January 24, 1956 – November 6, 2021
On Saturday evening, my father, Daniel Wesley Thompson Jr. went out in a blaze of glory. He taught me how to ski, swim, snowboard, start a fire, grow a garden, make a friend, build a tipi, and drive a car. The gifts he gave me don’t end there. I have been so blessed to grow up with the understanding that nature is my keeper, and a vegetable you pull out of your garden is WAY better than the one you buy at the store.
Dan was a true adventurer and passionate about living a life in the wild, a life just as wild as his spirit. Summer was for hiking, biking, building, and camping. Winter was for the powder. On ski trips he was known to continue on another 3 mile hike just to get an extra run while the rest of the crew stopped for lunch. “Gotta earn your turns, kiddo.”
I can still hear him cheering me on. I can feel him in the air around me pointing to each mountain top, “Climb that one! Go see what the view is like on top of the world!”
I feel him whispering, “Have you gotten your skis waxed yet, kiddo? There’s powder up top already!”
I can feel him in the ground I walk on, “Don’t forget to start planning your garden for next season, grow some peppers for me!”
I’ll never forget the first day I went into the back country, calling him to say, “I finally get it dad, it’s so peaceful it feels like flying!”
Thank you for teaching me to live wild, outside of the box, and absolutely in love with this wild world.
He is survived by his daughters Valerie May Thompson and Claire Daniel Thompson and the love of his life, Alice Thompson