel free to reach out to me.  jamesjacobs1969@gmail.com

oh no, terrible, terrible news.    clark had been such a nice guy, for so fuckin long.  

condolences to his family.

Clark was a wonderful guy and always had his thumb on the pulse of the local climbing community. I once bumped into him at the post office and we chatted. By the end of our conversation he had me convinced I had to go do what he considered to be a benchmark for me by the end of summer. Lately we had been talking quite a bit about some things we were going to go do together. I'm very sad we never had the chance to get on Hesitation.

I have some Clarkisms in my phone from our texting conversations, and I'll leave a few of them here: 

Expect the best and plan for the worst.

Safety is a matter of mindset, not your equipment 

A moment of carelessness can undo a lifetime of caution.

Even on easy ground on Tahquitz never overlook a bomber placement because 20 feet later: coulda, shoulda, woulda... 

There are 3 types of climbers: Those that make t hings happen, those that watch things happen, and those that wondered what happened!

Have the tools, skill, and wherewithal to ascend a fixed rope. You gotta be like Mcgiver. Make a nuclear sub out of a condom and find your pecker in complete darkness. 

Godspeed my friend. I know there are a ton of cracks, and granite faces where you are. And I promise I'll get more than liability insurance on my truck! In my eyes you always will be a Flower of High Rank. 

Such a genuinely nice guy. First time I met him many years ago at Suicide, he soloed up a route next to the climb I was leading. He struck up a super casual and mundane conversation, slowing his pace to match mine so we could continue chatting while we climbed. A SoCal icon, and a true loss to our community.

Yes, he was a mellow, sweet friend who always shared all he had in a humble way .I don't think today's world would allow another one like him to be created. Rest in peace my friend, your  loss, will be  a reminder and awakening for me for a long time to come.

Used to work the climbing shop in springs for the hiker season. Clark was in and out of health issues that time but was always tough. A soft soul with some real grit. A gem. Gonna miss him :(

RIP CJ

I climbed with Clark for about five years in the mid 90s. Big rock, Joshua tree, Idlewild mostly. Every time I’m near where he might be I'd usually look for and most the time I'd find him.  JT will never be the same for me knowing no matter how hard I look I won't find Clark anymore.  He left me some good memories and I learned a lot spending hundreds of hours on the rocks with him. I learned a life lesson on those rocks.... When life gets hard and you don't think there's any way to move forward just stretch half an inch and everything changes. 

There's more photos of Clark at this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/v6jHrZsbvPGUpgDo7

Clark and Alois at the Idyllwild Historical Center in 2009 or so.

Clark with Largo at the same event.

Clark, Bircheff, Barbara, and I were hangin' out at The Pit, in Josh, for a while. Must have been 2013 or so. Fun days.

He was one of those "forever" figures. He was the kindest, most gentle, generous person most of us has ever met. It's hard to believe he's gone. 

Always loved running into him in Idyllwild.

RIP Clark 

Always a great guy, gave a lot of himself to help other climbers, some owe their lives to his quick thinking.

I offer my sincere condolences to Jimmy and the rest of his Family and Friends. 

I will miss you my friend, you always brought a smile to my face.

Your kindness and great attitude will be remembered.

~Wrote this especially for Clark a couple years ago...

A jaggedy wall

      Rising vertical heights,

A challenging route of ascent

     Will entice

To shimmy the granite

     With edges and smear,

Maneuver the climb

     Without any fear.

Opposing pressure

     And placement of pro,

A dance between faces

     Where most would not go.

The rush at the crux

     A free solo well led,

Balanced and spread

     With the Rock overhead.

The Rock was his church, the trail his journey, the forest his solace....in his life of adventure!

Miss and Love you RockStar!!

A year or two ago I was instructing an anchoring course up at Suicide over by the Hernia when Clark happened by our group. He hung out for a bit and I asked him if he would have dinner with me later that evening. He agreed and then ended up hangin out with us the remainder of the day.  As always, he was a pleasure to have along. My clients enjoyed his company. He was either sharing engaging climbing and rescue stories or interjecting his wisdom and perspective into my instruction. His charisma and charm made the day breeze by. After we hiked down the trail and arrived at our vehicles, my clients thanked me and Clark for the spectacular day. Then, they gave us both a really nice tip. Clark tried to decline, but they all were insistent that he accept their gratitude. He looked to me to see if I was bothered. I just smiled and patted him on the back. Afterwards, Clark was giddy and besides himself. He couldn’t believe that they wanted to tip a passerby who was just there hangin out. Rest assured, we went out and had a great dinner with those tips. I will truly miss his genuine kindness as well as that ear to ear grin that he seemed to always wear.

Tony Sartinwrote:

A year or two ago I was instructing an anchoring course up at Suicide over by the Hernia when Clark happened by our group. He hung out for a bit and I asked him if he would have dinner with me later that evening. He agreed and then ended up hangin out with us the remainder of the day.  As always, he was a pleasure to have along. My clients enjoyed his company. He was either sharing engaging climbing and rescue stories or interjecting his wisdom and perspective into my instruction. His charisma and charm made the day breeze by. After we hiked down the trail and arrived at our vehicles, my clients thanked me and Clark for the spectacular day. Then, they gave us both a really nice tip. Clark tried to decline, but they all were insistent that he accept their gratitude. He looked to me to see if I was bothered. I just smiled and patted him on the back. Afterwards, Clark was giddy and besides himself. He couldn’t believe that they wanted to tip a passerby who was just there hangin out. Rest assured, we went out and had a great dinner with those tips. I will truly miss his genuine kindness as well as that ear to ear grin that he seemed to always wear.

Awesome story, thanks Tony.

Think about it. How many times, in a professional guiding situation, could a guy who is a total stranger to the group walk up and slide into the scene without one; pissing off the guide and two; making all the clients wonder who the f is this guy? One of a kind. Godspeed Clark Jacobs.