Rocky and Ed Brennick

When I first met Ed I was at Mt. Woodson looking at "My Trains' A-Coming" put up by John Bachar.
I had been climbing behind my house on the boulders for approx. 2 months and was curious about this rating thing for climbs.
I got a guidebook from A-16 and was out to try the boulders there that looked similar to the climbs I was doing to see where I was at in the real world of climbing.
Ed walked up and once he checked out my gear knew that I was in serious need of a teacher.
This was back in 1982 and I had EB's, a Goldline rope, Jumar, Figure 8, a couple of biners and slings but no other pro.
We climbed some 5.9 - 5.10's and he quickly saw potential in me, so off to JT the next weekend and it begun.
He couldn't find anything I couldn't follow and loved it.
The next few weeks we climbed behind my house and he saw what I'd already put up on the boulders and of what I wanted to try next.
Shortly we were off to Suicide Rock with Don Simpson and Brian Henimen-forgive the spelling as I expect I got Henimen wrong.
I followed Ed on "10K Gold" and Brian on "Hot Buttered Rump" and then I kept asking about Tahquitz as it was all I could look at when not climbing.
Ed said to not worry as it would be soon, real soon.
I remember also meeting and climbing with Rick Piggot and others over the next few months and kept getting statements like, "I can't believe you've only started climbing just a few months ago."
And then my son wanted a second dog so we got "Rocky", the mixed breed wonder dog.
He had long toe-nails and could free solo 5.6 with ease and even climbed upside down on some moves with that silly little smile all the while.
Ed had a Dobbermen and at first he looked down on poor little Rocky as he was a bit pitifull looking but in no time had won Ed over.
It began on "Monster Rock" at Descanso Crag when I was belaying Ed on a 5.10 climb on the south face.
Ed was putting in his first piece of pro after having climbed about 25' up 5.7 - 5.8 face climbing when Rocky showed up at his feet free solo.
I called Rocky back down so as not to interfere with Ed's lead and he turned upside down and climbed down like a lizard.
From that moment on, it was Ed and Rocky - best of friends for life.
Ed eventually got bored with climbing and got into parachuting until the day he witnessed upon arrival to the airport a "grounder" - someone who's chute didn't open.
He gave that up and got into scuba-diving and as always Ed, pushed the limits to the max.
Then one day I got the call that he didn't return from a dive.
He and one of his partners attempted, and most likely succeeded in doing a 200' dive on just one tank and not two.
They found his truck but the rescue divers never found either of their bodies.
We had a service later and I gave the closing statements-eulegy or however that's spelled.
My closing sentence was "No matter where I hike and where I climb, he will always be right there with as I will never be without him in my heart."
So we put up the "Ed Brennick Memorial Climb" on the West face of "Monster Rock" in memory of both he and Rocky - his climbing wonder dog buddie.
And they're still right here in my heart - forever!!!